Freedom

What is “freedom”?  The definition of freedom is likely to depend upon who is asked.  To the 18^th Century American colonist it was the opportunity to have a say in the government.  It was the ability to live as independently-minded people, secure in a belief that they were out of the shadow of a inattentive or oppressive monarchy.  To a 19^th Century slave it might mean the difference between being perceived as a “person” or “property”.  It may have been the fulfillment of what had been promised a century earlier when Jefferson wrote of the pursuit of life, liberty and happiness.   To the young adult in the 1960s it could mean the ability to express yourself without the encumbrances of an archaic society.  Freedom might have focused on the expression of new and controversial ideas as well as exerting control over one’s own body.  Each generation and location has its own understanding of freedom, but they share a common thought.  It is a noble quest worth the sacrifice it takes to gain it.

The Apostle Paul was a Jew by birth, but in a time when Roman citizenship was not guaranteed within the Empire, he was a free man and a Roman citizen.  I wonder if this background influenced his view of Christianity.  Years before he became a Christian Jesus had touted the freeing nature of discipleship (John 8) and Paul picked up this banner in the New Testament book of Romans.  In fact, it might be said that this epistle is the Christian Declaration of Independence.   No, it is not an appeal for freedom, rather it is an assurance of liberty already gained.  Romans 6 proclaims freedom for all believers of all time.  After reviewing the enslavement of mankind by satan Paul proclaims Christian liberty by observing, “… we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin.” (Romans 6:4-7).  Put simply, humans were once bound by the constraints of sin and destined to eternal death, but Jesus has given us freedom – a new lease on life!

This is a special week for the United States.  The Fourth of July serves as reminder of the freedom we have and the men and women who sacrificed their fortunes and their lives to make it possible.   As we celebrate our nation’s liberty let’s remember the greatest gift of all time – the freedom from sin that comes through the death of Jesus and the rebirth of His disciples.