What Will You Do Without Freedom?

The words made famous by Mel Gibson in Braveheart.  It really is an interesting question and begs that we ask, ‘What is true freedom?’

Is freedom being able to do what we want when we want to do it?  If you live in the United States you are ‘free’ right?  However, laws still govern your actions.  They are necessary for any society to function.  You are not free to go out and murder at will.  So what does true freedom look like?

Contrary to what you might think, true freedom is not autonomy.  It is not doing what you want to do when you want to do it.  The Westminster Confession states,

“The liberty which Christ hath purchased for believers under the gospel consists in their freedom from the guilt of sin, the condemning wrath of God, the curse of the moral law; and, in their being delivered from this present evil world, bondage to Satan, and dominion of sin; from the evil of afflictions, the sting of death, the victory of the grave, and everlasting damnation; as also, in their free access to God, and their yielding obedience unto him, not out of slavish fear, but a childlike love and willing mind (20.1).”

What is the point?  True liberty (freedom) exists only when one is found in Christ, because our unity with Christ frees our entire person to conform to His will.  Stated differently, we are truly free when we are able NOT to sin and free to obediently serve Christ. 

The continuum of a Christian’s life evolves in this fashion:

1.  Unable not to sin

2.  Point of justification

3.  Sanctification process begins

4.  Able to sin and able not to sin

5.  Point of glorification

6.  Unable to sin.

Prior to coming to faith in Christ all are bent to sin (See the first part of Romans).  When given the choice, you choose sin.  This is because our entire being has been tainted by sin, and therefore, we are prone to sin.  We cannot help but to sin.  This is why autonomy is not freedom.  If you have no choice but to sin, then you are a slave to sin.  This is not freedom.

At this point, some might argue that non-christians do good things.  True, they do, do good things.  This is called common grace.  I’ll write about this concept at a later date.

Once we come to faith in Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit working in us, we are able not to sin.  Obviously, we are still capable of sinning, but we have the capability not to sin.  This process is called sanctification, whereby, we are being transformed into looking more like Christ.  If you are a follower of Christ and you are reading this, then you are in the process of sanctification.

Then, when we are pushing up daisies after we die, we are glorified with Him and are incapable of sinning.  Personally, I can’t wait for that day.  Think of the one sin that you must consistently fight…now think of not struggling with that particular sin.  Amazing, eh?

So, back to the original question, ‘What will you do without freedom?’  Simply put…you will choose sin.  More importantly, what is true freedom?  True freedom is possessing the ability to serve and love Christ (with a child-like love…not out of slavish fear) with a clear conscience, through the power of the Holy Spirit, and willfully obey him because it pleases Him.  Let’s live in the true freedom that Christ has bought us. ~CT