What joy to live where freedom is celebrated. We enjoy a degree of freedom in this country that has been unrivaled throughout our world today, as well as throughout history. This freedom is evidenced in the ability to choose how we express our worship, what we say, and with whom we associate. These are rare privileges for which I am grateful. But freedom is also internal.
Abraham Heschel’s essay, “Insecurity of Freedom,” discusses the essential nature of freedom and concludes “the danger begins when freedom is thought to consist in the fact that I can act as I desire”. He then goes on to discuss how many of our desires can actually enslave us. “To be what one wants to be is also not freedom, since the wishes of the ego are largely determined by external factors. But real freedom exists in the ability to surpass our own needs and desires and to act sacrificially.“
So how do we live in the freedom to transcend our own needs, our own egos? It has to be provided by another.
“If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” John 8:36
Jesus has set us free and has, indeed, paid for it[1]. And we receive it through faith in Him.[2]
If we have been set free, we are no longer enslaved to sin. We are free to act, NOT in our self-interest.
Paul said he was suffering for the gospel to the point of being in chains, yet he quickly reminds “but God’s Word is not chained. Therefore, I endure everything for the elect.”[3] Paul was free. He was so free He was willing to be chained for the sake of the gospel. The Spirit of God brings true freedom.[4]
The exhilaration of being spiritually freed cannot be squelched by our physical circumstances. Think of the exuberance pictured in Malachi 4:2, “But for you who fear my name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in his wings. And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture.”
What a joyous picture. Is your soul free like that? It can be.
