free·dom
[free-duhm]
noun
1. the state of being free or at liberty rather than in confinement or under physical restraint: He won his freedom after a retrial.
2. exemption from external control, interference, regulation, etc.
3. the power to determine action without restraint.
4. political or national independence.
5. personal liberty, as opposed to bondage or slavery: a slave who bought his freedom.
Americans are obsessed with freedom, independence, and liberty. I can't help but wonder... are we really free? If so, from what? We are not a part of the United Kingdom. While I am grateful that we are our own country, that isn't really what everybody is celebrating, because Britian is a pretty awesome country. If we'd lost, and we were still part of the UK, life wouldn't exactly be horrible. Our teeth might not be as awesome, but we'd sound cooler when we talk.
So, what are we really celebrating? We've already checked off definition four. We're certainly not celebrating number one. If you are reading this you are probably not incarcerated. And, if you commit a felony, you very well could in up so. So that's not it.
Number five is surely a part of it. We certainly are celebrating the end of our hypocrisy on touting political freedom for one set of people and yet denying it for another. Still, this is only a piece of the puzzle.
We are left with two and three. Let's try two. Are we exempt from external control, interference, or regulation? I know, I chuckled too. The answer is a huge no. Our lives are incredibly molded by outside forces. Let's start with the government we'll be celebrating. It restricts us all the time. You can only drive so fast. You cannot yell "fire" in a movie theater or "bomb" on an airplane unless there actually is a fire or bomb. Haven't you seen meet the parents? You are not free to wear whatever you want. If you walk around naked in ninety-nine percent of public places you are going to get arrested. Your money is not completely your own. The government will take your money and do what it wants with it. You can vote, but that isn't the same thing as actually controlling the situation is it? You will pay your taxes or pay the consequences. That's just government. We start our lives under the rule of parents. Then we add teachers. Then we swap teachers for bosses.
There are the restraints of relationships. Any time you add a relationship to you life you add regulation. It may be done willingly, but because you desire to not be lonely. You are taking on the freedom of not feeling alone, of being loved, of having someone to something with. There are sets of things we cannot do because of each relationship we have. Just one little example, you are not free to kiss your friend's girlfriend. You may be physically free to do so, but you are not free to do so and expect to keep that relationship.
We craft our actions around those in our lives. If you don't think this is true, that you really do actually do whatever you want, I am going to just call you a liar. No one does whatever they want. We are all, to various extents, pushed and pulled by others, by peer pressure. No one acts alone. You cannot. Why? Because you are not free to do whatever you want and have friends! By definition, having a loved one means sacrificing for them. That means giving up one thing for another. I could keep going for a long time on this one, but the point is made. We are not free at all from external control, interference, or regulation.
So, our last hope is number three... the power to determine action without restraint. This isn't all that different from number two. We surely are not able to determine action without restraint. We are restrained by the lack of time, money, ability, health, and on and on it goes. We are lied to all through life that we can do whatever we want, to dream it and it will come true. HA! I almost broke some bones as a kid because I actually believed this and tried jumping off high stuff with the hopes of flying. (I was five, so go easy on me here) I may be free legally to make it to the NBA, but I am not physically free to do so. My body will not what it takes. I am limited with what my brain can do. (stop nodding so vigorously!) Every human is retrained by faith in something. Christians, atheists, Buddhists, whatever. None of has the freedom to know the answers to the universe. We all must rely on faith, and whatever we choose to believe will change how we live. As a Christian I am free to do many things, but there is much restraint with following Christ. Atheists may be free from the laws of the Bible, but lose the freedom to feel eternal purpose. They are not free to be moral without being hypocrites, as all we are is matter. Every worldview has its freedoms and restraints.
Lastly, we are not even free with ourselves. So many of struggle with God because we long for freedom from being told what to do. We long to "be free". Yet, the truth is that we are not even free in our desires. I was never asked to have the desires that I have. Not ever. Like the Apostle Paul, I am constantly doing things I don't want to do, and am unable to do things I want to be able to do. No one came to me asked me if I wanted to be selfish, greedy, lustful. I was just born that way, and so were you. If I were asked what I want to be my desires, my answer would not be anything near to what I was born with, and neither would yours. We all long to be better, to be stronger, to love others more. It is often when we reject those desires that, ironically, we find the most joy and pleasure. Is that not true? Is it not in actually in restraining ourselves that we feel the most free?
We are not free. Not wholly. All of us are captive to a great many things, both inside and out. It is with this understanding that I celebrate July 4th not because of freedom, as freedom isn't really there. No, I am thankful for God's provision. I am thankful that God has given me so much. I am thankful that God has given me the only true freedom to live forever with Him. He has set me free from sin, not that my desires are completely whole in this life, but they are better, and growing stronger each day. I am free from having to spend an eternity in hell, because God restrained Himself in human form, gave up so much. Jesus put himself under the restraint of government, a human mother, teachers, friends, the restraints of an earthly body. He allowed himself to be flogged and crucified unjustly so that I could be free from both hell, and my own sinful nature. So, tomorrow I will be celebrating my freedom, but not the freedom form Britain, or from government, or from others, or even the freedom to what I want. I will be celebrating the victory of Christ over death. and the freedom I now I have to come to him as I am and be delighted in when I don't deserve it. I will be celebrating an eternity in heaven where I will be free to love as I have not been in this life. To God be all glory.
Romans 5: 12-21
12
Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned--
13
for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law.
14
Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.
15
But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through
one man's trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift
by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many.
16
And the free gift is not like the result of that one man's sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification.
17
For if, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that
one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the
free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.
18
Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men.
19
For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous.
20
Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more,
21
so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
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