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Tuesday, September 26, 2017

Be Free!

There has been much controversy in the news lately about the President's statement regarding NFL football players who choose to take a knee in protest during the national anthem. What started out as a single football player's desire to call attention to what he perceives as police brutality against minorities has now escalated into division among Americans who have strong feelings both positive and negative about the country. One thing is certain, this is most likely the beginning of a ground swell of discussion about what it means to exercise freedom. Webster's dictionary gives a rather lengthy definition of the word "freedom." "Freedom" is defined as "enjoyment of personal liberty, of not being a slave or a prisoner, the enjoyment of civil rights generally associated with constitutional government, the state of not being subject to determining forces, liberty in acting and choosing, immunity to or release from obligations, undesirable states of being, etc., ability to move with ease, excessive familiarity, unrestricted use or enjoyment, an absence of freedom from controls, spontaneity unfettered by rules and conventions, a privilege conferred on someone to do him/her honor." No matter what stand a person may take either for or against the actions of any particular athlete in any given sport, there is still a bondage that continues to exist. This bondage is a spiritual bondage rooted in the fallen world where every human being is a slave to sin. Freedom as defined by Webster's dictionary will never be actualized in this world regardless of race, religion, economic status, etc. When sin entered the world after the Fall in Genesis chapter 3, fear, shame, and guilt became the core elements of our wounded souls and has carried on and will continue to carry on as long as humanity exists. All struggles that we face have their roots in fear, shame, or guilt. Those who lash out with ugly words towards others are often masquerading their sense of patriotism to cover up the fear of a perceived threat to power. The reaction by those at the receiving end of the ugliness in banding together to show solidarity is meant to counter the core feelings of shame and guilt that may be triggered by the disparaging remarks. However, there is a real freedom that can be experienced by each and every human being, regardless of their situation or circumstance. It is not the false freedom our culture offers but a spiritual freedom that is found in Jesus Christ. In the book of Galatians, Paul admonishes the Galatian Gentile believers for starting to forsake the freedom they had experienced from believing in the gospel and falling back into a bondage that a legalistic group of Jewish Christians wanted to impose on the Gentiles. Paul states, "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." (Galatians 5:1-2) Jesus in His death and resurrection brought true freedom from the aftermath of the Fall. As a result of Christ's work "being free" means 5 things. First, "being free" is having a relationship with God. Second, "being free" is the result of the death of Jesus Christ. Third, "being free" is life in the Spirit. Fourth, "being free" liberates individuals to be and to do what God wants us to do. Finally, "being free" through Christ and in the Spirit allows us to live out this life of freedom by loving others and by developing relationships that are marked by such things as kindness and goodness. So in summary "being free" is the liberation of a person's spirit from everything that shackles it to sin and ugliness. It is the liberation of a person's spirit to do what God wants, to be what God wants, and to enjoy the life God gives us on earth. Apart from the true spiritual freedom found in Christ, we will be slaves forever in bondage to our fears, guilt, and shame. However, "..there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death." (Romans 8:1-2) There will always be a struggle to obtain freedom as the world defines it but when we come to God through Christ and in the Spirit, we are free at last because following Christ means living in freedom. So, be free!
Peace in Christ,
Pastor Sheree