Freedom in Christ

freedom
-noun

1. the state of being free or at liberty rather than in confinement or physical restraint
2. exemption from external control, interference, regulation, etc.
3. the power to determine action without restraint

Several weeks ago, my pastor presented a sermon on what it means to be free in Christ, which my small group discussed during the week. The topic came out of Tim Keller's book The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism. The primary argument refuted in the chapter this sermon covered is that Christianity is a straight-jacket, in that the followers of Christianity have too many rules and it is really a hindrance to true freedom. From the definition of freedom above, you may be able to connect the dots on how this view came to be. Christians are seen as people who follow a strict set of rules. Since they live their lives under some sort of regulation, it can be postulated that they are not truly free.

First let's ask what are the rules that Christians are "supposed to follow?" The first thing that comes to mind would probably the the Ten Commandments. After that would probably the the teachings of Christ in which he expands upon the Law saying that it is not just the committing of an act that makes it a sin, but merely having the will to commit that act in your heart. Adultery is a prime example of this. Not only is the act of adultery a sin, but looking at a woman lustfully is also a sin.

So we have the rules. Now let's ask, why is it seen that Christians have to follow these rules? Those who are not familiar with the grace God provided to us may say that it is in order to gain favor with God. Some Christians may even feel that if they follow these rules, they somehow gain favor with God. But that cannot be the case. Paul says in Ephesians 2:8-9, "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast". This passage tells us that following the rules does nothing in terms of our salvation. We only have salvation because God loved us enough to give it to us.

But if the rules don't help me gain favor with God, does that make them useless? Is there no purpose to the rules besides restricting people from freedom? Of course there is a purpose. To find it, let's look to the Old Testament. God gave the Israelites the Ten Commandments and the Law. Yet, how many times did the Israelites stray from following the Law? But, you might say, "that proves nothing except that the Israelites were stubborn" or "but the law was too strict, how could God expect us as humans to follow such strict rules?" From there, we can see that the point of the Law was to show us our need for God's help. Without His grace, we would be doomed to an eternity in Hell. Paul says in Galatians 3:24-25 "Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor."

So according to Paul, we are no longer under the law, but under grace. Because of this grace, we are no longer condemned to spend eternity in Hell apart from God. Now, you might ask yourself, "so if I'm not constrained to live under the law, I can do anything I want? Without consequence?" Well, not quite. What we are free from is the punishment which comes with sinning. Since we have salvation, we are no longer condemned to death, but we still have to deal with consequences of our actions.

The rules given to us show how we ought to live. Proverbs 22:6 says "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it." For example, my parents taught me not to lie, to cheat, to steal. But let's look at why I should not do those things? From a Christian perspective, they go against the law, but if I am not bound by the law anymore that should not matter. In Mark 12, Christ tells us that the greatest commandment is to "[30] Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. [31] The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"

Based upon that, I would argue that if one loves God and loves others as he loves himself; the thought to lie, cheat, or steal would not cross his mind because those actions would not be showing love to God, or to others. And the more one grows in his love for Christ, the more he will begin to follow what is in the law, not because he is required to, but because his love for Christ has given him the freedom to do so.