Freedom: One of the Greatest Gifts We Can Receive

We’re one year away from the United States’ semiquincentennial. What’s that? It means next year our nation will mark 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. It’s been nearly one-quarter of a millennium since that landmark document declared “The Colonies” independent from England and the rule of King George III. Should be quite a celebration coming up.

 

But this year’s observance is hardly insignificant. Every Independence Day serves as an opportunity to celebrate the many freedoms we can enjoy as Americans. Starting with the Declaration, followed by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, citizens of our country are free in ways we often take for granted. In ways that billions around the world could only dream about.

The opening of the Declaration of Independence sets the stage with the statement, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Declaring that all men “are created” and “endowed by their Creator” is a direct acknowledgement of God, even though today many choose to disregard and reinterpret what this means.

 

In the amendments to the Constitution, also known as the Bill of Rights, we find freedoms of religion, speech, the press, peaceful assembly, bearing arms, and a variety of other specifically stated rights and protections. Many of these rights are absent in many societies around the world, such as Communist-governed nations, countries under Islamic rule, and dictatorships.

 

So, we should rightfully celebrate these freedoms and rights every year, no just wait for a special anniversary. But this notion of freedom isn’t an American concept, or one devised by any society. Its basis – especially as understood by the Founding Fathers and the documents that helped form our nation – is found in the Bible, from its opening chapters. 

 

After the acts of creation, which culminated in creating the first man and woman, God said to Adam and Eve, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden [of Eden]; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil…” (Exodus 2:16-17). The first couple, however, were not content with such broad freedom; they focused on the restriction, the one limitation to their freedom – the tree and its forbidden fruit. And humankind has been suffering the consequences of this ever since.

 

In Exodus we read the account of the Israelites being freed after 400 years of slavery in Egypt. Later we read about the rebellious people of Israel being taken captive by other empires, then freed by God’s sovereign edict. But nowhere do we find a greater emphasis on freedom that in the life of Jesus Christ.

 

Whether we want to admit it or not, from birth we are in bondage to sin – spiritual slavery. It takes many forms, but the impact is separation from God and the inability to become all that He desires for us to be. Romans 3:10 declares, “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God.” Romans 3:23 adds, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” 

 

What’s this got to do with freedom? The apostle Paul explained, “When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. [But] what benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death!” (Romans 6:20-21).

 

Sounds dismal if we stop right there. But there’s good news. This ‘slavery to sin’ doesn’t have to be a life sentence. In the days leading up to His crucifixion, Jesus Christ told His followers, “A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:35-36).

 

Jesus’ death on the cross paid in full the cost of our sins, offering us access to eternal life through His Spirit and an everlasting relationship with God. As Paul wrote, “But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:22-23).

 

Much more could be written about this – and has been. But as we celebrate Independence Day and the freedoms we have been given in our nation, let’s keep them in perspective with the far greater freedom we’re offered in Christ. As Paul expressed it, “It is for freedom that Christ set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery [to sin]” (Galatians 5:1).

Nearly 250 years ago, a new nation was birthed with the declaration of its independence from England and the reign of its king. Through Christ, we each can declare our own independence from sin – through spiritual rebirth – relying on His power and guidance so we can worship the true King and become the people God wants us to be. Now and forever.  

He’s Not Always ‘Mr. Nice Guy’

Who’s your favorite actor or actress? (I know some consider ‘actor’ the proper term for both genders, but I’m using both terms since we might have both a favorite male and female in the acting profession.) Anyway, why is that individual your favorite? Is it because of that person’s excellence in being able to take on very different roles, or because he or she seems to be such a likeable person regardless of the role being played?

 

Over the years I’ve admired certain actors and actresses, sometimes thinking, ‘Wouldn’t it be cool to be able to hang out with him (or her)?’ It can be hard to separate their screen presence from who they really are – or might be – in person.

 

Sometimes various sources reveal that what we see on TV or in the movies is definitely not what you get in person. I think of one popular crime series we watched in which the guy and gal seemed like such a perfect match; later it was divulged the two actually loathed one another when off the set. Disillusioning, right? At least they did a great job of acting as if they liked each other. 

 

In a very different sense, I wonder if some folks might feel this kind of disconnect about Jesus Christ. People say, “God is love” (quoting 1 John 4:16) so often it’s practically become a meaningless cliché. Envisioning a grandfather-like deity who tolerates any and all misdeeds with an “Aw shucks, kids will be kids” sort of attitude, they extend that image to Jesus, the Son of God. He’s perceived by some as a good buddy, an all-accepting Savior who can and will overlook sin in any form, all in the name of “love.”

 

This isn’t a new phenomenon. We’ve had songs like “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” (written in 1855 by preacher Joseph M. Scriven) for a long time. It’s encouraging and heartening to know we can enjoy a growing personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. But if we examine the Scriptures, we see He didn’t just come to become our best friend. 

 

Intended or not, this perception of Christ as “Mr. Nice Guy” may have been advanced by the acclaimed, highly successful video series, “The Chosen.” (Of which I’m a great fan, by the way.) In its first four seasons, we often see Jesus (admirably portrayed by Jonathan Roumie) in ways rarely depicted on the screen. He’s having fun at times, teasing and joking a bit with His followers, dancing, and being the kind of person described above – someone we’d love to be able to hang out with.

 

In the Bible we do see occasions in which Jesus seemed to use subtle humor. Whether He danced or not, the Scriptures are silent on that. We wouldn’t be out of order to conclude He enjoyed having a little fun. When Jesus walked on water, as recounted in the gospels of Matthew, Mark and John, He demonstrated His divine power. But it also might have been a “Surprise!” moment with His followers.

 

Season 5 of “The Chosen,” however, is presenting a very different side of Jesus. It’s the end of always regarding Him as “Mr. Nice Guy,” which might be somewhat troubling for some viewers. Much like finding out a favorite actor or athlete isn’t exactly what we presumed.

 

In an early episode we see an angry Jesus overturning the merchants’ tables at the temple, an event recounted in each of the gospels. “Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. ‘It is written,’ He said to them, ‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making a ‘den of robbers’” (Matthew 21:12-13).

 

Definitely no more Mr. Nice Guy. On numerous occasions in the gospels, and represented in “The Chosen,” Jesus confronts the self-righteous, hyper-religious Pharisees and Sadducees, including soon after literally upsetting the apple carts at the temple.

 

He chastises them with “seven woes,” making no effort to soften the blows of His condemning accusations. Jesus starts off, “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites!” a phrase He uses seven times. Then He proceeds, “You shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. You do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to” (Matthew 23:13-14).

 

Jesus continues, specifying other ways their ritual hypocrisy serves to honor themselves but does nothing to honor or glorify the God they claim to worship. Jesus declares, “You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean” (Matthew 23:25-26).

 

This is a different side of Jesus from what we see earlier in the gospels as He goes about teaching, healing the sick, raising the dead, and performing other miracles. However, there’s no contradiction. He’s God incarnate when demonstrating great compassion, kindness, mercy and love, and He’s God incarnate when demonstrating other important dimensions of God’s character – including His justice and truth.

 

Exodus 34:6-7 describes this well, recording an interaction between God and Moses. “And He passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, ‘The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet He does not leave the guilty unpunished; He punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation.”

 

We can be thankful for God’s mercy and grace, embodied in Jesus Christ. But we must never forget that He is also just and a hater of sin in every form. As C.S. Lewis, in his fantasy series, “Chronicles of Narnia, stated about the Christ figure, Aslan the lion, “He’s not safe, but he’s good.” 

There might be times when we discover that a beloved celebrity isn’t the person he or she appeared to be; they’re sinners just as we are. But not so with the God of the Bible. He is love, as the Scriptures declare, but He’s also holy. There’s no separation between the two.