Defining Freedom

This past Fourth of July in the United States of America was a very special celebration, as you heard a couple of weeks ago, being that we celebrated 250 years from the day that the Declaration of Independence was signed. In the last few months, you have probably sensed a renewed spirit of patriotism and a nostalgia that has not been experienced at such a level, at least in recent memory. My wife Leslie and I thoroughly enjoyed that particular evening while we were in North Carolina, watching the most powerful display of fireworks I have ever experienced — I mean feeling it, too. It was really long and powerful. The music was wonderfully patriotic through the evening, sometimes acknowledging God's providence. We ended that celebration feeling joyful, inspired, and thankful.

People might talk about freedom and the joys associated with it, but what does freedom really mean? Today I want to compare two definitions: man's definition of freedom, and God's.

Freedom is defined by Google as "the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants, without hindrance or restraint." Boy, that sounds good for me. How about you? Now, that very short definition could lead to trouble. If everyone claimed that right, yet acted, spoke, and thought differently, we could have conflict — even chaos, even anarchy. Notice that our nation, for all its talk of freedom, remains a nation of laws.

I remember being in elementary school as a child — it was fourth or fifth grade. All through elementary school we had watched films — real people, cartoons — that were sociology films, you know, teaching you how to behave. This particular one really grabbed my attention. It was about freedom. It involved a big, husky cartoon guy and a mild guy, and of course the big husky guy was just taking advantage of the other guy. He had all the rights he wanted; the other guy had none. It was teaching us how freedom does not mean controlling other people. It does not mean anarchy, where whoever is the strongest, the fittest, wins. That was a very impressionable moment for me in my life.

Some men of the time of the Revolutionary War made some very famous quotes. Patrick Henry said, "Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty or give me death." Everybody has heard this one. Notice he makes a reference to God in his quotation — a plea, as it were, to God.

Thomas Paine wrote, "Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it." In the same paper he writes, "The thing cannot be, unless we sit down and suffer them to do it." In other words, we cannot just wish to be free. We must do something to support freedom. Paine's words are an excellent example of what man is willing to do to protect himself — to labor, to fight, even to take life — to secure what he claims for himself. And from a human standpoint, it even seems to make sense. One might ask, "How else in this world do we control the bullies in our life?"

Finally, Joseph Warren in 1775 said, "Nevertheless, to the persecution and tyranny of his" — that's the king's — "cruel ministry we will not tamely submit, appealing to heaven for the justice of our cause. We determine to die or be free." Again, a reference to God.

Henry, Paine, and Warren bring us a concept of freedom that requires physically standing up against slavery — some form of it. It's a very common thought about freedom. And two of the three call upon God's favor to do so.

In fact, the very language of American liberty was borrowed from the Bible. The inscription cast on the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia comes from Leviticus 25, verse 10, which is about the year of Jubilee: "Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof." In God's economy, in Israel, liberty meant release — debts forgiven, slaves set free, every man returned to his possession and his family.

So in 1776, a Declaration of Independence was made. But it took seven more years of blood, sweat, and tears on every side — mourning mothers, mourning sisters, mourning brothers, mourning fathers — to fulfill this desire for freedom. The American Revolution lasted from 1775 to 1783, over eight years. And it was only the beginning of further change in man's view of freedom — namely, here today I'm speaking of freedom of choice, or conscience: freedom to be in charge of your own life.

So even the founders, reaching for words to express freedom, reached for God's words to support that desire. These calls to God and His word should, therefore, cause us to investigate further. How does God Himself define freedom? Is it the same? Let's let the Bible define its own terms for freedom and liberty.

So if you will, please turn with me to John chapter 8, and we'll begin in verse 31: "Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, 'If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.'" And understand, of course, disciples is meaning students or followers — both, really. "'And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.'" So if you abide in His word, in Jesus Christ's word, you will know the truth. And what will knowing the truth do? The truth shall make you free.

There is another verse — stay in John 8 — which you don't need to turn to but might write down, and that's Psalm 119:160, which reads: "The entirety of Your word is truth, and every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever." That Psalm emphasizes clearly that we do not pick and choose from God's word to define truth. Truth is found in God's word in its entirety. And Jesus said that in His prayer to the Father in John 17:17: "Your word is truth."

Continuing now in verse 33 — we've read 31 and 32: "They answered Him, 'We are Abraham's descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, "You will be made free"?'" Now notice, "the Jews who believed Him" — this isn't a struggle or an argument with the Pharisees or the Sadducees or the lawyers or the scribes. These are people who are following Him. And what is on their mind? The thoughts we just talked about with the Declaration of Independence — liberty, being out from under somebody's thumb. That's what they were thinking. They were thinking of being freed from someone else — and they didn't feel like they were dealing with that, even though Rome was in charge.

Verse 34: "Jesus answered them, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore, if the Son'" — that would be Jesus — "'makes you free, you shall be free indeed.'" So here we find freedom defined by Jesus as knowing the truth. He doesn't even bother to go where His listeners went. He didn't even acknowledge their question. He simply told them what freedom was. Just before that, we learn that we know the truth by keeping His word. And from the Psalm, we see that all of the word of God — the entirety of it — is truth. You know: "I don't mind following God where I like what He says, but I don't know about the other parts."

Patrick Henry, Thomas Paine, and Joseph Warren essentially laid out for colonists a mission statement of sorts relating to freedom, or liberty. But Jesus also came with a mission statement relating specifically to liberty and freedom, long before these great men of the Revolutionary War were even born. Let's turn to Luke chapter 4, and we'll read verse 18: "The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel" — good news — "to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed."

So this wasn't some incidental prophecy Jesus applied to Himself. When He stood up in the synagogue in Nazareth at the very beginning of His ministry, He opened the scroll of Isaiah and read His own commission. Twice in one sentence: liberty. Proclaiming freedom was the very reason the Son of God said He was sent. But notice what kind of captivity He came to end — not Rome's occupation. He didn't do anything about that; He didn't even try — which is what His hearers were wanting, expecting from their Savior, their Messiah: getting out from under the thumb of Rome. Instead, it was the bondage of sin. And that brings us to Romans chapter 6.

Let's start reading in Romans 6, verse 6 — Paul writing to the church in Rome: "Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin." We see it again — sin is the enslaver that God is concerned with. Verse 7: "For he who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him." That's a freedom I could go for. "For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Likewise you also" — so what Christ did, this is for you too — "reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts." That's imprisonment. That's slavery — obeying that.

For a moment, we might want to think about the human definition of freedom — freedom of choice, or liberty of conscience. It's one I'm thankful I have right now. Aren't you thankful to be here? Lots of freedoms. I mean, it's getting worse, but you know, the intention is there. So I'm thankful for that — I'm not putting down this opportunity, this blessing. But then I also am thankful that God has shown me what is true freedom. And if not careful, I could let the freedom defined by men become my own lust, or my own passion, that outweighs the definition of freedom God has given me — one that could lead me to sin against the pure word of God. Remember: all of the word of God.

So let's move down to verse 16: "Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one's slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?" There's a scripture that says there's no way you can serve two masters. You're going to serve the one or the other — not both. Here again we find freedom defined as a life where sin no longer rules. We know we still sin, but it does not rule over us. But we also find that, because we are imperfect humans, we must obey something.

And Paul doesn't leave us wondering which it will be. Verses 17 and 18: "But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness." Remember, God is righteousness. We're His slave — we're His child, we're Jesus' brother or sister — we're His slave when it comes to righteousness, because He is purely righteous. There is no third option, no neutral ground where we serve nothing at all. Every person alive is a slave to one master or the other.

And I say it that way because you don't really think of God obeying His own law. He is the embodiment of what that law describes. There's no choice with God; sin was never with God. It's not what He is — He can't do it. There's no choice there. It's always been the Way. Recall, for example, Titus 1:2 — God cannot lie. Or James 1:13 — God cannot be tempted by evil. It doesn't say "will not." It doesn't say "chooses not." That is very specific grammar for saying He can't do it — incapable. The Way is the Way, and that's the freedom. God is not a slave to His way; He is the Way. We make ourselves slaves to the Way, because otherwise we become slaves to the other way — to sin. So we, unlike God, are imperfect, and we make ourselves slaves to something other than sin, and that is called obedience. So this freedom from sin requires that we become slaves to obedience. Obedience to what? Well, as we've already heard: the word of God, of course — the entirety of it — which leads to righteousness.

The apostles knew how easily people could — and would — twist this freedom back into man's definition. Paul writes in Galatians 5:1: "Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage." Don't return to that other way of life. But then, just a few verses later, in verse 13: "For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another." And there it is, plain as day: called to liberty, and in the same breath, called to serve. Peter says the same in 1 Peter 2:16, where he says to live "as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God."

These are really good examples explaining how people could think, "Okay, I'm freed from the penalty of sin; I can live forever; therefore it's okay if I sin." That's not what we're supposed to do. We turn away from sin; we're no longer its slave. It's not just that we've been freed from a penalty — we're literally freed from the acts of it, by doing what is right. Free — and bondservants — in one sentence. That is God's definition of freedom in a nutshell: not freedom to do as I please, but freedom by the power of the Holy Spirit to live godly lives. Not freedom as constrained by the laws of men only, but devoted obedience to the whole word of God.

Paul takes this even further, writing to people who were literally slaves in this world — physically slaves, people with no political freedom at all. Turn to 1 Corinthians chapter 7, starting in verse 20: "Let each one remain in the same calling in which he was called. Were you called while a slave? Do not be concerned about it; but if you can be made free, rather use it." So, you know, if you can get out of it, do it — but otherwise, accept it. "For he who is called in the Lord while a slave is the Lord's freedman." No master anywhere in this world can change the way you think and act. Even as a slave in another society, you still control this — and your mind is being directed toward the things of the kingdom of God and eternal life. "Likewise he who is called while free is Christ's slave." You know, it's the free people in the world who have the least ability to follow God, naturally speaking, because we think we've got it covered. That's just a general statement. "You were bought at a price" — because we were bought — "do not become slaves of men." Don't do it on purpose. "Brethren, let each one remain with God in that state in which he was called." So if you are a slave, you can be free in God's way, and you're not giving in to everything man thinks. In the same way, if you're free, you make yourself a slave to God.

Think about what that means. The slave who is called is the Lord's freedman; the free man who is called is Christ's slave. God's definition of freedom does not depend on earthly circumstances at all. It was purchased at the price of Christ's blood, and it cannot be taken by any ruler or granted by any government.

Charles Spurgeon put this plainly: "There are many points and particulars in which the Gospel is offensive to human nature and revolting to the pride of the creature" — the created. "It was not intended to please man. How can we attribute such a purpose to God? Why should He devise a goal to suit the whims of our poor fallen human nature? He intended to save men, but He never intended to gratify their depraved tastes." It's a pretty strong quote. The gospel doesn't flatter our freedom of choice — it rescues us from where our choices were taking us.

Something to put our hope in, to remember when we feel like we're wrestling, struggling, when we feel burdened or enslaved — and as a Christian, I have felt that way while being a Christian, even because of me, not anybody else — when we feel like maybe someone is taking away even our choices, we can turn to Revelation chapter 1, verse 4: "John, to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne."

Before I go on, please pay special attention to the next verse. It's kind of off topic — but it's in topic, because we want to obey all of the word of God, right? All of it. I'm going to read two translations to highlight the struggle of knowing the truth, especially when dealing with translation of the word of God — we're dealing with translation from original manuscripts. The New King James Version, which is what I've been reading all this message: "and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood." The English Standard Version took from another manuscript: "and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth" — very similar — "To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood."

I gave a shorter version of this message thirteen years ago, and I went to the ESV because it fit the enslavement theme. I didn't know better. Here's the deal, though. The difference in these translations — whether washed or freed — comes from the choice of source manuscripts, where the underlying Greek words differ by only one letter. Somebody either accidentally added a letter or accidentally left one out while transcribing. Thankfully, they carry the same weight. Now, we always need to know whether our translations are accurate. In this case it's okay, because they carry the same weight: from God's perspective, to be loosed or freed is to be washed, and vice versa. When we turn away from sin and are freed from sin by the blood of Christ, guess what we are? Yes — we're freed, and we're washed. The New King James focuses on what Christ did when He died for us, while the ESV emphasizes His ongoing love, having freed us from sin by His blood. Neither is a wrong biblical concept.

So, to Him who loved us and washed us — or Him who loves us and has freed us — from our sins: what outcome does that provide? Verse 6 tells us: "and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen." We are given an outcome for this freedom. It's not just that we've been freed from sin and death — there's a future, and it happens to be with Christ and God our Father, as helpers: kings and priests — or "a kingdom of priests," as another translation puts it.

As Christians, we have been called out of a slavery that promises us death, being freed from the eternal penalty of sin. It is not a freedom defined as one of choice — although we have made a choice to go to that level, to actually follow God — but a freedom that means eternal life, living only God's Way. That's what we need to seek to understand. Well-meaning men and women, in their effort without the Spirit of God, nobly desire a state of being where they can choose freely what they believe to be right. Again — I'm so happy I can come to church; no one's stopping me. I'm so happy I can take the Sabbath off; if I were someone's slave, I might not be able to. I'm not poo-pooing that at all. Except that's not why we're here. I just refuse to work on the Sabbath. They put me to death? Okay. They put me in prison? Okay — because I am free in Christ, and I want that freedom. However, this desire can and has, in history, led to strife, especially where authority is deemed unjust or tyrannical. Successful uprisings against tyranny have been called revolutions — we can think of the American Revolution. But the same kind of unsuccessful uprisings have been called rebellions. That's how they go down in history. The same standard of nobility, you could say — and yet, whoever won, it became a revolution or a rebellion. As the old saying goes, to the victor go the spoils.

Two hundred fifty years ago, men pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor for freedom of choice, or liberty. But our own pledge can be directed toward a much higher level — expressly to God, who has been involved in history from the beginning, working all things toward His plan of salvation for all of us, for all of mankind. And the price that purchased that salvation was greater than any revolution's price: it was the blood of the Son of God, securing freedom from sin. One freedom lasts as long as the nation stands. The other lasts forever. It is forever.

So we as Christians are called to live a righteous life, no matter our state of human freedom — brethren in Africa, brethren in South America, brethren in Mexico, brethren in some country where they have no rights. No matter our state of human freedom, whether in action or thought; no matter our education; no matter our gender, our color; no matter how we think the gospel should be preached ("I think they should be doing it this way," for instance), or who should be in charge of doing that preaching — we are called to obey the word of God: freed from sin, slaves to obedience, submitting ourselves one to another in the fear of God. And that is a conclusive statement given by Paul when explaining our treatment of one another, in Ephesians chapter 5.

Even though we are made free from the penalty of sin — it is true, sin brings death, and it was through the blood of Christ — we really are still at war. We are in a battle. If you want to fight, you've got one. It's always a spiritual battle, however — one that wars against our spirit connection with God. So I'm going to close with one more scripture, Ephesians 6, verse 12: "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood" — that's you and me, brethren; it's not talking to anybody else, it's talking to Christians — "but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places."

You and I chose to obey God by coming to assembly today — He commands assembly; He commands rest. We did that by making ourselves slaves to what God asks, or commands. And in that choice, and many others — freed from sin, in voluntary submission to Christ — God offers us the weapons we need to withstand even the corrupted spirit found in man (I happen to be one of those) and in fallen angels. Our own human nature can be a spiritual battle already — and of course we have those other guys, too. But we need to focus on the one that can put us to death, and that's us — not anybody else.

Therefore, we can say as did Jesus our Christ: "If the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed." Let us fight to keep that particular freedom with every ounce of our being.