Live As People Who Are Free

Dear Christian,

This is a gentle reminder, a loving encouragement, a message of hope and a few probing questions… talking to me, talking to you, talking to everyone who is in Christ… a few simple and maybe obvious truths that can be easy to overlook if we aren’t incredibly careful. Truths that we are in great danger of forgetting.

The simple reminder is this:

The world doesn’t own you.

The government doesn’t own you.

Nations at war don’t own you.

Republicans don’t own you, Democrats don’t own you. And neither do conservatives or liberals, elephants or donkeys.

Pandemics don’t own you, mandates don’t own you, elections don’t own you, mass hysteria doesn’t own you, world leaders don’t own you, big tech doesn’t own you, wicked men with wicked desires don’t own you. The devil himself doesn’t own you.

Neither do good days or bad days, good news or bad news, encouraging posts or discouraging posts, lies or half truths. None of it owns you. Neither does your family, your friends, or your enemies.

And you know what else doesn’t own you? Your feelings, your emotions, your confusion, your frustration or your fear.

You are not a slave to anything I just listed above. Sometimes you might feel like it… sometimes you might even act like it. But you’re not.

You were bought with a price; do not become bondservants of men. (1 Cor 7:23)

As we sit on pins and needles, waiting for news, waiting for victory, waiting for defeat, change, progress, decline, a headlong fall…waiting for the unknown. Are we allowing our emotions to go with the wind at every turn, every uprise and every downfall? Are we putting too much of our hope in fallen men to do what’s right? Are we living in fear of the evil works of the wicked?… then naming the sovereignty of Almighty God, Christ’s victory over sin and death, and the work of the Holy Spirit as an afterthought?

Are we placing too much hope in who holds the presidential office? Are we allowing our blind trust or bitter distrust of our government to rule our lives and choices? Are we clinging to a narrative rather than the scriptures? Are we controlled by a party line rather than being compelled by Christ? Are we so busy debating over non gospel issues that we are dividing the church rather than uniting it? Are we spending so much time researching, scrolling, trolling, and commenting that we’ve forgotten to be the hands and feet of Christ when the world has never needed it more?

For the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil,  correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth,  and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will. (2 Timothy 2:24-26)

Are we binding ourselves to this fallen and ever falling world, rather than binding ourselves to Christ? Are we serving ourselves and “our own” rather than reaching and serving and loving as fellow heirs with the greatest Servant who ever lived?

Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?  But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed,  and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. (Romans 6:16-18)

If you are in Christ, you are free. For:

…if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. (John 8:36)

But sometimes we forget our “first love” and we sink back into old and dangerous habits. Sweet friends, we have to be on our guard! You know that:

…you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” (Romans 8:15)

We have no need to fear the passing rulers of our present age or anything they may do to us… we have a great and mighty father, our Abba, who sees us, cares for us, loves us, and rules the world with the breath of his nostrils and the stroke of his hand.

It’s not the we shouldn’t care what’s going on around us. We should care greatly. But while we reach out, while we stay informed, while we offer helping hands, we do so, not to escape the clutches of something evil but in the knowledge that we are already free. When we join in the hysteria… when we fall into the fear… when we buy into bitterness… we don’t help ourselves and we certainly don’t help anyone else.

For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. (Galatians 5:13)

I look around and wonder if we are so afraid of being enslaved to our greatest fears (whatever they may be) and all the while we are gathering rope and chain to bind OURSELVES to the fate of this world.

Why are we doing this???

For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. (Galatians 5:1)

If we are living afraid of dying tomorrow… if we are holding tight in fear of losing all… we are living in slavery to all the things from which we’ve already been set free.

Why do you think the scriptures speak so much to us about fear? It’s because we’re human. We’re sinful. We fear so many things. We all have those nightmares that keep us awake. We all have the nemesis, be it a thing, or a circumstance, or a person, or a possibility that strikes fear into the heart of us… and we struggle not to be controlled by it. To be mastered by it.

Before you came to Christ, you were owned by sin, a captive to fear, a slave to unrighteousness. But when your eyes were opened to the fact that JESUS died in your place taking on every sin you ever have or would commit, died the death that you deserved, then rose again and defeated the death that would have held you in it’s grasp… the wicked darkness of this world lost it’s grip on you.

YOU WERE SET FREE.

Don’t waste the freedom that’s yours without price!

Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. (1 Peter 2:16)

In Closing

Am I saying we shouldn’t stand for freedom on a national level? No. I’m just saying it’s not what matters most. I’m saying that that freedom can be taken away so if it’s your lifeline right now, you are in great danger of sinking.

Am I saying we shouldn’t speak truth? No. Truth is vital. Truth is absolute. Truth is freedom itself.

And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:36)

But truth must always be spoken in love with the intent to honor Christ and effect helpful change… not just for the sake of being right. And truth must be rightfully discerned, not ignorantly assumed off of a certain narrative or passing feeling.

When we realize our freedom has already been won, the forces of this world lose their fearful grip on us. When we see the chains that held us broken at our feet, we are grateful and live in a way that invites others to know that freedom rather than pushing them away from it with our callous need to protect ourselves or cling to “our rights”. When we grab hold of our eternal hope, we live with more kingdom purpose in this brief and passing world.

Is that how we’re living in these difficult days? Are we living in freedom or in fear? Are we reaching out in concern or pushing back in defense? Are we walking in grateful humility or trampling others in entitled self-righteousness? Are we acting in unconditional love or in frustrated bitterness? Is your foundation the uncertain words of other men or the unchanging Word of God? Are you allowing your culture or Christ to define you and control your actions?

These are practical questions we need to be asking ourselves.

If you don’t believe that sin owns you… you should be reflecting the One who does. If you aren’t striving to reflect Christ, you are, perhaps without meaning to, reflecting the sinful, messy world around you, and there’s no hope in that.

I’m preaching to the choir here, please know that. I’ve found it so easy to get caught up and dragged down with everything going on and all too often I live as a captive to this world rather than a liberated follower of Christ!

Let’s stop being so afraid.

Let’s start living with courage.

Let’s remember our beautifully broken chains.

Let’s reflect well our gracious chain breaker.

And let’s live as people who are free.