Authentic Freedom Only In Christ O ne of the best ways of sharing the gospel with modern men and women is to present it in terms of freedom. At least three arguments may be used for this approach. First, freedom is an extremely appealing topic. The worldwide revolt against authority, which began in the 1960s, is seen as synonymous with a worldwide quest for freedom. Many people are obsessed with it, and are spending their lives in pursuit of it. For some it is still national freedom, emancipation from a colonial or neo-colonial yoke. For others it is civil rights, as they protest against racial, religion or ethnic discrimination and demand the protection of minority opinions. Yet others are preoccupied with the search for economic freedom, freedom from hunger, poverty and unemployment. At the same time, all of us are concerned for our personal freedom. Even those who campaign most vigorously for the other freedoms (national, civil, economic) often know that they are not liberated people themselves. They cannot always put a name to the tyrannies which oppress them. Yet they feel frustrated, unfulfilled and unfree. Secondly, freedom is a great Christian word. Jesus Christ is portrayed in the New Testament as the world’s supreme liberator. “The Spirit of the Lord is on me,” he claimed, applying an Old Testament prophecy to himself (Isaiah 61:1-2) “because he has anointed me to preach the good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Luke 4:18-19). Whether Jesus intended the poor, the prisoners, the blind the oppressed to be understood as material or spiritual categories or both (the question continues to be hotly debated), the good news he proclaimed to them was certainly “freedom” or “release.” Later in his public ministry he added the promise: “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36). Then the apostle Paul became the champion of Christian liberty and wrote: “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1). For those who find “salvation” a bit of meaningless religious jargon, and even an embarrassment, “freedom” is an excellent substitute. To be saved by Jesus Christ is to be set free. Thirdly, freedom is much misunderstood. Even those who talk loudest and longer about freedom have not always paused first to define what they are talking about. A notable example is the Marxist orator who was waxing eloquent on the street corner about the freedom we would all enjoy after the revolution. “When we get freedom,” he cried, “you’ll all be able to smoke cigars like that,” pointing at an opulent gentleman walking by. “I prefer my fag,” shouted a heckler. “When we get freedom,” the Marxist continued, ignoring the interruption and warning to his theme, “you’ll all be able to drive in cars like that,” pointing to a sumptuous Mercedes, which was driving by. “I prefer my bike,” shouted a heckler. And so the dialogue continued until the Marxist could bear his tormentor no longer. Turning on him he said: “When we get freedom, you’ll do what you’re told.”
Posted on: Sat, 03 Aug 2013 01:10:32 +0000
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