Don’t Fear Freedom
Freedom is a gift of God. It is a special gift for his children, but I believe that he wants all men and women to be free. He doesn’t have a problem with freedom, but we do. Fallen humans are slaves to sin, and sin restricts our ability to understand and enjoy freedom. Perhaps because we are bound in sin, we tend to resent the freedom that others have, regardless of its nature. We wish we were free; but, trapped ourselves, we despise the freedom of others.
Oppressors and tyrants thrive on controlling people; so, of course, they despise freedom of any kind. Ironically, religious leaders tent do dislike freedom, even some Christian leaders. It is too easy to use religion to coerce and repress its followers. Anyone who enjoys wielding power will not appreciate freedom, except perhaps their own; perhaps that is why the heads of cults often demand strict morality from their followers but practice what they deny others, whether secretly or openly. Of course, they are not truly free but bound in their own sin, doomed to death. God’s spirit operates contrary to the ways of power, i.e., “not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit.” They demand service instead of being freed to serve.
Strangely, people who have freedom in Christ often behave as if they do not. Released from the “prison” of their sin through the mercy and grace of Jesus, they still hang around the jailhouse, like those who have served long prison sentences who struggle to return to normal life. Paul talks about this in Galatians 5:1, saying that Jesus freed us to enjoy freedom; therefore, we should not go back to bondage, slavery, imprisonment, or captivity. This problem, what Paul called “another gospel,” was already prevalent enough to warrant a letter to the Galatians. The problem is not just common today; it is nearly universal! Many believers are afraid to be free.
People do not only want to control others; they want to be in control of themselves. Such control requires a knowledge that only God has. Sinners, even saved sinners, have only known life in the bondage of sin; they cannot know the possibilities into the Spirit will take them, once they release control.
I have always reacted negatively to “let go and let God.” That attitude seems to say that we have nothing to contribute to the work God wants to do. The issue is “will” versus “effort.” “Thy will, not my will be done” is the key to freedom in the Spirit, but it is based on the effort we invest in study, preparation, effort, planning, meditating, skill development, etc. A writer must first learn to write, study writers, put effort into developing their skills, imagine, plan, and then release control into the Spirit. A farmer cannot pray “Thy will be done” without first planting, fertilizing, and cultivating the growing plants. As a preacher, I read, pondered, made an outline and notes, but then often found myself saying things I had not planned, things that blessed me even as I spoke them. That is freedom, and there is nothing we can do, when we insist on full control, that is anything like it. What a shame it is when we fear freedom, but what amazing things happen if we learn to use our gifts in liberty. Freedom is wonderful, awesomely good news!