One thing that has always amused me is when somebody says, “It’s a free country, I will do what I want.” Is that the real meaning of freedom? If I am free, can I do whatever I want? The obvious answer is no because there are still rules and laws in place to govern our lives. Now that doesn’t mean that I cannot break those rules and laws, I am free to do that at the risk of punishment and losing my freedom. Someone once said, “Your right to swing your fist ends at the end of my nose.” That reminds us that there are boundaries in our freedom, and we must exercise common sense.
Adam and Eve were given freedom in the Garden of Eden to eat of any tree in the garden except one, the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Eve, knowing it was wrong to eat from the tree, allowed herself to be prodded into choosing to do wrong, and Adam did as well. Not paying attention to the parameters of freedom often leads to destruction. For Adam and Eve, they were driven out of paradise and life got really tough!
I have seen kids that were raised in a protective environment, or as they might say strict, leave the family home for the first time and get into trouble because they cannot handle their new found freedom. There are so many things to experience and not all of those things are good.
Freedom is a wonderful thing. We do need to be very careful that we respect our freedom as well as the freedom of everyone else. This is a fine line to walk because not everyone thinks exactly alike. For instance, we are free to bear arms, yet since there have been so many mass shootings in recent years, there are those who want to take that freedom away from all. This is not anything new. Freedoms are often removed when people start abusing them. Because of what happened on 9/11, the way we go through security has changed and what you are allowed to take on a plane has changed.
Paul spends considerable time speaking about our Christian freedoms. In Romans 14:1-15:13, Paul explains how we need to be tolerant with one another because we are free, and we grow spiritually at different paces. He reminds us that we need to respect the freedom we each possess in Jesus. Paul told the Galatians, “You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love” (Galatians 5:13). Peter echoed this thought in I Peter 2:16–16 Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God.
Friends, Jesus offers us freedom in so may things. Most importantly, freedom from sin! We must respect our freedom in Christ and use it to glorify God and draw others to Him.
Read I Corinthians 10:23-31