FREEDOM
When most people think of freedom they think of it as a good thing. Do you?
In modern society people tend to think of it as being able to do what you want and when you want. Who wouldn't want that?
However, the posts in this blog look at things from different perspectives. For a more meaningful life we could look at freedom in a different way than the world looks at it.
It is a general belief that if you are free you can go wherever you want. Is that really the case?
For the sake of this post we use the general notion that a typical person is not perfect.
If you take your pain and your bad habits with you are you really free? In recovery programs it is often said "I might have left town and everything behind, but I took me with me."
Also, with true freedom in this sense comes a measure of responsibility.
In other words, if you go wherever you want you are just taking the same problems to a different place.
It takes a spiritual change within to really be free.
Let us take a look at what Jesus means by freedom. In one of the Gospels he is accused of wanting to plant grain on the Sabbath Day. According to the law of Moses no work should be done on that day. Jesus responded to this by stating that man was not created for the Sabbath Day, but that the Sabbath Day was created for man.
What are the implications of this? Jesus thought was that a person could obey the law without following it exactly word for word to the letter. If the grain helps nourish man then what are doing is helping man. By looking at things in the way of Jesus you follow the spirit of the law and help man.
So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. - Gospel Of John 8:36How can he say this?
To use a different example of freedom, one could look at forgiveness. Many people have things bothering them from their past that influence choices they make. (The typical person is not perfect).
According to worldly standards humans tend to protect their position. This means you defend what you said or did even if you know deep down it is flawed. In doing this one could say you are in bondage to your sins.
Freedom, According to Jesus
However Jesus communicates he has a way even better than the world's way. The Christian idea of forgiveness is not is not that you condone the behavior of the other person, but rather that you "forget" about it in the sense that it does not affect the choices you are currently making. Many people misconceive this idea and the Christian view is easier to accomplish.
The lesson is to be wary of the "freedom" the world offers. It might sound good on the surface, but it can also lead a person to the same unresolved problems they had before.
The freedom in Jesus is not a trick. It is what freedom is meant to be.
Are you free?
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You might also be interested in:
What Is True Freedom?
Paul's Assessment Of Christian Freedom
For Freedom Christ Frees Us