Free From Freedom

"For you were called to be free, brothers and sisters; only don't use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but serve one another through love." - Galatians 5:13 (CSB)

I love celebrating the 4th of July. It reminds me of being at the lake with my grandfather. He'd bring out his homemade potato gun, we'd fill the bottom section with hairspray, and I'd compete with my cousins to launch spuds as far across the lake as possible.

After stuffing ourselves with hotdogs, cheeseburgers, and Coca-Cola, we'd set off fireworks by hand. As I recall, we would place bottle rockets inside a bottle and launch them. (For the record, this was dangerous, foolish, and possibly illegal).

Thankfully, no one lost any fingers or eyebrows, everyone had fun, and I still remember those evenings as the highlight of my childhood summers.

Independence Day is about America's highest virtue: freedom. Freedom from tyranny, oppression, and foreign kings. So we love the red glare of rockets and the bombastic pop of fireworks. After all, America is the land of the free and the home of the brave.

Yet, for Jesus’ people, Independence Day poses a holy irony.

Remember how Paul defined God's people? In Galatians 3:27-29, he stated:

For those of you who were baptized into Christ have been clothed with Christ. There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male and female; since you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, heirs according to the promise.

Stunning words. "There is no slave or free... you are all one in Christ Jesus."

But while there's nothing wrong with wanting political freedom from oppression, America's story is not so simple. As our history books teach us, our country's founders wanted freedom for themselves, not for everyone. For centuries, political freedom for white people existed side by side with chattel slavery for black people and the Trail of Tears for the Cherokee and other Native nations.

Is this being woke? No, it's a recounting of the historical record! Many white colonists wanted freedom for themselves while systematically denying it to others, all on the basis of skin color.

It's a history worth remembering because it teaches us an essential truth about freedom.

The early church and the Apostle Paul also knew about political oppression and the longing for freedom.

For instance, in Acts 22, Paul tells a Roman centurion that he was born a Roman citizen. Even as Paul remained a prisoner, it gave him legal protection; the centurion even provided a large deployment of soldiers to safely transport him to Felix, the governor.

Like Paul, Jesus also faced political expectations for freedom. Perhaps the most common misunderstanding of Jesus' identity came when people called him the "Messiah." Why? Because his admirers saw him as a political revolutionary who would overthrow Roman rule and give the Israelites their freedom.

But Jesus didn't bring his people this kind of freedom. Instead, he suffered a humiliating death, accused of being a traitor to the Roman empire and a blasphemer of Israel's God. Even as the church grew and spread, the Roman empire continued for centuries, with episodic but often intense persecution of Jesus' disciples.

Here's the unease I feel: it feels unAmerican to challenge our nation's celebration of freedom. But I think we need to experience that discomfort because it's the same unease the early church felt when they challenged the Roman empire. Remember, Christians were called atheists because they refused to worship the Roman pantheon!

But as Christians, we find our identity in Christ, not in our ethnicity, economic status, or even our sex. The world wants to put men against women, one race against another race, and citizens against immigrants. But this is not a Christian way of thinking (see Galatians 3:27-29).

So what kind of freedom do Christians celebrate?

Paul gives us an answer in Galatians 5:13. "For you were called to be free, brothers and sisters; only don't use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but serve one another through love."

It raises the question: Where did Paul get the strange idea that true freedom is to serve others?

If we look at Philippians 2:6-7, Paul tells us that Jesus "did not consider equality with God as something to be exploited. Instead, he emptied himself by assuming the form of a servant, taking on the likeness of humanity."

(By the way, many commentators think this section in Philippians 2 was an early church hymn. Imagine how it might shape our imaginations if we sang this song each Sunday in our churches!)

If you're an American, do you see your national identity as something to be exploited for personal gain? Does 'freedom' mean the capacity to live life on your own terms? Often, 'freedom' means being rich, retired, and relaxed.

But Jesus and the apostles give an entirely different definition to freedom. For them, true freedom is to be a slave to God and a servant to our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Instead of the idolatry of personal freedom, God invites us to see true freedom as the capacity to love God and love our neighbors.

Allow me to gently ask you a challenging question for self-discernment. If it helps, it is just as hard for me to consider!

Are you enslaved by the need to do as you please?

In the Bible, this kind of 'freedom' is called slavery to sin. The good news is that God invites us to be freed from the selfishness of our flesh.

Instead of self-promotion, self-gratification, and self-expression, we are called to glorify God and care for our neighbors. It's when we grasp that we were set free by an act of service that we are finally empowered to live a life of service.

The 4th of July can, at best, unite us in celebrating freedom from political oppression.

But Jesus invites us to celebrate a greater freedom: to be free from the iron Kingship of Self.

Do you want to be free? May you receive the loving service of the King of Kings, who died on the cross to forgive you of your sins, and rose from the dead to give you newness of life.

This July 4th, let's celebrate freedom by serving. Invite that neighbor you've been meaning to get to know over for burgers. Call someone who's been lonely. Even as the fireworks explode, may the loudest boom be our love exploding for the glory of God in acts of humble service.

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Credit: Photo from Jonathan Borba on Unsplash