As I spend more time in my bible, find myself taking extra time to really get to know what the words I am reading actually mean. I’m not talking about what the words mean in today’s culture but rather what the truth of the Word is. What did that Word mean when it was written and what did it mean in that culture? Culture has a huge impact on what different words and phrases mean. For a good example of this we do not have to look much further than the English language. Everything from phrases, terms, pronunciation, spelling can be different all while under the same language banner. I love watching how other cultures are unique even in their similarities. For the most part, I think it’s great that the English language can be diverse and that we can see how different cultures use the language differently. Whether it be British, Canadian, American, Australian, or any other ones I have mentioned. If I look within my Canadian boarders, we have a diversity of English. I’m not sure if you’ve ever had a chance to listen to a Newfie, but the English variation is so much fun to listen to and sometimes difficult to understand.
That being said, when you spend time in God’s word, it can be very easy to read what God’s word says and take the words spoken in that day and use them completely out of context. Take the word love for example. The word love is used in so many ways. In scripture, you’ll find that there are quite a few different variations on the word love and they all mean different things. In Canada, we often just lump love into one generalized meaning that most people would have difficulty narrowing down a definition. Today I’m looking at the word freedom. I’m not talking about blue faces, horses, swords, William Wallace and the fight for liberty we see in brave heart. I’m talking about the real deal. The real freedom that God’s word talks about. The freedom that every single person as a believer has access to. I want to make sure it’s understood that my goal here is not to say that people can’t fight for circumstantial freedom. For the purposes of this article that’s what I’m going to call all the freedom’s we currently enjoy in Canada that include but aren’t limited to; freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of enterprise and many more. I am going to call this circumstantial freedom because they are things that can be taken away. I want to take a look at a couple Bible verses here and I think it’s important we are not naive to our benefits as Kingdom citizens and children of God.
Today I hear many Christians talking about what their rights are as Christians. Some even taking the fight far enough away from the truth that many don’t even look like or resemble Christ anymore. I also see the opposite side of the spectrum from Christians that says Christians should not be gathering and that they should be honoring government and doing everything they are instructed. I’m not saying that these aren’t valid perspectives or that there are legitimate concerns on both sides of the argument but being a Christian has nothing to do it. Here is the reality. There is nothing in scripture that says your freedom as a Christian is going to be accepted, let alone mandated by the world around you. You aren’t fighting for Biblical rights here, you’re fighting for rights as a Canadian, Christian or not. Your rights as a Christian are NOT circumstantial, they have nothing to do with whether someone wants to make it legal or illegal to worship. If people want to fight for their rights as Canadians, then by all means stand up for what you think it means to be Canadian, but the freedom we see in the Bible is not one of flesh and blood. It’s not circumstantial in that mere humans can take away a God given gift, purchased by the blood of Christ, from us. Cultures change, people change, countries change, everything changes and shifts…Except God. He was, and is, and is to come. He forever was and forever will be. Our spiritual freedoms in Canada are not in jeopardy. You can rest easy! The world cannot take away something that was promised to you by the King of kings! This is great news! What is really being affected today is our circumstantial freedom. Our ability to worship and praise in public, our ability to gather together legally, our comfort zones and our traditions are becoming increasingly difficult and getting to the point where what we believe may have a cost, more than most are used to. Let’s take a look at a few Bible verses.
The bible verse we are going to look at are:
- John 8:32 And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.
- Isaiah 61:1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
- 1 Peter 2:16 Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.
John 8:32. This is such a powerful bible verse and it’s just as relevant today as it was when Jesus spoke these words. True freedom, the kind of freedom that changes lives, affects nations, gives life eternal, is only found in one place. It is not found in government, it’s not found in people or traditions or law… it’s found in Jesus. Jesus says “I am the way, the truth and the life, no man comes to the father but through me”. Lots has happened since the beginning of Covid. One of the biggest changes is that we can no longer worship God the way we feel comfortable. We can no longer go through the motions of looking like a Christian. Now it costs you something. When Jesus came and started teaching on the kingdom, He was in a culture remarkably similar to today. He was born into a culture full or sin, full of pharisees who are addicted to religion, and full or people who are completely full of themselves and lovers of themselves. Jesus was not a man of circumstance; He was a man of obedience. He said he never did anything unless the Father told him to. We are not called to make war on this worlds culture, we are called to bring about the culture of heaven. We are called to walk in truth, and in love. Something that is simply not possible without a relationship with Christ. Jesus taught these things in the midst of a culture that killed people for their beliefs. Jesus, his disciples and many after him were willing to lay their lives down for the culture of the Kingdom, not fighting the culture of the day. They fought for the people who didn’t have the truth by speaking the truth. They fought for freedom not by standing in protests or holding up signs, but by snatching people from the pits of hell through Jesus. They shared the truth, they walked in power. True freedom in Christ isn’t about being able to fight for your rights as a citizen of a worldly country, it’s about living your rights out as a citizen of heaven regardless of the earthly consequences. Our perspective is often not the one God has. He is seeing everything from the viewpoint of eternity. We can, myself included, often get stuck focusing on the temporary.
Real freedom is not freedom from man but freedom from sin. It’s knowing the difference between right and wrong and having a beautiful relationship with God. For we were once sinners now saved by grace. Our ability to have relationship with the King is the greatest freedom we will ever experience! No man, woman, child, government can ever stop you from doing that. Trust me, the bible is FULL of instances where people tried and yet God’s people prevailed.
Isaiah 61:1 talks about the real freedom. There are MANY Bibles verses on peace. One of the reasons I picked Isaiah is because it says he is FULL of the Spirit of the Lord. He is justifying his message to God’s people and saying the power he walks in comes from the Spirit of the Lord. This is true for every Christian who walks with God today.
1 Peter 2:16 is the other one I used because it talks about freedom AND servanthood. We are called first to live as Christ, to be obedient to God and to love Him. Our first call isn’t evangelism, it isn’t getting people saved or spreading the good news. The highest and most important part of being a Christian is that we love God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength. We are supposed to look like Christ in everything we do.
Now what does that mean for today? What do we do when we are told to do things in the name of love? Well, I say we must look at who defines the word love. Once we’ve done that, we need to identity what said love looks like and then from there, live that out no matter what. I’m not here to say it’s right or wrong to wear a mask, or be diligent with your health. What I am saying is, look to Jesus. Look at what the disciples did. Look at what God has asked us to be. These are who we should be striving to be. True freedom doesn’t mean you can do whatever you want without consequences, it’s the ability to be who God created you to be regardless of consequences. Let me give you an example. In Canada, there is a law that says you can only go so fast in your vehicle; if you go faster than that there are consequences. This isn’t a lack of freedom, this parameters. You still have the freedom to choose whether or not you are going to follow the rules. The circumstances say that there are consequences to not staying within those parameters. There is no lack of freedom here, there is a choice. Freedom is the ability to choose. Jesus and his disciples had the freedom to choose and they chose to follow through on God’s plan. The question is, what will you choose? Deuteronomy says “I set before you life and death, choose life.”