Freedom Defined Part 2: Free To

In the first "Freedom Defined" post we discussed the definition of freedom. Let's go back and remember since it's been a little while.

According to the Google dictionary freedom is:

• The absence of subjection to foreign dominion or despotic government

• The state of not being imprisoned or enslaved

• The power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint.

In the first post we discussed what it is to be "free from" oppression, foreign dominion, and enslavement. In this post we will look at the second part of freedom, to be "free to."

Going back to the definition of freedom above, I feel the last bullet point could use a little tweaking, if I could so presume to "tweak" the work of the google dictionary. :) Google defines part of freedom as "The power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint." I am in agreement with the "free to" concept, but the words without hindrance or restraint" are a little misleading. For example, the credit card company will tell us that we are free to spend without restraint. If you want it, buy it..why wait? But to spend without restraint does not lead to freedom, it leads to debt and financial bondage. Likewise, we have the freedom to eat as we wish, but to eat without restraint will lead to obesity, disease, and dietary bondage. It is not being without restraint that leads us to freedom. Freedom can often be found in self restraint, in putting off what we want right now for what is better.

Let’s do a little of what I will call “Bible Geometry” to tweak the "free to" part of this definition and further understand what being free means. I remember being a high school freshman and loving geometry (yes, I was that cool). My favorite part was when we had problems that looked something like this where we had to solve for x:

I loved the deduction skills of using what was known to figure out what was unknown. Let's use that same type of logic to see if we can further understand this concept of freedom particularly relating to "free to". This is not a comprehensive study of the word freedom, but we will be looking at the passage from John 8.

John 8:31-36

31 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.

32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

33 They answered him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?”

34 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.

35 Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever.

36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

We discover in this passage that knowing the truth makes one free (32), Jesus sets one free (36), but what is free? Verse 34 tells us that committing sin makes us a slave. Slaves are not servants or volunteers, they are not family members, slaves are forced to do what their master commands. Slaves do not have a choice, to be a slave is the opposite of free. Slaves are neither "free from" dominion/oppression nor "free to" act or speak as they wish. Slaves are not granted choice. Conversely, to be free is to be given choice. I would propose that to be free in the "free to" context is to have choice in the way one acts, speaks, and thinks. And thus, freedom in Christ is to have the "choice" to act, speak, and think in accordance with the truth that makes one free. Jesus sets us free from being a slave to sin and then makes the choice available, He sets us free to choose to abide in His truth or not.

God desires us to be free, therefore we have always been given choice. It was why the tree of good and evil was in the garden at the very beginning in Genesis. God did not want slaves, He made us to be free followers. As He has chosen us, so He wants us to choose Him. He didn't want robots, He wanted (and wants) relationship, and relationship requires freedom, relationship requires choice. It is why God gave the law to Moses who gave it to the people. He laid out the way for blessing and the way for curse and essentially said, "Choose. You can obey or disobey, and here is what will happen, but the choice is yours. But please, choose life and love and obey me" (my paraphrasing of Deuteronomy 30:15-20). It is why Joshua stood before the people and said in Joshua 24:15 "And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve...But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." It is why Jesus does not make us receive the gift of salvation but offers it up to all who choose to follow Him.

God gives us choice in our thoughts, behaviors, and actions...we chose to follow God or to attempt to be our own god, to believe in Jesus and receive His sacrifice for us or reject it and pay for our own sins, we choose light or darkness, Jesus' righteousness or our own (pitiful) attempt of self righteousness, slave to sin or free, fear or faith, forgiveness or bitterness, kindness or malice, encouragement or criticism, blessing or curse, death or life, worship of God or worship of idols, relationship with God or a life apart from God, eternity with God or eternity separated from God, love or hate. The list goes on and on, He gives us the truth through the Bible and then gives us freedom- He gives us the choice to receive it, abide it, and do it...or to reject it.

But how do we choose to be free indeed in Jesus? Let's do a little more Bible Geometry:

-We know the truth

-We abide in the truth

-We obey the truth

John 14:6 says, "Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.'"

Therefore, the truth is Jesus

If the truth = Jesus then...

You will know Jesus and Jesus will set you free.

Tired of being a slave of sin? I have been there. We can be set free in Jesus. It is praying to Him in the earnestness of your heart and acknowledging that you cannot do it on your own (repenting of your sin) and accepting that He never intended you to. It is believing that God wants a relationship with you that is available through Jesus. It is recognizing that Jesus, God's own son, came to earth, lived a perfect life, died on the cross to pay the price for every sin past present and future, and rose from the dead conquering sin and death. It is confessing with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believing in your heart that He was raised from the dead, and the Bible says when you do that "you will be saved." (Romans 10:9).

What does "Embracing Free" mean? It means choosing Jesus. It is day by day, moment by moment choosing to believe what Jesus says, to think as Jesus thinks, to do what Jesus does, to feel how Jesus feels, to love as Jesus loved, to forgive as Jesus forgave, to pray as Jesus prayed. It is to choose to know Jesus, to believe Him, to obey Him, to walk with Him. That is where we are free indeed.

And this ties back into John 8 from above. Let’s look at verse 35 again:

Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever.

Jesus has chosen to make himself known to us, and when we choose Him in return this tells us that we become a part of God’s permanent family, once and for all. Jesus frees us from being slaves to sin to make us the very sons and daughters of God.

I will close with the actual passage from Deuteronomy 30:19-20.

19 I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; 20 that you may love the LORD your God, that you may obey His voice that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.

Through the words of Moses, God invites us, implores us, to choose life in verse 19. And then in verse 20 Moses tells us "He is your life."

If God=Life

Then "Choose life= Choose God= Choose Me."

What a beautiful invitation we see here. Again, our God is not saying "Do it right, do it perfect, be good enough!" with a scornful eye. He is inviting us to a relationship with Him. He lays out the blessings that come from choosing Him and walking with Him in joyful obedience, the favor and blessing and provision He longs to provide. But He gives us the choice, the freedom to decide as He offers us the sweet invitation to choose Him, for He is indeed the very essence of life. God calls to you, invites you, and longs for you to choose to be free indeed in Him today, but He gives you the choice. He always has, He always will. What will you choose?