“It is sin that makes me want to rule myself, and it is grace that draws me into the only slavery that gives life, slavery to the Creator, the Saviour King who knows what is best and gives what is best always” – Paul David Tripp

Many of us had just celebrated Indonesia’s Independence Day earlier this month. 17^th of August is one of the most, if not the most, important day for Indonesians, because it is the day where we remember and commemorate the bravery and resilience of our national heroes for leading our country to gain freedom and independence from our former colonizers. Such freedom did not come easily, in fact, many people died fighting for the privilege we have today.

But for us who now is living in a modern world, concepts such as enslavement may feel somewhat unimaginable – not only because such practices are not practiced as frequent nor as explicit as in the 1800s, but also because these the ideas of ‘independence’ and ‘freedom’ are frequently advocated by the world to the point that they are accepted unquestioningly and become normalcy. We, as Christians, are warned in 1 John 4:1 and 1 Peter 5:8 to be vigilant and alert of everything we see and hear in this world. And so, that is what we ought to do, to find ourselves looking back to the Bible to see what God has said about our true ‘freedom’ in Him.

The problem of worldly definition of ‘freedom’

 Previously, I hadn’t really given a thought to examine the concept of ‘freedom’ and what it really means for a Christian. Sure, I knew that freedom as a Christian means being freed from the bondage of sins by the blood that Jesus Christ paid on the cross 2000 years ago. But I had always put that sentence in a box, as a statement that was only theological for me that had little practical implication on how to live my life. And sure enough, with my limited understanding and lack of interest to study God’s Word, I had given the devil a foothold to misguide me with false understandings of ‘freedom’.

The problem with worldly definition of ‘freedom’ is that they are all focused on the self. ‘Freedom’ in the worldly sense is self-seeking, self-relying, self-satisfying, self-sufficient, self-glorifying, and self-exalting.

Worldly understandings of freedom and independence these days would teach us to “follow our heart”, “be yourself”, “learn to carry yourself on your back”, and that “no one knows you better than yourself, so do the things that you want! Follow your dreams! And don’t let the voices of others put you down!”. That sounds so inspirational, isn’t it? But this is just the tip of the iceberg. Take another hour scouring the Internet and you will find more extreme ‘inspirational’ quotes that encourage you to disobey authorities and become rebellious in the name of freedom and self-fulfilment.

The problem with worldly definition of ‘freedom’ is that they are all focused on the self. ‘Freedom’ in the worldly sense is self-seeking, self-relying, self-satisfying, self-sufficient, self-glorifying, and self-exalting, to say the least. In hindsight, one might argue “what is the problem with that? Isn’t that what freedom is? To be freed from others’ authority?”. Only when we put this understanding side-by-side against God’s Word that the fallacy is revealed.

The paradoxical truth of freedom in Christ

 I was just in the middle of my daily devotion when I stumbled upon these eye-opening words that summed up the essence of biblical freedom. Paul David Tripp in his book New Morning Mercies wrote:

“Freedom that fills and satisfies your heart is never found in setting yourself up as your own authority. True freedom is not found in doing whatever you want to do whenever you want to do it. True freedom is never found in putting yourself in the middle of the world and making it all about you. True freedom is never found in resisting the call to submit to any authority but your own… When you attempt to do these things, you never enjoy freedom; you only end up in another form of bondage.” 

The worldly ‘freedom’ teaches us to put ourselves first, to always think about what we want and need before others. But this self-centredness contradicts the true freedom we have received in Christ. Why is that? First, Paul explained in Romans 6, that we are all slaves, either to sins or to righteousness. So, for those who are saved and freed from the penalty and power of sin through the cross become a different kind of slave. When we become slave to righteousness can we find the complete peace and true freedom.

Although the idea of being one slave from one to another may sound like a negative thing, when we become a slave of Christ, we are far from being oppressed. Jesus said in John 8:36 that “if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed”. and Paul in Romans 8:2 said, “Through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death”. So, freedom in Christ means that there is a true experience of setting free from a certain bondage, and that is from sin and its consequence, death. But rather than giving the freedom to ourselves, our bondage to Christ not only keeps us away from falling back to our sinful lives, but paradoxically, a seal of our sonship and heirship to God.

If we continue to live thinking about ourselves and indulging the flesh in sins we have been freed from, we are basically digging that grave and trying to carry a corpse full of rottenness and death.

And yet, if we are to live this newly found freedom by putting ourselves first, we are basically becoming our own master, and so, we are rebelling against our new Master and clinging back to our old lives. Living self-centred lives mean that we hold on to sins that once bound us to Satan as our master. Paul tells the church in Ephesus to ‘put off’ the old self with its deceit and corruption, and ‘put on’ the new self with its righteousness. Although we have been set free from the bondage of sin, we may continue put the chains back on because we may still love the old life.

True freedom found in Christian life means a death to self and rising to ‘walk in the newness of life’ (Romans 6:4). This means that the new life is distinguished by our thoughts about God who saved us. If we continue to live thinking about ourselves and indulging the flesh in sins we have been freed from, we are basically digging that grave and trying to carry a corpse full of rottenness and death.

But thankfully, we do not have to fight this battle by ourselves, because God has given the Holy Spirit who is now the source of our strength. We can only strengthen ourselves in this new life and newfound freedom by continually feeding ourselves with the Word of God, in continual prayer as we ask for God’s mercy to help us escape the desire to return to our old lives of sin. Only then can we realise that our true freedom is not about our ability to think and take actions for ourselves, but it is in our new status as slaves to Christ.