Balancing Freedom with Responsibility

Perhaps no day is more quintessentially American than Independence Day, the day that commemorates the ratification of the Declaration of Independence. On that famous July 4th, 1776, day, the delegates of the Second Continental Congress declared the thirteen colonies were no longer subject to the British Empire and were now free and independent states. In America, we have the privilege of being free yet living in a civilized society. Ultimately, true freedom is not the liberty to do anything we please, but the liberty to do what we ought.

Freedom is also a major theme of Christianity. In Jesus’s epic discourse in John 8, He declared that “the truth will make you free,”[1] and “if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” This monumental proclamation begs the question, set free from what? In context, it is set free from the threat found in verse 24, namely, “that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am, you will die in your sins.” Jesus’s main point is simply that the true enslavement of these listeners was not to Rome, but to sin, and therefore ultimately to death.

Options

When one studies the New Testament, one discovers the profound truth that one is either a slave of sin or a slave of God. The apostle Paul makes this crystal clear in Romans 6:15-23. Multiple times in this passage, Paul states these Roman Christians “were slaves of sin,” but are now “set free from sin.” In this passage, the word sin is singular — Paul paints a word picture of sin as a brutal tyrant, exercising a tyrannical hold over those under its sway. Thus, the ultimate bondage is not enslavement to a political or economic system, but to the despotic master sin.

However, when Christ sets one free, one isn’t free to do as he pleases. Instead, in Christ one changes masters: from the destroying tyrant sin to the life-giving gracious God. The language Paul uses in Romans 6 to describe the Christian is fascinating. He uses three thought provoking phrases to characterize our relationship to God — slaves of obedience, slaves of righteousness, and finally slaves of God. Thus, we see an interesting paradox, although we are free in Christ, we are still slaves of God.

Obligations

Strive. Just as American citizens we need to balance freedom with responsibility, so it is as citizens in Christ’s kingdom. First, we have an obligation to strive, to make great efforts to achieve. In the New Testament we are exhorted to grow in grace and knowledge (2 Peter 3:18) and to pursue holiness (Hebrews 12:14). These are not suggestions! In 1 Thessalonians 4:3, Paul says that God’s will for us is our sanctification. As slaves of God, we have an obligation to Him to grow up and mature in the faith.

Serve. We also have an obligation to serve. I concur wholeheartedly with a phrase we have all heard, namely, “We were not saved to sit, but to serve.” In Romans 6:22, Paul says, “But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness.” We are expected to bear fruit.

Every believer has been gifted in some way (see Romans 12:3-8). In reference to our gifts, Peter exhorts us, “As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” Our gifts are for the benefit of others in the body of Christ, and we have an obligation to God to put our gift(s) into action, bearing fruit for the Lord.

Support. Lastly, we have an obligation to support or strengthen our brothers and sisters in the Lord. During my time in ministry, there are two things I have said repeatedly: one is that one of the best tricks the devil ever developed is the idea that someone can live the Christian life solo. The other is that life is hard, and we need encouragement and support from others.

The New Testament is replete with passages exhorting us to build one another up. For example, Romans 14:19, “Let us pursue the things … by which one may edify another,” Hebrews 3:13, “exhort one another daily,” and Hebrews 10:24-25, “let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works … exhorting one another.”

Words can’t express how thankful I am to be an American and live in the “land of the free.” That said, I’m more thankful for Christ and the reality that in Him we are set free from the miserable bondage to sin. As we celebrate our American freedom this July, let’s ensure we also celebrate our freedom in Christ.