Much will be
made this weekend around the theme of “freedom.” It would be difficult to imagine any American,
or any person from any country for that matter, who is not “for freedom.” Can you imagine anyone saying, “No, actually
I prefer bondage?” However, it is true
that some folks in this country are not really free. There still exists some bondage in race
terms, in gender terms, in economic terms, and even others.
Yet over this
weekend, stories will abound about independence. Probably we will hear again that the British
were unfair to our forebears in the 18th century and so Americans
did what Americans always will do: fight!
I have been
in Independence Hall in Philadelphia more than once. It is an impressive building and the history
of the place is almost palpable. It is
easy for my mind to try to imagine those days of drama as those guys discussed
why and how the American colonies needed to move forward independently from the
British. Truly, the Constitution is a
wonderfully amazing document which has served us well for over two hundred
years.
One can do no
better than cite Lincoln’s eloquence when he describes this country as a “new
nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are
created equal.” All citizens in this
country are free. At one level that is
true. Politically, we are all free to do
what we want within the bounds of legality.
But once we say this, we realize freedom is a more complicated concept
than it seems on the surface. For
example, we just acknowledged there are some boundaries to our freedom when we
said we are free to do what we want as long as it is legal.
Of course,
you and I are free to do things that are illegal. Drug dealers do this daily! But to do illegal things puts us in jeopardy. If we are caught, that is the end of
freedom. If we are jailed, we may still
have some freedoms, but walking out of the jail is not one of those freedoms. Captivity has replaced freedom. And no one really cares how we feel about it!
As a
corollary to political and individual freedom, let’s consider the spiritual
freedom about which Jesus speaks.
Spiritual freedom necessarily takes into account that we now are no
longer just talking about us. God also
is now in the picture. In fact,
spiritual folks probably would go so far as to say it is God’s picture and we
are in the picture---individually and as a group. In this interpretation Americans are nothing
more than one group in a much larger group in God’s picture of the world.
A second
thing that is in the picture (since God is now in the mix) is God’s desire
(often referred to as God’s will). This
is a huge addition to the freedom equation.
Now there are two wills: God’s will and my own individual will (and even
a third, if we add the community’s will).
Of course, I can still understand freedom as the freedom to do whatever
I want. In spiritual terms, this kind of
individual freedom to do what I want inevitably leads to sin: doing what I want
instead of what God wants.
This leads to
the crux of spiritual freedom. It is
paradoxical. Spiritual freedom says I
want to do what God wants me to do.
Obedience is a deeper form of freedom than my individual desires. Obedience is not bondage, because I am
willing God’s will for me. The spiritual
person is the most radically free person.
It is radical
freedom because there is no impulse to selfishness, no protectionist tendency,
no manipulative motivation. Lord, make
me this free!
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