The world spends a lot of time arguing about freedom, but not a lot of time reflecting on what real freedom is. For us as Christians, freedom is a gift which operates regardless of our circumstances, what party is running the government or what directions they are taking the country in. It probably means we shouldn’t get quite as worked up about some of these issues as we do. And it certainly means none of them are worth pursuing at the cost of dividing the body of Christ.
We should fight for the cause of freedom and justice for all. But even if we lived in a world full of political freedom, which of course we never will, it still would not solve the issue of real freedom, which is freedom from the powers of sin and death.
And I think it’s that battle that we need daily perspective on. Here’s my take.
The battle for true, eternal freedom is fought on the basis of the work of Christ. The outcome of the battle is certain. Yet in the meantime the battle persists, and can only be fought by the empowering of the Spirit. Toward the end of the second world war, allied forces landed in Normandy, an event known as D-day. The war did not end until V-day a year later. Many battles were fought and many casualties occurred between those two days. But from D-day onward, the outcome was determined. We live between the D-day of Jesus’ resurrection and the V-day of his final return. There are battles to fight, many of which will not be easy, yet the outcome is assured. And so even in the midst of battle, we can join with Paul in looking forward confidently to the deliverance awaiting us in Christ, and with him declare, “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!”
Nobody can take that freedom away.
