Freedom
One of the responses to my previous post, "Duty and Fear," quoted a very popular scripture, John 8:32:
This got me thinking about the issue of freedom. What is freedom for a Christian? What are we set free from? There are many quick answers to this question: sin, death, Satan, etc. I think these are more symptoms of that which enslaved us. Our freedom is composed of freedom from these things, but there is more.
Paul speaks about freedom extensively, especially in his letters to the Romans and the Galatians. He hammers the Galatians for rejecting their freedom and re-subjecting themselves to slavery. Slavery to what? To the law. To a system of works righteousness, to a manmade "system" of justification apart from the grace of God. Christ has given us freedom from this system.
But is freedom really free? In Romans Paul contrasts two types of slavery - slavery to sin and slavery to righteousness. Yes, we are freed from slavery to sin (enforced by the law), but in turn we become slaves to righteousness. This slavery, however, is of a different kind: it is a kind that inspires Paul to call himself a "bondservant." In other words, we are freed from slavery to sin only to willingly and lovingly return to our true master.
So then I must return to the idea of my original post. If we act lovingly toward our neighbor out of only duty (and therefore fear), can we call ourselves obedient slaves of righteousness? If our sense of duty comes from love for our master, then I would say yes. But if the duty comes from the law, then we, like the Galatians, are re-submitting ourselves to a cruel slavedriver in whom exists no mercy or grace, only punishment.
Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.
This got me thinking about the issue of freedom. What is freedom for a Christian? What are we set free from? There are many quick answers to this question: sin, death, Satan, etc. I think these are more symptoms of that which enslaved us. Our freedom is composed of freedom from these things, but there is more.
Paul speaks about freedom extensively, especially in his letters to the Romans and the Galatians. He hammers the Galatians for rejecting their freedom and re-subjecting themselves to slavery. Slavery to what? To the law. To a system of works righteousness, to a manmade "system" of justification apart from the grace of God. Christ has given us freedom from this system.
But is freedom really free? In Romans Paul contrasts two types of slavery - slavery to sin and slavery to righteousness. Yes, we are freed from slavery to sin (enforced by the law), but in turn we become slaves to righteousness. This slavery, however, is of a different kind: it is a kind that inspires Paul to call himself a "bondservant." In other words, we are freed from slavery to sin only to willingly and lovingly return to our true master.
So then I must return to the idea of my original post. If we act lovingly toward our neighbor out of only duty (and therefore fear), can we call ourselves obedient slaves of righteousness? If our sense of duty comes from love for our master, then I would say yes. But if the duty comes from the law, then we, like the Galatians, are re-submitting ourselves to a cruel slavedriver in whom exists no mercy or grace, only punishment.