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May 16
Slavery and Freedom
John 8:34-36
Of all birthrights common to the American, none is so cherished as the word "freedom." In our time we have seen this word greatly abused. We need to understand the nature of freedom and slavery, for slavery has not left this world.
What is freedom?
Freedom is not simply liberty of action. If you take an eagle from the sky and submerge it deep in the sea, and then let it go, it is not free. It is drowned. If you release a man from the constraints of law and civilization, he is not free. He is a barbarian. Why? Because man was meant to live in company with others, and that means law and civilization.
Freedom, then, is the liberty to be what God intended you to be. For the eagle, this is flight - eagles were meant to fly. For man, this is to know God and serve him - for that is the designed purpose of man.
What is slavery?
It is easiest to describe slavery in terms of a slave master. You have a slave master if there is someone, or some thing, which you must obey. You can be a slave to drugs or drink, for example. The question is one of control: is there something or someone who prevents you from being free?
Ultimately, slavery is a visceral thing - a feeling in the gut. The drunkard may be happy under the barroom table, but as he sobers up he feels the intense despair of never being able to stay sober.
It is interesting to note that despite all attempts at telling slaves how they should be happy to be slaves to a benevolent master the desire for freedom seems unquenchable. It also seems unachievable at times too. But there is one Person who can set you free: Jesus Christ. Remember that freedom means being able to do what you were designed to do. You were designed to know God and serve Him. But no sinner can come before the righteous God of his own power - and thus we were slaves to sin. But by the power of Christ, deployed at the Cross, this slavery is broken. We are now able to be what we should be. The Son has made us free, indeed.
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