Fighting for Freedom - A Cross-cultural look: Part 4

After looking in Part 1 and Part 2 and Part 3 at various cultural dynamics which influence how we understand 'freedom' across our world and in biblical history, we have to then ask—as the end of the previous post began to raise—how should we respond?

How should we respond?

I am cogniscent of the fact that freedoms are not to be assumed or treated lightly and we need to:

- be discerning, bold and careful, 

- we need to seek truth, 

- and we need to trust God. 

However there are a few other things that I think we need to be willing to acknowledge as influencing our perspectives: 

None of us like change. 

All of us find it hard to see life from other perspectives. 

All of us are prone to fear the unknown. 

We also need to further live in the light of the fact that:

Any world 'system' of government is flawed and corruptible. 

Any culture, any family, any individual is flawed and fallible. 

Only God is perfect and holy.

This world is not our true 'home' - we are sojourners passing through.

We can think that any governing 'system' different from ours is inherently dangerous to our 'free society'.  But while some systems might include factors that make them more vulnerable to corruption and sin than others, a democracy can be good but can also be a disaster if the people make bad leadership choices and the generally held beliefs in the society are destructive, and a monarchy can also be wonderful or terrible - just look at the book of Kings in Scripture. It's not that a monarchy (or other single leader systems) restricts freedoms and a democracy brings freedoms, or the other way around. 

Rather, when we are in Christ and choosing to live according to God's truth, we will know the freedom of his power and strength to experience his blessings. When we live outside his truth, we will know bondage….not according to cultural definitions of bondage, but in conflict with how God created us to live and have our being.

God's Word vs the World's cultures

It is really difficult to mentally step outside our own culture and see it more objectively. But the tiny glimpses God has given me by living in Africa these past 20 years has helped me so much to hold less tightly to one 'system' over another. I continue to learn (sometimes the hard way) to hold anything in this world less tightly. This world is not our permanent home. We are citizens of God's Kingdom, as ambassadors on earth for the period of our 'assignment'. Just like I am in Botswana to share Christ and not make it like Australia so its more comfortable for me to live in, I am on this earth, not to make it like I think things ought to be for my good, but to be salt and light, bringing God's word of truth and pointing people to Christ so as to help them be able to live with him eternally. 

We could call this Word vs Worldliness….what the world calls freedom may not be what God's Word calls freedom. We are not called to promote one type of 'freedom' over another, but we are called to bring people into knowing true eternal freedom, the freedom from sin…and thus freedom from sin's bondages of fear, shame, and guilt.  It is a whole different agenda. 

It could be said that freedom for some in this world is no restraint, no limits, no boundaries, and thus 'freedom' to do whatever you want and make whatever choices you want.

But God's Word's sense of freedom is not freedom to do whatever we want, but freedom to be who we should be - it is not a 'me first' mentality, it is a 'God first' mentality. It is the freedom of not being in bondage to Satan and the lies he tells us, but freedom in knowing the truth and thus having both the courage and power in Christ to live differently, and not captive to the world, flesh and the devil.

However, depending on our cultural backgrounds, we will have some assumptions about what we think freedom is and what losing freedom means which will need to be discarded or re-calibrated.

There are all kinds of 'freedoms' we take for granted in our cultures. 

When the American constitution was constructed it was with the thought that people could now live 'free' of a monarchy.  

Prisoners look forward to when their sentence ends and they can walk freely in society again. 

Kids leave home at age 18 thinking they will be 'free' of their parents. 

People here once they are married are then 'free' to participate in the cultural kgotla leadership meetings. 

People change jobs to be 'free' of oppressive work hours or an abusive boss. 

Others long to be 'free' of debt. 

In other words we want to be 'rid' of what we think inhibits us or restricts us from doing what we want to do.

But how much of what we think is freedom in this world, is freedom to fight for, or even freedom at all? What one might find 'oppressive' and 'restrictive', others find peaceful and liberating. And…..What we think is freedom in our culture, might not be the freedom that God says we should seek.

When God speaks of being set 'free', it doesn't mean commands/laws go out the window. Jesus didn't come to abolish the law but to fulfill it. He came not to eliminate our need to live according to God's will and standards, but to enable us to live according to God's will and standards. And God's will and standards still means there are boundaries of what is right and wrong, good and bad in attitude and action. But our freedom is not firstly about us, but is firstly about the ability to glorify God and secondly to be able to shine his light and love to others.

Freedom to love God and love others

Galations 5:13

For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.

Similar to 1 Peter, Paul is saying to the Galations that the right kind of freedom is important, but how we view it and use it is also important. 

Thus, what and how we advocate and promote as freedom in this world and beyond it, should be focused not on 'our rights' but for 'others good' and 'God's glory'. As I think on these things knowing that this world is an imperfect shadow of the perfect that is to come, I wonder if the freedom to at least strive for and promote in our communities in whatever measure we are able, could be defined as:

- the freedom to live in God-honouring ways in our lives, make choices according to conscience (Rom 14:23, 1 Cor 8:8-12), taking responsible thoughtful care and stewardship of this earth and all that is in it -including our families and our own bodies (Genesis1:26-28; 1 Cor 6:19), as we love God and others (Mark 12:30-31) in truth (Eph 4:15) so as to be, 'in Christ', the human beings God created us to be.

AND thus also desiring...

- the freedom to bring the good news of Freedom from sin - freedom from its penalty now, freedom from its power as we learn to more and more submit to Christ, and freedom from its presence in the future 'not yet' Kingdom

….because it is only through this that we and others can know the power of Freedom from fear (of others, of the future, of the unknown, of threats) and lies (about self-esteem, self-love, false hopes, false solutions) that causes us to be in bondage to our own self-oriented desires, captive to this world's perspectives and beliefs, and gullible to the deceit of the Father of Lies—Satan himself.

- the freedom of all of Christ's church to gather regardless of any requirement except that we are Christ's.

We need to be making the most of the freedoms we do have so as to be the light that awakens a world in darkness. As already stated…the challenge to us all (as I preach to myself too!) is are we making the most of the freedoms we have to share Christ and alert others to eternity and a coming calamity far greater than COVID or anything this world will experience? 

Are we sharing the good news of a freedom greater than anything the world can offer - a freedom in Christ of mind and spirit despite the circumstances of our world?

Future Freedom

We also need to realise that while we should strive with all our might and effort to stand for and exemplify what enables God's creation to flourish for his glory in this world and promotes the freedom to do so, full freedom to peaceably live godly trouble-free lives in this sin-sick world is not part of God's promises to us on this earth. In fact we are promised just the opposite - that all who desire to live godly lives will be persecuted (2 Tim 3:12).We will have bad governments at times (that will make it more difficult to engage in these freedoms), we will have sickness/pandemics at times (that may temporarily prevent the saints gathering for a time), we have our own sinful hearts (that hold us back in fear, selfishness, people-pleasing, exaggerating, gullibility etc).

But in the midst of this we can take every opportunity to promote God's truth and make every effort to ensure we are not part of restricting God's truth bringing his freedom to hearts and lives. We will never turn this earth into Utopia or into heaven. As Christians we have been given the Scriptural 'heads up' that this world is not slowly evolving into perfection, but devolving into destruction. Our full freedom is yet 'future'.

But as citizens of heaven, we can rest in an eternal freedom that is already guaranteed for us in Christ, while living—as 1 Peter reminds us—as aliens and foreigners and ambassadors in this world. While we promote what enables Godly freedoms, we are also not to despair when those freedoms are less present…(pray more, yes, but not panic more!). And when they are taken away and limits on freedoms of activity are imposed, we can remember and be comforted and encouraged that no human or government can take from us or separate from us the freedom and peace of heart and soul in Christ (Romans 8:28).

So….

We need to carefully think about whether or not the freedoms we seek or fear to lose are in the category of truly godly freedoms or in the categories of personal-desire freedoms and culturally-accepted freedoms. 

Sometimes we will have to forgo desired freedoms even if they are good, while at other times we will need to fight for proper freedoms. We need to identify well and fight strategically. Most of all we must never forget we do not fight against the 'flesh and blood' of human beings or this world's systems, we are in a spiritual battle for souls (Ephesians 6:12). Ultimately Satan wants to divert and distract us from the main battle. Let's not be diverted or distracted.

We must never forget though that God is still God whether we can enjoy many earthly freedoms or few. 

That's not easy to say, as my heart would love to enjoy freedoms rather than lose them, just as I would 'prefer' in a human sense to be 'free' to walk around the neighbourhood, or stand and chat to neighbours, or go browsing at the shops for a day, rather than be 'limited' by my physical and medical condition. But I have also learnt that sometimes we learn more of God and enjoy more of the fruit of His Spirit in our lives when we are resting more in him than in the apparent 'peace' and 'freedoms' of this world. 

We don't know all the details of what the future on this earth holds, but God is sufficient. His promises of faithfulness do not change just because the freedoms we are accustomed to undergo change. 

Whether 'cancel culture' increases or 'pandemic' fear and frenzy perpetuates, whether governments make good decisions or bad, God is still God. He will never leave or forsake us, and his call on we who have already been set free, is to continue to bring eternal hope to this world and teach his eternal freedom-bringing truth to others as we lovingly make disciples of all ethnicities.

Lets 'fight' for freedom….but lets also be sure to be fighting for the right freedom in the right ways.

Here's another thought….have you ever wondered why we fight for freedom, and how the most fundamental concept of freedom underlies all freedom fighting even when its mis-placed and culturally clothed?…So what is that most fundamental 'freedom' we seek and for which the gospel is the answer and good news?…..check out the final blogpost in this series coming soon...