This Saturday, July 4, is all about acknowledging and celebrating our national freedoms as declared in the “Declaration of Independence” and “Bill of Rights” documents. These are worthy freedoms to celebrate and I believe it is good and appropriate for Christian citizens of U.S.A. to join in these celebrations each year, even as we struggle together in making it possible for all citizens to experience these freedoms equally.
At the heart of our Christian faith is a commitment to a greater freedom that overshadows our national freedoms and should take priority in our beliefs and behaviors. The symbol of this freedom is the cross of Christ on Golgotha’s hill. It may be less attractive but is more amazing and awesome in its promise of freedom.
Jesus began his public ministry by announcing “freedom” to be the purpose of his ministry and message – “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Lk. 4:18).
In his letter to the Galatians (5:1), the apostle Paul declared our freedom to be the intent and purpose of Jesus’ suffering and death. In verse 13, Paul says we “were called to be free” to “serve one another humbly in love.” It is our birthright as human beings created by God, who is LOVE.
By accepting Christ’s gift of forgiveness and salvation, God sets us free from the guilt of sin. And by overcoming death through Jesus’ resurrection, God sets us free from the fear of death. And by filling us with his indwelling Holy Spirit, God sets us free from sexual immorality, hatred, discord, jealousy, selfish ambition, divisive factions, pride, and all unloving racists attitudes and actions toward any others.
Beginning in verse 13, Paul declares that everyone who has been set free by Jesus Christ expresses his freedom in three ways; first, in self-control, next in loving service to his neighbor, and thirdly in obedience to the law of God.
The freedom we have in Christ is not a lawless, irresponsible anarchy, but rather a self-disciplined, trustworthy, responsible lifestyle of living in unselfish, unwavering love to God and others. It is a freedom that enables us to control the flesh, to serve our neighbor, and to fulfill God’s law of love.
More specifically, Paul is saying that we are set free to love others, even our enemies. Echoing the words of our Lord Jesus in Matthew 22:37-40, Paul gathers the essence of biblical faith as loving God with our whole being and loving your neighbor as yourself. That is certainly not the way our world defines freedom, but it is the way of Jesus.
Both Jesus and Paul tell us that the only way to use and enjoy this freedom is by dying to those things that seek to enslave us and investing ourselves in the lives of others for Christ’s sake. The following story beautifully illustrates this truth.
The actress, Marian Preminger was born in Hungary on August 3, 1913, raised in a castle with her aristocratic family, surrounded with maids, tutors, governesses, butlers, and chauffeurs.
While attending school in Vienna, Marian met a handsome young Viennese doctor. They fell in love, eloped, and married when she was only eighteen. The marriage lasted only a year and she returned to Vienna to begin her life as an actress.
While auditioning for a play, she met the brilliant young German director, Otto Preminger. They fell in love and soon married. They went to America soon thereafter, where he began his career as a movie director.
Unfortunately, and tragically, Marian was caught up in the glamour, lights, and superficial excitement and soon began to live a sordid life. When her husband discovered it, he divorced her. She returned to Europe to live the life of a socialite in Paris.
In 1948 she learned through the newspaper that Albert Schweitzer, the man she had read about as a little girl, was making one of his periodic visits to Europe and was staying at Gunsbach. She phoned and was given an appointment to see Dr. Schweitzer the next day.
When she arrived in Gunsbach she discovered he was in the village church playing the organ. She listened and turned the pages of music for him. After a visit he invited her to have dinner at his house.
By the end of the day she knew she had discovered what she had been looking for all her life. She was with him every day thereafter during his visit, and when he returned to Africa, he invited her to come to Lambarene and work in the hospital.
She did, and there in Lambarene, the girl who was born in a castle and raised like a princess, who was accustomed to being waited on with all the luxuries of a spoiled life, became a servant. She changed bandages, bathed babies, fed lepers …… and became free.
When she died in 1979, at age 58, the New York Times carried her obituary, which included this statement from her: “Albert Schweitzer said there are two classes of people in this world – the helpers, and the non-helpers. I’m a helper.”
What an enlightening testimony of experiencing Christian freedom! The words of Jesus certainly ring true. We find ourselves by losing ourselves in serving others in love. It is the foundational criterion of Christian freedom. Should this truth not give us pause to re-examine our attitudes in the current debate and resistance to the wearing of masks and social distancing in our current covid-19 pandemic?
“Healing Rays of Righteousness”
Ray M. Geigley
Healing Rays of Righteousness 
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