ON THIS 4TH OF JULY, FACING THE THREAT OF TERRORISM AND LOSING THE FREEDOMS AMERICANS HAVE TAKEN FOR GRANTED FOR SO LONG, I AM CONSIDERING THE NATURE OF FREEDOM AS NEVER BEFORE.
FREEDOM MAY BE DEFINED IN AS MANY WAYS AS THERE ARE HUMAN PERSONALITIES. THE MOST COMMON DEFINITION I CAN THINK OF IS BEING ABLE TO BE AND DO WHAT YOU WANT.
FREEDOM MAY LEAD TO THE ACCOMPLISHMENT OF BOTH GOOD AND BAD THINGS. BECAUSE OF THE LATTER, WE HAVE LAWS AND A PENAL SYSTEM THAT EXERCISES RESTRAINT AND CONTROL OVER WHAT WE BELIEVE TO BE BAD AND LAWLESS.
THIS NATION WAS FOUNDED ON THE LAW OF GOD GIVEN TO US IN THE BIBLE. SUCH A FOUNDATION HAS PRODUCED THE EXERCISE OF A FREE SOCIETY AS NEVER BEFORE KNOWN IN HISTORY.
HOWEVER, MANKIND IN REBELLION AGAINST GOD, HAS SOUGHT TO ESTABLISH ITS OWN LAW AND ITS OWN CONCEPT OF FREEDOM, IN OTHER WORDS, TO BE A LAW UNTO ONESELF. SIN IS SELFISHNESS. SIN IS GODLESSNESS.
CONSIDER AGAIN THE MEANING OF FREEDOM, TO BE ABLE TO BE AND DO WHAT YOU WANT. NONE OF US, IF WE ARE RATIONAL, WANT TO BE AND DO EVIL. HOWEVER, WE TOO EASILY MAY FIND OURSELVES BEING AND DOING JUST THAT.
THE APOSTLE PAUL CONFESSED THAT WITH HIS MIND HE SERVED THE LAW OF GOD, BUT WITH HIS FLESH THE LAW OF SIN. BUT IN THE FACE OF THAT HE CRIED OUT, “THANKS BE TO GOD THROUGH JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD!”
JESUS TOLD US THAT IF THE SON MAKES US FREE, WE SHALL BE FREE INDEED. HOW IS THIS SO? – BY RECEIVING THE LIFE THAT CANNOT SIN, THE HOLY ETERNAL LIFE OF GOD THAT WAS GIVEN TO HUMANITY IN THE SON OF GOD AND SON OF MAN.
OUR ANCESTOR, ADAM, WAS NOT HOLY. HAD HE BEEN HOLY, HE WOULD HAVE NEVER SINNED. ONLY GOD CAN MAKE US HOLY. THIS WAS GOD’S INTENTION FROM THE VERY BEGINNING, TO MAKE US INTO HIS OWN IMAGE. HOWEVER, GOD CAN ONLY DO THIS BY GIVING HIMSELF TO US WHICH HE DID IN THE INCARNATION AND THROUH THE BAPTISM, TRANSFIGURATION, AND DEATH OF HIS HUMAN SON.
THE APOSTLE PAUL HAD IT RIGHT. WE CAN NEVER MAKE OURSELVES HOLY. GOD ALONE IS HOLY. YOU MUST BE BORN FROM ABOVE SAID JESUS. HE PUT IT VERY BLUNTLY SAYING THAT WE MUST EAT HIS FLESH AND DRINK HIS BLOOD! WHAT A STATEMENT! IT WAS AT THAT POINT THAT MANY WHO FOLLOWED HIM TURNED AWAY. THEY REALLY DIDN’T KNOW WHAT HE MEANT, BUT THEY KNEW THAT THEY DIDN’T WANT THAT MUCH.
WHEN WE EAT FOOD, IT BECOMES PART OF US. JESUS KNEW THAT WE NEED TO RECEIVE HIS HOLY HUMAN DIVINE LIFE INTO OUR BEING. BIRTH FROM ABOVE IS AN ORGANIC UNION WITH GOD! NO MATTER WHAT MEANING WE GIVE TO THE BREAD AND WINE OFFERED BY THE CHURCH, THE ELEMENTS CANNOT GIVE US LIFE. ONLY THE HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD CAN IMPLANT THAT LIFE WITHIN US.
IT IS THE HOLY SPIRIT WHO OPENS UP THE WORD OF GOD TO US, WHO REVEALS TO US THE LOVELINESS AND BEAUTY OF GOD IN HIS HUMAN SON. JESUS REVEALS THE POTENTIAL OF OUR HUMANITY. DO WE WANT THAT MUCH? OR DO WE WANT TO CONTINUE THE FUTILE ATTEMPT AT REDOING OURSELVES?
TRUE FREEDOM IS BEING ABLE TO DO EXACTLY WHAT WE WANT TO DO BECAUSE WE ONLY WANT THAT WHICH IS GOOD AND RIGHT AND LOVELY. THIS IS GODLIKENESS. THIS IS WHAT GOD WILL WORK IN US IF WE ALLOW HIM.
SLAVERY IS THE OPPOSITE OF FREEDOM. JESUS SAID THAT EVERYONE WHO COMMITS SIN IS THE SLAVE OF SIN. HE ALSO SAID, “IF YOU ABIDE IN MY WORD, THEN YOU ARE TRULY DISCIPLES OF MINE, AND YOU SHALL KNOW THE TRUTH, AND THE TRUTH SHALL MAKE YOU FREE.” TRUE FREEDOM IS FOUND IN GOD ALONE.
Rosemary E Hyslop July 4, 2015