Free to Love

My Dearest Sister,

I have noticed in recent years that there is a growing epidemic of what I have decided to call “freedom entitlement.” You have undoubtedly heard the expression “freedom is not free.” Well for some it’s not. Those who value it have given their time, their money, their talents, and their lives all in the name of liberty. They know that they have a responsibility to uphold it. To many others though, particularly my generation, freedom is something that they are born with. It is inherently “theirs” and is as much their right as anyone else’s. And to them it doesn’t mean that they have a responsibility, it means that they can do whatever they want with no restrictions or rules. As long as they don’t physically hurt someone, why should anyone care what they do? It is, after all, a free country, right?

As much as some would like to believe to the contrary, freedom is just not that cut and dry. Even the most important freedom we can have, the liberty from sin that comes with a relationship with Christ, comes with responsibilities. Yes, God did loose ours binds to sin when He sent His Son to die on the cross, but He did not set us free in the world so we could do whatever we want. Romans 6:18 is very clear about this: “And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.” You and I may have been born again through the grace of God but it doesn’t stop there: God designed salvation as a 180 degree turn around. We are not to keep holding on to that chain of sin nor are we to just stand in one place, unmoving. Instead, we have been called to strive in the opposite direction, toward righteousness.

As you may well have observed, a lot of people who call themselves Christians seem to have this part down. They measure everything in their life by whether or not it is good or pleasing to the Lord. They don’t watch any R rated movies, they don’t drink alcohol, they don’t curse, they wear modest clothing, they read the Bible, they go to every Sunday morning service (and Sunday evening service… and Wednesday Bible study… and Thursday prayer meeting… and so on). They say their prayers before every meal and before bed and first thing in the morning. But you know what? These are the same people that stand on street corners with signs that say “God hates sinners!” and “Repent, or burn in hell!” These are the same people that carelessly judge others, that declare everyone who is not as righteous as they are as inferior and condemned. Do you know what Jesus called these religious kinds of people? Pharisees and hypocrites! Do they not know that Jesus himself ate with sinners? That he listened to their problems and healed them? Jesus has a heart for the lost and if we profess Christ as our Lord, then so should we.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m all for living a life of righteousness; the Bible calls us to do so. However, leaving sin behind and striving toward holiness is only the first part of the story of our freedom. The second is much deeper. In fact, it’s the very reason Jesus was sent to this earth: Love. That simple four letter word is at the heart of it all and I am amazed at how often we miss it entirely. “For God so loved the world…” remember? Love was the reason Christ died on the cross, and it is the reason God puts up with us every day.   Try as we might, we can never live righteously enough to be worthy of our Father’s affection. He gave it freely. And because He gave it freely to us, so are we to give it freely to others. Galatians 5:13-14 sums it all up very well: “For you brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’.” You see, because love fulfilled the law, we no longer live by the law but by love. It should be the rule by which we measure everything else up against.

So sister, we do have a great freedom in Christ, but with this freedom comes a responsibility. It shouldn’t be used to do whatever we want, and it shouldn’t be used to live a hypocritical life, judging others. It should be used to serve one another with the love this world so desperately needs to see. While striving toward righteousness is important, living to love is imperative! It’s the whole reason God sent his sinless, perfect Son to this earth to be sacrificed for our sins. Love is what loosed our chains and set us free. So embrace your freedom, sister. Live to love!

Your liberated sister in Christ,

~ Lauren Titcomb