Many in our culture stand today behind the banner upon which is written: FREEDOM!
What, however, is freedom? What is "freedom" that people advocate for it?
One of the major assumptions today is that freedom, to be free, means that one has unrestrained access to the fulfillment of desire. In other words, it is freedom to do whatever one wants, whenever one wants to, however one wants to do it, and with whomsoever one wants to do it with. In short, freedom is the unrestricted access to express or act upon some feeling or desire.
There is a basic problem with this, however, for desire is actually a form of enslavement. Desires actually arise in the mind in an impersonal manner. One sees "object x," for example, and one finds oneself desiring it almost automatically. One sees "behavior y," and one finds oneself desiring it almost choicelessly. Did the person "choose" to desire these? Not likely. Desire is just a movement of the psyche in response to some sensory stimulus, either present or absent, real or imagined.
Now, since the act or experience of desiring just kind of "happens," when one defines freedom as the ability to act on desire, one is actually defining a form of slavery. How? Because they did not "freely" choose the desire. The desire was pre-loaded, in a manner of speaking, and so the person is seeking not to be free, but to obey! The person wants to OBEY the desire. The freedom most people seek is the freedom to obey irrational impulse, and yet they use a catchword, a slogan word, "freedom," in order to make the slavery to desire sound enlightened.
Paul, in Romans chapter 6, puts it this way: "Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one's slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?"
In other words, when one seeks to "freely" obey desire, they become desire's slave. Desire, however, has within it the seeds of misery and death. Since desire is by nature fleeting and capricious, it contains within itself its own frustration, which in turn leads to more desire, and so more enslavement, and finally spiritual death.
True freedom, however, is freedom from the tyranny of the passions, freedom from desire.
Paul continues: "For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness."
This might shock some people, if they are paying close attention, for Paul is not advocating for "freedom" here at all, but for slavery, for servitude. In truth, one is either a slave of sin unto death or a slave of righteousness unto holiness and everlasting life. There is no enlightened "freedom" standing in the middle.
The Scriptures teach that true freedom is freedom from sin, not freedom to sin. True freedom is obedience to righteousness, which is unto holiness and life everlasting. Read Romans chapter 6 closely.
To close, as people cry out for "freedom," please understand that their understanding of freedom is false and depraved. It is freedom to be enslaved to sin, and to be free of righteousness, not free in any positive or life-giving sense of the word. Quite the opposite, really.
What, however, is freedom? What is "freedom" that people advocate for it?
One of the major assumptions today is that freedom, to be free, means that one has unrestrained access to the fulfillment of desire. In other words, it is freedom to do whatever one wants, whenever one wants to, however one wants to do it, and with whomsoever one wants to do it with. In short, freedom is the unrestricted access to express or act upon some feeling or desire.
There is a basic problem with this, however, for desire is actually a form of enslavement. Desires actually arise in the mind in an impersonal manner. One sees "object x," for example, and one finds oneself desiring it almost automatically. One sees "behavior y," and one finds oneself desiring it almost choicelessly. Did the person "choose" to desire these? Not likely. Desire is just a movement of the psyche in response to some sensory stimulus, either present or absent, real or imagined.
Now, since the act or experience of desiring just kind of "happens," when one defines freedom as the ability to act on desire, one is actually defining a form of slavery. How? Because they did not "freely" choose the desire. The desire was pre-loaded, in a manner of speaking, and so the person is seeking not to be free, but to obey! The person wants to OBEY the desire. The freedom most people seek is the freedom to obey irrational impulse, and yet they use a catchword, a slogan word, "freedom," in order to make the slavery to desire sound enlightened.
Paul, in Romans chapter 6, puts it this way: "Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one's slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?"
In other words, when one seeks to "freely" obey desire, they become desire's slave. Desire, however, has within it the seeds of misery and death. Since desire is by nature fleeting and capricious, it contains within itself its own frustration, which in turn leads to more desire, and so more enslavement, and finally spiritual death.
True freedom, however, is freedom from the tyranny of the passions, freedom from desire.
Paul continues: "For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness."
This might shock some people, if they are paying close attention, for Paul is not advocating for "freedom" here at all, but for slavery, for servitude. In truth, one is either a slave of sin unto death or a slave of righteousness unto holiness and everlasting life. There is no enlightened "freedom" standing in the middle.
The Scriptures teach that true freedom is freedom from sin, not freedom to sin. True freedom is obedience to righteousness, which is unto holiness and life everlasting. Read Romans chapter 6 closely.
To close, as people cry out for "freedom," please understand that their understanding of freedom is false and depraved. It is freedom to be enslaved to sin, and to be free of righteousness, not free in any positive or life-giving sense of the word. Quite the opposite, really.
