Christian Freedom and Christian Love

​One of my favorite lines in the Bible, and maybe the single most important sentence in Paul’s letter to the Galatians, is the beginning of this morning’s epistle. “For freedom, Christ has set us free.”
 
In the United States, we have always prided ourselves on our commitment to freedom. We live out that commitment imperfectly, of course. But at least in theory, our goal is to allow our people as much freedom as is consistent with respecting the rights of others.
 
But Paul means something different, something more, than political freedom when he insists that Christ has set us free. For Paul, Christian freedom means we don’t have to earn God’s love by doing works of the law.
 
Apparently, some Christians in Galatia didn’t understand that. They were busily trying to earn God’s love by following the law. So, shortly before our passage, Paul explains to them that “the law was our disciplinarian [only] until Christ came….But now [that Christ has come]…we are no longer subject to a disciplinarian” (3:24-25). The Old Testament law is no longer applicable.
 
It is a relief to know that we don’t have to worry about observing lots of confusing legal requirements. I’m glad that I can wear clothes made of more than one fabric, like the shirt and robe I have on at this moment, even though the law would prohibit that. I’m glad we can eat pork and shellfish if we like.
 
But that raises the question, how should we live as Christians who have been set free by Christ? What does Christian freedom look like in practice? What does it mean to live free from law?
 
I think about my own time of greatest freedom. Without question, it was the years I spent in college. For the first time in my life, my parents weren’t guiding me. My college didn’t much care what I did. My only real responsibility was showing up for class. I couldn’t commit actual crimes, but otherwise I could do pretty much whatever I wanted.
 
I enjoyed my time of freedom from virtually any law, but the result was not always pretty. I’ve talked before about my abuse of alcohol in those years. But here’s another example of what a group of eighteen-year-old boys do for fun when the restraints are off.
 
One time my roommates and I were sitting in our suite drinking beers. For reasons that elude me now, after finishing a beer, one of us just threw the empty bottle over his shoulder into the corner of our living room. Predictably, the bottle shattered.
 
You might think those of us who lived in the room would be irritated. In fact, we thought it was awesome, and we all started throwing our empties into the corner of the room, trying to break them. Over a couple of hours, we broke a LOT of beer bottles.
 
Eventually an absent roommate returned, and he saw broken glass all over our living room, and he realized that we were breaking the glass on purpose, and he didn’t think it was awesome. Outraged, he asked us what was going through our heads, and insisted, fairly enough, that we clean it all up.
 
I assume we did eventually clean up the glass. But what I mostly remember is that moment when my roommate showed up and it suddenly dawned on me that breaking glass in my own living room on purpose was NOT a good use of my freedom.
 
If the Apostle Paul had been the one walking in on us, I imagine him saying to us what he says to the Galatians. For freedom, Christ has set you free. That’s true. But you are misunderstanding what true freedom is. Don’t think of Christian freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, especially not for something as stupid as breaking glass in your home.
 
But if Christian freedom from the law doesn’t mean an invitation to break beer bottles, what does it mean? From what does Christ set us free?
 
First, Christ sets us free from sin, and guilt, and shame. I assume we all have moments we look back at with regret, moments when we did the wrong thing or failed to do the right thing. Certainly I do, and some of them come from my college years of self-indulgent freedom.
 
Through Christ, we receive God’s forgiveness for all of them. In Christ, God wipes away our guilt.
 
We know that. We hear that a lot. But many of us have a hard time accepting God’s forgiveness. It’s as if we can’t quite believe that Christ really has set us free, not deep inside, in our hearts. And so, Paul tells us, again and again, “For freedom, Christ has set you free.” Believe it. Rejoice in it.
 
There is more. Christ sets us free not only from our sin, but also from the self-destructive tendencies that cause us to sin in the first place.
 
We all have characteristic temptations. One of mine is sloth. As best I can tell, people don’t think of me as particularly slothful. But I love sitting in my easy chair with a cup of tea and a book.
 
There is nothing wrong with drinking tea and reading a book. But I become self-indulgent in my chair. Every year, I seem to spend a little more time there, and every year I get a little more fussy if people—and by people I mostly mean Carrie—bother me while I am there.
 
Sitting there becomes sloth when Carrie needs something from me while I’m in my chair. I should respond to her need with love. But what I want is to stay in my chair, unbothered.
 
Being set free from our temptations is a lifelong process. But over time, however imperfectly, Christ sets us free from them. Christ enables us to sin a little less and to love a little better. I’d like to think that someday Christ will help me to be less fussy with Carrie.
 
It turns out that Christian freedom doesn’t mean the right to do what I want whenever I want. That’s self-indulgence. Christian freedom, by contrast, looks more like love. Paul, who loves a good paradox, even calls Christian freedom a form of slavery. Paul says Christian freedom is being called through love to become slaves to one another.
 
Another, and more palatable, way Paul describes Christian freedom is “living by the Spirit.” And Paul gives us an attractive picture of what living by the Spirit looks like. It is a life of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
 
 
The common theme is love. Whatever else it means, Christian freedom means love.
 
Our task is to love, not because that’s how we satisfy God or convince God to love us, but because that’s what we are created to do and because anything else is ultimately unsatisfying. We are most free in the best and truest sense of the word “freedom” only when we love.
 
Sometimes we get that right. Many times we don’t. But the good news of Christian freedom is that God loves us, not because we get it right, not because of anything we do, but because of who God is.
 
God loves us as beloved children. God loves us enough that God was willing to die on a cross for us, for each of us. It is God’s love, revealed in Christ, that sets us free, including free to love others as God loves us.
 
My prayer is that we can experience Christian freedom, and respond with Christian love.
 
In Christ’s name. Amen.