The concept of liberty, like independence and freedom, lies at the heart of every democratic society and is enshrined in the 4th of July holiday we celebrate every year in the United States.  It’s a concept we all applaud and agree with, but not one we necessarily think about as deeply as we might.

Interestingly, the Bible shows two types of liberty: on the one hand, liberty from anything that enslaves us, and on the other, liberty to serve God.  The latter type of liberty may seem counter intuitive, and that’s where thinking a little more about the concept of liberty comes in.

Liberty from anything that enslaves us is easy enough to understand. That is the liberty to which the Children of Israel were called as they were brought out of Egypt.  It is the liberty from sin that Jesus stressed as He began his ministry: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because … He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives…to set at liberty those who are oppressed” (Luke 4:18).

The apostle Paul speaks of this freedom: “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1).  Yet Paul and the other apostles constantly speak of themselves as the servants or slaves of God (Romans 1:1, James 1:1, Jude 1:1, etc.). Being a servant is clearly part of the calling of every Christian (Mark 9:45, 10:44),  so how can the two be reconciled?

The truth is, beneath the political and social liberty we rightly praise and strive to protect, at the ultimate foundational level we are all individually servants of someone or something.  We can only choose who or what.  This is a basic biblical truth and is clearly seen in Paul’s statement: “Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin…or to obedience…?” (Romans 6:16).  

The person who insists that he or she is individually free and serves no one is, at the very least, the servant of his or her own desires, moods and decisions.  In giving up individual liberty in submission to God, the Christian is really switching to a new way of life where desires, moods and decisions are brought into alignment with what God has revealed is best for us.

Paul summarized this situation as he continued in Romans 6:  “But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness” (Romans 6:17-18).  James agrees – pointing out that the law of God is the “perfect law of liberty” (James 1:25, 2:12); and Peter himself wrote “Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God” (1 Peter 2:16).

So, counter intuitive as it might seem, no matter how much we cherish and protect our wider liberty, we should remember that ultimately as individuals we all serve something.  In choosing to serve God, we free ourselves not only from the penalty of sin, but also from the results of following our own nature. It is in doing this that we find ultimate liberty.

*This post was first published on this site July 3, 2014.

Scripture: “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing”  (1 Thessalonians 5:11).

Something to think about:  We must always remember that building each other up actually consists of two separate and complementary aspects:  the actual lifting or building up and the avoidance of pulling or tearing down. The principle is clearly seen in comparing Paul’s instruction in I Thessalonians (above) with what he says in the Book of Ephesians:

“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen” (Ephesians 4:29).

The two instructions are  identical in telling us to build each other up, but while Thessalonians stresses encouraging each other to do so, Ephesians stresses not discouraging each other.    It is usually easier to see when we are doing the first rather than the second of these things, but we should certainly do both.  How much time do we spend thinking about how we can build each other up – in encouragement and also in not discouraging?

“I have experienced many awful things – most of which didn’t happen.”  –  Anonymous

You have doubtless heard the old story about the optimist and pessimist having coffee together. When the optimist told his friend, “You always think the worst will happen and then it usually doesn’t,” his pessimist friend replied “Yes – see how well it works!”

It’s a silly story, but it makes a point. Even people of faith are often guilty of presuming the worst in everyday situations.  Has it never happened to you?  You don’t hear from someone you emailed for several weeks  so you begin to think they are angry with you, don’t like you that much anyway, or whatever – only to finally hear back from them that they have been ill for a while.  Or you find that the person you thought was a parking slob was dealing with a true emergency which denied time for proper parking.

These may be trivial examples, but if we allow it to become a pattern in our lives, presuming the worst can affect our relationships in more serious ways, especially if doing this leads to presuming negative motivation or actions on the part of those who are not guilty of them. 

A classic example of arriving at such wrong conclusions based on presuming the worst can be found in the Book of Job, in the form of Job’s three friends.  These friends doubtless loved Job and were concerned for him, yet they allowed themselves to presume the worst about Job’s character in looking at the limited facts they had available.  It’s unfortunately a human tendency – a part of human nature that can even be manifested in human relations with God Himself.  The Old Testament  gives many  examples of this among the Children of Israel as they encountered various problems before going into the Promised Land:

“You grumbled in your tents and said, ‘The LORD hates us; so he brought us out of Egypt to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us’” (Deuteronomy 1: 27).

Many of these Israelites were obviously hard hearted and full of their own human nature, as the Bible shows; but  their attitude of presuming the worst remains a lesson to us all.  In fact, learning to assume positive intent on the part of those around us – and God Himself – is a vital part of spiritual maturity. Certainly we may be disappointed at times if we develop this attitude,  and we should always be wise in our dealings with others (it’s OK to presume the worst about a person offering to sell you the Eiffel Tower or a bridge in Brooklyn); but we shouldn’t presume the worst without some indication to justify the feeling.  Most of us have no problem in accepting the legal mantra of “innocent until proven guilty,” but sometimes we have to broaden our thinking to include that approach in our everyday lives. 

Presuming the worst can often be just a way of accepting our fears or frustrations without properly dealing with them. The old saying really has some truth in it:  “If you presume the worst of others, you  will all too often assume you are right.” We need to make a conscious decision not to presume the worst and to assume the best whenever possible. 

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.  See, I am doing a new thing!  Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? …”  (Isaiah 43:18-19).

Ancient cultures celebrated the beginning of their new year at various points in the annual solar cycle.  The ancient Roman year began in March until Julius Caesar, in correcting the calendar in 46 B.C., made January the first month. And some cultures, like ancient Israel, had more than one new year – a sacred year beginning in the spring, and an administrative or civil year beginning in the fall.  

The Bible  shows certain events in religious history were tied to these two new years. Nisan 1, the beginning of the Hebrew sacred year, was the beginning of the Exodus story (Exodus 12:1-2), and according to Jewish tradition, the tabernacle of God was dedicated on the same first day of the spring cycle New Year; whereas the Temple of Solomon was dedicated at the beginning of the fall cycle New Year (1 Kings 8:1-2). This “civil new year” is also the point from which the years were counted in Israel and, according to Jewish tradition, the day on which the creation of man took place.

So the new years were important in a number of ways in the religion of ancient Israel, as we see in the Old Testament.  But whatever date cultures have chosen to begin a new year, it is often a time of celebration as it seems to be deeply human to desire and to celebrate new beginnings. Sometimes, of course, the celebration part of the picture can get a little carried away. As far as our modern (since Julius Caesar) New Year is concerned, it is interesting that the early Christians accepted it, but cautiously as they were strongly opposed to the pagan extravagance and licentiousness which often accompanied it.  Not much has changed since those times and, as we all know, for some today New Year’s Eve can often be a time of revelry without restraint.  Today’s Christians may still have to beware of that spirit of unrestraint, but we can always rejoice in the concept of renewal. 

As Christians we rejoice in the new lives we begin upon conversion – as the apostle Paul wrote: “… if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17); and in his letter to the Ephesians Paul shows that this is an ongoing renewal: “… put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires … be made new in the attitude of your minds; and … put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:22-24). That’s a goal that certainly far exceeds any physical “New Year’s resolution,” but in that sense, every day is like the beginning of a new year for the Christian, and Christians should perhaps strive to be masters of the new beginning.  It’s part of our calling – we are supposed to “raze the old to raise the new” – on an ongoing basis.  So let’s remember the calling we have as this new year begins – not to well-intentioned but short-lived “resolutions,” but to real and lasting renewal.