The Delusion of Freedom

Then stand firm in the freedom with which Christ made us free, and do not again be held with a yoke of slavery. Galatians 5:1

Freedom – Are you free? Don’t be too quick to answer. It depends on your concept of freedom. In order to understand what Paul says about freedom in Christ, we first have to realize that Paul is not talking about our usual idea of freedom.

The Greek and Hebrew ideas of freedom are radically different. Our society and world culture have adopted the Greek view. Therefore, when we think about the meaning of Paul’s words, we often import this Greek concept of freedom into Paul’s thought. That leads to some very serious theological and practical mistakes. So, let’s start by examining the contrast.

For the Greeks, freedom is ultimately a matter of politics. Plato defines freedom as the ability to be at one’s own disposal. In contrast to the bondage of slavery, freedom is independence from the will of others. Of course, the limiting factor in any discussion of freedom must be the state because the political reality is that I live in community and am not able to do whatever I please whenever I wish. If freedom is defined as my choice to do anything I want, it is really anarchy. My “freedom” is always limited and determined by the needs of the society. In other words, the scope of my freedom is determined by the state. In Greek thought, it is the role of the state to operate in such a way that every individual is granted as much freedom as possible without jeopardizing the freedom of others. This requires a rule of law for where there is no rule of law, there is only individual power and the ensuing chaos that comes with the rule of the most powerful. If you want to see what happens when freedom is unrestrained, take a good look at Somalia. For the Greeks, freedom is always freedom under the law, never freedom from the law.

Of course, this immediately raises the question, “Whose law?” The Greek answer is once again a political one. The law is determined by the will of the people (actually, the citizenry). Therefore, the control of individual freedom is handed over to the will of the majority. Our concept of democracy is based on this Greek idea. Nearly all of the political furor today is heated discussion about who will determine the rule of the majority. It’s pretty clear that the simple addition of the will of the people is no longer considered the rule of the majority. Multi-culturalism and tolerance are attempts to give more weight to some factions of the society than to others. So, majority rule is deliberately skewed to fit what is politically correct. Under the guise of “empathy,” the summation of the choices of individuals is altered so that the rule of the majority is now the rule of those who speak for what they consider the majority.

Now notice what Paul says. Does Paul suggest that if we are free under Christ we are no longer subject to the rules of the state? Of course not! That would be a declaration that Christians are anarchists. Do you see that Paul is not using the term eleutheros (freedom) in the same way that the Greeks use it? He is not talking about a political reality at all – at least not in the way the Greeks understood freedom within a political reality. Yeshua did not set you free from consideration of the political reality of community. Far from it! Yeshua endorsed community (“love one another”). So, if freedom under Christ is not freedom from the law, then what is it? It is freedom to be a slave to the King. You and I are no longer restrained in our relationship to the Holy One of Israel. We are no longer withheld from His presence. Why? Because we have been set free from the required punishment that inevitably follows from our sins. Now we are free to obey!

For the Greeks, freedom is individual self-will governed by rationality (therefore, it is not law of the jungle). But in the New Testament, the lack of freedom is not result of inadequate controls or laws but rather no control within the heart of man. Therefore, we cannot fix the problems associated with freedom in a society by enacting better laws. What is required is a change of heart, and that cannot be accomplished on our own since we are the very ones who oppose any restraints on personal liberty. In this sense, existence threatens itself. The real issue of freedom is not my ability to take whatever actions I wish. That is an external problem, constrained by the state. The real issue of freedom is internal. To be free I must be set free from myself. This can never be an act of self-determination since self-determination is the problem.

From a biblical perspective, the problem is sin, not politics. The Greek concept of freedom is set in the framework of the polis, but the Hebrew idea is set in the framework of righteousness (tsedik). In the Hebrew view, the law does not restrict. It enables. It enables me to know what it means to act with righteousness. It provides the definitive guideline for what it means to love others. It points away from me toward community.

What is freedom from the Law? It is freedom from the required punishment that the law brings. It is deliverance from what I deserve. The Bible recognizes that self-rule is blindness. Self-rule denies the sovereignty of God. Self-seeking existence leads to death. So, submission to God’s rule leads to life. To surrender to God is freedom – freedom from the tyranny of self, from the futility of self-seeking and from the penalty associated with a life bent on its own control. There is no idea of self-determination in Hebrew thinking. There is only submission or rebellion.

Now, ask yourself, do you really want to be free?

Topical Index: freedom, eleutheros, politics, law, self, sin, Galatians 5:1