Freedom, God’s Way.

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Today in the USofA we celebrate freedom. I’m glad to be free, but I find myself thinking that the kind of freedom being celebrated is not the kind of freedom the Bible talks about.

Jesus came to set us free from sin and death. Now that’s something to celebrate with fireworks!

The thing about biblical freedom is that it is very much balanced with responsibility. Galatians 5:13 sums it up well:

For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. [Galatians 5:13 ESV]

In a spiritual sense, those of us who are saved are the adults in the room and that means we’re supposed to act like adults. We’re expected to sacrifice for others. We’re told to turn the other cheek rather than strike back. We go the extra mile and give more than is demanded of us. It’s not what our human nature desires, but it’s what we’ve been commanded to do.

And yeah, all this sacrifice and giving is supposed to happen in our marriages too. I’ve had people tell me that doing this makes you a door mat and your wife won’t respect you. But trying to love her more than she loves you is Christ-like. And trying to give her more than she gives you is God’s way of having a fantastic marriage. Yes, you should express your desires, and you absolutely need to confront her sin and selfishness. But do those things in love and humility, not anger and aggression.

Photo by Arthur Chauvineau on Unsplash
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