biblical meaning of freedom essay

• 4 Things the Bible Says About Freedom

By BGEA Admin   •   June 29, 2020   •   Topics: Holidays , Lifestyle

As the United States of America celebrates Independence Day on July 4, it’s worth noting the nation was founded upon the idea that God created human beings to be free. The Declaration of Independence states that people “are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

But what is “liberty,” exactly? Is freedom based upon the country where you live, or can it have a deeper meaning?

Here are some key ideas from the Bible about freedom—including how to find true freedom in your life.

1. People have been searching for it for thousands of years.

The quest for freedom is a theme found throughout the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation. Just three chapters into the story of God’s creation, humanity gave up its freedom by choosing to rebel against God. From that time forward, the perfect freedom God created in the Garden of Eden was gone, and the long-term effects were both physical and spiritual.

The Old Testament of the Bible records how God’s people lost their physical freedom time and again as various empires overtook them (most notably the Egyptians, as recorded in the book of Exodus).

The loss of physical freedom was often tied to spiritual disobedience like worshiping false gods. But time and again, the one true God forgave His people and rescued them. When God freed the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, He was foreshadowing the arrival of Jesus Christ, who came to free humanity from sin—the spiritual slavery that leads to death.

Today, many people are living in spiritual slavery without realizing it. They chase false gods of money, success, personal comfort and romantic love—only to realize they still have an emptiness that can’t be filled by any of those things .

>> Everyone worships something. Read Billy Graham’s short answer about the definition of an idol.

2. God’s answer to our loss of freedom has always been Jesus Christ.

When Jesus began his short period of ministry on the earth, He announced He was the One that God’s people had been waiting for since the fall of humanity. He did this by reading a particular passage from the book of Isaiah—a passage his listeners knew was referring to the Messiah, or the Savior of the world.

The words had been written hundreds of years earlier and spoke of a new freedom that was coming in the future. When Jesus stood up to read, He was saying the future had arrived. Liberty would come through Him.

“And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written,

‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,      because he has anointed me      to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives      and recovering of sight to the blind,      to set at liberty those who are oppressed,   to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.’

And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, ‘ Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing’” (Luke 4:17-21, emphasis added).

>> Read Billy Graham’s short devotion, “Truth Brings Freedom.”

3. Jesus came to free us from death, sin and anything that enslaves us.

The core message of the Christian faith—the Gospel—is that Jesus Christ rescues us from the slavery of sin and offers true freedom in this life and beyond. This is what Jesus said:

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life ” (John 3:16).

The Good News—the best news ever—is that faith in Jesus frees us from the death we deserve for sinning against God. It frees us from the punishment that would be inflicted upon us at the end of our lives for the evil things we’ve thought and done.

While Christ followers still battle with sin, they are no longer slaves to it. Through the power of Christ, His people can be set free from the bondage of greed, vanity, pride, pornography, addiction , abusive behavior, gluttony, selfishness—and any other sin under the sun. Here’s what Jesus said about the freedom He offers:

“If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” ( John 8:31-32).  

“Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:34-36).

>> Watch Billy Graham’s powerful message, “Truth and Freedom,” from his 1969 New York City Crusade.

4. God gives us freedom to choose our own path.

God created human beings, not robots. We don’t have to accept the freedom He offers us through Jesus Christ. He gives each person the free will to accept or reject His salvation. But the Bible warns that hell is a real place where real people end up when they knowingly reject the truth.

Likewise, those who choose Christ are not forced to obey Him at every turn. But God makes it clear: the best life is one that’s devoted to honoring Him. As the Apostle Paul explained to some of the first Christians:

“’All things are lawful for me,’” but not all things are helpful. ‘All things are lawful for me,’ but I will not be dominated by anything” (1 Corinthians 6:12).

“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).

>> What is “the judgment,” and why did Jesus have to die for our sins? Listen to Billy Graham’s message .

Final thoughts on freedom

From cover to cover, God’s Word points to freedom in Christ. And God doesn’t leave us wondering how to grab hold of the freedom He offers. It starts with acknowledging our brokenness—and admitting we are slaves to sin. And it ends with choosing Jesus and following Him daily. Only He can break the bonds of slavery and lead us to true freedom, now and forever.

Choose Jesus today, and find out what true freedom feels like .

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Unlocking the True Meaning of Christian Freedom: A Comprehensive Guide

Welcome to our comprehensive guide on unlocking the true meaning of Christian freedom. As Christians, we hear the term “freedom” thrown around often, but what does it really mean? In this guide, we will explore the biblical basis of Christian freedom, the importance of understanding it, and how to experience it in our daily lives.

Many people mistakenly believe that Christian freedom means we can do whatever we want without consequences. However, the true meaning of Christian freedom is quite different. It is about being free from the bondage of sin and living in obedience to God’s will.

In this guide, we will debunk common misconceptions about Christian freedom and show you how to experience true freedom in Christ. If you’re ready to unlock the full potential of Christian freedom, then keep reading to discover the transformative power it can have on your life.

Table of Contents

The Importance of Understanding Christian Freedom

As Christians, we have all heard about the concept of Christian freedom . However, what does it actually mean to be free in Christ? This is a question that many Christians struggle with. Understanding the true meaning of Christian freedom is crucial to our spiritual growth and living a fulfilling life in Christ.

One of the most important aspects of Christian freedom is the fact that it is not just a license to sin . Many people misunderstand Christian freedom as the freedom to do whatever we want, but this is not the case. Christian freedom is a freedom from sin, not a freedom to sin.

Another reason why understanding Christian freedom is so important is that it affects our relationships . When we have a proper understanding of Christian freedom, we are better equipped to love and serve others. We are also less likely to judge others and more likely to extend grace and forgiveness.

Finally, understanding Christian freedom is essential to our witness . As Christians, we are called to share the Gospel with the world. However, if we do not understand the freedom that we have in Christ, how can we effectively share it with others? Our understanding of Christian freedom affects how we live our lives and how we communicate the Gospel message to those around us.

The Connection Between Christian Freedom and Spiritual Growth

Understanding: It is crucial to understand that Christian freedom does not mean living a life without any boundaries or limitations. On the contrary, it means living a life that is guided by God’s principles and values, which leads to spiritual growth and maturity.

Freedom from: Christian freedom frees us from the bondage of sin and guilt, allowing us to focus on our relationship with God and our spiritual growth.

Renewal: As we grow in our understanding of Christian freedom, we experience a renewal of our minds and hearts, which transforms us from the inside out and leads to spiritual growth.

The role of the Holy Spirit: The Holy Spirit plays a vital role in our spiritual growth as He guides us, convicts us of sin, and empowers us to live a life that is pleasing to God.

In summary, Christian freedom and spiritual growth are intimately connected. Understanding the true meaning of Christian freedom, and how it relates to our spiritual growth, can lead to a transformed life that is guided by God’s principles and values. As we continue to grow in our relationship with God, we will experience the freedom and joy that comes from living a life that is fully surrendered to Him.

The Impact of Christian Freedom on Personal Relationships

Christian freedom has a profound impact on personal relationships, as it allows individuals to approach their relationships with love, respect, and selflessness. The freedom to love others as God loves them is a central theme in the Christian faith and can have a transformative effect on relationships.

Forgiveness: Christian freedom also enables individuals to forgive others, even in the face of hurt or betrayal. Forgiveness is a crucial component of healthy relationships and is necessary for healing and growth.

Servanthood: Christian freedom encourages individuals to serve others, putting their needs before their own. This selflessness is a hallmark of healthy relationships and can strengthen bonds between individuals.

Equality: Christian freedom emphasizes the equality of all people before God, regardless of their background or social status. This recognition of equality can help to break down barriers between individuals and promote unity and understanding.

Overall, Christian freedom enables individuals to approach their relationships with love, forgiveness, servanthood, and equality. By embracing these values, individuals can create healthy, fulfilling relationships that honor God and benefit themselves and others.

The Relationship Between Christian Freedom and Social Justice

Christian freedom is not just about personal salvation but also about social transformation. It’s about creating a just and equitable society where everyone can thrive. When Christians live out their freedom in Christ, they are called to serve others, to seek justice, and to advocate for the marginalized.

Social justice is at the heart of the Christian faith. God calls us to care for the poor, the oppressed, and the vulnerable. Christian freedom gives us the power and the responsibility to act on behalf of those who are suffering.

When we understand our freedom in Christ, we are empowered to fight against injustice and oppression. We can work to dismantle systems of oppression and to create a more just and equitable society. We can use our freedom to speak truth to power and to advocate for policies that promote social justice.

Christian freedom and social justice go hand in hand. When we live out our freedom in Christ, we become agents of change in our communities and in the world. We can work towards a society that reflects God’s love and justice, where everyone is valued and treated with dignity.

The Biblical Basis of Christian Freedom

Christian freedom is a concept deeply rooted in the Bible, and it is essential to understand its biblical basis to appreciate its true meaning. The Bible teaches that human beings were created in the image of God, with the freedom to choose their own path in life.

In the Old Testament, the concept of freedom is highlighted in the story of the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt, where God frees his people from slavery and oppression. In the New Testament, the teachings of Jesus emphasize the importance of freedom from sin and the law.

The apostle Paul also plays a significant role in the biblical basis of Christian freedom. In his letters, he explains that Christians are free from the law and sin and that their freedom comes from their faith in Christ.

Furthermore, the Bible teaches that Christian freedom comes with responsibilities. Christians are called to use their freedom to serve others and to live according to God’s will. They are to exercise their freedom in a way that does not lead to sin or harm others.

Overall, the biblical basis of Christian freedom emphasizes that true freedom comes from faith in Christ and that it is to be exercised in a responsible and loving manner.

The Nature of God’s Grace and Christian Freedom

Grace is a central theme in the Bible, and it plays a critical role in understanding Christian freedom. Grace refers to the unmerited favor that God shows to humanity despite our sins and shortcomings. It is by grace that we are saved and set free from the bondage of sin.

Christian freedom is therefore closely linked to grace because it is a product of God’s grace towards us. We are free because of God’s unmerited favor towards us, which we receive through faith in Jesus Christ.

This grace is not something we can earn or work for, but it is freely given to us by God. It is a gift that we receive through faith in Jesus Christ and through his sacrifice on the cross.

As we grow in our understanding of God’s grace, we also grow in our understanding of Christian freedom. The more we comprehend the depth and breadth of God’s grace, the more we can appreciate the true nature of our freedom in Christ.

The Role of Faith in Experiencing Christian Freedom

Faith plays a crucial role in experiencing Christian freedom. Without faith, we cannot accept the truth of the gospel and the freedom that comes with it. When we have faith in Christ, we are freed from the bondage of sin and empowered to live according to God’s will.

Our faith in Christ also gives us the confidence to approach God in prayer, knowing that we have been reconciled to Him through Christ’s sacrifice. This confidence in prayer helps us to seek God’s guidance and strength as we navigate the challenges of life.

Furthermore, our faith in Christ enables us to trust in God’s goodness and sovereignty, even in difficult circumstances. We can rest in the knowledge that God is working all things together for our good, and that nothing can separate us from His love.

In short, faith is essential to experiencing the fullness of Christian freedom. It enables us to receive the gift of salvation, to approach God in prayer, and to trust in His goodness and sovereignty, even in the midst of trials and tribulations.

The Relationship Between the Law and Christian Freedom

Many Christians wonder how the law relates to their freedom in Christ. Some believe that being free in Christ means that they are no longer bound by the law. Others believe that the law still has a place in the Christian life.

First, it’s important to understand that the law serves as a guide for how to live a righteous life. The law teaches us what is right and wrong, and it exposes our sinfulness. It shows us our need for a savior and points us to Jesus Christ.

Second, while the law is important, it cannot save us. Only faith in Jesus Christ can save us from sin and death.

Third, Christ fulfilled the law, and as a result, we are no longer under the law but under grace. This means that we are no longer condemned by the law, but we are free to live by the Spirit.

Finally, our freedom in Christ does not give us license to sin. Instead, it empowers us to live a life that pleases God. When we live by the Spirit, we fulfill the law because we love God and love others.

Understanding the relationship between the law and Christian freedom is essential for living a life that is pleasing to God. When we understand that the law serves as a guide, that faith in Jesus Christ is essential, that Christ fulfilled the law, and that our freedom empowers us to live by the Spirit, we can experience the true freedom that comes from being in Christ.

The Misconceptions Surrounding Christian Freedom

Legalism is the only enemy of Christian freedom. While legalism can hinder Christian freedom, it is not the only obstacle. Other misconceptions like antinomianism and libertinism can also pose threats.

Christian freedom means doing whatever we want. This belief is false. Christian freedom does not mean that we are free to sin or to live our lives without regard to God’s will. Instead, it means that we are free from the bondage of sin and empowered to live according to God’s will.

Christian freedom leads to licentiousness. Some people believe that Christian freedom leads to anarchy and moral chaos. However, this is not true. Christian freedom does not negate the need for moral standards or promote immoral behavior.

Christian freedom is only for mature Christians . This belief is incorrect. Christian freedom is a gift given to all believers in Christ, regardless of their spiritual maturity level. However, our understanding and application of Christian freedom may grow as we mature in our faith.

Christian freedom is an individualistic concept. This belief is false. Christian freedom is not just about our personal rights and liberties. Instead, it involves our responsibilities towards others and our duty to love and serve them. We must use our freedom to glorify God and to build up the body of Christ.

Christian Freedom is Not a License to Sin

Grace is often misunderstood as a free pass to do whatever one wants, but Christian freedom is not a license to sin. Sin enslaves us, but Christ’s sacrifice on the cross has set us free from sin’s power. The Apostle Paul reminds us in Romans 6:1-2 that we cannot continue to sin because we have been set free.

Christian freedom is not a rejection of God’s law or a desire to do what we want, but rather it is the ability to live in obedience to God’s will with joy and thanksgiving. We are free to follow God’s commands because of Christ’s sacrifice and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in us.

Freedom in Christ does not mean we can live as we please or that we are above the law. Instead, it means that we are free to live according to God’s perfect plan for our lives. We are no longer bound by sin and death, but have been given new life in Christ.

It is important to remember that Christian freedom is not a justification for sin or a reason to indulge in the desires of the flesh. Instead, it is a call to live in righteousness and holiness, empowered by the Holy Spirit, and to use our freedom to serve and glorify God.

Christian Freedom Does Not Mean We Can Do Whatever We Want

Christian freedom is not a license to do whatever we want. It does not mean we have the freedom to engage in sinful behavior or to act in ways that are harmful to others. In fact, Christian freedom is about living a life that is pleasing to God and serves others.

When we become Christians, we are no longer slaves to sin but are free to live a life that is in accordance with God’s will. This means that we should use our freedom to serve others, to do good works, and to glorify God.

Our freedom as Christians is not a selfish freedom, but a freedom to love others and to serve God. It is a freedom that requires responsibility and self-control. We must be careful not to use our freedom as an excuse to sin or to harm others.

Instead, we should use our freedom to help others and to promote righteousness. We should strive to live a life that is worthy of the calling we have received in Christ Jesus, and to use our freedom to bring glory to God.

How to Experience True Christian Freedom

Surrender – True Christian freedom is found in surrendering our lives to God and His will. We must let go of our own desires and plans and trust in His perfect plan for our lives.

Follow Christ – We must follow Christ’s example of obedience and sacrifice. He is the perfect example of true freedom, as He willingly laid down His life for us.

Renew our minds – We must renew our minds and allow the Holy Spirit to transform us from the inside out. This means letting go of our old ways of thinking and embracing God’s truth.

Live in community – We were not meant to live in isolation, but in community with other believers. We need accountability, encouragement, and support as we strive to live in true Christian freedom.

Serve others – True freedom is not found in selfishness, but in serving others. We must follow Christ’s example of serving others and putting their needs above our own.

The Importance of Surrendering to God’s Will

Surrendering to God’s will is an essential aspect of experiencing true Christian freedom. When we acknowledge that God is in control, we free ourselves from the burden of trying to control everything in our lives. Surrendering to God’s will allows us to trust that God has a plan for our lives, and He will guide us in the right direction.

Surrendering to God’s will requires us to let go of our own desires and selfish ambitions. It means putting God’s plans ahead of our own plans and trusting that His ways are higher than our ways. Surrendering to God’s will also involves accepting His timing, even when it doesn’t align with our own.

Surrendering to God’s will requires us to have faith and trust in God. When we surrender, we are acknowledging that God is all-knowing and all-powerful. We are also recognizing that His ways are perfect and His plans for us are good.

Surrendering to God’s will does not mean that we will never face challenges or difficulties in life. However, when we surrender to God, we can face these challenges with confidence, knowing that God is with us and will help us through them.

Surrendering to God’s will is a daily practice. It requires us to continually seek God’s guidance and trust Him to lead us in the right direction. As we surrender more and more to God, we will experience true Christian freedom and the peace that comes from knowing that we are in God’s hands.

The Role of Forgiveness in Experiencing Christian Freedom

Forgiveness is a crucial aspect of Christian freedom. Jesus taught us to forgive others as we have been forgiven by God. Holding grudges and refusing to forgive can weigh us down and hinder our spiritual growth.

Forgiving others is not always easy, but it is necessary. When we forgive, we release ourselves from the burden of anger and bitterness, and we can experience the peace that comes with letting go of our hurt and pain.

Forgiveness does not mean we condone someone’s actions, but it does mean we choose to extend grace and mercy, just as God has done for us. Forgiveness frees us from the bondage of unforgiveness and allows us to experience the fullness of God’s love and grace.

Forgiveness also opens the door to reconciliation and restoration of relationships. It can be a powerful tool for healing brokenness and fostering unity in the body of Christ.

As we strive to live in Christian freedom, let us remember the importance of forgiveness. Let us choose to extend grace and mercy to others, just as God has done for us.

The Role of Christian Freedom in Living a Fulfilling Life

Choice: One of the key benefits of Christian freedom is the ability to make choices that align with our values and beliefs, leading to a sense of fulfillment in our lives. When we are no longer bound by legalistic rules and regulations, we are free to pursue what truly matters to us.

Responsibility: With Christian freedom comes a great responsibility to use it wisely. We must be mindful of how our choices affect others and the world around us. We must also recognize that our freedom is not unlimited and should not be used as an excuse to harm ourselves or others.

Relationships: Christian freedom allows us to build deeper, more authentic relationships with God and others. When we are no longer focused on following a set of rules, we can approach our faith with a sense of joy and enthusiasm. We can also connect with others who share our values and beliefs, building a strong community of support and encouragement.

How Christian Freedom Helps Us Live with Purpose

Fulfillment: Christian freedom allows us to find fulfillment in life by living according to God’s purpose for us. When we are free from the bondage of sin and guilt, we can focus on serving God and others with joy.

Direction: Our freedom in Christ gives us direction and guidance for our lives. We are not aimlessly wandering, but have a clear path to follow, guided by the Holy Spirit and the teachings of Christ.

Empowerment: Through our freedom in Christ, we are empowered to live out our purpose with courage and boldness. We have the strength to overcome obstacles and the confidence to share the love of Christ with others.

The Future of Christian Freedom in the Modern World

As the world becomes more secularized, the concept of Christian freedom may be seen as outdated or irrelevant. However, religious freedom remains a crucial aspect of human rights, and Christians must continue to advocate for it.

Technology has brought both benefits and challenges to the Christian faith, with access to information and resources at our fingertips, but also the temptation of online distractions and the potential for cyber attacks against churches and religious organizations.

Another challenge facing Christian freedom is the rise of cancel culture , which can stifle freedom of speech and expression. It’s important for Christians to engage in respectful dialogue and defend their beliefs, while also being open to learning from others.

The future of Christian freedom also depends on the engagement of younger generations in the faith. It’s important to educate and inspire young people to understand the importance of religious freedom and to use their voices to advocate for it in their communities and in the political sphere.

Finally, Christians must also confront the reality of religious persecution around the world. As Christians in countries such as China and North Korea face severe restrictions on their freedom to practice their faith, it’s important for Christians in the West to use their freedom to advocate for their persecuted brothers and sisters.

The Role of Christian Freedom in Promoting Human Rights

Christian freedom has a crucial role in promoting human rights globally. The biblical teachings and principles of love, equality, and respect for human dignity are the foundations for the protection and promotion of human rights. Christian freedom provides a framework for respecting the human rights of individuals and groups, regardless of their race, gender, religion, or social status.

Christian freedom promotes the concept of the inherent value of every human being, which is the cornerstone of human rights. It recognizes the importance of treating people with compassion, justice, and fairness, and promoting their well-being. As such, it advocates for the freedom to express one’s beliefs, to participate in society, and to pursue happiness and fulfillment.

Christian freedom is also vital in advocating for the rights of the oppressed and marginalized. It challenges systems and structures that deny people their basic human rights, and calls for action to promote justice and equality for all. This includes speaking out against human trafficking, slavery, discrimination, and other forms of injustice that violate human rights.

Ultimately, Christian freedom upholds the principle that all human beings are created in the image of God and are deserving of respect, dignity, and freedom. By promoting human rights, it serves as a catalyst for social change and transformation that can create a better world for everyone.

The Impact of Culture on the Perception of Christian Freedom

Culture plays a significant role in shaping the way people view Christian freedom. In some cultures, freedom is equated with individualism, while in others, it is seen as being part of a community. Therefore, the perception of Christian freedom can vary based on cultural background.

Some cultures may view Christian freedom as a license to do whatever one wants, while others may see it as an opportunity to serve others. This perception can be influenced by factors such as family values, religious traditions, and societal norms.

It’s important for Christians to be aware of how their cultural background shapes their view of freedom and to critically examine whether their perception aligns with the biblical teachings on freedom. This can involve challenging cultural norms that may conflict with biblical principles.

Ultimately, Christian freedom should be viewed through the lens of the gospel, which emphasizes love, grace, and service to others. Regardless of cultural differences, the message of the gospel remains the same and should be central to our understanding of freedom.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can christian freedom be defined.

Christian freedom is a concept that has been widely discussed throughout history. Some people define it as the ability to live according to God’s will, while others see it as the freedom to make choices without fear of condemnation. Ultimately, the definition of Christian freedom is a matter of interpretation and can vary from person to person.

What is the biblical basis for Christian freedom?

The Bible teaches that Christ has set us free from sin and death, and that we are no longer under the law but under grace. This freedom allows us to live in relationship with God and to follow His will without the burden of legalism. The apostle Paul wrote extensively on this subject, emphasizing the importance of freedom in Christ and the dangers of returning to legalistic ways of living.

How does Christian freedom relate to responsibility?

Christian freedom is not a license to do whatever we want. Instead, it is a responsibility to live according to God’s will and to love and serve others. This means that while we are free to make choices, we must always consider how our actions affect those around us and honor our commitment to God.

What are some misconceptions about Christian freedom?

One common misconception is that Christian freedom means we can do whatever we want without consequence. Another is that it means we are free from all rules and can live however we please. However, true Christian freedom is not the absence of rules, but the ability to live in accordance with God’s will and to experience the fullness of life that He offers.

How can we experience true Christian freedom?

To experience true Christian freedom, we must first surrender our lives to Christ and allow Him to transform us from the inside out. We must also commit to living a life of obedience and service to God, recognizing that our freedom is not for our own benefit but for the glory of God and the good of others. Finally, we must continue to grow in our understanding of God’s grace and our identity in Christ, allowing His love to guide us in all that we do.

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What is Christian Freedom (and What It’s not)

More by wyatt.

Christian freedom played a central role during the Reformation. Martin Luther wrote his famous 1520 pamphlet On Christian Freedom, showing how God justifies us and so gives us a free conscience. John Calvin called Christian freedom or liberty a summary of evangelical doctrine ( Inst . 3.19).

Since God has justified us, no earthly power can directly bind the conscience of a believer . Certainly, God grants a certain authority to parents and governors (Eph 6:5; Rom 13). In this sense, our consciences are bound to God’s general command to obey our parents or leaders (Inst. 4.10.5). But the point is that justification by faith means we have a free conscience since God alone condemns or justifies (Rom 8:1).

As so often happens today, some people during the Reformation confused Christian freedom or liberty with political liberty. Others argued that freedom meant we obey no laws—whether civil or divine. Some wanted to deconstruct all human laws and reconstruct solely mosaic laws over a state. If these opinions seem familiar, they are. Today, we often make similar errors.

Christian freedom means that no person can condemn us if Christ is for us

As fallible humans, we often mistake Christian freedom for civil freedom or by thinking our freedom means we do not obey divine or human laws whatsoever (along with many other like errors). To clarify the biblical and reformed teaching on Christian freedom, this article will look at Andreas Rivetus’s disputation on Christian freedom in the justly famous Leiden Synopsis .

The Leiden Synopsis came into being during the years of 1620–1625 as a commentary of sorts on the Synod of Dort in 1618. It represents a biblical and orthodox position on various matters of theology. In other words, the synopsis has the advantage of summarizing the prior one-hundred years of reformed thinking on the important teaching of Christian Freedom.

Christian Freedom means a free conscience before God by justification

Christian Freedom refers to “spiritual freedom,” explains Rivetus. While the language of freedom or liberty borrows from the political sphere, reformed theologians used the word freedom by analogy to explain our spiritual freedom in Christ.

Particularly, reformed theologians emphasized that when we believe in Jesus for our salvation, God justifies us and objectively frees our conscience from condemnation. There is therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Rom 8:1). Since God alone justifies, then no one can bind our conscience except God.

This is the doctrine of Christian Freedom that the Reformers rediscovered. No scruple or religious observance apart from God’s Word can bind our conscience. And therefore many of the Roman traditions could not either. Our conscience is free before God because God justifies by faith. We are free men and women for this reason.

And despite the fact that we think of liberty or freedom primarily as political categories today, Christian liberty or freedom does not concern that kind of freedom. Andreas Rivetus explains:

“We are not dealing here with the question of that civil and corporal slavery, nor with its opposite, civil and corporal freedom. But we do use some terms and expressions from those realms in order to explain the slavery and freedom that are spiritual. Concerning that spiritual slavery and freedom Christ says: ‘If the Son shall set you free, you will indeed be free’ (John 8:36)’” (Disp. 35.4).

This freedom means Christ sets us free from the condemnation of law, the fear of death, and a guilty conscience before God and men. But it does not mean that Christians obey no laws.

Christian Freedom is not Freedom from all laws

Christian freedom involves the freedom to serve and servitude to righteousness (1 Pet 2:16; Rom 6:18). The Bible tells us that we obey both divine laws and human laws. We obey human laws because we serve masters as unto the Lord (Eph 6:5) and since God grants governing authority to leaders to which authority, we owe obedience (Rom 13).

Since human laws order society, they cannot straightforwardly bind our conscience and thereby make us guilty before God. At the same time, God grants a certain authority to parents and magistrates. And so, denying all human laws can in this particular sense causes us to sin against God. Rivetus goes so far as to call those who reject any human law fanatics. By contrast, he calls antinomians (anti-law) those people who say we don’t have to follow God’s law.

Against those who attempt to deny any authority given to human law makers, Rivetus says that Christians “seriously condemn all those who under the pretext of Christian freedom attempt to shake off the yoke of magistrates and who enslave themselves to the devil by ‘turning their freedom into an opportunity for the flesh’ (Gal 5:13)” (Disp. 35.47). In other words, since God gives authority to magistrates, we should follow human laws since we follow the general command of God to submit to authorities (e.g. Rom 13:1).

When a child obeys his parents and a citizen follows the laws of the land, neither parent nor law maker can bind the conscience of Christian in an unmediated way. We obey parents and magistrates based on the general commands of God (“obey your parents,” “submit to governing authorities”). And when magistrates make laws that correspond to moral law, that law binds the conscience since it repeats God’s law.

With that all said, It might seem that Christian Freedom means we obey all laws whatsoever. It, however, does not.

Christian Freedom does not mean we obey all laws

If Christian freedom includes human and divine laws as defined abov e, then does that mean we obey every sort of law? No, the Reformed believed that we should only obeys laws lawfully , meaning that Christ fulfilled the mosaic law’s ceremonial rites and its civil laws no longer have force over Christians, since such an arrangement was specifically in force for ancient Israel in its time and place.

Rivetus explains, “Particular to the freedom that befit the times of the New Testament is the release from the dispensationary slavery to the ceremonial law” (Disp. 35.20). The Book of Hebrews explains that Christ fulfills the priestly sacrifices and activities. Hence, we no longer sacrifice animals or have a levitical priesthood as the law of Moses requires.

A bit later on, Rivetus also affirms that the civil or judicial laws of Moses no longer have force: “From the things that have been stated about the ceremonial law given to the Israelites we should judge Christian freedom concerning the judicial laws of Moses, which, because they were given by Moses and to such a nation, they neither affect nor bind Christians” (35.28).

But that does not evacuate Mosaic law of authority and use. Far from it. Aspects of that law remain permanent. What remains permanent are those laws that the reformed called moral law. Moral law basically refers to God’s abiding character, which he has inscribed into the created order (also discerned as natural law).

The Mosaic Law, as Rivetus explains, republished natural law since human sin had deceived the heart and made discerning such law difficult.   And finally, when governments legislate laws that correspond to natural or moral law, then such laws bind the conscience. For practical purposes, such laws include the Ten Commandments.

By contrast, laws that are civic (and ceremonial) include burying a hanged body on the same day so as not to pollute the land of Israel (Deut 21:22–23). Since that particular law applies to a civil and ceremonial arrangement in Israel and since Christ fulfilled the ceremonial law, it no longer has force over the Christian.

These laws, however, have massive doctrinal important, since as Rivetus explains, the Levitical rites define the theological logic and typological signs for Christ’s satisfaction of sin and atonement. They are the theological map, as it were, to understanding the cross. Hence, the Reformed established even the ceremonial law for Christian use.

The point here is that we must obey the law of God lawfully or fall into grievous error. We must avoid antinomianism (anti-law) and fanaticism (to use Rivetus’s language).

Christian freedom does not mean we Deconstruct Human Civil law and use Biblical law Excusively

During the 16 th century, the Netherlands had revolted against Spain. Desiring to follow the Bible, they asked Franciscus Junius (1545–1602) to help them govern according to biblical law. But that required careful thinking because one must obey the law lawfully and not rebuild what Christ has torn down.

Junius, for his part, argued that the Mosaic law republishes moral law which all people must follow. Junius also speaks of the levitical rites and sacrifices. People must not follow these laws. Lastly, Junius also speaks of civil laws. Governments must only follow civil laws if and when moral laws obviously mix into them. Some civil principles have an abiding application to modern states when mixed with moral law because moral law represents God’s universal law for mankind.

No person, no doubt, and no earthy power can condemn us if God has declared us free in Christ.

However, this did not mean the deconstruction of any use of common law or enacted human laws. Junius like all the reformers affirmed natural law. God made the world this way. To deny natural law or moral law is antinomianism.

The reformed also affirmed that human laws were not to be forbidden. About thirty years after Junius wrote The Mosaic Polity , Rivetus spoke of people who “have constructed to eliminate Roman laws or any other laws whatsoever from Christian states, in order to foist upon judges the requirement of passing judgment in civil cases according to the forensic laws of Moses. The experts rightly consider this idea not only dangerous and confusing but also wrong and foolish” (Disp. 35.31).

The point is that nations need to create laws in their particular time and place. Today, we might have laws surrounding cryptocurrency or VPNs, which only make sense in the twenty-first century. Such laws should correspond to God’s law as expressed in natural law and republished in the Decalogue. In other words, in the words of Rivetus, it dangerous, confusing, wrong, and foolish to work for the destruction of all human law and to attempt to enforce exclusively mosaic civil or forensic law upon society. Rivetus calls that fanaticism.

Free at last

Christian Freedom points to that blessed reality that by faith God frees from everything that the law of Moses could not free us from. As Paul says, “everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses” (Acts 13:39). And in particular, only the Gospel can free us from slavery to sin, to the devil, and to a guilty conscience for all time, because God alone justifies us (Disp. 35.7).

The freedom of the Christian is the freedom of the conscience. It means no power on earth can bind our conscience. It means no ceremonial law of Moses can bind our conscience to its observances of rights. Christian liberty means no forensic law of Moses can condemn us because “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom 8:1).

But that does not mean we fall into antinomianism. God’s eternal character marks the created order , which we recognize as natural law. And the Law of Moses republishes natural law in what theologians have called moral law. That law remains eternal because it reflects a universal law for all people.

In the end, the freedom of the Christian means that no person can condemn us if Christ is for us. It means we can have the confidence of our justification before God even when our doubts condemn us. God justifies us by an alien righteousness outside of us. His declares us free. No person, no doubt, and no earthy power can condemn us if God has declared us free in Christ.

This is Christian freedom.

Wyatt Graham (PhD., Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) serves as the Executive Director of TGC Canada. You can follow him on Twitter at @ wagraham .

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Freedom As Gift And Human Responsibility From The Christian Teaching Perspective

This article presents the Christian teaching on freedom and realizes delineations and conceptual definitions from the perspective of the divine revelation. Freedom is an ontological gift and a human responsibility, being related to God and strictly related to doing good and the virtues. In human liberty is embedded the Creator’s divine image, the believer having the duty to carry this image to an ever deeper likeness of God. In this sense, human responsibility is double, on the one hand, its consequence is responsibility for the actions committed, and, on the other hand, it relates man to obtaining God’s likeness, unto deification and sanctification. The Christian teachings present man as a “person” bearing “God’s image”. This concept is very complex, including in itself reason, will, affectivity, liberty, conscience, love etc. From Christian perspective, liberty means “stabilization in goodness”. When man does evil, man is not free, but the slave of his own lack of power. Liberty determines the spiritual progress or regression, and this fact is determined by the manner in which man’s liberty collaborates with the divine grace. Christian liberty must always be ontologically regarded, as it is connected to God and has only one coordinate – the one of the good. Keywords: Freedom responsibility free will deification sanctification

Introduction

The Christian teaching presents man as a personal being endowed with reason, conscience and freedom, these making him responsible for his life and actions. According to moral definitions, “freedom is the will’s capacity of self-determination regarding its action, free from any internal or external constraint ( Mladin, 2003 ). Certainly, as personal being created in God’s likeness, man is a being open to the communion with God and with his fellows, but also continually responsible towards the whole creation. The condition of person belongs to every human being ontologically, which involves the relation with God, by man’s quality of image, but also the delineation of his personality as actualization of all the gifts given as potential, by the realization of the divine likeness, the sanctification and the transfiguration of the human nature. Image of God, man cannot find his fullness but in the relation with the Absolute model in Whose image he was created. Thus, freedom appears as the continual deliverance from evil and identification with good (with the model). “Freedom of will means for us the manifestation of God’s love to man, it is the expression and manifestation of God’s image. Consequently, freedom is an asset of man so specific to him that it constitutes our personal dignity” ( Sârbu, 1974 ). Man’s capacity to participate to perfection is given precisely by his freedom, which has, embedded in it, the tension after communion.

Per se, “the problem of freedom - says Nikolai Berdyaev - is actually the problem of the fundamental principle of the being and of life, namely the being depends on the freedom that precedes the being. Freedom is a spiritual and religious category” ( Berdiaev, 2009 ). It is on freedom that spiritual progress and regress depend, and it takes place in the grace-filled ambiance by which and in which man is truly free. The relation between grace and freedom is like that between eye and light. Grace does not annul freedom, just as it does not annul nature, which it restores. Freedom lays the bases of the growth in grace and of the perfection of the moral freedom, by its continual connection with the moral law, therefore with the revealed and redeeming Good. Thus, man is a personal being, placed in front of a personal God, or, as Saint Basil says, man “is a being who received the teaching to become god” ( Lossky, 1998 ).

The impact of this study in the theological, sociological and ethical world is actual, because liberty is understood correctly as a right, but applied mostly as libertinism at individual and society level. In the Christian theological environment, the concept of liberty is essential, but starting with Renaissance and continuing with French Enlightenment, it has suffered a significant change. On confessional plan, human liberty has a connection with God’s grace. The report between spirit and matter as a work of grace is also the report between divine and human. The Catholic theologians have defined divine grace as being a created accident and this led to the tendency to limit or to cancel freedom, in favour of divinity. Essentially, by grace, Catholic theology asserts that man takes part objectively to divine being, but in a limited manner, and his actions are foreseen and pre-determined, thus it is accentuated the action of God or grace, to the detriment of human liberty. At the counter pole, Protestantism generally asserts that man is absolutely predestined by God and, according to them, God decides, He predestines some to happiness, while others to eternal damnation. These conceptions cancel the liberty of man. Lutheran theologians speak of a relative predestination (but only of those who are good, for happiness) while the Calvinist assert absolute predetermination (Jean Calvin, Karl Barth, Emil Brunner). According to them, there might be a destiny or a system which is similar to Buddhist and Islamic fatalism, which cancels or limits the problem of liberty. Within this frame, in the present study we propose a clear definition and the defence of the concepts of freedom and human responsibility.

Problem Statement

Delineations and conceptual definitions of freedom.

Man, regardless of the level of history he was on, arranged his life according to certain models that he copied, sifting them through his personal experience, and so he transformed them, giving them an original content. If these existential models were from the Holy Spirit, then his life is full of morality as well; if they were outside the laws of grace and were realized by sin, then man’s life and activity is immoral and contrary to the truth. Moral life, therefore, according to this logic, has to do with our active participation to the divine life, because any good deed exists only by God, - good being the essence of life, and evil being only the denial of good (not just the lack of good, as we often find even in the specialized books), evil having no existence, because it is not God who is the author of evil, but it is the freedom that man was endowed with that makes the existence of evil possible. By sin, by breaking himself free from God, man created for himself models out of his limited world, which are in no way better than himself, which he idolatrized. Idolatry and immorality are two concepts conditioning each other, generated by man’s selfish love. The fact that they easily contaminated the world shows that they are related to sin, to evil, which once perpetrated asks to be repeated, multiplied - evil moves downwards like a stone pushed down to the valley, becoming like a second nature. To stop this human corruption process, a divine intervention was needed, realized at “ the fullness of time ” by Christ, God’s Embodied Word.

The notion of freedom, as gift and superior capacity of man, in the context of creation is defined differently, namely, for the humanistic philosophical thinking it has to do exclusively with the human powers, whereas according to the divine revelation it is a gift of God triggering responsibility. Anthropologically, man’s true freedom is strictly related to Jesus Christ’s soteriological work, by which the full communion of the human with the divine is realized. Based on these considerations, Petre Țuțea affirms that freedom as an existential concept is given “in the triangle: God, nature and man, in which God, perfect, makes His imitation possible, an imitation realized perfectly by the saints and imperfectly by ordinary believers, whose existence is filled with worldly things” ( Ţuţea, 1992 ).

For purely rationalistic philosophers, freedom is a true mystery having to do precisely with the relation with the divinity. Bergson, for example, affirmed that all the reasoning on freedom makes freedom disappear.

Man’s freedom is an inner attribute of the spirit. Once accepted, it must not be mistakenly taken for divine freedom, which is absolute, nor with absolute indeterminism. Our freedom is not absolute freedom, but is according to our measure of creature of God and is co-grown in our psycho-physical structure, it is influenceable, conditioned ( Mladin, 2003 ). Man, according to Spinoza, is like a thrown body, which, if it had the awareness of its movement on its trajectory, would think himself free. So, as Spinoza affirms, man in the context of creation has the limits of his own being, which according to theology can be overcome only by grace, by God; “absolute freedom is possessed only by God” ( Spinoza, 2006 );

In the pantheistic philosophy, man is conceived as a rational being, dignified and free, yet designed as mode of the infinite substance absorbing him. The multitude of contrary opinions on freedom is realized in the transcendental terms of “ coincidentia oppositorum ” of Nicolaus Causanus. “The free man - says Petre Țuțea - moves between intuition and search, approximating, feeling sometimes at ease and wondering, the revelation showing him that he is not meant for death and for the limits of the world down here” . Man’s movement towards the sensible things gives birth to sin, by which reason, mind, freedom, and all that is related to the image, instead of looking towards the contemplation of the Creator, focus on self and so highlight the nothingness out of which the human nature has been created. The birth of sin is related to man’s reason or mind and so, during its first stage, it has an intellectual aspect, because: “ the throne of the divinity is the mind, and the throne of the mind is God and the Spirit. This is why they say that Satan and his powers and the lower orders of the fallen angels have settled themselves since God’s commandment was disobeyed in Adam’s mind and heart as on their own throne... ” ( Ţuţea, 1992 ).

Contemporary philosophy, however, identifies freedom as being man’s or the group’s capacity of self-determination, of not being constrained and of acting to finalize the aims he or they tend(s) to. This conception has Immanuel Kant as its promoter, who in his works identifies freedom as power to choose.

Research Questions

Grounds, senses and implications of freedom, from a scriptural and patristic perspective.

Freedom is related to love, this is why the source of man’s freedom is in God, who out of love created him as center and spiritual axis of the world. In the Holy Scripture, freedom determines the state of closeness to God, just as well as remoteness from God by sin means slavery. The senses and implications of freedom, from a scriptural perspective, are multiple: “you will know the truth and the truth will set you free” (John 8: 31-32). “No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, because all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you” (John 15: 15). “the person who looks intently into the perfect law, the law that provides liberty, and continues in it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an active doer – he will be blessed in his doing” (James 1: 25). “You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of men” (1 Corinthians 7: 23). “where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” (2 Corinthians 3: 17). “you are no longer a slave, but a son” (Galatians 4: 7). “you, brothers, were called to freedom” (Galatians 5: 13). Indeed, since the beginning God called man to freedom, by living life in freedom (Jesus Sirach 15: 14-17), freedom being the essential principle of man’s spiritual life. As Nikolai Berdyaev says, “Christianity supposes the spirit of freedom and the freedom of the spirit, without this atmosphere it cannot even exist” ( Berdiaev, 2009 ).

In the Old Testament, by the prescriptions of the law, the freedom desired by the chosen people is rather related by its situation in the land of deliverance; in the New Testament, it rather has a side that is inside man, highlighted by the following verses: “But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath, when God’s righteous judgement will be revealed, Who will give to each person according to what he has done.” (Romans 2: 5-6); “The one who plants and the one who waters have a common purpose, and each will receive his wages on the basis of his work.” (1 Corinthians 3: 8); “If I do this willingly, I have a reward. But if unwillingly, I have been entrusted with a charge.” (1 Corinthians 9: 17); “Whatever you do, do it heartily, as for the Lord, not for men, for you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as your reward, for you serve the Lord Christ.” (Colossians 3: 23-24). The logical conclusion of these verses is that it is not freedom that is the result of necessity, but it is necessity that is the result of freedom, with a very well delineated purpose, namely to lift man to a communion as full as possible with God. This is the expression of God’s love, which would have generated man’s happiness in increasingly perfect forms.

In the Patristic Orthodox Theology, freedom or true freedom represents the impetus towards Good identified with God. “In a classical definition, freedom is the faculty to choose” ( Evdochimov, 2009 ), says Paul Evdochimov, yet Saint Maximus the Confessor says: “the need to choose is a weakness inherent to the fall into sin”. “Freedom no longer bears its own reasons, but creates them for itself. It raises where the freest acts are the only complete acts” ( Saint Maxim the Confessor,1983 ). In the Holy Fathers’ teachings, freedom does not mean a choice between good and evil, but true freedom means choosing only what is good and deliverance from any uncertainty regarding this choice. Thus, the Holy Fathers show that true freedom, perfect freedom is the freedom of the period preceding the fall. About this, Saint John of Damascus speaks clearly when he says: “God made man by nature without sin, and by will, free... He therefore had the power to remain and progress in good, being helped by the divine gift, just as well as he had the power to turn away from god and get to evil, a thing allowed by God for the reason that man was endowed with free will. What is done by force is no virtue” ( Saint Ioan Damaschinul, 1938 ). Yet, in order to grow spiritually in the freedom of good, one has to go beyond the state of enslavement given by sin. Paul Evdokimov says, in this sense: “The sense of the original sin is the transformation of God into an exterior authority, in the Law, a fact that leads to transgressing the divinized Law, situating man outside God. The Embodiment had to come for man to find himself again inside God. Baby Jesus had to reveal the Father’s true image, by the parable of the prodigal son, where the judicial authority is not characteristic of the father, but of the elder son. The father does nothing else except to run to greet his child” ( Evdochimov, 2009 ).

Another coordinate of freedom, in patristic theology, is also the position of Epictetus, confirmed by the teaching of Saint Paul the Apostle, namely that any man, be he even a slave, has in him the freedom of a king. Saint John of Damascus acknowledges such a freedom, too, when he states: “in our power are the things that we are free to do and not to do, namely all the things that we do voluntarily. Because one cannot say that we act voluntarily if the action would not be in our power, And, in one word, are in our power the things followed by blame or praise and over which there is exhortation and law. In has to be known that it is in our power to choose what is to be done. Man, being rational, leads nature more than he is led by it. For this reason, when he wills, if he wills, he has the power to repress his wish or to follow it. This is why the irrational ones are neither praised, nor blamed, yet man is praised and blamed. Because man is moving freely and with reason... He wishes freely, wills freely, examines and thinks freely, deliberates freely, judges freely, settles himself freely, chooses freely, moves freely, works freely the natural things” ( Saint Ioan Damaschinul, 1938 ). By virtue of this fact, man accomplishes God’s will, yet not conditioned from the state of slave, but given its relevance and its importance for his life, as it [the will of God] delivers him from the sphere of slavery given by sin and sinful passions. Just as John Stuart Mill used to say: “the outer limit to my freedom reaches up to the limitation of another man’s freedom” ( Mill, 1994 ).

Purpose of the Study

The special and personal relation that man ought to have with God results very clearly from the creation act, from the fact that all the other beings were made by the power of God’s word: “ And God said, “Let there be…” ” (Genesis 1, 3, 6, 9), whereas man has been created by a special act, by the direct participation of the Holy Trinity. The breath of life of the Holy Spirit creates the aware and free being appearing as one who has in him the power to participate to the infinite, being a microtheos, yet by sin he realizes that he is not himself he infinite, always living, along with his incompleteness, the insufficiency, the relativity, yet united to the aspiration and thirst for absolute. Thus, man appears in history as a great mystery, so that, to clarify it, God Himself made Himself a man, and in order for man to be able to clarify all these he needs grace, he needs a transformation of his being, becoming God by grace: “ From the lives of the Saints we know now that man is an existence reaching the extremities, he can reach from the devil up to God, according to his free will and can become both god by grace and devil …” ( Popovici, 1997 ). Freedom, in the vision of the Holy Fathers, is constituted by the coordinates of God’s image in man. It is the foundation of our possibility of reaching the likeness of God. “ Man is what he is - says Saint Seraphim Rose - not because of his nature, which is dust out of the earth, but because of the supernatural grace infused into him by the breath of God” ( Saint Serafim Rose, 2011 ).

The man created in God’s image finds his true state, or his ontological state in Christ and with Christ. The man living in grace ontologically tends to God’s likeness in virtue. “ Man - says Saint Gregory of Sinai - was made with no corruption, as he will actually be resurrected. But not free of change, and not changing either, having in his will the power to change or not. Rottenness is the offspring of the body; and to eat, to throw out the remains, to get fat and to sleep, are natural characteristics of the beasts and of the animals. By these things being similar to animals, for our lack of submission, we fell from our goods bestowed by God, turning ourselves from rational, into animal-like, and from divine, into beast-like” ( Saint Grigorie Sinaitul, 1991 ). Freedom is actually the spiritual life in the Holy Spirit, the kind of life that gives sense to the human existence. Dionysius the Areopagite speaks frequently about man’s deification, in which the divine image in man is taken towards the likeness of God, this likeness being possible by the work of grace and by the contribution of the human will. Here is what he says: “God has given us freely his existence and life. He forms what we have divine in us, according to the kind of his ineffable beauties and recalls us, by the revivifying graces of the Holy Mysteries, to the brilliance of our first destinations” , or: “Salvation is not possible except for the deified spirits, it is but the union with God and the likeness of God that you endeavor to have, in which your will submits to the will of God” ( Dionisie pseudo-Areopagitul, 1994 ). Saint Maximus the Confessor, commenting on Dionysius the Areopagite, says: “Deification is a work of grace, yet where the will has its own contribution, being actually the perfection of freedom” ( Saint Maxim the Confessor, 1983 ). Human freedom must have as its purpose deification. Therefore, the sense of true freedom can be but one: the virtue that leads to man’s deification.

Research Methods

The present study presents the problem of liberty from the perspective of Christian teachings, where it is the gift of God but also human responsibility. In this study, using scientific research methods, we present an exegetical and hermeneutic analysis which is based upon the biblical text, but also the critical analysis of the Christian vision, especially the Orthodox, about the concept of liberty. The analytical frame of this research was generally backed up by a comparative study. The novelty of the study is given by the inter and trans-disciplinary approach of the chosen theme, by using methods which are specific for Christian moral theology, psychology of religion but also sociology. From its very beginning, the study has as specificity the problem of liberty and answers questions like: What is liberty? Is man free? Can we say that the contemporary man, who lives in a secularized society, is free? Can psychology or sociology of religion define “what liberty is”? Surely the answer is connected to divine revelation developed within Christian theology. Thus, the arguments we brought are specific to orthodox Christian theology, brut from a transdisciplinary perspective, which is necessary in order to surpass the limits imposed by the disciplinary research and to reach what is beyond any discipline, generally obtaining an objective result. Given all these data, the specific objectives of this study are: 1. Critical description and evaluation of the Christian approaches about liberty and responsibility; 2. Identification and compared analysis of the concept of liberty and responsibility within the theology of the great Christian churches; 3. The analyze of the concept of liberty and responsibility and its implications on the religious man and the contemporary man.

Will and freedom, moral aspects

Man, being created in the image of God, is by nature free and volitional ( Saint Ioan Damaschinul, 1938 ). Will is not an instinct but a function of the spirit. Man has the capacity to say “no”, to intervene between stimulus and reaction, to suspend the instinctive mechanism and react as he wills. With man, the instinct is guided by the lights of reason and by the energy of the will, and this in the case of certain actions that are instinctive in point of nature. Will is spiritual power, the root of an aware and rational action, which is superior to the instinctive action. Since will is superior to instinct, this means that the will is free. Freedom is an inherent quality of the will. Therefore, freedom is the capacity of the will to determine itself on its own for its action, with no external or internal constraint. Depending on the way the work of the will uses the power of nature, positively or negatively, “ it will receive its end in the good or the unhappy existence” , which he calls “ the one and never-ending day” ( Saint Maxim the Confessor, 1983 ).

Naturally, reason tends towards truth, and will tends towards good. The aim of reason is to know the truth; the aim of the will is to do good. By freedom, man has the capacity to fully realize what is good, but, at the same time, under the impulse of temptations, man can choose evil. Evil cannot be the purpose of freedom. The essence of freedom has to do with the capacity of choosing between several possibilities of doing good. It is turned, by nature, to good.

The Holy Scripture shows that man is a free being “It was He who created humankind in the beginning, and He left them in the power of their own free choice. If you choose, you can keep the commandments, and to act faithfully is a matter of your own choice. He has placed before you fire and water; stretch out your hand for whichever you choose. Before each person are life and death and whichever one chooses will be given.” (Jesus Sirach 15: 14-17). Our Savior at the same time shows that God does not force man’s freedom, does not impose, but only proposes: “Take note! I am standing at the door and knocking. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will enter his house and eat with him, and he with Me.” (Revelation 3: 20). The Christian moral freedom is the free and permanent identification of our will with good, therefore with God’s will. This full compliance of the human will with the divine will is realized by Christ, by His sacrifice in which mankind has been progressively purified of sin and ontologically restored by the infusion of grace whose consequence is deification.

The problem of freedom, in the thinking of Saint Gregory of Nyssa is analyzed not psychologically, but ontologically, freedom being unseparated from God. Saint Gregory of Nyssa sees in the freedom of will the main content of the divine image in man. In this position, of image of God, man must have all the characteristic features of his model. He enumerates several characteristic traits that could be synthesized in two groups: sinlessness and freedom. Sinlessness is the cleanliness of the mind, of the heart, of the conscience, of everything that makes us similar to the things devoid of reason and limits our freedom. What limits freedom is evil, and God tolerates it because He tolerates the creature’s freedom. In the Orthodox theology, freedom is not confounded with the free will; they are two distinct things, but they do not exclude each other either, because “ by his freedom of choice, man is also image of God” ( Stăniloae, 1997 ). The free will is included in freedom, or, more precisely, this is the first step towards acquiring perfect freedom. Man has, first of all, complete freedom to choose, to follow God or to refuse Him, to choose between good and evil, to choose between life and death. “We can say yes, because we could just as well say: Thy will be not done” ( Evdochimov, 1996 ).

The Orthodox Theology defines freedom in the sense of gift given to man by God. This gift, or this great possibility to be open to the divine grace, makes both spiritual progress but also spiritual regress possible. The free will can be analyzed as well from other perspectives, related to the frailty of the human being, as Saint Maximus the Confessor classifies him: as an imperfection, because the temporary need to choose represents rather a deficiency of man than an expression of his independence. Father Professor Dumitru Stăniloae says that “ the grounds of the whole greatness of man’s divine image lies in his freedom” ( Stăniloae, 1997 ). Freedom, in the Eastern theology, is not reduced only to the possibility of choosing between following Jesus or refusing Him. In the Holy Fathers’ writings and in the works of the great Orthodox theologians, freedom has much deeper meanings related to the process of deification and perfection of the human person, as we have shown previously; in principle, the first meaning of freedom is given by the possibility of a personal, non-determined and non-constrained choice.

In human freedom is embedded the divine image of our Creator, the believer having the duty to take this image towards an ever deeper likeness of God. Freedom is an ontological gift and also a human responsibility, being related to God and strictly connected to doing good and accomplishing the virtues. In his sense, human responsibility is double, on the one hand, one of its consequences is responsibility for the acts committed, and on the other hand it connects man to the deliverance from sin for sanctification and deification.

Thus, Christian freedom must always be viewed ontologically, being related to God and having just one coordinate, that of good. The possibility of choosing between good and evil, and implicitly the free will, according to the patristic conception, is a consequence of our fall into sin. In the free will lies all man’s individuality and personality. Man’s power lies precisely in freedom, yet this does not coincide with the free will, with the alternative of choosing between good and evil, but with choosing good, or more precisely with the stabilization in good. Thus, freedom means full harmony and symbiosis between the work of grace and man’s work, the aim being the perfection of the human being, man’s accomplishment and deification, which actually mean eternal freedom and love.

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Florea, Ş. (2017). Freedom As Gift And Human Responsibility From The Christian Teaching Perspective. In A. Sandu, T. Ciulei, & A. Frunza (Eds.), Multidimensional Education and Professional Development: Ethical Values, vol 27. European Proceedings of Social and Behavioural Sciences (pp. 180-188). Future Academy. https://doi.org/10.15405/epsbs.2017.07.03.25

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Here’s What the Biblical View of Freedom Means for Your Life

Dr. Art Lindsley August 25, 2015

We’ve been looking at the biblical view of freedom in the Old Testament and in the New Testament over the last few weeks. We’ve also looked at alternatives to the biblical view of freedom .

Here are some implications from what we have observed.

1. Freedom is not autonomy or doing what you feel like doing without any constraints.

2. Freedom involves structure. Bondage to Christ allows us to be free to be what we are created to be.

3. Freedom is within the context of Law. We are not under the obedience to the Law as a condition of salvation, but the moral Law and Christ’s commands give us a guide to know how to live and to love.

4. We are truly free when we know the truth about ourselves and the world. This means throwing off the lies and deceptions to which we are so often captive.

5. Salvation is not primarily political liberation (as in some theologies). But God often intervened when his people were oppressed by unjust totalitarian leaders (See examples in Exodus, Judges, for instance).

6. Inner renewal often leads to outer consequences and renewal of the land.

7. The Bible doesn’t prescribe one type of government, but freedom (political, economic, and religious) is consistent with the Bible, not contradictory to it.

8. Inner freedom inevitably drives toward outer freedom. You can have political (economic and religious) freedom and still be in bondage to sin. You can have inner freedom in an oppressed situation. But inner and outer freedoms are the most ideal state for human beings (Micah 4:4).

With this background in mind, it is not surprising that freedom has become a cry for many people that are believers.

The Declaration of Independence sets forth our God-given rights to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

We have seen the cries for freedom that led to pulling down the wall between East and West Berlin.

Believers should be the most free to enjoy life and God’s creation, as long as it is within the structure of how God has made us. We are not free from God-ordained obligations, but we are free to live life as God intended it to be lived.

This post has been adapted from Dr. Lindsley’s new article, “ The Biblical View of Freedom .” Get your copy here . 

Leave your comments here .

Dr. Art Lindsley

“We are truly free when we know the truth about ourselves and the world. This means throwing off the lies and deceptions to which we are so often captive.” Twitter Facebook

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