Freedom & Its' Limitations - an Article by Randy Rocket (Randall Alan Fultz)
Freedom & Its' Limitations
Copyright 2000 by Randall Alan Fultz.
Freedom & Its' Limitations - by Randy Fultz
We Americans pride ourselves in what we call freedom, and we American Christians revel most of all in our freedom to worship God openly without fear of oppression from the governing forces of our land. But do we really know that much about freedom?
What is freedom? Is it merely rhetorical fodder for political opportunists? Is it an unhindered opportunity to carelessly or even callously make choices, without giving any regard as to how our free choices will affect others? Is it the "right" to decide to do what is right and honorable in the eyes of God, or to selfishly seek to gratify the unquenchable desires of our flesh? Or is it simply the single greatest honor (and supremely solemn responsibility) bequeathed to all free individuals by their Divine Creator? These are questions that every American believer in Christ should seriously and openly consider in the light of the Scriptures, and in purity of the motives of their own hearts before God.
In order to get to the root of understanding freedom we must first consider the dynamics of individual freedoms. We each need to know whether or not we believe that we are essentially free and independent agents, granted the individual self-governing ability of sovereign choice. Or are we instead bound by some strange and unyielding law of Fate, or is freedom is some odd hybrid of these two?
If there exists such an inflexible law of Fate, would it be described as unalterable predestination, (the Sovereignty-of-God), or the law of the unchangeable predetermined future? Is true reality a mixture of these, or something else altogether? As believers in Jesus Christ, are we compelled to make all of our "free will" choices based upon the predetermined and predestined will of God? If this is how it all works, could any of us honestly or realistically call it freedom?
In this theologically illogical theorem, we would live and act out our lives under the guise or appearance of having our own free will. But we would actually, in fact have been Divinely prevented from making any true, volitional choices which departed from God's foreordained set plan and purpose for our lives. We would be fooled somehow into thinking that we were making our own choices, when we were in fact puppets, or mere bit players, each acting out our own unalterable scripts in a dramatic charade of cosmic proportions.
In my opinion, this viewpoint greatly decreases the inherent value of mankind, which is lovingly spoken of in Scripture as being "made in the image of God" 1. This perspective ultimately degrades us to either belonging to a class of spiritual robots, or to being "kept", much like we "keep" our domesticated animals and pets. It certainly seems more likely, and more theologically rational, to consider two other options. Namely a complete freedom of man to decide exclusively for himself, or a mixture of this total freedom and some amount of Divine limitation that God places upon us which will not allow Man to interfere with His ultimate and eternal plans for the future culmination of the Ages.
Dostoevsky, the great nineteenth-century Russian novelist, believed that freedom, in and of itself, is God's ultimate gift to humanity, and that the Creator took His greatest gamble when He made us into autonomous beings with the full freedom to reject His rule and choose instead to follow after evil. However, Dostoevsky also thought that this free-will choice which God had imparted to man was in itself the very thing that empowered Man with the unique capacity to choose, love and obey God.
This view of individual freedom seems compatible with Scriptural principles and with the beliefs of many American believers, but I think that there is still much that is unclear in many people's thinking about this entire matter. This is evidenced in the fact that surveys of followers of Christ often rank questions like, "How can I know God's will for my life?" consistently the highest in polls.
My personal belief is that a blended partnership of freedom exists between God and Man. Man is given full freedom to exercise "dominion over the Earth and all that is in it" 2, while God maintains His secret limits upon that which He will allow.
However, if this is not the case, then what could possibly explain the fact that mankind has not totally obliterated itself - and every other living thing from the face of the Earth - when in recent generations we have had the nuclear capability to annihilate every living thing on Earth many times over? Do we chalk this up to some great benevolence or inherent goodness of Mankind, or is it God Himself lovingly protecting us all from our lustful, insatiable greed for power, and control?
Yes, I believe that there are limits to human freedom, and I praise God for this! I believe that if Man were totally left to himself, life on Earth would either quickly and totally cease, or degenerate to an absolutely unbearable state of anarchy and violence, that we would destroy ourselves while striving and battling for domination or survival. If I am typical of the genus homo sapiens, then knowing myself as well as I do, I would not entrust control of the future of all humankind to myself, for I know what lurks deep in the recesses of my inner man. I know that one minute I can be full of love and compassion, and the next minute - by way of certain inconveniences, insults, lusts, wrong passions or perceived mistreatments - I can become capable of terrible behaviors and actions. And I know that we all have these same Jekyll-and-Hyde elements deep inside ourselves, whether we are aware of them, or are willing to admit to them.
Reflect for a moment upon the words spoken of Christ when the people of Israel were wanting to prematurely crown Him King; "But Jesus would not entrust Himself to them, for He knew all men. He did not need man's testimony about man, for He knew what was in a man" 3. I believe that since God knows us all so very much better than we even know ourselves, He lovingly and wisely protects us from the extreme destruction that can be wrought by our own folly. He is ultimately in control, and as such will allow nothing to occur that would thwart His infinite purpose and plan for the establishment of His coming, Eternal Kingdom.
Now, let us consider the opposite nature of the Christian life. By this I am talking about how many reversals of logic and variances from the normal ways of doing things that we as believers in Jesus are presented with. Examine these statements closely: To live, we must die 4. To receive, we must give 5. To become great, we must become slaves 6. To be free, we must unselfishly serve others, and be servants of God 7.
Think of what all that this represents. We are spoiled American Christians, who are unquestionably the most learned and educated of all Christian cultures to date. But we are oddly superficial and unmotivated in our commitment to actually live out in our daily lives these strong Scriptural mandates. Although we are probably the richest and most prosperous people who have ever lived, we as a people give back so little of our abundance to the Lord or to His Church!
We are generally unwilling to stoop to humbly serve others, and whenever we do so, we either do it begrudgingly, (like downcast modern-day martyrs), or make a point of our servanthood in order to bring forth the praise of others. Have we been blinded in our understanding? What about the verses from the sermon on the mount where Jesus says, "... Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you" 8 ?
It is time that the American Church, and we each, as individual believers, grasp tightly the freedoms we have in America, and also reach out to accept the awesome responsibilities that accompany this trust. Freedoms are being lost all around us, and will be difficult to regain! We have been given much, and the Bible tells us that as a result, much will be required of us! Should we not openly and publicly - as individual Christians and local Churches - admit our failures and repent of our callousness before God? We MUST strive to be faithful in stewarding this freedom which God has entrusted unto us. Can we do less?
In conclusion, I pray we will each reflect upon how the Holy Spirit of God inspired Peter to say, "Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God" 9. Paul reasserts this truth, saying, "Do not use your freedom to indulge your sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love" 10. Let us therefore "...live up to what we have already attained!" 11 Let us live as free men and women in Christ! It is for freedom that Christ has set us free! Amen and AMEN!
Scripture References:
1. Genesis 1:27 2. Genesis 1:28-30 3. John 2:24-25 4. Galatians 2:20, and II Corinthians 5:17 5. Matthew 19:21 6. Matthew 20:26 7. Galatians 5:13, and I Peter 2:16 8. Matthew 6:4,6 & 18 9. I Peter 2:16 10.Galatians 5:13 11.Philippians 3:16
"Now many will hear of the wonderful things He has done for me, & put their trust in Him"(Ps 40:3)
E-Mail Randy at: randyrocket@juno.com
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