It was 230 years ago that “the great experiment” was forged in Philadelphia. The year was 1776. The colonial representatives were meeting in Carpenter Hall wrestling with a declaration of independence from Great Britain. John Hancock was the first to sign that document declaring independence in large letters for all to see.

Writing to the early Christians Peter wrote in his first letter, “Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil.” Much, if not all, of Christian teaching can be perverted and used as an excuse for evil. God’s law can be used to control people. God’s love can be sentimentalized to the point where anything and everything is permitted. God’s grace can be used as an excuse to sinning to your heart’s content. Eternal life can be so emphasized that you are no earthly good. There is no Christian teaching as easy to pervert as that of Christian freedom and liberty.

Our once great Christian nation is fast falling into this perversion. Sin is no longer sin. Evil is often seen as good and good is seen as evil. A valedictorian in Nevada has her microphone shut off because she mentioned the name of Jesus. In contrast a valedictorian in Cherry Hill is permitted to speak even though he was involved in a sexual innuendo incident involving the high school yearbook. Freedom has come to mean saying and doing anything you want, unless you are a Christian. Pictures of the Virgin Mary are defaced with dung and it is ‘free speech.’ A crucifix is lowered into a jar of urine and it is called ‘free expression artwork.’ Yet, a grade schooler cannot do a school report on a biblical character. A kindergarten student is told by the school principal that she is not allowed to pray over her lunch in the school cafeteria. A high school teacher in Winslow Township is informed by the principal that he is not permitted to attend our church sponsored baccalaureate.

More and more and more anti-Christian bias is occurring all across this God-blessed nation, but you won’t hear about it on ABC, CBS, NBC or CNN. You won’t read about it in the NY Times, the Philadephia Inquirer, or even the Courier-Post. Time and Newsweek won’t carry it. The reason is that there is a growing anti-Christian bias in this land that was birthed in the incubator of Christian worldview, values, and influence.

So then what is Christian freedom in the post-Christian nation we call home? We live in a time when definitions of words and terms are a mandatory prerequisite if understanding is going to occur. One nation’s ‘freedom fighters’ are another nations death squads. Freedom to Americans is vastly different than freedom to Shitte Moslems in Iraq. Even in America freedom to conservatives is different than freedom to liberals. Hence a clash between worldviews affects our understanding of freedom and liberty. Gay marriage is a question at the fulcrum of this tension.

Along with Paul, Peter is saying that we are free in Christ, but we are not to allow that freedom to lead us into evil. Notice that Peter uses the term “cloak for evil.” We see it often in this debate. Under the guise of freedom, all sorts of evil is being promoted from gambling to gay marriage, from sensuality as art to hard-core porn on the Internet, from ‘what happens in the bedroom is none of your business’ to the promotion of the legalization of sex between adults and children, from partying with a limitless supply of kegs to rape allegations, and the list is endless. We are more and more using our freedoms as cloak for evil behavior. We are and we will continue to reap what we sow!

Christian freedom is not a cloak, an excuse, a reason to indulge the sinful nature and the doing of evil. Christian freedom is always conditioned by responsibility. Jesus said, “To whom much is given, much is required.” Christian responsibility is conditioned by Christian love. Responsibility can be cold and harsh. It is love that warms God’s truth and makes it palatable to even the harshest of cynics. Christian love is a reflection of God’s love that loves the person but hates the sin. This is why St. Augustine could say, “Love God, and do what you like.”

Christian freedom is never a lone ranger, individualistic thing because the very nature of our redemption immediately puts us in relationship with those others who are also the ‘redeemed of the Lord.’ Our beliefs, our thoughts, our actions, our lifestyles, our behavior affects those around us. That is why Jesus told us that we are and are to be the light of the world and the salt of the earth.

Christian freedom is the freedom to serve. Until we know Jesus as personal Savior everything about us is wrapped up in ourselves, and we serve ourselves. It is only as we are free in Jesus, when self and ‘me’ are surrendered to Jesus can we get our focus on other people, especially those who are not redeemed.

Christian freedom is not about ‘me.’ It is not about ‘my rights.’ It is not about ‘what’s in it for me.’ Christian freedom is about the things of Jesus and His kingdom and it is about the freedom to get beyond ourselves, becoming one who serves others in this present age that they too might come to know the saving, transforming grace of Jesus.

Thank You for Taking The Time to Read This Message.
May God Use These Words to Help You and Strengthen You.