Freedom!

No, this is not a post about Braveheart. Ok, now that I've effectively separated the wheat from the chaff...

In the States, "freedom" is a big deal. I mean, seriously, how much more "American" can you get? Red-white-and-blue + open space + apple pie = America = the cult of freedom. 20 different kinds of peanut butter + consumerism + "your way right away" = freedom to choose exactly what your heart desires. That's the thing: here in the States, we often interpret "freedom" as freedom of self-determination; freedom to do whatever we want, whenever we want; freedom not to be bound by anything other than the whims of the present moment.

So what do we do when we hear a statement such as, "it is for freedom that Christ has set us free"? As Christians, perhaps we envision a life free from sin's shackles--but even this is a negative vision. It's a bit passé to talk of freedom "from" vs. freedom "for," but I couldn't help but take a second glance at these words in Thomas Schreiner's books on Pauline theology:

"[Paul] understands freedom from law as freedom from the old era of salvation history, for to be under law is to be under the power of sin (Gal 5:18). The outpouring of the Spirit signals the commencement of the new era in redemptive history, and freedom involves the ability to practice love (Gal 5:13-15)." (Thomas Schreiner, Paul: Apostle of God's Glory in Christ, p. 263. Emphasis added.)

Wow! Freedom to practice love! Now that I can wrap my mind around. The freedom to relate to others in a loving way, all the time, no matter how cantankerous the other person (or I!) might be, no matter the baggage between us, no matter if that person is George Bush, or someone dying of AIDS, or Paris Hilton, or simply my next door neighbor. The freedom to love... mind-boggling.