Reformation Freedom

“Jesus answered them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits 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

Are you free? Sometimes we’re not sure how to answer that question. We live in a “free” country but there always seems to be something that has a hold on us. Professor Higgens, in the movie “My Fair Lady,” has this line: “I am an ordinary man who desires nothing more than just an ordinary chance to live exactly as I like and to do precisely what I want.” That’s what freedom means to most people. The chance to do whatever we want, whenever and however we want to do it.

Which is more frightening to you – slavery or freedom? Why would freedom be frightening? Because it involves the most change. As frightening as slavery is, especially slavery to sin which causes death, it seems safe because we’ve been down that road before. The road looks something like this: we sin, we feel guilty, we promise to do better next time, we sin again, we feel guilty, and after many times down this road, we come to the resolution: maybe it’s just the way I am. I just wasn’t cut out to be what God calls me to be.

Freedom from and freedom to are often in conflict. Christian freedom is freedom from the bondage of sin, death and the power of the devil but not freedom from God. Christian freedom is freedom to live according to God’s will, not freedom to do whatever we please.

The Pharisees said, “We are free! But were they really? All slavery is bad, but a slavery that parades around as freedom is worse. Like the Pharisees, we too will listen to Jesus about many things. We love to hear of eternal life, about God giving us our daily bread, about Jesus being with us always and we like the idea of His judging those wicked people - but confront us with our grudges, our lack of stewardship, our lack of daily devotions and Bible Study - and we put up our defenses. It has been said, “You can tell a Lutheran from far off, but up close, you can’t tell them anything.” It’s not that we deny our sins. But being slaves to sin? Never. And yet, whenever we sin, we do not do what we freely choose, but we have done what sin demands.

One of the tools of slavery is legalism. Legalism is slavery made easy. If the sermon today had a list of 10 rules to make you free – that would be so easy. You could go home today and begin working on completing the list. But what would be the result? Your outside would sparkle. But inside, something would be missing. Legalism is a slow torture - suffocation of the Holy Spirit and an amputation of the cross. And the question will always be - have I done enough to be set free? 

We know that there is no way we could ever do enough to earn freedom on our own. We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Romans 3:20 says, “For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.” But thanks be to God, for he gives us the free gift of redemption through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The Gospel is the pathway of the most resistance. The Gospel meets the resistance of sin head on with the cross of Christ. The Law shows us our sinfulness but the Gospel shows us God’s freeing rescue from that sinfulness. You know why roads and rivers so crooked. It is much easier to avoid confrontation than to burrow through the obstacle. This is especially true when it comes to sin – but Jesus leads us on the pathway of the most resistance: freedom!

The freedom Jesus had shows us our bondage. John chapter 8 begins with a mob bringing a woman to Jesus who had been caught in the act of adultery. The mob wanted to stone her, but here Jesus reveals freedom. “Let him who is without sin throw the first stone to condemn her.” Freedom is grace. Our freedom is found in what Christ has already done for us and gives to us.

Martin Luther knew all about the chains of sin, legalism and slavery. He was a serious young man but was bound by the terrible chains of guilt and the compulsion to save himself. He tried to break the chains with hours of study, becoming a monk, training to be a priest, begging, fasting, and praying.

Luther discovered that God pronounced us free. Luther stated that before this discovery through the Holy Spirit, he had looked on Jesus as an angry judge and taskmaster ready to strike him down in his sin, rather than a Savior who had become man to set him free from that sin. By the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the apostle Paul gave the assurance that Luther cherished: “We hold that a man is justified by faith apart from the works of the Law.” This is the heart of the Reformation - receiving the gift of freedom through the saving work of Christ.

God’s freedom is ours by grace alone. Grace is God’s idea, God’s work and His expense - His Son on the cross. He offers grace to everyone who believes – not everyone who achieves; not everyone who succeeds - but everyone who believes. We are now free to forgive rather than hold a grudge; free to pray rather than worry; free to love rather than squabble; free to face temptation head on rather than fall into sin.

God’s freedom is ours by faith alone. God wants us to be “at home” in His freedom. Knowing that the devil is always seeking to lead us astray, to attack the freedom God gives - faith leads us to stand on the Rock of Jesus Christ. Faith clings to the cross alone and rests in Jesus’ strength and refuge, not our own.

God’s freedom is ours by Scripture alone. To keep us steadfast in the Truth, God has given us His Word. Freedom for God’s people always came from getting back into the Word. The Word reveals God’s will and plan for us as His people - to be His people enjoying the quality of freedom that lasts.

Freedom has the last word: Truth! Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. And that Truth supercedes all that we have learned, all the traditions we have followed, all the ways that have been practiced in the past. It is the place where we begin our new life of freedom.

The Truth of the entire Scriptures is the source of our faith and life. When we are faced with illness, tragedy, dissension, or weakness; we can look to our Heavenly Father through the Cross of Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. We were not made for the bondage we keep living in.

The walk of freedom happens on the narrow road of continuing in God’s Word. John 8:31-32 says, “So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Jesus says that, by abiding in His Word, you will know the truth and the truth will set you free. Note the word – abiding, continuing to be in God’s word. It is active and progressive.

Daily satan tempts us. Daily he speaks the lie that freedom is frightening and slavery is safe and secure. But Jesus provides the last word for daily victory: The salvation and new life revealed in His living Word - our Savior. That is our Reformation heritage. Repentance and faith are not once-in-a-while actions but the entire life and attitude of the Christian. To shatter our chains, Jesus revealed the Truth - His obedient life to the will of God, His sacrificial death to pay for our sins and the resurrection from the grave to give us victory.

Again I ask you: Are you free? Through the cross, your answer is yes! Jesus gives us our freedom and defends our freedom with the cross - the very same cross we received on our foreheads and hearts in Baptism. Enjoy the freedom that God gives, pronounces and defends for us through the cross of His Son. And by that Truth alone, live now in the freedom that makes a difference for eternity!