A Few Words on Freedom

In one of my favorite movies, The Shawshank Redemption, Morgan Freeman, playing the prison “lifer”, Red, says to Andy, the new inmate, played by Tim Robbins, “These walls are kind of funny. First you hate ‘em, then you get used to ‘em. Enough time passes, gets so you depend on them.”

Sadly, this is a perfect illustration of far too many of us in our Christian walk today. Before we accepted Christ, sin was met by law, and the penalty was life in prison, and even death, was it not? But as Christians, we are no longer under law. Romans 6:14 points to a better way: “For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace.”

Jesus fulfilled the law, remember? What wonderful news! We are no longer compelled by law, but propelled by love. We don’t need to depend on the prison walls of law any longer. We are free! And what’s more, Christ now lives in us to empower us to live out that freedom. (Galatians 2:20)

So, instead of trying to live from behind the prison walls, and trying to live out the law in our own resources (How’s that been working for you?), we would do well to embrace the freedom God makes available to us. In the words of Francois Fenelon, the great 17th century theologian and writer, “Depend on the Lord within you. Your life will eventually become a prayer.” Sounds like freedom to me.

I hope this encourages you today.