Freedom & Obligation
Freedom in Christ is a difficult concept for some to grasp. Freedom & Obligation need to work together if we are to be faithful followers of Christ
Freedom And Chaos
Matthew 17:24-27 (ESV) says,
When they came to Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma tax went up to Peter and said, ‘Does your teacher not pay the tax?’ He said, ‘Yes.’ And when he came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, saying, ‘What do you think, Simon? From whom do kings of the earth take toll or tax? From their sons or from others?’ And when he said, ‘From others,’ Jesus said to him, ‘Then the sons are free. However, not to give offense to them, go to the sea and cast a hook and take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth you will find a shekel. Take that and give it to them for me and for yourself.’
Matthew 17:24-27 (ESV)
I once heard a pastor share what a young man had said to him about freedom. This teen said,
“Everything would be much better if everyone could do what made them happy.”
The pastor laughed at how naïve and ridiculous an idea that was. Though we may think we want the freedom to do whatever we want whenever we want, think about what it would mean if everyone had that same freedom. Chaos would ensue—even more so than we see around us today.
What Would We Do With Freedom?
I’m going to be completely honest here. Just what would I do if I was only thinking of myself? Well, as I’ve mentioned before, I’m basically a lazy, self-centred person. I know that without the Lord in my life, I would not be who I am today nor would I do what I do. Instead, I would laze around in front of the TV for endless hours.
Though I wouldn’t win any awards for my housekeeping even now, I am working on it. If I was only thinking of myself, my house would be even more of a disaster area. Though I love a tidy, nicely decorated home, I often don’t have the oomph to get at it.
Further, I would eat out most of the time. I enjoy good food; I simply prefer it when someone else makes it and cleans up afterward. If money were no object, I would hire a chef and a maid. That would take care of the disastrous condition of my house. Then at least and my family and I would have nutritious homemade meals every day.
What Would Make Me Happy?
Now, would laziness and no responsibility really make me happy? Not in the long run, but I know it’s the route I would take if I wasn’t considering how to honour God and bless those He brings into my life.
While I was going to say that this kind of so-called freedom wouldn’t have far-reaching effects, I reconsidered. If any of us were to shirk our responsibilities and only pursue what we thought would make us happy, every individual whose life is better because of something we do or say would miss out. In fact, we might end up being a bad example to them and they too would start pursuing their selfish desires without considering the impact doing so would have on others.
Freedom & Obligation
Now, the Lord’s disciple wasn’t talking about this kind of personal freedom exactly. He was talking about obligation to the government.
Yes, there are world powers that are committing atrocities. There are those who are trying to silence the voice of Christianity, which has been the case since the 1st century.
I do believe that followers of Christ have the right to speak up against unjust laws and the abuse of power by government officials and others.
I also believe we ought to seek justice for those who are being oppressed and wrongfully persecuted. But I don’t believe we should spend our time and energy “bucking the system” at every turn. After all, according to God, we are responsible to pray for those in authority.
First Timothy 2:1-3 (ESV) says,
First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior.
First Timothy 2:1-3 (ESV)
As much as possible, I believe Christians ought not to go around bad-mouthing government officials, especially if their complaints are about laws that make their own lives more of a challenge.
Jesus’ Example
Let’s consider the Lord Jesus’ example. There were many abuses of power going on at that time. In fact, from a human perspective, He was crucified because of those abuses—and He knew that would be the case.
It would have been understandable if He’d told His disciples that, as His followers, they belonged to the kingdom of heaven and therefore, were exempt from paying Roman taxes. But He didn’t. In this case, He performed a miracle and Peter found enough money in the mouth of a fish to pay his taxes and his Master’s.
True Freedom & Obligation
While I don’t imagine you’re going to find your tax money in your aquarium, I do believe we must learn about our true freedom and obligation from this and other passages.
Let’s teach our children to, first, pray for those in authority over them. We ought to watch what we say about these individuals—and how we say it. Our children are learning from our example and pick up more than we think they do. If there is something truly unjust happening, we should prayerfully seek to make changes in a way that honours God and blesses others. Let’s remind our children—and ourselves—that the freedom God offers isn’t so we can do whatever we want but so we can do what He calls us to do.
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Steph Nickel
Steph Beth Nickel is eclectically interested and eclectically involved. In all she does, Steph seeks to nurture and inspire. She is currently working on the first book in a nonfiction series. Nurture and Inspire LOVE is a compilation of the first devotionals she wrote for HopeStreamRadio.
Steph is a freelance writer and editor. She is the coauthor of Paralympian Deb Willows’ award-winning memoir, Living Beyond My Circumstances, published by Castle Quay Books. Deb and Steph are working on a follow-up book.
You can visit her website, stephbethnickel.com, to learn more about her.
Visit Steph’s contributor’s page or at Steph Nickel’s Eclectic Interests.
More Podcasts:
More Blogs
Hagar, Sarah and Abraham – Three’s a Crowd
This Unusual Summer: Sheltering In Place TBR Pile
Images Courtesy of:
Tyrian Shekel – Encyclopaedia Biblica
Peter Pays The Temple Tax – Augustin Tünger
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