Question: What does it mean to have freedom in Christ? How does this shape your life?
Selecting my words carefully, I have decided to add a short introduction to my original reflection/answer to this statement. Firstly, I understand that the sentiments expressed below are incredibly loaded. I do not say them lightly. But sometimes you just have to show your hand. Evangelism is still not a natural position for me - which might sound strange as it's not exactly a secret that I recently worked for a church. Perhaps in reaction to the famous Northern Irish Christian culture - not subculture, as for so many it dominates, but a culture in its own right - I tend to shy away from the declarations and the decrees that some would favour.
Thankfully, the 21st century has seen many Christians realise, among other things, that just because Jesus is declared perfect does not mean that they are too. This realisation is not a new phenomenon: it is cyclical in church culture, just like so many mindsets and the need for renewal are across so many sectors and cultural ages. However, I will not seek to apologise for the many failings of Christianity, The Religion. These little academic exercises have never been about that. And frankly, The Religion is a waste of time and effort, a human construct of laws and axiomatic principles built up, fundamentally with the best of intentions at times, but the worst of builders - us.
Rather, as this series is permitting, I am attempting to share a short insight under the cover to some of the more fiddly aspects of christianity, The Life. And central to that life is The Word himself, as we shall now briefly explore.
Pause for breath.
I feel there is remarkable comfort to be found in the confidence of Jesus' central work: our redemption in God's sight by His selfless act. The freedom this grants can be not only life-changing, but in some sense, unbounded – though still afflicted with having to deal in a day-to-day sense with what we (as a race) have made of this creation and all its sorrows, we know that we are secure in what is to come.
The obvious thing might be therefore to sit back and simply wait upon Armageddon. After all, the story is over, isn't it? Despite what some churchgoers seem to think, not quite.
Both John Calvin and Martin Luther correctly identify justification as central to Christian teaching; but, as Calvin stresses, this is not where our effort ends. Rather, as believers we receive a 'double grace'; both our justification, and the ignition of an ongoing process of personal regeneration. That is to say, sanctification: the changing of our very self, our nature and behaviour. To many, Christians are easily identifiable as 'different', and unfortunately in many cases, this is not in a positive light. But in truth, Christians are indeed called to be different – as recipients of the person-changing acts of the Holy Spirit, we are to be shaped more and more to conformity with Christ's example of the redeemed life (McGrath, 329).
Inevitably, bound by the millstone that we are still human, we can never reach this conformity, but nonetheless we would be mistaken not to still strive for it. Why? Because in doing so, regardless of our failings, we can still achieve some small measure, if even just a glimpse, of the level of holiness and relationship that God has intended for us. And if that is not something worth shaping our lives towards, I don't know what is.
Bibliography
A McGrath, 'The Doctrine of Salvation in Christ', Christian Theology: An Introduction, fourth ed. (Blackwell 2007) pp. 326-60.
J Calvin, 'Christian Freedom', Institutes 3.19
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