Greg Chandler
This past week, the United States celebrated the 250th anniversary of its founding. With much pageantry and fireworks, this celebration enshrined American ideals such as freedom, democracy, and independence. Interestingly, the nation is now eight to ten generations removed from the founders and their dreams. Historically speaking, this is a very short span; however, newer generations seem discontent with what was once considered the gold standard of liberty. Ironically, these voices come from those who have only known freedom and unprecedented civil rights; the “greener grass” longed for on the other side of the fence may yield drought-riddled stubble instead.
As nations rise and fall, there is a two-thousand-year-old kingdom that still flourishes. In this kingdom, there is freedom for all its citizens. Reminding the Corinthian Christians of this very point, the Apostle Paul wrote, “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” (II Corinthians 3:17). This freedom cannot be seized; there is no nation or dictator strong enough to wrest control away from King Jesus. However, like those voices mentioned earlier, Christians can become disillusioned or deceived and voluntarily surrender this freedom in pursuit of “greener grass.”
The Christians in Galatia faced this temptation. As false teachers came among them, there was a great cry to surrender freedom in Christ and return to old restrictions. The Apostle Paul saw the danger and urgently warned them that they must not do this. He wrote, “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1). They also had those among them who believed that freedom meant no responsibilities. To these, he wrote, “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another” (Galatians 5:13). Both ends of the spectrum posed the same danger: freedom in Christ surrendered for something far inferior.
Nearly seventy generations have passed since the time of the apostles, yet discontentment still prevails. Part of this is caused by forgetting to whom we once were enslaved. As Paul wrote to the Ephesians, he reminded them where they had come from:
And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the courseof this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the flesh and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind (Ephesians 2:1-3).
Freedom takes the sinner out of this prince’s control and delivers him or her safely into the kingdom of God’s beloved Son (see Colossians 1:13). Delivered from death to life, the kingdom citizen can flourish in the freedom made possible through Jesus.
When this freedom is forgotten, the old ways can look tempting. With an unhealthy dose of temptation to view Jesus as tyrant rather than Savior, His life-transforming teachings are viewed as a means of brutal control that takes the happiness out of living. Failing to learn from ancient ancestors, the naïve kingdom citizen looks upon the fruit of the tree with libertine lust. Hungering for freedom, true freedom is forfeited by returning to the domain of darkness. Every generation has faced the temptation for greener grass, and this one is no different; however, believing that modern times reveal a better way is a temptation that will ultimately lead from freedom to bondage.
“Greener grass” ideas are rampant. Churches face temptations to venture into new works that merge Christ-given commands with human-centered plans. Individual Christians, under threat of societal ostracization, face the temptation to accept behaviors and lifestyles that are in opposition to clearly stated kingdom principles. “It just doesn’t seem like Jesus would…” becomes the gateway to human thinking that refastens the shackles that Jesus unlocked.
Ecclesiastes clearly states that generations will come and go, and with them all the futile plans of humanity under the sun. The founding principles of Christ’s kingdom are as relevant and solid today as they were two thousand years ago. What offered freedom to those first Christians on the Day of Pentecost still offers freedom to modern Christians, so stay true to the King and His plan.
Will the United States survive to celebrate its 500th anniversary? Only God knows the answer to this. However, one thing can be known with certainty: the kingdom of Jesus will survive, flourish, and provide eternal freedom for all who come to its loving King.
