“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”1
Christianity takes flak for its apparent focus on rule following. This criticism mainly stems from “thou shalt…” in the ten commandments.
The Old Testament tells us great stories of heroism, it shows us how God uses ordinary people for extraordinary destinies, it narrates the dance between God and His people, and it foreshadows Christ.
The Old Testament does not, however, offer us practical guidance on how to live. Christ made a New Testament, a “new covenant”, and a “better promise”2 through His life, death, and resurrection.
“By calling this covenant ‘new,’ he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear.”3
The Israelites followed rules such as animal sacrifice in order to enter into God’s presence. Christ’s new promise is that He sacrificed Himself for us so that we might experience His truth, His freedom, and His presence without limit or prerequisite.
John Steinbeck’s East of Eden tells the story of two American families fathered by Adam and Samuel.
One night, Lee, the Chinese servant of Adam, tells Adam and Samuel that he has been at qualms about the story of Cain and Able, which the three of them read together ten years prior.
This specifically troubled him:
“Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.”4
Lee consulted his Chinese academic friends about the verse, and they noticed that the last few words in the above translation differ to the King James version. They discovered that the true meaning of the Hebrew word timshel is not “you must” or “do thou” but rather, “thou mayest.”
“But this (timshel) – this is a ladder to climb to the stars.” Lee’s eyes shone. “You can never lose that. It cuts the feet from under weakness and cowardliness and laziness” … “And I feel that a man is a very important thing – maybe more important than a star. This is not theology. I have no bent toward Gods. But I have a new love for that glittering instrument, the human soul. It is a lovely and unique thing in the universe. It is always attacked and never destroyed – because ‘Thou mayest.’”
Lee is talking about freewill.
For years, Adam obsesses over a woman who is clearly evil, divisive, and gladly receives his unrequited love. She shoots him, but even this doesn’t dampen his adoration for her. After surreptitiously bearing twin sons with Adam’s brother, she leaves Adam, and his life becomes grey and lacklustre.
When Adam finally sees her vileness and fruitlessness, he lets her go…
On his drive back to the ranch Adam found that he was noticing things he had not seen for years. He saw the wildflowers in the heavy grass, and he saw the red cows against the hillsides … When he came to his own land Adam felt a quick pleasure so sharp that he began to examine it. And suddenly he found himself saying aloud in rhythm with his horse’s trotting feet, “I’m free, I’m free. I don’t have to worry anymore. I’m free. She’s gone. She’s out of me. Oh, Christ Almighty, I’m free!” … “I needed to come out of a sleep. In some strange way my eyes have cleared. A weight is off me” … “I have to tell it to someone. I can live with my boys. I might even see a woman. Do you know what I’m saying?”
In order to live out Christ’s new promise, we must "put off our old selves"5 and "be born again."6
This is the only “rule” from the Gospels, but I dislike this word as it has burdensome and restrictive connotations. It suggests that God is waiting stick-in-hand each time we mess up.
Jesus has revealed His truth and His will for our lives so that we might have “life to the full”7 - as it is meant to be lived. He has lavished freedom on us to choose if we will join Him.
God waits for us walking stick-in-hand to ascend the free mountain of life.
Heaven and hell aren’t abstract distant places that we will enter based on how we have followed a set of rules. They are instant realities based on how we use our freewill, which will become more and more of a reality depending on our actions - whether we choose life or not.
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”8
What is keeping me in the yoke of slavery? What is preventing me from climbing the mountain of God, and from overtaking the old man?
Jesus wants us to be free from everything. He has told us how to live, and now we must go and see the cows and wildflowers again, like we once did.
“And the more I considered Christianity, the more I found that while it had established a rule and order, the chief aim of that order was to give room for good things to run wild.”9
I pray that we see the fruitlessness and futility of disobedience. I pray that we see the peace, joy, and absolute freedom of obedience.
Thou mayest, so let us run wild.
Galatians 5:1
Hebrews 8:6
Hebrews 8:13
Genesis 4:6-7
Ephesians 4:22-24
John 3:7
John 10:10
Hebrews 12:1
GK Chesterton