“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)
This Bible verse is confusing. If you are obligated to serve others lovingly, how free are you really? Doesn’t autonomy mean that you decide for yourself what you want to do?
Yes and no. The Bible does not view freedom as the absolute right to be and do as you please, how you please, when you please, where you please. This would inevitably be harmful to both others and ourselves — because we would step outside the healthy boundaries within which we can truly flourish.
Christian freedom means being able to will and act in ways that are good for ourselves and for others—exactly as God asks of us. After all, He knows best what is good for us.
Let’s take a fish as an example. It does not become freer by jumping onto dry land to explore the world. It finds true freedom only in the water it was created for.
By surrendering control of our lives to God and continually aligning ourselves with His will, we find true freedom—the freedom to be who we were created to be—and can experience genuine joy. We are then not constrained by all sorts of arbitrary rules, but led by love.
What do you think of this idea? Does it feel like freedom to you?