Where the Spirit of the Lord is...

Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at it while the radiance was fading away. But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. --2 Corinthians 3:12-18 (NIV)


They brag about themselves with empty, foolish boasting. With lustful desire as their bait, they lure back into sin those who have just escaped from such wicked living. They promise freedom, but they themselves are slaves to sin and corruption. For you are a slave to whatever controls you.And when people escape from the wicked ways of the world by learning about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and then get tangled up with sin and become its slave again, they are worse off than before. --2 Peter 2:18-20 (NLT)

Hans Rookmaaker talks about the "modern" Christian's role in his essay, The Christian in the Changing World. He talks about the freedom that Christians have as being different from the "freedom" touted as allowing all things to be permissible, regardless of morality. He says Christians should push for their right to freedom in Christ instead of conforming to the world's definition of freedom.

Rookmaaker makes reference to 2 Peter 2:19, which is quoted above, in context. Although Rookmaaker's essay was at times difficult to understand, the verse he referenced offers a key insight into freedom: "You are a slave to whatever controls you." Thus, those who are in the world are a slave to the world, and those who are in Christ are a slave to Christ. The difference is that Christ grants us freedoms that the world does not. Certainly, we are tying ourselves to Him, whereas the world is tied only as each individual to his or her own notions. However, when the world falls away or even simply disappoints, as it does on a regular basis, those tied to it are pulled down as well.

Since Christ is leading the way for us, we are free to enjoy the beauty of life that He meant for us to enjoy. It's not a freedom to run wherever our whims may take us. It's a freedom not to be oppressed by sin, or to even worry about it. There's so much in life that God wants us to experience, and it's our job as Christians to share this beauty with others who are too weighted down with sin to experience it.