LIE: Freedom is the right to make my own choices, part 2

In part 1, we discovered that freedom is not what we’ve been told — it’s not a natural, inherent, ‘built-in’ ‘freedom.’ We don’t have it by nature. By nature we are bound by sin, yet Christ has set us free, free to love for the glory of God. Now in this part 2, we will see how we can exercise and act with this freedom as new creatures in Christ.

How do we exercise this freedom?

Jesus Christ, by his death and resurrection, has set us free. We are free! — free from the bondage of sin, from our flesh, from the powers of the world and the devil. Without this liberation we are still in bondage.

Yet our freedom is not without challenge. We find ourselves surrounded by menacing powers that threaten to destroy our souls, if not our bodies also. But even though we may have a clear awareness of our state, we do not need to be afraid. This is freedom.

We are like Daniel in the lion’s den, in a world we cannot escape, but in which we are empowered — not an inherent power, but a power embodying the Spirit of God. We use our freedom to love and thereby point to and show the world what an awesome God we serve.

But all our boasting of freedom is vain unless we learn to exercise it, unless we ACT. So then what are the ways that we step forward in this freedom? Obviously there are many, but here are three ways:

• Pilgrimage — to be uprooted from the world
• Transgression — to not be conformed to the world
• Encounter and confrontation — to see and interact with our neighbor and our enemy

1  PILGRIMAGE: Be uprooted, disentangled, from the world. 

We often hear that Christians must be ‘in the world but not of it,’ which sounds good, but is only vaguely helpful. If it’s true though, what does it mean?

In Matthew’s gospel we read this curious statement:

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. — Matthew 4:1

Before Jesus began his public ministry he was led by the Spirit into the wilderness. But he was not the first to begin this way. Abraham, Joseph, Moses, and Paul, all began with a tour through the desert for a period of time. Afterward they were qualified and empowered for the mission God had given them in a way that could never have been achieved otherwise. So what does this wilderness do to us, for us; what does it mean?

Jesus also commissioned his disciples with a bare-bones provision:

These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying: “Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans. But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. Provide neither gold nor silver nor copper in your money belts, nor bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor staffs; for a worker is worthy of his food. . . . Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. — Matthew 10:5–10, 16

The point of this wilderness training is to break the power of the world and its universe of things — to uproot and disentangle us from the world, so that we realize that we do not need all of these comforts and conveniences, the conditioning, the cocooning and coddling (forgive the alliteration) of this world. For example, this is the primary purpose of fasting — to uproot us from the power of food and to introduce us, remind us, make us more keenly aware, that there is another source of nourishment, often neglected, that we have access to. This is the Bread of Heaven, the Hidden Manna, which is Jesus Christ himself.

This is being uprooted from the world.

It’s not that having things — a house, car, clothes, etc, is wrong. It’s that the increase and preponderance of these things tends to gain control over us, so that our lives begin to be more about managing these things. Perversely, things promise to give us ‘life,’ but in reality, they can become our death.

Jesus warned us of this:

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.  — Matthew 6:19–21

And now, in the western world, in America where I live, where the average household has 300,000 things[1], we are easily overwhelmed and find our feet stuck in quicksand and therefore can barely move at the prompting of the Spirit.

To be free we need to be uprooted from the world.

You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. . . . You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. — 2 Timothy 2:1, 3–5

This disentanglement will not be easy, nor will it be possible to completely disentangle ourselves since we are still in the world and cannot escape it. It takes concerted effort, focus and purpose. But the rewards are ‘out of this world,’ literally. We are pilgrims and strangers in this world and will be until we die. We are signs and fragrances of another world, in which we now hold citizenship.

So many scriptures point to this tension — that we are between two worlds and that we pray as Christ taught us: ‘thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day, our daily bread . . . ’ To have and use freedom in this world, we must be free of its seductions and powers. This is the first step after we ourselves have been freed by Christ.

2  TRANSGRESSION: Be not conformed to this world

Because we live between two worlds, some of the limits and the ‘demilitarized zones’ are not always clear. But it may be that limits are becoming clearer in terms of the political, social and economic worlds. The so-called pandemic has unleashed new forays of restrictions, requirements, mandates, limits, ‘social distancing,’ quarantines, lockdowns, vaccine passports, all of which are clear attempts at, not just population health, but social engineering and control on a national and international scale.

How shall we exercise our Christian freedom in the face of these controls or does the exercise of Christian freedom have anything to do with these at all?

At this point, some, if not most churches invoke Romans chapter 13 and our obligation to be in subjection to the governing authorities. End of discussion. But as I’ve described in other articles[2] it’s not so simple as that. Romans 13 is in the same context as Romans 12:1–2:

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. — Romans 12:1–2

Christians are to be counter- and cross-cultural. We are strangers and pilgrims; we are uprooted from the world; we do not have the same values as the world. So inevitably, there will be, and there should be conflict with the world. The early church apostles did not have to wait long before the religious authorities started mandating restrictions on their preaching. But Peter and John were clear in their spontaneous transgression — their clear and unequivocal refusal — of their authorities’ rules:

So they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard. . . . And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all” — Acts 4:18–20, 33

Jesus himself transgressed, that is, engaged in non-compliance and civil disobedience on many occasions. But his ‘transgressions’ were not an exercise in grandstanding, or trying to win political points, but were full of purpose and obedience to his heavenly Father. Ellul recites some of the points of transgression:

Transgression of the social order by the action of the Good Samaritan, transgression of the religious law by healing on the sabbath day, transgression of the idea of justice by the equal pay given to the laborers in the vineyard, . . .  transgression of the powers of the state in the incident of the two coins, transgression of the sanctity of the temple in its cleansing and in the prophecy concerning it, transgression of scripture by Jesus’ application of Isaiah to himself — the whole of Jesus’ life as well as his teaching is from one standpoint transgression.[3]

But let’s make some clarifying points:

• There is no evidence that Jesus or the apostles, by their transgressions were attempting to overthrow or to organize a revolt against the authorities. They were simply exercising their freedom to love the people to whom the Father had commissioned them to serve.
• To transgress in this way is no light matter; it is dangerous to do so and should be done with full faith and understanding. Why is it being done? No one should be forced or manipulated into these transgressions. They are individual choices only.
• Violence and the incitement to violence is strictly prohibited. More on this later.

This subject is obviously massive and I run the risk of doing it an injustice by being so brief. So here are some words from Ellul that hopefully fill it out:

Transgression is the extreme act of freedom.

There is never freedom without transgression.

Transgression is a fulfilment of the law when it expresses the freedom that God gives to man, he being aware of what he is doing. If he is not, it is a curse. The freedom of transgression implies that man knows what he is doing, e.g., why he is free in relation to the sabbath . . . if man does not know this, if he has neither knowledge nor conscience, this act is transgression not only of the law but also of the will of God. It is a sign of disobedience and not of freedom, of indifference to the will of God . . . This is why realism and transgression are so basically linked.

Prohibitions come from politics, science, and technology. These prohibitions have to be viewed in the same way as the earlier ones. They are a collection of rules which are not just useful and relative but which tend to be made absolute. Hence it is now the church which in the name of freedom must engage in transgression. Christians must do this as the carriers of freedom. It is not so much a matter of fighting the limits imposed on man’s autonomy as of shattering their sacral character, their ideological exaltation, their institution as new and secular religions. When this is done the freedom given by God finds its proper function again, namely, the destruction of idols.

Freedom, however, will never be visible or instantaneously explosive except in the act of transgression, of passing beyond.

. . . it is not enough to go up to the limit. We continually do this in the Christian life. We see that staying on this side of it offers us security. It enables us to live, for this is what limits are for. At the same time, however, it seals our true death.

. . . to transgress the limit is to enter into a sphere of radical insecurity, into a place with no orientation.

Even when transgression is not achieved and does not take place it should be unceasingly present in the Christian life. Its very absence should call this life in question. This openness to radical change should make it impossible to put down roots.

. . . transgression can only be the free act of a single man. It can have no social or political intention.[4]

In my view, to exercise freedom, transgression is unavoidable. But since it is an individual matter and dangerous, I cannot implore it or say how or when it should be done (more on that in the final point).

3  ENCOUNTER AND CONFRONTATION: Interact purposefully with our neighbor and our enemy

Our freedom is primarily conducted in our personal and individual relationships and dialog with others. Love is not abstract, but real and personal and unmediated. Again, the main reason for freedom is to freely love our neighbors and enemies for the glory of God, that is, to show what God our Father is like, so that they too can be free.

But in today’s world it is difficult to break through the aloofness, the isolation and conditioning. We’re all affected deeply by technology, social media, news, TV, our comforts, etc. If freedom is mainly expressed in personal encounter, how can we break through the hardness, fear and zombification? It will not be easy, but each will have their own way unique to their gifts and calling. But pursue it we must. This pursuit will actually be instrumental in our own freedom. In it we will see God deliver us from our fears, our guilt and our shame and confusion.

These encounters with people from all walks of life run the full gamut of needs and disclosures. We cannot predict or select or plan for them; they happen spontaneously and may end in grace or in pain. But if they demonstrate the love of God in truth, they are worth it.

One type of encounter is confrontation, which seems to have become more common these days. According to the need at hand, we or the other may initiate the confrontation. It may be direct or indirect, subtle or directly confrontational, angry or full of grace. But every confrontation is an open invitation to express the freedom Christ Jesus has given us.

Only in freedom can we confront and not resort to aggression or withdrawal, attack or manipulation, slavishness or whining.

Again, Ellul:

The first act of our freedom is to go and meet others.

. . . encounter and dialogue must never be selective. This is to say, it is not for me to say whom I will encounter or with whom I will engage in dialogue.

My own belief is that all encounter is to be taken seriously. No choice should be made. No preconception should be entertained. No prejudgment should be obeyed in dialogue.

It is the Christian who has the task, function, and mission of giving the dialogue or encounter both meaning and authenticity. This will happen when I put myself in the service of the other.

. . . encounter has to be willed.

The one who takes the initiative in encountering others, who seeks out others, who wants to be a neighbor to them, can do this only if he himself is free, only if he is disengaged enough from what weighs on him and conditions him, only if he can unite himself with others authentically. The presence of God is already manifested in this initiative, and this obliges us to accept the fact that it is through Christ and the freedom which he gives that I am enabled to encounter others.[5]

What does freedom look like in the era of COVID

Here in January 2022, although it is shocking, it should not be surprising what governments and major corporations are now doing. And it should be transparent by now that the COVID ‘pandemic’ is the pretext for governments, by emergency powers (a favorite trick), to institute strict social and economic controls. This is happening all over the world, on the right and the left. Christians should know by now that history is replete with bloody tyrannies and that governments are not your friend. Man has not changed. Just because spokespersons and officials say they care, does not mean we should implicitly believe them. Actually, abstract government bureaucracies cannot care![6] Christians are simply too naïve. The TV, and all major media, with its smiling, well-groomed faces, articulate scripted speech, consistent messaging, have worked PR magic. These propaganda techniques have been perfected over the last one hundred years or more and whoever is consistently exposed to them finds it difficult to resist.

So in a way, this era differs from others, but only in its scale and the means by which it’s rolling out. If you have any doubts about the reality of what I’m saying, don’t take my word for it. Hear what Peter says:

Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. — I Peter 4:12–13

We should not think it strange or unusual that these things are happening. But it appears that this incarnation of tyranny is different from previous incarnations. Although the vaccine–test–lockdown–mask–distance–track–quarantine mandates are rolling out at different rates and intensities, the fact is that in most of the world this is happening at the same time. Of course the cover story is about an invisible, novel coronavirus mutating and wrecking the world. The Omicron variant is the latest as I write this. But if you look past this deception, for it is a giant lie, then this tyranny rollout may be the first world-wide coordinated tyranny ever attempted. Now there may be no place to run or hide. Also, this tyranny does not appear to be directed at any one ethnicity, class, race or people group. It apparently is directed to anyone and everyone, unless you’re part of the billionaire or elite class.

So plunging into this hellscape, can our freedom — the freedom that Christ won for us on the cross — work? And if so, how?

First we must clarify again.

So many Christians have confused the freedom we have in Christ with democratic rights and ‘freedoms.’ They are not the same thing; they have nothing in common. That’s not to say that constitutional rights and ‘freedoms’ (rights granted by the state) have no value; they do! The problem is, if we stay within the lower-value constitutional ‘freedom’ framework, and put our hope there, we’ll end up trusting the very system that plans to undermine those ‘freedoms’.

So perhaps we should not abandon all efforts to seek remedies through the legislature and the courts, but we certainly should not put all our eggs in that basket.

But actually, the better, higher, more profitable and rewarding, eternal ‘basket’ is to use our Christian freedom. And exercising this freedom can be done without cost, delays, bureaucracies, or compromise. It is in our power now.

But first, let’s be clear what we’re really trying to do. Why should we exercise our freedom? For what end? To get back to normal? To keep our jobs? our businesses? our money? to protect our children? our dignity? Certainly. But there’s more. The bedrock reason we exercise our freedoms in the era of COVID is to open eyes, to facilitate the conviction of sin, to prevent or forestall violence, destruction and death, and to light the light of Christ as the true hope of salvation in our neighbors’ and our enemies’ lives. These must not be just words; they must be the guiding light in the exercise of our freedom.

If we lose this perspective, we lose everything.

I am willing to participate in non-violent movements of freedom, but not simply to get back to normal. ‘Normal’ to most means a worldly life full of material goods, security and comforts. But that itself is simply not worth fighting for.

So then what do we do?

And what should we not do?

Again, let’s be clear — the exercise of our freedom is an individual matter. There is not a one-size-fits-all solution. My exercise of freedom in Christ may look very different from yours, and so I can only tell you what I am doing, have done, and may do in the future. That said, we are confronted with some common restrictions and questions and the choices they force upon us. But these are the reactive choices. Remember that our freedom in Christ is about love and the glory of God. This freedom poses an endless array of choices as we encounter the people in our lives.

Common restrictions

Masks. I have already explained my thoughts here.[7] But I will repeat that, although to wear a mask may appear to be a trivial thing, it is not, especially for those children who are forced to wear them all day in school.

Testing. So far I’ve not been asked or required to take a test, but I’m sure that day is coming. So for me, knowing that these tests produce a high proportion of false results, and that therefore the results are essentially meaningless, I will continue to resist them. Our freedom must be based in reality and truth. The primary purpose[8] of them is to produce a continual metric of ‘cases,’ a case being a positive test result, whether that person is symptomatic or not. So my taking a test is acquiescence to a system designed to drive and support the propaganda of cases, which in turn is designed to produce fear, mass lockdowns and mass compliance and docility.

Vaccines. I don’t think I need to say much more that I already have.[9] For some, especially healthcare workers, ‘vaccines’ have been mandated, but, so far in America, vaccines are not widely mandated. But this may soon change. In many places, the unvaccinated will be made pariahs, be-shamed for spreading and infecting people and overwhelming hospitals and healthcare workers. If you decline the vaccines or even neglect to get fully vaccinated, it’s likely you will be denied access to various venues: restaurants, sports, museums, concerts and other public places. The unvaccinated may even be denied access to grocery stores, air travel, and other public transport, essentially imprisoning you in your home.

So before you choose to forgo required vaccines, make sure you fully understand why you are ‘transgressing’ — it’s not just about vaguely claiming your freedom. Also, make sure to count the cost as an individual and talk and pray about this decision with your family and other loved ones. It is no light matter.

Protests. Most mass public protests that have recently been organized in major European cities — London, Paris, Milan, Rome — appear to be thousands-strong and organized for peaceful marches through the streets. Many hold placards that either make statements like, ‘No vaccine passports’, or ‘COVID1984’. But some hold profane signs, cursing Bill Gates or Boris Johnson or Tony Fauci. It’s these signs that make these protests, at least questionable and at most, intolerable. If Christians take part in these, others may look on and assume that we too are hateful and want to stir up anger and hate toward our enemies and may commit violence ourselves if we had the chance. This is unacceptable.[10]

Here is Ellul in his work Violence:

The Christian is necessarily on the side of the poor—not to incite them to revolution, hatred, and violence, but to plead their cause before the powerful and the authorities. If need be, he must break down the doors of the powerful and declare the claims of love and justice. This role is much more difficult and thankless than that of a guerrilla chieftain or a corporation head, and there is no glory in it. To gain entrance to a corporation head and insist on discussing his workers’ plight with him is much more difficult than to march in a picket line, for it requires much more in the way of intelligence, ability, precise information, and strength of soul. But we must demand entrance to the powerful because, in virtue of representing the poor, we are ambassadors of Christ. I hold that in every situation of injustice and oppression, the Christian—who cannot deal with it by violence—must make himself completely a part of it as representative of the victims. The Christian has spiritual weapons. He must state the case, make it his own, compel the other to see it. He must—as we said above—create a climate of doubt, insecurity, and bad conscience. He lends his intelligence, his hands, and his face to the faceless mass that has no hands and no influence.[11]

Unless protests are well managed and clearly state their non-violent rules to march peacefully; and unless they stand and defend the victims of tyranny: the vaccine injured, and those who have lost jobs and businesses, those who have committed suicide and the mentally and emotionally traumatized, we would do well to avoid them. Clearly the victims and the vulnerable are the priority and whether it’s in protest marches or some other creative ways, we should stand with them.

Also ‘freedom marches’ can become dangerous and can too easily turn violent either from agents provocateurs (violent agitators from within), or from an aggressive police force. If you feel that a protest is turning or may turn violent, it would be wise to quickly look for an exit.

Ask: what is the purpose of the march/protest. Is it to protest the loss of freedom, to appeal to authorities, to incite revolutionary fervor, to stand with the victims? Too often protests are organized with no clear purpose and can too easily become an amorphous mob.

Lockdowns. The various kinds of lockdowns — businesses, schools, events, churches, private gatherings, occupancy limits, etc — may need different responses. But they all have one thing in common: they all attempt to separate and isolate, which is diabolical. Lockdowns invoke fear and a strangeness of the other. They produce a fear of touch and normal affections. For myself, I resist and transgress these lockdowns as much as possible. But of course we cannot force ourselves on others who believe they should comply with these orders.

Some countries, cities and states allow free association and normal commerce; but others strictly enforce lockdown orders. If you live in an area where lockdowns are strictly enforced, again make sure you fully understand why you’re transgressing, and then count the cost with your family, friends and fellow believers before violating the orders.

Of course the church in China and other eastern European countries have lived with such restrictions on church gatherings for decades, which has forced the church to go ‘underground,’ that is, to meet in secret. In many areas of the world, this is essentially what the body of Christ will need to prepare to do. In my view, the gathering of the saints is a non-negotiable. Virtual and online services should have a very limited purpose if offered at all; they cannot substitute for in-person gatherings.[12] This will likely mean that many pastors and believers will be jailed (or ‘quarantined’). And this has already started to happen in parts of Canada and Australia. But again, I don’t believe we should force this on the weaker brother or sister, but simply to be an example to the flock.

‘Vaccine passports’. The so-called ‘vaccine passport’ is a Trojan Horse. These devices are digital IDs designed (eventually) to act as a means to implement a social credit system, controlling movement, attitudes, beliefs and behaviors. I’ve written about this quite a bit,[13] but suffice it to say, these devices will severely restrict and control our lives. I believe that these devices may be the most insidious of all the COVID controls and should be seriously considered before transgressing.

Conclusion

Christ has set us free and no one — no government, corporation, or dictator can take it away, no matter what they may do. Political freedoms are state-granted rights, whether they claim to be inherent or not, and can be revoked. But only we ourselves can forfeit our freedom by not exercising it in the love that reveals the grace of our heavenly Father.

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[1] http://articles.latimes.com/2014/mar/21/health/la-he-keeping-stuff-20140322

[2] See my article: LIE: We overcome tyranny by fighting for our rights

[3] Ibid, pg 347

[4] Ibid, pgs 344–354

[5] Ibid, pgs 322ff.

[6] Only individuals can care. Bureaucracies and large administrations operate as systems, and systems of systems, not as simple collections of individuals.

[7] See my article: Eight reasons I will not wear a mask whenever and wherever possible

[8] I believe a secondary purpose, which is just as serious, is that testing drives major disruptions of business and commerce. So many people quarantining that productivity drops precipitally and creates chaos.

[9] See my articles: Why I won’t be taking the vaccine (assuming I will have a choice) and Four more reasons I will not be taking the COVID ‘vaccine’

[10] But see my article: LIE: We should not hate

[11] Ellul, Jacques, Violence, Seabury Press: New York, 1969, pgs 151–152

[12] See my article: LIE: Virtual church services are an acceptable substitute for in-person church services

[13] See http://www.davidherin.org/?s=%22vaccine+passport%22