Saturday, November 8, 2008

A Freedom Hard-Fought...

This week, history has been made. And no, I'm not talking about me getting the 40th cold this year, which is probably a world record. Barrack Obama, has finally become the president elect, and now we wait until he takes up his office. Listening to some people talking about this momentous event, I heard one woman saying "At last, the freedom we've so long waited for has finally come..."

Freedom.

That's a funny word. I mean, really, what exactly does it mean? To be free to do whatever we want? Well, if that was the case, we could commit great atrocities without so much as a scolding, so that really doesn't work. Free to shape our own paths? Well, to a certain degree yes, but much of our lives are shaped by the circumstances of others, and the world, so that doesn't work either. I realise I'm knit-picking, but I am getting to something.

As discussed in an early post, I talked about how God gave us free-will, and the implications of doing that. Because of free-will, we are who we are, but because of it, we have become trapped by the very ideals and morals of this world...So to you sitting at home, do you really think you're free?

The world, whether you want to accept it or not, infiltrates every part of our lives. And not only that, it manipulates us, to the degree that it takes over.

As long as the world exists as it does today, we will never truly be free.



Metal Gear Solid is perhaps one of the greatest stories ever told. I just finished playing the 4th installment for the 23rd time, and I finally realised what the theme behind the whole story is. I'll let Big Boss explain it;

"We all fought a long, bloody war for our liberty. We fought to free ourselves from nations... And systems... And norms, and ages. But no matter how hard we tried, the only liberty we found... Was on the inside... Trapped within those limits. The Boss and I may have chosen different paths... But in the end, we were both trapped inside the same cage... Liberty. But you... You have been given freedom. Freedom to be... Outside. You are nobody's tool now... No one's toy. You are no longer a prisoner of fate. You are no longer a seed of war. It's time for you to see the outside world with your own eyes. Your body... And your soul... Are your own. Forget about us. Live... For yourself. And find... A new lease on life."

Freedom to be outside. Outside of the ideals and morals of this world. Outside of corruption, greed, malice, debauchery, jealousy, war, poverty, manipulation... That is what freedom is. The only question is how, in this world, do we gain that freedom...other than becoming a super soldier and taking on bipedal tanks, bisexual vampires, talking arms, and the occasional love interest...?





But you see, we have that freedom already...

"For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God."

-Romans 8 v 20-21

"For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men..."

-1 Timothy 2 v 5-6

We have been set free through Christ. His blood was shed for us, so that we may walk outside of this world. No greater price was ever paid, and no greater gift was ever given. Then why do people choose to throw aside the gospel, and live according to the morals of this world. The thing most people would say is that they have become accustomed to it, and are afraid to venture outside of the safety zone. While that is true, just as Big Boss said, they are in a battle...

A battle for the freedom of the soul...

Its almost like a game of tug-o-war... but instead of two opposing teams vying for a trophy, it is the world vs God, with us in the centre, being tugged from both sides.

And not only this, but the world has conspired to make sure that we have as difficult determining who God, or Jesus really is. Some TV evangelists, church groups, governments...all of these and more try to fog our minds.

But to us who believe, we see as clear as day;

"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."

-1 Corinthians 1 v 18



So how does the world reach that point..?


Yep, you guessed it... Place Jesus as the Nexus of their lives;

"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."

-Romans 12 v 2

Freedom comes at a price, both for us, and for God. He gave his only Son so that we might be free. We in turn must give up our lives to Him. And in return, we will become free from this world, and we'll finally be able to walk with Him...


Freedom comes when we turn to Jesus as our Nexus...

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Hey man, SICK POST XD