FREEEEEE-DOM!

“What the Messiah has freed us for is freedom! Therefore, stand firm, and don’t let yourselves be tied up again to a yoke of slavery.”
Galatians 5:1

In the year 1995, one movie alone took Scotland and the rest of the world by storm. That movie was Braveheart. In the retelling of the life and events of William Wallace, writer Randall Wallace sought to honor the praised Scottish hero of times past. It is at the end of the movie that now caught and being tortured, William Wallace yells out, “FREEEEEE-DOM,” as the cloth of his cherished fair-maiden floats gently to the ground. However, in reading the true events of Wallace’s life, Wallace suffered a different death. It is believed that the defeat of the Scottish army at Falkirk was also the defeat of William Wallace’s glory in the eyes of the nation. For the next quarter of Wallace’s life, he would continue to fight for freedom, but never be given the authority he had once possessed prior to this defeat. The worth of Wallace as a warrior for Scotland may have been lost, but the greater loss was the worth of Wallace in his own eyes. With little to live for, Wallace simply gave up on himself, or so it would seem. Long before he declared his final words he had already returned to slavery.
As I was driving into work yesterday this same concept struck me as I was meditating on the scripture only to be confirmed later on in the day when listening to a podcast by Perry Stone. The sad revelation is that so many people get freed only to return to slavery. Jesus speaks of this in John 8:30-38. It is here that Jesus tells us the return to sin is the return to slavery. Furthermore, “So if the Son frees you, you will really be free” (Jn 8:36). If we are really free then why do we return? With this thought then, I want to direct our attention today to words penned by Paul in Galatians 5:1 where he writes, “What the Messiah has freed us for is freedom! Therefore, stand firm, and don’t let yourselves be tied up again to a yoke of slavery.”
May I suggest that one of the main reasons we find ourselves returning to slavery has to do with our stance. Paul warns us that the way to stay free is by standing firm. This term of standing firm or standing fast in the Greek is STEKO, meaning to stand in persistence and keep one’s footing. This is the same term used by Paul in I Corinthians 16:13 where we are told, “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong.” I am reminded of the product Stucco and the firm grasp it holds against the conditions of nature. This binding agent is applied wet but hardens to a very dense solid. In many ways we too are to be on guard, persistent toward the forces of the enemy like Stucco to the forces of nature, courageous, and strong. The question is, are we? Are we persistent against the enemy and his desire to bring us back into slavery, or is our footing found in our standing in mush?
Once we have experienced the freedom that can only be given by the LORD, we are to not allow ourselves to be wrapped up again in the slavery that once bound us. This in essence was the true downfall of William Wallace. Despite his victories in battle, the one loss at Falkirk pushed him to see himself again as a defeated Scotsman. His footing moved from solid and persistent to standing in mush, opening the doors of slavery. When he did pass away, and if he did indeed cry out, “FREEEEEE-DOM,” as portrayed in the movie, was his victory chat only because he would no longer be slave of his own demise? I cannot answer this, but I can take note that for myself I want to declare freedom now from the sin that has for so long enslaved me. Furthermore, I want my footing to be solid as opposed to wavering and allowing a return of slavery and bondage. The Messiah’s sacrifice has freed me, once and for all, but unless I stand firm I am subject to return. I do not want this for myself, nor do I want this for you.