My Freedom Isn't for Me
“For you were called to be free, brothers and sisters; only don’t use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but serve one another through love. For the whole law is fulfilled in one statement: Love your neighbor as yourself.”
Individual freedoms are a value we hold dear in our country. Phrases like “personal liberties,” “freedom of choice,” and “rights of the individual” are bandied about constantly, even, and especially within the confines of the church. Culturally, we are so awash in these ideals that we sometimes forget to check our assumptions and behaviors against the tenets of our faith. While personal responsibility is a reality and individual transformation is a necessity, if we overlook the themes of corporate, communal existence found in scripture, we allow our modern, western context to drive our thinking and behaviors. This is to all of our detriment.
We are right to be grateful for a context that enables us to live our lives so autonomously, and we can celebrate particularly the privileges that allow us to worship the one true God without fear of retribution from our government. Yet, have we in the church forgotten what our freedom is for? Have we forgotten that although we are certainly individuals, we are also members of a body and ambassadors of a greater kingdom? That heavenly citizenship endows us with certain rights and certain obligations. Scripture is positively littered with references to the way we ought to think of ourselves and by extension, how we are to treat others. In the verses above, cited from Galatians 5, we see that our freedom isn’t an opportunity for the flesh. And the word “opportunity” here connotes an abuse of position. We cannot and should not abuse our position of freedom from the letter of the Law to excuse ourselves from the Spirit of the Law. The whole law is fulfilled in one statement: Love your neighbor as yourself. The same care and attention we give to our own well being we owe to everyone we meet. Our freedom is not for ourselves, but rather for the service of our brothers and sisters in the Church as well as our neighbors everywhere.
I wrote elsewhere about Jesus’ teaching on the Good Samaritan. He showed us in his conversation with the teacher of the law that the one who was the true neighbor to the injured man was the one who showed mercy. And that mercy consisted of risk and self-sacrifice. The compassion Jesus wants His followers to have is not something we can often demonstrate at a distance from ourselves. It will usually require direct, personal involvement, and often direct, personal cost. I think also about Esther, who went into fraught situations to fight for the safety of her people. Trust in God doesn’t give us permission to be unconcerned with the lives of others. It’s quite the opposite. We trust God with our own life and breath and from that we can draw the strength to face potential dangers to protect our neighbors.
We also must look to Jesus’s actions when he was on earth. He came healing the sick, among other things, and we the Church are here to continue His mission. Jesus’s practice of bodily healing shows us that our bodies are not secondary, meaningless homes for our souls and spirits (our so-called “true natures”), but are created by God and ultimately destined for resurrection. As such, they are meaningful vessels of worship now. They are intended to be the hands and feet of service now. Right now. And every created body and soul are infinitely valuable, and worthy of our attention and defense. God’s sovereignty over life and death is not license to treat the safety and wellbeing of others in a dismissive manner.
Christians, we cannot reject the ethos of “my body my choice” when the cost of the life-saving action falls squarely on the shoulders of another, and then champion that same philosophy when it’s our turn to bear the burden. The central question of the dignity of human life remains at the center of both issues, and we must be consistent. When we’re asked to wear a mask, when we’re asked to vaccinate, the question is not, “how can I protect my individual liberties?” but “how can I use my freedom of choice to best love my neighbor?” The question isn't, “how can I push my liberty as far as possible to protect my own comfort,” but “how can I lay down my life -- my convenience, my comfort, my preferences -- for the sake of others?” Each of us should look not only to our own interests, but also to the interests of others. Jesus laid aside His royal privileges to serve a people fully undeserving, and called us in humility to consider others as more important than ourselves. (Phil. 2).
I feel confident that in a global pandemic, Jesus would not have said “if you’re afraid, stay home. The rest of us will go on with business as usual.” How can we follow His lead? Let us strive to participate in His continued work of healing. Fighting for the holistic flourishing of our neighbors must include participating in the life-saving measures that are available to us. Immunizations like the COVID-19 vaccine are miraculous tools provided to us through the means of God’s sovereignty over His creation.
It is understandable to be cautious around the issue of a new medical development. Adverse reactions certainly can occur with vaccines and we are by no means guaranteed complete safety in all circumstances. I remember around the time I was pregnant with my first child feeling overwhelmed and confused by some of the frightening messages about vaccines. In this era when anyone, anywhere can broadcast their opinions to the entire world, it’s easy to see how we can be emotionally manipulated. But when we find ourselves starting to accept a narrative that promotes fear or mistrust, one question we need to ask is “what is this story asking me to believe about an individual, organization or group?” And secondly, “do the wisest people in my life find that belief plausible? Do I?” Suspicion is an emotion we should give attention to, but it’s meant to be a transitional phase, not a final destination. If in our quest for information we discover only more questions, rumors, or innuendo and no evidence to support our theories, wisdom would draw us back toward the solid ground of truth.
We are in the incredible position of having access to a very low-risk vaccine that will help us overcome a very high-risk virus. We must exercise wisdom and trust. We ought to be exceedingly wise in our choice of counsel, practicing humility to recognize where our own knowledge is lacking and listening to the experts in the fields we ourselves have not studied. We also must trust that God will give us all the information He means for us to have, and that we are safe to make the choice that seems most loving with the material He has provided. We are not guaranteed complete safety or risk-free lives, yet we are commanded to love one another. Like the Samaritan, we must be willing to accept certain personal risks in order to reap the benefit of protecting and loving others well. Let’s not hesitate to deny ourselves, take up our crosses, and follow Him.
Photo by Saad Chaudhry on Unsplash