In part one of this series, I mentioned passages in the New Testament which view sin as enslaving and salvation as liberation from such slavery. Those passages include John 8:34-36; Romans 6:1-23 (especially verses 15-23); II Peter 2:19; Colossians 1:13; and Galatians 5:1. (I encourage you to take the time to read these passages.) The sociological and linguistic backgrounds to the words “ransom” and “redemption” require a translation of such terms as “emancipation, liberation, and freedom.” The Scriptures and the Early Church Fathers understood those enslaved by sin as incapable of true freedom. Prior to the Enlightenment, with its definition of freedom as the right of individuals to choose, philosophers and theologians had a very different and nuanced perspective regarding freedom. The following is how I interpret this deeper understanding of freedom by these spiritual giants.
To “eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil” can be interpreted as trying to grasp everything without obtaining the necessary wisdom and experience required to have or be in proper relationship with anything.
In the story of Adam and Eve in the garden (and this passage is a story, not literal history), we see humanity transgressing limits intended for its own good. To “eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil” can be interpreted as trying to grasp everything without obtaining the necessary wisdom and experience required to have or be in proper relationship with anything. Human beings are made “in the image of God.” In other words, our being at the deepest level is meant to correspond to the nature of our Creator. Without that correspondence, we are “restless until we find our rest in Thee” (Augustine). Our very identity as “human” (or humane) is defined by our origin in God. We can never be “free” as humans without being oriented to and in relationship with our Creator. Any attempt to live alienated from our origin in God results in a distortion of our true identity and a rejection of our intended destiny as a child of God. Such distortion and rejection result in “sin”—alienation from God, others, creation, and our true selves and enslavement to that which can never allow for the full experience of the blessings inherent in being made in the image of God.
We are made in such a way that we must have some orientation, purpose, and direction in life. In other words, we must find some “god” to give our allegiance and to define our being. Without such an orientation and direction, we become mentally, spiritually, and socially fractured. We were created to seek meaning—that is part of what it means to be human. The question we all face is “What we can trust to look after our best interests, to allow us to grow and develop to our full potential, and to find joy and purpose in our living?” The “gods” humans have chosen throughout history are varied—wealth, status, power, pleasure, work, family, some other person, our individual selves, country, isms, etc. However, experience demonstrates that, ultimately, none of these “gods” can transcend the limitations inherent in their makeup. They all eventually fail, desert, destroy, or leave us. None of them has what it takes to match our created potential to expand in ways which fulfill our deepest needs reflecting our origin in divinity.
Created in the image of God, we were also made for community. As the writer of Genesis says, “It is not good for adam to be alone.” The pursuit of an individualistic and narcissistic path to “freedom” results in “the will to power.” The desired “equality and fraternity (common good)” mentioned in the first article in this series are quickly compromised, violated, and forgotten when freedom is defined in selfish and reckless ways. As MLK often reminded us, none of us can be ultimately free until all of us are free. Freedom, defined simply as the individual’s right to choose, has led to oppression, poverty, violence, and caste systems when those with power and wealth choose what they want at the expense of those lacking those advantages. Freedom as “the power to choose” must be understood in the context of being made in the image of God who essential and eternal nature is love, truth, beauty, freedom, and compassion. We are free to be and do as God is and does in Her infinite love. Only that kind of freedom will free humankind to survive and thrive in our kind of world.
However, there is another question regarding “the freedom to choose.” Are we truly free to choose if we are unaware of the possibility, nature, and consequences of our choices? That will be the topic of the third part in this series.
