Freedom is the vaunted prize of all western countries. Politicians croon over it. Songs are written about it. Universities debate it. Millions have lost their lives to secure it. We all need to be thankful for it. There’s an obvious price paid for freedom, for history shows it had to be wrenched from the controlling few.

The New Testament book of Galatians is all about freedom. The word is used twice by the apostle Paul in it’s five chapters, and liberty once. Like political freedom, religious freedom also came with a price – the sacrifice of the body and blood of Jesus Christ. This kind of freedom could not be achieved by man alone. God’s Son came to earth to give it to us with the ultimate sacrifice.

The apostle said, “It was for freedom that Christ set us free” (5:1). He urged us to “stand firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.” We are not only free from sin – its practice and consequences – but also from the law. Law in Galatians is the dependence on human works to achieve our own salvation. We need freedom from it because we can never reach its requirements. This is why the Law of Moses, as great as it was, could never save the Jews (2:16). Jesus set us free by grace. We certainly do works, but we do them out of gratefulness to God and concern for others. Paul explained it this way, “faith working through love” (5:6).

The world gets freedom mixed up. It thinks we should be free from any self-control or moral value. We make a big mistake when we think freedom is “all about me.” That leads to enslavement to sin and disaster. Paul warns, “For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another” (5:13). Freedom always demands self-control and respect. That keeps us from “immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strive, jealousy…” (v19-21). Rather, mature freedom fosters “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control…” (5:22-24).

What Jesus gave us is worth preserving and protecting. We let no man take it from us, nor will we fool with it and destroy it. Freedom demands our sacrifice and obedience to God.

– Tim Johnson

David Johnson wrote two back-to-back articles a few years ago and I want to run them again over the next two weeks. I learned a lot from them, and I hope you will too. – Tim

The world is often interested in bad people; that’s why gossip magazines sell. It’s sad if you consider yourself to be ugly, for there are likely beautiful and interesting things about you. But we do not especially thrill when we hear the word “good.” In fact, we often relax and stifle a yawn. We are interested in the clever, the rich, the courageous, even the bad. But not especially good people.

Probably the best and worst advertisement for Christianity is Christians. The New Testament speaks of a man who was a great advertisement. In speaking of Barnabas, it says, “For he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith.” (Acts 11:24)

If people say we are good looking and cultured we are delighted, but who is complimented by being called good? It is important to remember that in spite of the misconception, the word AGATHOS – translated good – is not a weak word.

The word is strong and brawny. It has the shoulders of Samson and the lifting power of Hercules. It means profitable, generous, upright, beneficent, and virtuous. God used it to describe Barnabas because it was the best word. He was generous, a man of faith, he thought of others, and was a truly spiritual person.

Ugliness can’t be helped unless it’s character problem. To be bad might make you interesting, but you’ll harm others and yourself. But goodness makes you beautiful and banishes badness. It is one of the purest flowers that can bloom in our soul.

Seek it out and learn its ways. Barnabas did and people have appreciated him for 2,000 years.

– David Johnson, with revisions from Tim Johnson

Coming out of the temple one day, Jesus told his disciples that the famed building would be destroyed along with the entire city of Jerusalem. Now that got their attention! They peppered Him with questions and Jesus told them about many upsetting events that would happen first. Then He said, “By your endurance you will gain your lives” (Luke 21:19).  

God put us in a world that is full of upsets and troubling events. Peaceful conditions rarely last exceptionally long. Things were going very well in our country not long ago, and now we’re scrambling to get past a world pandemic. We can get through most troubles by practicing endurance. Just like Jesus said, “By your endurance you will gain your lives.” Another word for this is pluck, the ability to bounce back and keep on going.

About fifty years ago I made friends with a young Christian man who was part of a small, struggling congregation in NW Ontario. We lost track of each other as our lives went separate directions. But when we were living in Edmonton 35 years later, he came to one of our church meetings and we had a great time catching up with each other. He was in the city on a business trip, but his home base is Vancouver where he’s a member of the Burnaby Church of Christ. His life has had many trials, but he has endured through them all and maintained his faith. You could say he has loads of pluck.

The Hebrew Christians had lots of people against them and many were suffering. They were told, “Therefore do not throw away your confidence which has great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised.” (Heb.10:35-36). They could get through their troubles if they just practiced endurance. And so can we.

Does you life have pluck?

– Tim Johnson