Don’t let this title fool you. It’s not about soldiers dying for our country. It is true, however, that the fight for freedom has cost a precious high price in human life in order to preserve our nation’s freedom from tyranny. But the best form of freedom dictated a higher price. It’s about a war not fought by humans. In order to perceive it, we must understand what freedom is. It is not being able to do what we want. This misconception comes from the philosophy of humanism which asserts that humankind is the boss therefore we make the rules of life. If, however, there exists a Creator of all things, humanism fails. Human history plainly indicates that something is wrong on earth. “To err is human,” as the saying goes, is not to be some excuse for our attitudes and behavior. It should beg the question, WHY CAN’T PEOPLE BE PERFECTLY GOOD ALL THE TIME? Perhaps a more penetrating question is, “CAN WE STAND THE TRUTH?

Humanism maintains that our nature is basically good, but does need some tweaking. What is its mechanism for improvement? Government-run schools. Education, it claims, is the answer. We are the most educated generation in history and yet the fabric of our society is breaking down. Human effort has never brought back the Garden of Eden.

Ah that Garden! Throughout all human history people have tried to return us to that bliss. Woodstock and some rock stars of the 60s and 70s promised their fans freedom by advocating drugs and sex, both of which are strong examples of doing what one feels like doing. In fact, “freedom” was one of their most popular topics while fans became addicted to destructive behaviors and attitudes. We are still reaping the devastation of those decades. More to the point, the rebellion was actually shedding off the “restrictions” of the Christian faith so we could find true fulfillment and happiness. That “promise” never happened.

Our loving Creator says going against His rules will never free us. The hard truth is that it enslaves us. This is the root of humankind’s problem. It’s why we generally lose happiness over time. It’s why we have wars. It’s why we hate certain people. It’s why we have tragedies. It’s why we have injustices, and… it’s why we die.

Is all this horror an indication of a mean or imperfect god who can’t or won’t fix our problem? God actually fixed the root cause of all our problems, and this root goes deeper than many think. The fact that He allows us free choice to go away from Him indicates that He will not force Himself or his ways upon us. In fact, He defines love in part as “not demanding its own way.” (1 Corinthians 13:5)

So how did He fix things? He has stated and demonstrated what the REAL cost of freedom was. But first we need to perceive what true freedom is. It is to be free from sin, free from sinning, free to do the right things. But fallen humankind cannot do that. Try as some may, no one can become flawless in character or deeds. Scripture claims we have been “bought with a high price” (1 Cor.6:20; 7:23; Acts 20:28; 1 Peter 1:18-19). God Himself became a man to be tempted in all ways that we have been tempted. Although His adversary tried hard to get Him to sin while He walked the earth, He passed the ultimate test. Consequently, God, in human form, was willing to be the perfect sacrifice for our sin. Because of what Jesus did, God fixed our problem. He conquered it for us forever. Our faith in this act and Him defeating our last enemy (death) by His resurrection, has the power and authority from God’s throne to raise us up after we die to a restored Eden…forever. Sin or temptation to sin will never raise its ugly head again. Jesus Christ’s suffering on that cross fulfilled God’s Law. Now we have the real ability to be and do good. With the spirit of Jesus Christ within us, we now have access to the power of not sinning rather than being a puppet in Satan’s hands (programmed to sin). TRUE FREDOM at last. Just as Adam and Eve could not wipe out or atone for their sin by human effort (putting on fig leaves), we too need to confess to our Creator that we have sinned and are in desperate need of the Savior. If we choose to have this simple act of faith, God looks at us as though we’ve never sinned. No other religion has this promise. If we do this with sincerity, good attitudes and good actions will automatically flow from us, but it will be His Power, not ours.

We all need a paradigm shift in order to gain eternal life. If we humbly ask God to bring us through it, He will. Rather than perceiving His Word to be restrictive, we now see it as liberating. He frees us from idols (anything more important to us than God), addictions, hate, racism, bitterness, etc. We are now empowered to love, forgive, serve others, etc. with joy. Try as hard as we can, we can never accomplish God’s will unless we allow Him to perfect us. We are all orphans desperately needing a re- connection to our Creator Father. Trusting and loving Jesus frees us to live as we should. May we ever be mindful of THE GREAT COST that offers TRUE FREEDOM.