Freedom Is Not Free!

Every year we celebrate Memorial Day. We as a nation remember and honor the men and women who sacrificed so much so that we can be free today. It is a somber day, if you think about all the people who sacrificed and died so that we could live in peace and freedom. When I walked through Arlington National Cemetery and the Cemetery at Gettysburg I saw all the gravestones this fact hit home hard.

We enjoy a multitude of blessings each day because all these people gave so much. As the slogan says, “Freedom isn’t free!” So, Memorial Day is a time to reflect on that fact and a time to be grateful for all we have. At the VFW Memorial Day Ceremony, they have a time of reading names of those who served in the military and have died. It is a long list, and now includes three of my relatives and the cost of freedom is more personal.

As I reflected on this thought of how much my freedom cost I realized that I have a much greater freedom. That is the freedom you and I have in Jesus Christ. Freedom from the slavery to sin, the freedom that comes from forgiveness, the freedom to enjoy the blessings of God, the freedom to pray to Him, the freedom from fear, and all the rest of the freedoms that come from the salvation God provides. Thinking of how much our physical and political freedoms cost I started thinking about how much our spiritual freedoms cost. The cost was greater than anything I can imagine.

When Mel Gibson’s movie The Passion of the Christ came out, many Christians started thinking about the incredible physical and emotional agony Jesus went through for us. I have seen the movie three times and each time there are places I would like to stop the film because it is almost too much to bear.

Yet that agony is so small compared to the spiritual cost. First, God the Son left all the glories of Heaven to come and live the hard life He had here. Then on the cross, the sinless One took on our sins and because of that went through an unimaginable spiritual agony. His cry, “My God, My God why have you forsaken me?” gives us just a small indication of this spiritual suffering. Jesus Christ, God the Son, went through all this and paid this price so that you and I could be free. Our spiritual freedom definitely was not free.

Individual Christians also sacrificed for freedoms we take for granted. Acts 6 & 7 record how Stephen died for the cause of being a Christian. Unfortunately, over the years many more have made the same sacrifice. Before, during, and after the Reformation many struggled and died over freedoms like having your own Bible in your own language. They also sacrificed over holding Bible studies and worshipping outside the State endorsed church. The struggle for freedom of religion was and still is very costly!

Freedom is never free. Freedom has always exacted a heavy cost. As people who enjoy such wonderful physical, political, and spiritual freedom we must work at appreciating them. We also must never forget the cost. In addition, as Memorial Day reminds us, we must cultivate a deep gratitude towards those who sacrificed so much for us. Above all, we must remember, appreciate, and cultivate gratitude towards Jesus Christ, God the Son who went through so much for us.

Start noticing all the freedoms you have, then notice how much God gives you through Christ, and tell Him thank you!

Written by Rev. Daniel B. Baker May 2005



Articles by Rev. Daniel B. Baker :: Webmaster: Joseph I. Baker