How Free is Free?
Understanding the Truth Behind the Christian Walk.

“You are not your own; you were bought at a price.” - 1 Corinthians 6:19-20.

Being a recovering alcoholic I have often heard many, so called, oldtimers, say this repeatedly at meetings: “Don’t drink and go to meetings,” as though that was all that was required to get sober. Actually the only stated requirement for membership in Alcoholics Anonymous is a desire to stop drinking. A closer look at the lives of the men and women who make up the ranks of A.A. will reveal a more startling reality. True sobriety consists of far more than merely refraining from drinking and attending meetings. It is a never-ending process of self exploration and change, a spiritual journey that transforms us from the person we were to the person God meant us to be. The difference between a person who is merely abstinent from alcohol and someone who is practicing the spiritual tools – the 12 steps – of the program is about as dramatic as night is from day. The former is still in bondage to a disease, which though it is kept a bay for the time being, is alive and well and lurking inside the soul ready at any moment to take control and perhaps kill; the latter lives a life which is happy, joyous and free from the misery and suffering that the disease attempts to instill. Both are still alcoholics with an incurable disease, but one has no way out and chooses to white knuckle as it were the rest of their life; the other has found peace and contentment. One is stuck in the past and fears the future; the other lives in the moment.

But freedom, joy and peace are not states of mind that come easy to just anybody. This “never-ending process” is difficult and demands the ultimate sacrifice from us: namely that we die to our old way of living and embrace a rigorous and fearless commitment to live out a spiritual walk. While there are officially 12 steps in this spiritual walk, they can be reduced to 3 basic tenants: 1. A total reliance upon a loving God; 2. A thorough review of our conduct and atonement for past wrongs; and 3. Carrying the message of recovery to others. This walk is not for the faint of heart, and no body has ever done it perfectly. To the extent though that we put the effort in we have that much peace and serenity. It is not easy, but it is simple.

Often I have thought of the Christian walk in much the same way. We are in darkness and then we make a decision to accept Christ into our lives. For many that is it. They consider the matter closed. “I’m a Christian now; I’m going to heaven. Hallelujah!” Like the drunk who finds the rooms of Alcoholics Anonymous, but doesn’t work the program, such a person never finds true peace and serenity. They belong to a special club, but have decided not to utilize all the amenities at their disposal. Worse yet, they are incapable of carrying the good news of their newfound state of being to another, chiefly because they really don’t have anything to carry. If anything they, themselves, are in need of a messenger of hope. Like the “dry drunk” in A.A. who pats him- or herself on the back for getting sober, they are oblivious as to how much they are missing in their lives.

Like sobriety, salvation is free; at least that’s what we’re told. Not that I am one to look a gift horse in the mouth, I’m a little skeptical of anything that comes free of charge. Or maybe I’ve seen too many people in the rooms of A.A. who talk a good talk but who are about as “free” as a fish in an ice cube. Membership maybe free, but my experience tells me that true freedom comes with a price. One of the most essential, but sadly overlooked, books in the Bible is the book of James. I call it the “Big Book” of Christianity. It contains a treasure trove of invaluable wisdom that should be required reading for any follower of Jesus. My favorite part of the book is where James is talking about faith and deeds, chapter 2 verses 14 – 18.

What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.

In all the Bible there is nothing that comes as close as this passage to defining how we are to act toward others. It is, to put it bluntly, our marching orders as Christians. It is the very essence of walking the walk that sadly many Christians avoid at all costs, including, I’m sorry to say, myself many times. We pray for those who are sick or jobless; we give them a Bible when they have the courage to raise their hands in church. But how often do we really lend a hand to someone in need? Imagine if we could help get someone unemployed a job, or someone homeless a place to live, or someone hungry a bite to eat. Some in the Church do this, but for most of us it remains the elusive goal.

Keep in mind James isn’t telling us to stop praying; he’s telling us to put our money where our mouths are. And that has always been the 64 thousand dollar question. How ready are we as a Church to live out the above words on a daily basis? I keep hearing from supposedly wise people in the Church about how many people we can tell about the good news of Jesus. But I suspect that an awful lot of people already know about Jesus; what they don’t know enough about is who his followers are. Any body can read the Gospels and find out what Jesus stood for, but their opinions are not formed based on what a man did over 2,000 years ago; they are based on what we as disciples do in His name. We are accountable for living out our faith, not just professing it. When the Church gets caught up in wasteful ideological wars over political issues that don’t feed the hungry, house the homeless, or cure the sick the message that gets sent out to unbelievers is one of indifference and selfishness; the very things Jesus spent his whole ministry fighting against. The faith is stained by the actions of those who should know better.

A friend of mine is fond of saying that people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. Our mission should always be to convey to everyone possible just how much we care, not by our words, but with our actions. Words are important, but they cannot reveal our hearts; and it is our hearts that Jesus was after more than anything else. The third step of recovery says that we “made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God.” Our will is our thoughts; our lives are those actions that stem from those thoughts. There is a reason that the words “will” and “lives” are both included in the step: it is impossible to be truly sober and not turn both over to God. As James might ask, “How possible is it to walk a Christian walk and not have both faith and deeds in our lives?” It is a rhetorical question of course, but for many in the Church it is our moment of truth, where the nature of our hearts is finally exposed.

We can’t live out the Christian life on our own unaided will, that much is true. But too often we use every excuse known to avoid even trying. I for one have had my share of excuses in the past, so I am no less guilty than most. I guess that means I’m calling myself out here. Like sobriety, being a Christian is not easy; if it were, everyone would be one. Doing what’s hard, though, is what we are called to do. True freedom isn’t as free as we think; but it is worthwhile, and the blessings earned are beyond our wildest dreams.