true freedom
I spoke tonight at a service called "Remembering the Unborn" on campus. I was requested to speak a message meeting the goal of an "Affirmation of Life," of which i am grateful for such an opportunity. I was very excited to be able to publicly, and for the first time, support a pro-life organziation by speaking at "Remembering the Unborn."
I decided to address two camps in my speech. The one camp: those that were in the audience that were pro-choice or wanted to convey truth to friends that were not pro-life. The other camp: the pro-life camp that i chose to assume was mostly Christian.
Many of the arguments that come from the pro-choice crowd are about their right to freedom. In most of the testimonies that i've heard or read from people who have aborted their babies, i see nothing but bondage - the exact opposite of freedom. These chains of bondage come in the form of shame, guilt, resentment and a life filled with secrets, and all are the results of going through with an abortion. To me, that sounds like nothing but enslavement. Nothing but bondage. True freedom does not, and never will come from doing whatever you please. Nor will it come from doing what is best for you.
I liken freedom to a train.
If you were to see a train engine in your front yard, how far do you think it would make it? Not being on its tracks and all, how far would that train get? Not very far at all, right? It would run into something and crash. It would go down a curb and not be able to get back up. It would encounter a hill and fall over. Mud? Bogged.
You see, the train is designed to be free, but only when it is on its tracks. Because the train is designed with wheels that match its tracks perfectly, it requires those tracks so that it can function, and function fully! And when a train is on its tracks, it's truly such an amazing sight to see that i am pretty sure we all take it for granted way too easily! When you consider the tons and tons of materials that are toted at such incredible velocities, the train is free. Free to truly be a train.
Humans are the same way, and hopefully you see that even if you do not believe in God - that humans and freedom both have an ultimate-ness about them.
"We are free to choose, but our choices don't always free us," my wife Lindsay stated in response to my speech.
If i ran around blindfolded, scissors in one hand, a knife in the other, i might be doing whatever i want, but i am not free. I am dangerous, wild, and placing myself and others in harm's way. True freedom frees one's self and frees others all in one free swoop. When taking the freedom to abort a baby's life, another's freedom is permanently stripped, and at the cost of your own freedom as well. Why? Because freedom does not taste like guilt. It never smells like angst. Is never clothed in regret. Yet, these are all what an abortion causes. That endless wonder of "my child would be __ years old today," does not ever go away.
But "it is for freedom Christ sets us free," says Galatians 5:1. Doesn't this sound repetitive? "It's for pancake's sake i give you pancakes." I think God, through the apostle Paul, is really trying to drive home an important point here. He is being repetitive not so Paul can feel good about sharing such a message. Not to be cutesy wootsy. And, not even for the express purpose for God to get the glory (which i believe He still does get the glory but...). But for you and i to be free, and for freedom's sake! Free because free is what you were designed to be. Freely free. Freed.
So i recognize your quest for freedom and i believe you are onto something. But please pursue the truest, realest freedom you can find! And if the freedom you are pursuing doesn't taste like true freedom, or smell like freedom to everyone else, i would challenge your thinking on what freedom really is. And please, i would love to be in that conversation with you on what real freedom is. Please contact me.
And the greatest part is, if you are suffering these chains from having had an abortion, Christ wants to set you free as well. He doesn't scoff at your decision or hold it against you. "It is for freedom He sets you free." You just need to trust in His ability to do so.
Freedom: It's free. It sets you free. Your freedom spawns freedom in others.
That, is true freedom. And it only comes from Christ.
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Part II, violent life coming soon: how Jesus promotes a "violent" life (you'll just have to read to find out!), and why i believe that we as Christians are mainly at fault for the abortion pandemic.
This is a good message Phil, I am glad you were able to share Christ with these people. I would go even further and say that true freedom comes only from Christ,yes. But we only experience the fullness of that true freedom when we are dead to our own fleshly desires and are totally in line with the Lord's purposes for our lives. "But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ" (Philippians 3:7). the desires of our flesh is what brings all these negative things which you described in your message. The only person who was 100% in line with the Lord's purposes for his life was Jesus Christ. He is our standard bearer and He is the example to which we are called to measure ourselves unto. "And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple" (Luke 14:27).That is the high calling to which we are called to in Christ Jesus, to die to everything that is of ourselves and follow Him.
ReplyDeleteYou assume that all people who've had abortions feel the guilt and shame you base your version of "freedom" around not including. Like most apologetics, this is a largely circular, and retarded, post.
ReplyDeletei actually made sure to specify that "most" of the reactions i've encountered are this way so that i would not assume all. But i stand by my version of freedom no matter what the debate, be it abortion or any other topic. i would ask that you read the next post, hopefully to be posted tonight/tomorrow.
ReplyDeletePhil you posted your response at 11:11
ReplyDelete