Wars are fought for it, civilisations rise and fall because of it, and history itself shifts in its pursuit—what am I talking about?
It was the last word William Wallace screamed in 1305, defying the English crown in his precious last moments before the executioner’s axe fell—immortalised in Mel Gibson’s epic Braveheart. It’s the ideal undergirding the American constitution in 1787, that every human being has the “inalienable right the life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”; and it’s the spirit Frank Sinatra belted out in ‘68 triumphantly declaring “I did it myyyyy way!”
Freedom.
The ability to choose one’s own path. To throw off the manacles of oppression and carve out an existence of one’s choosing—these are considered in our western psyche to be inalienable rights. You don’t come across the word ‘alienable’ too often these days; you’re not likely to trip over it reading your news feed on the way to work or hunting for dopamine on marketplace.
Funnily enough though, that’s exactly where you would have come across it in days of old—the marketplace. It describes something that can be transferred or surrendered to another party. To say that life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are inalienable, is to claim that these things can’t be bought, sold, or taken away. Liberty—being made free— was so highly prized (and still is) that it was regarded as an unquestionable part of human existence!
Ironic given that for most of human history this has not been the case, and even in the American West at the time, slaves were still a commodity to be bought and sold. Then again the same constitution declared slaves to be only three-fifths of a person—and so the same rights didn’t apply to them(!) History surely is stranger than science fiction!
Passion for freedom has never been in short supply, even if consistency has.
Our modern culture has become obsessed with the idea of personal freedom. Classic liberalism championed the principle of “do as you wish provided your actions don’t infringe on the freedoms of others”. Today’s rallying cry, however, is, “I’ll do as I wish, and if that tramples on your freedoms so be it!” We have shifted from fighting for emancipation from oppressive institutions to the paradox of institutionalising freedom itself.
In contrast to the world’s power struggles over freedom, Jesus promised a different kind of freedom—one that transcends the shifting sands of this age, because its source lies in something far more steadfast. The freedoms we chase in life can shift or be taken away, but the freedom Jesus offers is secure and unshakable because it’s grounded in the truth of God’s unshakable love and His plan for us.
Unlike the promises of the American Constitution freedom in Christ is given to all who choose to follow Him. There is a difference however, a paradox to contend with: freedom in Christ is not boundless freedom, to the contrary it comes with boundaries.
When Jesus said, “you will know the truth and the truth will set you free,” that was actually the result of a condition that came before it: “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.” The whole statement is: “If you hold to my teaching, then you really are my disciples. Then you will know the truth and the truth will make you free” John 8:31-32.
Let’s work from the end back to the start.
· You will be free once you know the truth.
· You will know the truth if you are disciples of Jesus.
· You will be disciples of Jesus if you hold to (obey) his instructions.
Just as a country’s borders give it security, so do limits give us freedom. To limit the scope of a thing is to unlock its depth. This is true of the microscope, which limits your field of vision but magnifies a depth otherwise impossible to perceive. It is true of the specialist who limits her field of study in order to plumb its depths; and looking to nature, it is true of the riverbank, which limits the water’s path but gives it direction and force.
True freedom is not the absence of limits, but the presence of the right ones. Bounded freedom is not a contradiction—it’s the only kind that leads to flourishing. Unbounded freedom, on the other hand, leads to chaos.
I watched my daughter’s basketball grand final on the weekend, and those kids were ferocious! Without rules to the game, the court would have been a blood bath. The presence of fouls forces players to develop the skills necessary to avoid them—and this gives them far more scope to excel and refine their technique. By learning to navigate the game within the boundaries of its rules, players cultivate strategic thinking, precision, and adaptability. Instead of relying on brute force or reckless play, they hone their capability to anticipate opponent’s moves, improve their footwork, and master control over their actions. In this way, fouls don’t just restrict play; they shape it.
The boundaries Jesus puts around your life are there to protect you and to allow you to flourish. Jesus calls us to forgive others (Matthew 18:21-22), not just for their sake, but to free us of resentment and bitterness. He calls us to honesty and integrity (Matthew 5:37), because living truthfully protects us from the stress and consequences of deceit, allowing us to build relationships based on trust. He calls us to love and pray for our enemies (Luke 6:27-28), because this protects us from a cycle of hatred and allows us to live with peace rather than being consumed by anger. He calls us to faithfulness in marriage (Matthew 19:4-6), because this fosters trust, security and deep intimacy, protecting relationships from the pain of betrayal and broken trust.
Following Jesus, while putting some boundaries in your life, narrows your focus and brings clarity, peace, and purpose. Speaking of limits bringing depth of clarity, Dallas Willard was able to distil this whole idea into just three words: "obedience equals abundance." I have discovered that the more I live within those limits, the more I experience the fullness of life that Jesus promised (John 10:10).
But hey, it’s just my two bob’s worth.
