As we get ready to celebrate the 4th of July and American Independence, I’ve been thinking a lot about Martin Luther. I realize it might seem odd to connect a German monk who lived in the 16th century when thinking about the actions of American political leaders in the 18th century, but I’ve actually noted some similar ideas in their different spheres of work.
One similarity is that both the Declaration of Independence and Martin Luther discuss and critique what they deemed as tyranny. Much of the Declaration chronicles the “tyranny” that the colonists saw in the King of England and how such tyranny violated inalienable rights of people that are self-evident. This tyranny is what led to this writing and served as the justification for the Americans declaring independence. Similarly, much of Martin Luther’s writings pointed out what he and others would label as the “tyranny” of the Roman Church, viewing it as both overstepping its proper bounds in terms of the teaching of the Bible and also the proper boundaries of church authority. Like the colonists, Luther (and those he influenced) essentially “broke” from the church when it became clear that it was double-down on these practices rather than changing its ways.
In addition to discussions of tyranny, both Luther and these American leaders were interested in the idea of freedom or liberty. The Declaration of Independence speaks about “liberty” as being one of these inalienable rights that are self-evident. One of Martin Luther’s major works (written in 1520) is called On the Freedom of a Christian; another title sometimes given to this work is A Treatise on Christian Liberty. Many Americans are familiar with the opening words of the Declaration of Independence (for a refresher, you can find it here), as they are both majestic and also foundational for the country. I think Christians are wise to become familiar with the opening words found in Luther’s work on Christian liberty as they are similarly majestic and also can help Christians think properly about how to live as Christians. What are these words? “A Christian is a perfectly free lord of all, subject to none. A Christian is a perfectly dutiful servant of all, subject to all.” At first glance, these words may seem contradictory, but I think they warrant further examination to consider their biblical basis and meaning.
“A Christian is a perfectly free lord of all, subject to none.”
These words are a reminder that Christ’s work involves bringing freedom, delivering us from tyrannous rule of the devil (Colossians 1:13) and from slavery to sin (Romans 6:16-17). Without Christ, we are not truly free – we are trapped in sin both because of our own sinful nature and because of the schemes and power of the devil that we are not able to overcome on our own. While many people think that turning to Christ and following him means the end of freedom, it is actually the only path to freedom and to true life (John 10:10). Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness is only found in Jesus.
This statement, though, doesn’t just talk about freedom, it talks about being “lord of all.” What does that mean? When we have faith in Christ, we are united with Christ and will reign and rule with him (2 Timothy 2:11-13). Paul reminds us that we will judge the angels (1 Corinthians 6:3), but also that we sit with him in the heavenly places even now (Ephesians 2:4-6). This is a reminder that God has created us in His image to serve as kings and priests over this earth and that when we are restored in Christ, we are restored to these positions; we are a kingdom of priests. We need to remember this call and nothing should get in the way of this calling, which is why we are “subject to none.” No person or institution can bind us in such a way that would violate and hinder this calling that we have received from God. We were created in His image and have been restored to through Christ who perfectly embodied it and serves not just as an example, but as our only Lord. While thinking about this in a political sense, in that a country should not make a law that causes us to violate God’s Word, we also need to think of this principle in the realm of spirituality. As churches and church leaders, we should not have rules of what to do or not do that are not directly tied to the Bible. This was the realm in which Luther was focused, reflecting principles we see in Galatians 5:1.
“A Christian is a perfectly dutiful servant of all, subject to all.”
The second part of this statement reminds us that there might be a difference between freedom and independence . . . that being free doesn’t mean you should do whatever you want. The goal of our freedom is not to do whatever we want (living “independently”), but rather that we can serve God and His purposes (being “dependent” on God). This involves serving others and not just our own interests (living “interdependently” with others). The only one who has done this perfectly is Jesus, who embodied the idea of being a servant (Mark 10:45; Philippians 2:6-7). The idea of being a “servant of all” comes from Jesus (Mark 9:35; 10:42-44). As one who follows Jesus, the Apostle Paul echoes this call, both embodying it by being a slave to all (1 Corinthians 9:19) and by calling for us to serve others with our freedom (Galatians 5:13-14). This means that we will not always assert our own preferences or follow our desires that we have “freedom” to pursue, but rather we will do what others may prefer to serve them well (note: at times, what people prefer might not serve them well, so serving them would not be following them). We should view freedom as allowing us to die to our own preferences and desires because of what we have found in Christ, as we have more than we could ever want and all that we need in him.
Celebrate the Freedom We Have to Serve By Serving
The goal in being freed from tyranny is the ability to live without the improper restraints that tyranny imposes. This means that our spiritual liberty in Christ should prompt us to serve others in his name so that they might experience true life and pursue true satisfaction that is found in Christ alone. As we often celebrate the 4th of July with fireworks, we should also celebrate the work of Christ by serving in his name in accordance with his commands, in light of His example, and through the power and confidence he has given to us.
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