BECOMING SERVANT OF TRUTH
Romans 6:17-18 (KJV): But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have
obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made
free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.
Since Indonesia's independence was declared on August 17, 1945, that means we
have acquired freedom without any oppression from the Japanese or the Dutch. That
freedom was obtained by the people. That is why we should uphold our independence.
Look at a bird in a cage, it seems very comfortable with enough food and water.
Every morning the owner bathes it, plays with it. But if the owner was careless and
opened the door of its cage, then it will escape, fly away and never return. Why does it
flee and disappear? Does it want freedom? Does it want independence? Independence …
Freedom!
Such independence is not mere slogan; the meaning of independence is not said
by the lips alone. Independence must be felt by that person. Once a person experiences
and feels unlimited freedom, then he is very dangerous. He will live freely without any
rules. But he who experiences true freedom will still stay in line, within the Truth of God.
He will live free from bondage of sin, but he will become a servant of Truth.
What bounds you in life? Maybe you say you want to be free, but free from what?
Does freedom mean to be free from everything? Oh no, it doesn't!
I try to make an acronym out of the word F-R-E-E. What I mean by free is not
without limits. It is to be free yet to be in order.
How is this possible?
1. FILTER
2. RULE
3. ENGAGEMENT
4. EXPENSIVE
1. To be free, you need FILTER
Freedom without boundaries will be quite savage. In the jungle, there are no rules;
the strongest will win. If the weak happened to win, that's just luck and momentary,
because it will soon lose. Paul once called us “servants of sin” bound and influenced by
sin. Now we try to filter everything using the word of God. The power of sin has been
defeated.
Man's life is dialectical, there is good and evil. The problem is that it is difficult,
because we are given the freedom to choose. God never oppresses us or forces us to
follow His will. The freedom that we have to choose is often used to choose things that
will please us.
Indeed no one wants to live bound as a servant; everyone wants to be free from
such bondage. But let me tell you something, no matter how smart you are you are still
bound. A staff does not want to be bound to his boss; he works so hard so that one day he
can be the boss. One day as a boss he will be bound by his own job. He will be bound to
his company. That's why in this life we must filter everything so that we are not bound to
things that are not important, because Jesus has freed us.
2. To be free, you need RULE
Chaotic freedom will yield disorder and destruction. When the traffic light does
not work, what will happen to traffic? There will be disorder. Once again, you may be
free but you still need rules.
I still remember well that in Indonesia, reformation was publicized. Apparently a
group of people wanted to be free from the New Order. Here and there we saw
demonstrations. Everybody wanted to be free. They wanted to be heard. Then what
happened? Looting happened and riots broke out. It really is scary to have freedom
without rules.
Apostle Paul knew of rules, because he was a Pharisee. That's why he said once
we're free from sin, we must obey the Lord's words. This cannot be simply set aside.
My professor quoted a question from some magazine article. What is the
difference between a mistress and a wife? Is a mistress prettier? Not necessarily? Then
why must there be competition? There is actually no need to compete, because the wife is
already in a state of freedom, thus she has won. On the other hand, a mistress must keep
struggling. And finally, the wife is defeated. A wife usually feels safe about her status,
she never worries about putting on make-up any longer. She never dresses up to welcome
her husband from work. The house is in chaos with kids running around, loud and dirty.
But the mistress seems nice, smelling like perfume from her toes to her hair. She
knows her manners; she learned ethics and etiquette to greet someone. It is then not
surprising that the free wife loses.
A Christian must be like that; when we are free, we must still keep all the rules,
the word of God. That is why freedom must not be abused. Don't think that once trusted
by Christ, then we can do whatever we want, because the Bible must still be read, obeyed
and put to practice.
3. To be free, you need ENGAGEMENT
Freedom without engagement is not balanced. There will be injustice. Jesus promised,
once we believe and obey Him fully, then our sins are forgiven. We will obtain reward,
that is the kingdom of Heaven. This promise is not mere promise, but a promise that will
surely be fulfilled.
In this world we know of many promises, but most of the time those promises are
False. In an Indonesian pop song, it is said that only a dove keeps its promise. Promise is
not just words. Promise must be fulfilled. Lord Jesus' promise is not false, because He
really fulfills it that He lifts us from sin to become servants of truth.
When I went to college in Malang, every morning female students were grouped
to go grocery shopping for daily needs. Back then guys were sent to the groceries too, but
when guys were sent usually they took too long. So since then, guys were never sent
shopping anymore. To this day, I'm not good at cooking. All I can do is cook water, rise
and instant noodle.
Here's the story, a female student said when they were shopping, a meat seller
had his way of persuading people to buy his meat. The seller would say “Come, sweetie”.
If they go to him, he addresses them as “sweeties, but when they keep on going, he says:
“Get lost, losers”.
4. To be free, it is EXPENSIVE
Freedom is expensive. When Michael Jackson decided to be free of charges, he spent
a lot of moment; he's now on the verge of bankruptcy.
Paul once said “we were once servants of sin, now we are servants of Truth”.
Paul's statement is as he lives. He was once a Pharisee, contempt of the Gospel, and at
that time he hated Jesus followers. According to his personal testimony, he wanted to
kill followers of Jesus. But apparently, on his way to Damascus, he heard the Lord's
voice and he fell. Paul said he got blind and then he repented. He turned 180 degrees. If
once he chased and killed Christians, now he is chased around because he is Christian.
Paul is free from the evil power that hates Jesus' followers, but he is free and he himself
has become a follower of Christ. He spreads the Gospel militantly.
Once again, the cost of freedom is expensive. Lord Jesus paid with His blood on
the Cross. The price that Lord Jesus paid was cash, not in installments. That is why
before man was influenced by sin and now no longer so. He is free from sin and
absolutely independent.
We commemorate Indonesian day's Independence Day that has been over half a
century. Our country is already free, but are believers in this country free now? Are they
free from smoking? Gambling? Ecstasy? Cussing? Lying? Corruption?
A few years ago, Forum of Indonesian Christian Communication (Forum
Kommunikasi Kristen Indonesia – FKKI) published a book entitled: “Is this how freedom
is?“ This book was published when churches were burned. This country has been free for
over half a century, yet she is not yet free from religious problems.
Let's look at our lives? Spiritually, are we free yet? Are sleepiness, laziness to
wake up in the morning, absence from church, reluctance to help out in church, stinginess
in offering, boredom to read the Bible, life in sin still prominent in our lives? Let's leave
our sins behind, because now it's time to become servant of the Truth.
Self-Reflection:
1. What good is limited freedom? What kind of freedom should be possessed by
Christians? Why are there many believers that are not free in this world? What
makes them not free? What do you think is the way out?
2. Have you experienced freedom from God? How do you feel once you experience
absolute freedom from the Lord? What is your suggestion for others whose lives
are still not free (bound to sin, character, old habits, etc)?
