Freedom: Waving the White Flag

To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8: 31-32).

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me (Gal. 2: 20a).

Last week the Irish band U2 played the Rogers Center in Toronto as part of their current world tour. Several members of the Redeemer community were able to go, but I didn’t make it. I was able to catch their Toronto show on The Joshua Tree Tour (late 80s; I know: most of you weren’t even alive back then) and during that show lead singer Bono spent part of the time waving a white flag on stage as he sang -- the white flag of surrender.

The white flag? Why?

Simple really: surrender is the defining act in the Christian life. Surrender declares that I am not the center of the universe, but Jesus is. Surrender lies at the heart of Paul’s declaration that “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.”

Every day part of me tries to be the center of the universe. Here are some telltale signs of this disease:
• Everyone urgently needs to know my opinion on every imaginable topic.
• Everyone needs to know my honest feelings about every part of my life.
• If I want something, I should get it right now.
• If you interfere with my desires, I should either ignore you, pretend you don’t exist, or find ways to belittle you.
• I will befriend you only if you improve my life in some way.

More than four centuries ago two church educators began a summary of the Christian faith by declaring, “my only comfort is that I am not my own but belong body and soul, in life and in death, to my faithful Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” That’s one of the most beautiful and freeing surrender statements that I know. Surrendering to the TRUTH leads to freedom.

Does surrender lead to freedom? C. S. Lewis writes in Mere Christianity that the more we die to ourselves and become like Christ, the more we become truly ourselves. Isn’t that a big part of freedom – free to be the person God calls us to be? Imagine being free from worrying about others’ expectations, others’ pressures, and others’ judgments? Imagine that those worries have been crucified with Christ for He who is the TRUTH is the one who defines who we are.

So go ahead – wave the white flag and grow in that kind of freedom.