Chapter Eight

Curing the 4th of July Sydrome

To many American Christians, it's a 4th of July world. They have been so infected by the climate of freedom that has evolved in our country that they are inclined to carry this aura of freedom into the church. This attitude is connected with much of what we have discussed before. Freedom from restraint is the exact mode in which selfishness flourishes. The practitioners of the "So What Culture" say that it is none of your business what they do. The "Age of Tolerance" has made it possible for the freedom-loving person to tolerate the free choices of others without making any judgment. The "Feelgood Generation" wants to be left free to destroy themselves in perverse sensuality.
The mentality that is needed in the Christian, however, is that of a slave. There is a definite spirit behind Paul's oft-repeated description of himself as a "servant of Christ," or a "servant of God." He is joined in this self-depracating description by James, Peter, and Jude, in their New Testament letters. Paul also describes our relationship to Christ in the same way. He writes to the Romans, "In love of the brethren be tenderly affectioned one to another; in honor preferring one another; in diligence not slothful; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord" (Romans 12:10-11). He reminds both the slaves and masters in the church at Colossae that they "serve the Lord Christ" (Colossians 3:22-4:1).
The slave mentality, with its restrictions and confinements, does not appeal to those who suffer the "4th of July Syndrome." Service is not their thing. Yet, it is the very thing needed in the Christian.
Let us indulge ourselves with an illustrative parable concerning this problem. Suppose that this scenario happened in the days when slavers combed Africa to obtain chattels to be transported to the plantations of the New World. A slave trader of a different stamp comes to the Ivory Coast, and embarks on a new way of capturing slaves. He presses into the jungle to find his prospects, and he runs into a man struggling to make his garden meagerly provide for his needs. The man is surprised to see this sea captain there, but he is not afraid. The slaver walks up to him, and asks, "Friend, how would you like to sail with me to a new land, where you would be parted from your kin forever, mixed together with others like yourself from many tribes and tongues and nations, and where you would work a lifetime as a slave for a very kind and benevolent plantation owner?
No doubt, at first, the man would be incredulous. He would probably answer with something equivalent to, "Are you kidding me, man?"
The slaver would answer, sincerely, "No, I am perfectly serious."
"You're telling me that it would be a great advantage for me to sail off with you to God knows where, so that I could be a slave?"
Again, the slaver would say, "That is exactly what I am telling you. I am only trying to give you a realistic view of your opportunity."
The future slave, at this point, would probably laugh. He would have the option to say either "No thanks," or he might have the inquisitiveness to ask, "What's in it for me?"
This is what the slaver hopes to hear. To such a question, he would first have to answer, "Nothing but the necessities of life," but then he could offer the hope that one day, after a satisfactory life of servitude to his master, he could expect to be happily retired to a beautiful home where he would never have to work any more.
If the prospective slave was still interested at this point, he might ask, "Can you show me this in writing?"
Prepared for this question, the slaver would whip out his copies of the "Declaration of Independence," and the "Consitution of the United States of America," and say, "Here! Read these documents, and see if what I am saying is so."
Glancing over the papers, the prospective slave sees that there are a number of words he doesn't understand, and he objects, "Looks like heavy reading for me."
"Well, do the best you can, and when I return I will explain what you don't understand. O. K.?"
The villager agrees, and puts them in his pocket to read that night. There proves to be some interesting things in the documents. When he reads in the Declaration of Independence that God has created all men equal, and that they have a right to be free of tyranny, he is impressed. When he peruses the Constitution, he perceives that the government under which he will live will strive for equal justice to all, and that there is the promise of better things to come.
When the slaver returns, the few doubts he has are resolved, and the prospective slave begins to weigh the promises of what he has read against the poor life and hard labor he has endured to this point. He suspects that the slaver is giving him the "worst case scenario," and that there are actually riches to be gained in the new land. The promise that the "burden" of slavery will be "light," persuades him to agree to the slaver's proposition.
"Good," the slaver says, and gives him instructions on reporting to the ship, which will be ready to sail on the tide.
The potential slave turns his back on his family and village, and reports on board the ship with only the sparse clothes on his back. He expects that the vessel will be packed to the gunwales with others who have made the same decision, but he finds only a few.
On the journey through the water that separates Africa from the United States, he is well housed, well-fed, and on his arrival at the plantation he is given labor that is enjoyable and satisfying, while his master keeps him encouraged with the prospect of freedom from his servitude, after a short period of service.
We could go on with this story, telling of the ultimate goal of this benign slavery, but you have already seen the point it tries to make. Christianity is this kind of servitude. Yet, it is a thankless servitude, because a slave is expected to render service without resistance, and without immediate expectations. Jesus shows this in a parable, when he says, "And which of you, having a servant plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, `Come at once and sit down to eat'? But will he not rather say to him, `Prepare something for my supper, and gird yourself and serve me till I have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink'? Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I think not. So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, `We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do'" (Luke 17:7-10).
Under such demanding conditions of slavery, there might some who decide to be "runaways," seeking to serve their own interests, rather than those of the master. From the presumed hardship of Christianity, they escape to a life that only spells ultimate degrading doom. Having squandered their worldly inheritance, like the famous Prodigal Son of Jesus' parable, in the pig pen of contemplation they may again "come to themselves," and reason that the lowliest slaves in the house of the Father are better off, even in servitude. The determination to accept benign servitude is easy. The willingness to forfeit the status of "son" for "slave" seems worthy, and necessary.
The Christian who has a realistic view of his slavery to God and Christ learns that there is in this servitude the appearance of perfect freedom...freedom from sin...freedom from spiritual hunger...freedom from the Evil One. The Apostle Paul discusses the conditions of this freedom-type servitude in Romans 6:16-23. He says, "Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one's slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness. For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
The Apostle Peter shows this combination of freedom and slavery in this way. "For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men-- as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God" (1 Peter 2:15-16).
Freedom from sin is the grand prize of the Christian slave. Jesus proclaimed this, when he said, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." His hearers answered, "We are Abraham's descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can you say, `You will be made free'?" (They had wilfully forgotten the many periods of bondage that Israel suffered at the hands of their enemies.) Then Jesus answered them by saying, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed." (John 8:31-36).
An analogy of our condition can be seen in the story of Hagar in the book of Genesis. She was an Egyptian girl who was made a body slave to Sarah, the wife of Abraham. When Sarah perceived that she was unable to bear children in her advanced age, she offered her handmaid to Abraham as a surrogate. Abraham agreed, and made Hagar his second wife, with all the privileges pertaining thereto. Hagar conceived a child by Abraham, and, in spite of her former generosity, Sarah could not keep herself from being jealous. She treated Hagar so badly that the girl ran away. In the wilderness, however, an Angel of God found her, and sent her back to her mistress, and to slavery (See Genesis 16:1-16).
Hagar's condition, both as an honored wife, and a slave, can be compared to the Christian's dual role as an adopted child and servant. Our adoption is described by Paul in Ephesians 1:3-5, which reads, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will."
Servants of Christ can obtain "promotions" of a sort. Jesus told his faithful disciples at the Last Supper, "No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you." (John 15:15). Paul told the Galatian Christians of another promotion. "But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, 'Abba, Father!' Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ" (Galatians 4:4-7).
To be both a child of God, and His slave, seems to be contradictory, but these are figures which express to us the condition of being a Christian. The child of God is a "joint heir with Christ." But, at the same time, he is bound to a servitude that channels his thoughts and deeds. Paul writes, "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ" (2 Corinthians 10:3-5). To this, he adds in another place, "And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him" (Colossians 3:17). Everything the Christian does, therefore, is done "in the name of the Lord." He acts by His authority. This is the essence of servitude--obedience. Yet, it is the most profitable freedom that we can have. It is not the kind of freedom that feeds our excesses, but which restrains us from those things that can destroy our hopes.
This is a good point on which to end this essay on reality checks for Christians. Modern Christians have been too heavily influenced by conventional human wisdom. But Christ is to us "wisdom from God" (1 Corinthians 1:30), and the inspired James tells us, "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways." (James 1:5-8). He augments this instruction by asking, "Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy." (James 3:13-17).
No one who submits himself voluntarily in slavery to this wisdom need be disappointed in his decision. He rises above the wisdom of the world. He enjoys all the spiritual blessings of God. And, he will certainly be different from the common herd of men. If today, some Christians can hardly be distinguished from the worldly-wise, there needs to be a reformation. Paul's formula for this profound reformation is......
"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." (Romans 12:1-2).