The Cost of Freedom … (June 2021 Update)
Fifty-one men gathered together to make one of the most important decisions of their lives. Some had already sacrificed much up to this moment. Others were sacrificing much just by being present with these men. All knew that they would sacrifice much more in the years ahead – their fortunes, their homes, their families, and even their lives. Some were not even supportive of the direction they were heading. But all knew that what they were doing was essential if they were ever to have real freedom.
With this in mind, these men met together in Philadelphia to decide on a declaration of independence from Great Britain. After much debate, they voted 12-0 in favor of independence on July 2nd (with New York abstaining for the moment). The whole of Congress approved the final draft of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. The official signing took place on August 2nd. The mood at the signing was far from a celebration. In fact, the mood was very somber as delegates went one by one up to the desk to sign the document. Signer Benjamin Rush said they signed “what was believed … at that time to be our own death warrants.” The final line of the Declaration of Independence read: “We Mutually Pledge To Each Other Our Lives, Our Fortunes, And Our Sacred Honor…” Benjamin Franklin is reported to have said, “Yes, we must indeed all hang together, or most assuredly we shall all hang separately.” Such was the cost of freedom in 1776!
Most Americans today have forgotten the sacrifices that these men and many others made so that we can be free today. They think of freedom as “free” rather than something that was costly and fought for. Nearly 60 years ago, John F. Kennedy said, “The cost of freedom is always high, but Americans have always paid it. And one path we shall never choose, and that is the path of surrender, or submission.”
Freedom has never been “free.” Not here in America; not anywhere in the world. Ask Dietrich Bonhoeffer what freedom from Nazi tyrany cost him. Ask William Tyndale what freedom to print the Bible in the language of his people cost him. Ask any Anabaptist of the 16th century what it cost them to worship freely in their own manner. Freedom has never been “free” and it never will be. Ronald Reagan reminded us that “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.” Freedom is never free! It is always costly.
This was never more true than with the greatest emancipation in the history of the world. Nearly 2000 years ago, a carpenter from Galilee hung on a cross so that everyone who believes in Him would be free from the penalty and the punishment of sin. But, like most Americans today, most evangelical Christians celebrate their freedom in Christ without remembering the cost of that freedom. For us, this freedom is without cost. But it was not free – Jesus purchased our freedom with his own blood (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). It is free for us – but it was very costly for Him!
But we must also never forget the reason that we have this freedom. For many evangelicals today, the freedom they have through Christ now means that they are free from the law and they can do whatever they want. Paul confronted this thinking among the people in Galatia. In Galatians 5, he reminded them why they were set free. Here he reminds them of at least 3 things that their freedom in Christ does not mean.
First, it does not mean Freedom from OBEDIENCE. After criticizing the Galatians for wanting to return to certain aspects of the law (which would bring them back into slavery), in verse 13, Paul says, “You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh ….” We are no longer bound by the law but that does not mean that we should live without any regard to the holiness that the law brings. Believers are called to be holy (1 Peter 1:16). And holiness only comes as we look into the mirror of God’s perfect law (James 1:22-25). Christ sets us free so that we can live for Him – not so we can live any way we desire. Our freedom was costly to Him. He purchased us so that we might live for Him and honor Him by holy lives. Freedom in Christ does not mean freedom from obedience.
Second, it does not mean Freedom to do NOTHING. In verse 13, Paul continues this idea, “You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh rather, serve one another humbly in love.” Freedom has obligations. One of those is to use our freedom to help others. That has been one of the principles America has used when it became involved in foreign wars to help other nations. But Christian freedom also has requirements. It does not mean we are free to do nothing. It means that we should use our freedom to help others. Too many Christians view their salvation as “a get out of jail free” card rather than seeing their new freedom as a call to rescue others from the slavery of sin. And Christian freedom also sets us free so that we can use our new freedom to serve others. It certainly does not mean freedom to do nothing.
Finally, it does not mean Freedom from CONFLICT. Many think freedom means no conflicts. In fact, it usually means the opposite. The freedoms purchased for us by our founders bring our nation into constant conflict with dictators and enemies that seek to destroy our freedoms. Totalitarian governments hate free nations because freedom has the potential to spread to THEIR nations as well. This is a major factor in the current conflict in Ukraine. In 2014, Ukraine finally broke away from Russia’s sphere of influence. Putin and others have repeated made clear that the 2014 Revolution in Ukraine is a threat to its control over many other nations in the region. They are afraid that, if other nations see Ukrainian progress, they too will want to break free of Russian domination. So, Russia will do anything it can, including military operations, to prevent any success by a free Ukraine. Freedom does not mean freedom from conflict. In fact, it often leads to increased conflict!
When Christ set you free, you were indwelt with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is in constant battle against the sins of the flesh. That’s what Paul is talking about in Galatians 5:16-26. Freedom in Christ does not mean an easy life. Satan does not want the world to see the beauty of a person set free from his tyranny or they too might want to follow Jesus. So he does everything he can to create temptations and desires that are at odds with our new freedom from sin in Christ. Many Christians think that when they come to Christ, they will not have any problems. But the truth is that Satan will now work overtime to remove you from the spiritual battle by destroying your witness.
Paul warns the Galatians, “So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.” To follow Christ is to be in a state of spiritual conflict (war) with the flesh. But, if we walk in the Spirit, we will not satisfy the desires of the flesh. We do this by living in the Spirit (vs. 25) and by keeping in step with the Spirit (following His leading). But freedom in Christ is not freedom from conflict.
As we celebrate Independence Day, we need to remember that the freedom we enjoy was costly. And it has been costly through the years to maintain that freedom. Our freedom in Christ is also totally free for us. Jesus really paid it ALL! But it was not free – it was costly. As we think about our national freedoms this July 4th, let us never forget that Jesus paid the ultimate price by dying on a cross to pay for our sins. But never forget what that freedom means for us. It does not mean freedom to do whatever we want, but it means we are free to pursue holiness and to serve one another. And it certainly does not mean freedom from conflict. Remember, the flesh wages war against the spirit (Galatians 5:17; 1 Peter 2:11). We have been given a costly freedom – let us celebrate it and use it for the glory of the Lord and for the advancement of His kingdom!
Teaching Ministry …
We are nearly finished teaching Research and Critical Thinking class online. It has been a lot of work grading papers and meeting with the students, but we hope that it has been helpful for them. Hopefully this class will help student to write and communicate more clearly, not only in their seminary classes, but also as they teach the Word of God in their ministries.
Also, May was graduation for both seminaries. We had large graduations at both seminaries – Kyiv Theological Seminary (in Kyiv) and Ukrainian Baptist Seminary (in Lviv). Unfortunately, I was in the states and unable to participate in the ceremonies. But I praise God for each of these students and for the ministries that we will be involved in.
Time in the States …
Our time in the states has been good but busy. Some of the difficulty is related to my health issues. While I’m doing much better, I still have “episodes” once or twice a week and I am much more tired than normal.
Still, we have been able to spend a lot of time with family and we are very grateful for that. With the possible COVID passport issues that the EU and other countries are talking about, we might have trouble traveling for a while, until they get everything sorted out. So, we are very glad that we took this opportunity to come back to visit before things get more difficult.
In May, we also had a special opportunity to be involved in a training conference for a unique group of missionaries. The organization is called Global Serve International (https://globalserveint.org/our-work/) and their missionaries serve in countries that are not open to the gospel. So, these missionaries develop economic ministries so that they can share the gospel and plant churches. Their conference was held this year in Rogers, Arkansas because Sean (Meredith’s husband) was coordinating the event. I was able to sit in on some sessions and was really blessed by the teaching. But the best part of the conference was mealtimes with the missionaries. Katya and I were blessed by meeting some of these missionaries and hearing their stories. Check out their website if you are interested in knowing more about what they are doing!
We have also had a little time to spend with some friends that we have not been able to see – including some friends from my college days and friends from past ministries. We have been able to spend about 6 weeks in Arkansas, a couple of weeks in Florida and we plan to spend another week in Connecticut before we head back to Ukraine. Unfortunately, we have not been able to see everyone that we would like because our time is short. Hopefully, we will be able to re-connect the next time that we get back to the states.
Even with the shortness of times, we have gotten to do some pretty amazing things. One goal we had for this year was that our girls would have swimming lessons. They were able to take lessons in Fayetteville and then they have been able to swim almost every day in Florida. It has been a real blessing for us and quite an enjoyment for them!
We also got to spend some time with family at the Aquarium in Tampa. One real blessing for us has been seeing all the kids having time to actually play together instead of just talking online. We also have gotten to enjoy a few favorite restaurants, including Skyline Chili. We usually get to have Skyline Chili when we visited my dad in Ohio but since he passed away a couple years ago, we decided not to make an extra trip to Ohio this year. But … Skyline just opened up a new store just a few minutes from Joel and Ally in Florida! So we got to enjoy some Skyline Chili – in Florida!
Health Issues …
My health continues to improve but I continue to have ups and downs. I’ve been doing pretty good the few weeks we have been here, but I have still had a couple of pretty severe colon episodes and some BP problems too. We are seeing progress and improvement but, most of all, I am learning how to manage my health issues. My concern now is teaching in the fall. I’m not sure I have the strength to make it through 8 hours a day of lectures! But fortunately, I have been working on getting Ukrainian teachers to co-teach with me. My goal is to use this time to train and prepare them to be able to teach the classes by themselves. Be praying for me as I transition to a trainer of teachers over the next few years.
Pray for Ukraine …
Please remember to pray for Ukraine. Right now, there is a slight break from the conflict with Russia, but that can change at any time. It seems Putin is waiting to see what the EU will do regarding sanctions and waiting until after his meeting with Biden before he takes his next step. He likes to use threats of potential escalations when he is negotiating so we will have to see what he does after these meetings. But please pray for our students. We have many who are serving as chaplains and soldiers and others serving as pastors in the war-torn east. Pray for their protection but also for them to be able to continue their ministries during the on-going conflict.
We continue to pray for the US. I am shocked at what I am seeing in the US during our time here. It is hard to believe that so many businesses are desperate for workers, but so few want to work since the government is giving them so much money to not work. It is really sad to see. America has been one of the world’s unique experiments in freedom for so many years. And it has been a model of freedom that many have tried to imitate. Our freedom is one to the biggest reasons that so many immigrants are fleeing to America. But our freedom was costly. Our founders put their lives on the line so that we might enjoy our freedoms today. And many of our soldiers have given their lives, not only for our freedom, but also to secure the freedoms of many other nations in the world. We are grateful for America as we celebrate our Independence. But continue to pray that those freedom will not be lost in the coming years. Ronald Reagan once said, ““One day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.” I pray that people will realize what freedom costs and what it means to live in real freedom.
Thank you again for your prayers and support. This fall I begin my 26th year teaching in Ukraine and we are praying that the Lord will continue to bless our efforts to train men and women for ministry in Ukraine! Thanks for being our partners all these years!
By His Grace,
Jim, Katya, Kristina and Nadia
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