Freedom is Slavery

My high school history teacher hung a poster on the wall of his classroom with the statement "Freedom is Slavery" written boldly across it. Now the teacher meant it as a 1984, big brother sort of reference but as I was reading this morning's devotional all I could think of was how this contradictory statement is strangely true to Christian life.

Following Christ is the most freeing feeling I have ever experienced. Christ frees me from myself, from having to follow the narcissistic trends of society by instead offering the opportunity to look to others and to look to God. In Him I have found more peace, more acceptance than I have ever found through any other person or thing in this world. He frees us from the worries of this world by showing us a new world in Him.

And yet all of this freedom is in a sense a slavery. The apostle paul states in Romans 6:22 "But now you are free from the power of sin and have become slaves of God." Non Christians that I have spoken to often see Christians as slaves to the rules of religion, a people chained to limit themselves from pleasure and fun. And yet to those who follow Christ, any rules set before us by God are actually avenues to freedom. These "rules" free us from the power of sin so that we may bask in intimacy with God. Our slavery to the standards of God is in fact the most beautiful of freedoms.

In light of all this though I wonder, do I as a Christian portray the "rules" of a Christian life as a slavery to the law like the Pharisees did? Or do I portray slavery to God as a beautiful avenue to Christ and His love?

Every human is a slave to something. There is something in which every person bows down to as their master, something which trumps everything else in their life. Whether it is a job, school, sin, or Christ there is slavery. But only in Christ is that slavery truly freedom.