Americans love freedom. The plea for liberty that convinced a band of men in Massachusetts to toss 342 chests of tea into Boston Harbor is written into the heart of every American. This country was founded on the idea that some guy living thousands of miles away has no right to authority over our lives. So, when someone tries to tell us what to do, we can quickly declare, “It’s a free country” and continue doing exactly what we were doing because of our certain inalienable rights.
Is it the same love of freedom that keeps so many from becoming Christians? In the minds of many, becoming a Christian means adopting a list of “do’s” and “don’ts.” They may even believe that Jesus really is the Son of God, but if they choose to reject Him, then they can continue living however they want with no commands. Or so they think.
Do we know that there is a command for non-Christians? Look at Acts 17:22-32. In this passage, Paul begins preaching to the Gentiles at Mars Hill. He reveals to them the truth that the God that was unknown to them is the one true God of the Bible. Though they don’t know Him, He has a command for them. Paul says, “Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent…” (v. 30).
Notice that this command is not just for the Greeks but for “all men everywhere.” Whether we like it or not, we are still under God’s command, and He demands that we change our lives. “…because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead” (v. 31).
If we think we are free because we resist the gospel, we are fooling ourselves. Everyone is a slave to something. In Romans 6:16, the Bible 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?” Choosing to go on sinning is not freedom at all. If we live in sin, then we have made ourselves captive to our base desires. And what will be the result of servitude to ourselves? Death.
True freedom does exist, however. But it is found in obedience to God. “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” (Rom. 6:22). Every man everywhere has a command to follow. We can either repent and follow Christ and obtain freedom from sin and death, or we can keep clinging to a false liberty that leads to destruction.