Freed

There's a great story in the book of Acts in the New Testament about two men named Paul and Silas who were thrown into prison because, ironically, they set a slave girl free of her demon possession. Her "owners" were angry that they could no longer make money off of her, so they had Paul and Silas thrown into prision for being a public nuissance.

About midnight, something amazing took place. "Suddenly, there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once, all the prison doors flew open, and everybody's chains came loose" (Acts 16:26). I've read this story on more than a few occassions, but it wasn't until recently that I paid much attention to the details of this verse or the implications of it. Apparently, "all the prison doors flew open" and "everybody's chains came loose". Maybe you're sharper than me, but it wasn't until recently that I realized it wasn't just the praying, singing Paul and Silas who got their freedom that night.

When Paul and Silas were set free, so were all the other prisoners. Now this is pure speculation, but that could mean that, if God was responsible for this miracle, He also set free men who could have been thieves, political prisoners, sexual offenders, or even murderers. All freed. The gift of freedom showed no partiality that night.

This just flies right in the face of our understanding of Justice, which is directly tied into our thinking that people should get what they deserve. Apparently, God doesn't think that way. The word "prisoner" implies someone who broke the law and was found guilty. It doesn't just imply those "falsely accused" like Paul and Silas.

The truth about God is that He does demand justice, but He satisfies His own justice with His son Jesus. The guilty verdict has already been placed on humanity, but the pardon -- and the freedom -- has come through Jesus. Jesus really does set the guilty free...the condemned, those who intentionally broke the law. Jesus sets the prisoners free.

What about Justice? What we think about this word, I believe, tells us a lot about what we think about God. Our sense of justice is that if the law is broken, punishment must follow. Followers of Christ can be too quick to apply this sort of justice to the world around us. We have bought into this idea that man initiates with his sin and God responds with His justice (translation, punishment). My friends, this is legalism. It's easy for us to relish the moment when the guilty get what they deserve; very few of us would relish it if we got what we deserved.

The truth is that because God's mercy triumphs over His judgment (James 2:13), we live under a different formula of justice: God initiates with His love and grace, and we respond. God's justice is satisfied with Christ. It is a curse to live under the law (Galatians 3) and with legalism in our thinking.

I am not denying my guilt -- or anyone else's -- but I no longer live under condemnation or in a prison of legalism. I am not one of those who declares that I have been "falsely accused". I am very aware of the grace I am in need of, and I am grateful for it. This guilty prisoner is free.

There's a lot of discussion in America about what liberty is and isn't, and that is evidenced by all the cases that are brought before our Supreme Court. To me, liberty is cheapened when it becomes just this shallow notion that I can just do whatever I want. I think it's something much more profound. In my thinking, liberty is a gift from God as demonstrated in the gift of His son who died to set all men free. I have a lot in common with all those criminals who shared that prison with Paul and Silas.

Without merit, I have been given my freedom.

"He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous" -- Jesus (Matthew 5:45).