Posts
There is a social sphere of life that plays into a balanced, holistic healthy lifestyle. But, just like any other area of life, the social life can be imprisoned by sin and brokenness. In order to understand how Jesus sets us free socially, we need to understand how sin imprisons us socially. What does it look like?
Status.
The social sphere of our lives is all about how we engage with and move within the rest of our society. Born into this world, depending on what our birth order is, our personality type, and our love language and style, we battle the ever present onslaught of "should" and "could". What this means is that our sinful nature always cries out for what "should be ours" or what "could be ours", which the world is constantly telling us to pursue. We desire to have stuff, we desire to have position, we desire to have recognition. And, most of the time, the reason is so that we feel better about ourselves when we engage with others in our social spheres. It's called "keeping up with the Jones's"; or if you happen to be the Jones's, "Maintaining status."
We are enslaved to sin socially when our desire to have status keeps us from experiencing Jesus' purpose for our lives. It can spill over into financial bondage, emotional bondage, and vocational bondage as well; but it's true power is usually rooted in our social bondage. We cannot engage the world with the identity Christ purposed for us if we are so concerned with engaging the world for the purpose of being what it has purposed for us. They will always be in direct conflict. One is of the natural order - the "old creation". The other is of the spiritual order - the "new creation".
In order to experience freedom socially, we have to be brutally honest with ourselves. We have to be able to admit where the world and other people control our idea's of what is fair and appropriate for our lives. We have to discern where other voices are deciding for us how we engage with them and the rest of the world according to their rules instead of Gods.
And then, we give it up.
There is only one status in this world that matters, and it has to do with the only real throne that matters. That throne is in Heaven and the only true King and Creator of all status sit on it. The only status that matters is the status that is granted from that throne by His hand. Many of us have forgotten that there is a purpose for our lives that comes from that Throne. We do have a freedom in finding and growing into it; but nonetheless, our redemption comes at a cost of surrendering our lives, socially as well as physically and spiritually, to His purposes.
Christ died to give us Freedom. He, and others, have shown us that we can have an abundantly fulfilling life if we choose to embrace the social freedom he has given us as well. Life abundantly. That is what He makes available to us. Trust His way for it. He will give you status that matters.
With you for His glory,
