Anxiety is the dizziness of freedom. —Søren Kierkegaard
Modern Christianity has done a poor job of presenting grace.
I hear this often. “Grace is fine, but don’t take it too far because then you’ll fall into sin.” This could also be spun, “Jesus is awesome, but don’t trust Him too much because then you’ll fall into sin.”
Really? Jesus will lead us into sin? Or is it that He will lead us among the sinners? Look deeper in Galatians 2:17-18,
“But if, in seeking to be justified in Christ, we Jews find ourselves also among the sinners, doesn’t that mean Christ promotes sin? Absolutely not! If I rebuild what I destroyed, then I really would be a lawbreaker.”
For the Jews—or church people—of Paul’s day, to find themselves among the sinners meant sharing meals with them. This was law-breaking. This was dancing. This was unheard of before freedom through Christ. When I am justified—or set free—in Jesus, I will start dancing in ways I always believed were… well, “too free.”
Perhaps then, if I am wondering whether or not I’m marching or dancing, I should take a look around me. Who are my fellow dancers? Do I find myself among people outside my tribe?
Or does everyone else on the dance floor dance just like I do?
One fear of freedom is that it will land us in a pit of sin. But Christ who is sinless and perfect has filled me with His Spirit. I live life through the Spirit. I dance in the Spirit. My freedom is surrendered to the Spirit. Thus, if I’m walking in the Spirit, I’m not walking in sin.
I can be sharing the dance floor with others whose freedom in Christ challenges my own.
Lord, guide my feet to Your music today as I move among those who need to see You. Open my eyes to the way You are moving through others. Is there something they can teach me about Your dance? Amen.