2 minute read
True Freedom
Most of the work we do in The Salvation Army is in response to people who have lost their freedom. This may be because of addiction; loss of financial freedom through debt, job loss or other circumstances; or the inability to be heard or to make good decisions.
In this edition of SALT you can read about the work the Army is doing to bring liberty to those who have no freedom. On page 8, Captain Sammy Millar is championing the cause of eradicating modern slavery and human trafficking. We like to think that slavery and trafficking happen in other countries, not in our four nations! Sadly, this is not true; the exploitation of people in our nations is a cold hard reality and a growing problem, particularly for immigrant populations who are vulnerable to coercion and deception.
Another form of slavery is slavery to a lifestyle of crime and addiction, which often leads to incarceration. Page 20 features the work of our Reintegration Services that offers a safety net for newly released prisoners. This vital service intervenes to break the cycle of repeated offending and offers hope to those who want to live life without resorting to crime, which is seldom victimless.
The loss of freedom comes at a cost to not only the victims but also the victimisers. Frederick Douglass, who was born into slavery in America and became a leading reformer and abolitionist, said: ‘No man can put a chain about the ankle of his fellow man without at last finding the other end fastened around his own neck’. This quote exemplifies the biblical imperative of Romans 6:23: ‘For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord’. Sin comes at a cost to those who choose to participate in it. The catch is we all have a sin problem. True freedom from sin only comes one way and that is through the cross and faith in Jesus Christ. He alone offers true freedom and liberation from the enslavement of sin and the invitation to align our lives to God’s will.
Freedom is not insisting on our own rights, but freely giving them up to be a servant to Jesus Christ and his people.
