If the Son Sets You Free, You Will be Free Indeed
October 31, 2017, marked the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. The Reformation is said to have started when Martin Luther posted his famous 95 Theses in 1517.[1] I celebrated this milestone with my house church in Islamic Africa. It was an inspiring day as we reflected on the Reformers’ sacrifices. It was not lost on us that similar persecution could take place in this generation when our Muslim friends choose to follow Christ and go against the religious teachings of their culture.
Luther was a crucial voice in the Protestant Reformation. He wrote and published multiple works throughout his lifetime. His boldness in speaking out against the teachings of the Catholic Church caused him to be put on trial for heresy. His pamphlet, The Freedom of the Christian, was the third of three “treaties” that He wrote in 1520.[2] If space allowed, I would love to explore the historical and cultural implications of The Freedom of the Christian in more depth. Instead, here is a quick summary.
When he wrote The Freedom of the Christian, Luther knew he was possibly facing a death sentence for heresy. The purpose of this last treaty was to help appease the papacy and smooth over some misunderstandings. In the opening letter addressed to Pope Leo X, Luther’s tone is respectful. This contrasts with his other writings, which have critical tones. Luther does not compromise his convictions and beliefs but presents them caringly and truthfully. It was also the first time he wrote an article in Latin and German. [3] Latin was the language he used for church-related communication to an educated audience. The German version allowed the common people to hear the truths Luther sincerely believed. This document became the most popular publication of the 16th century. [4]
The Freedom of the Christian presents two somewhat contradictory ideas that Luther believed were foundational to the Christian life:
“A Christian is lord of all, completely free of everything.
A Christian is a servant, completely attentive to the needs of all.”[5]
To the first point of freedom, Luther defends salvation through faith alone. He articulates that we are freed from our efforts to earn our salvation when, instead, through Christ, we are entirely justified. Salvation does not come from any outward works we may try.[6] In contrast, Luther writes that we have the privilege and duty to serve one another in love. Serving one another is not out of works for salvation but out of the freedom Christ has given to us through salvation. In response to serving others, Luther writes, “[Christian freedom] expresses itself joyfully and lovingly and results in the freest possible service. Satisfied with our own abundance of faith, we Christians serve the neighbor without any hope of reward.”[7] These points also have implications for Christian leadership: leading out of one’s identity in Christ and exhibiting servant leadership as Christ demonstrated.
Freedom from our works through “grace alone, faith alone, and Christ alone”[8] allows leaders to walk in their identity as followers of Christ. We do not need to prove anything. We do not have to work to earn favor with God. Christ did it all. We can lead in freedom through Christ. This freedom allows us to be a leader that Simon Walker would call undefended:
The undefended leader … aspires only to bring freedom wherever there is enslavement. At times, this results in the freedom to choose not to work, to choose not to be driven, to choose not to burn out. At other times, it issues in the freedom to exhaust yourself for the cause, to take huge risks, to set everything up to succeed or fail. What governs these choices is not self-preservation, or some notion of a stress-free and integrated life. Rather, it is born out of the conviction that only the radically undefended life is a free life; that only choices made to embrace the generosity of the world around us issue an abundant life.[9]
Freely serving those around us is a way we can live out servant leadership. In reference to Philippians 2:5-8, Luther calls his readers to follow Christ’s example of being a servant,
“Although Christ possessed the fullness of God and abounded in all good things—thus needing no works of suffering in order to be righteous or saved (for he had all of this from eternity)—nevertheless, he was not puffed up, nor did he elevate himself above us and assume power over us….He lived, worked, suffered, and died just like the rest of humanity… he did all this for our sake in order to serve us.”[10]
Jesus demonstrated humility and love that we can and should as servant leaders.
In conclusion, perhaps the most impactful leadership lessons are not found in the text of The Freedom of the Christian. Instead, they may be in the example Martin Luther lived in publishing this treaty. May I be a leader who is willing to speak up even to death for Christ’s sake and, in doing so, empower the least in society to hear.
_____________________________
[1] Melissa Petruzzello, “Ninety-Five Theses: Work by Luther,” in Encyclopaedia Britannica, August 23, 2024, https://www.britannica.com/event/Ninety-five-Theses.
[2] Dennis Clemens and Hannah Clemens, “Freedom by Faith,” History of the Book (blog), October 29, 2020, https://historyofthebook.mml.ox.ac.uk/2020/10/29/freedom-by-faith/.
[3] Clemens, “Freedom by Faith.”
[4] Revd Dr Andrew Atherstone, “Review: Martin Luther on Christian Freedom,” Church Society (blog), March 30, 2021, https://www.churchsociety.org/resource/review-martin-luther-on-christian-freedom/.
[5] Martin Luther, The Freedom of a Christian, trans. Mark D. Tranvik (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2008), 50.
[6] Luther, The Freedom of a Christian,” 55.
[7] Luther, The Freedom of a Christian,” 81.
[8] “Translator’s Introduction: Martin Luther’s Road to Freedom– A Survey of His Early Life and Teaching,” in The Freedom of a Christian, by Martin Luther (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2008), 13.
[9] Simon P Walker, Leading Out of Who You Are: Discovering the Secret of Undefended Leadership, The Undefended Leader Trilogy, Book 1 (Carlisle, UK: Piquant Editions Ltd, 208AD), 157.
[10] Luther, The Freedom of a Christian, 81-82.
About the Author
Kari
Kari is a passionate follower of Jesus. Her journey with Him currently has her living in the Sahara in North Africa. With over a decade of experience as a family nurse practitioner and living cross-culturally, she enjoys being a champion for others. She combines her cross-cultural experience, her health care profession, and her skills in coaching to encourage holistic health and growth. She desires to see each person she encounters walk in fullness of joy, fulfilling their God-designed purpose. “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” Romans 12:12 ESV16 responses to “If the Son Sets You Free, You Will be Free Indeed”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Kari,
I joke around with my Catholic friends and instead of wishing them a Happy Halloween, I wish them a Happy Reformation Day, these are only close friends who understand and appreciate my sense of humor. Given the culture and context that you currently live in do you feel that people there are more willing to suffer persecution or even death for Christ than those of us here in the United States (not that anyone wants to be persecuted)? I wonder if we focus too much on our freedoms (political) and not on the freedoms found in Christ.
Hi Jeff, That’s a great question. In my host country, the risk of persecution and mainly discord with one’s family is a massive hindrance to people accepting the Gospel. The few that do choose to follow Christ often do so covertly. For those who seem to have fully embraced the freedom Christ brings, yes, they are very willing to face persecution and share their faith boldly. I’d be glad to share more in person about the 20+ believers who were facing the death sentence last December. By God’s grace, they were miraculously released and have seen a lot of fruit since that time.
Kari,
I am sure there have been times that you have spoken into a situation that could’ve compromised your longevity and possibly your safety. Are you planning to use this book in your NPO? If so, how might it be helpful? If not, why did you choose it?
Thanks, Adam. I’ll start with your last question. I can’t remember exactly how I landed on this book. This summer, I tried searching for old texts on servant leadership, women leaders, health and leadership, etc. Somewhere along that search, I came across this title. Honestly, the main things for me were that the translation was easy to read, it wasn’t a massive text, and service was one of the main points. Reading and studying this text, it seems that God brought it into my path for my NPO project. The application for my NPO project lies in Luther’s efforts to speak the truth to those in authority, the cause of the problem he saw, and those under authority who were directly affected by the leaders. As I work on my workshop, I have been tempted to keep it in English, which would mean access to a more minor, higher-level education. This work (and a chat with Dr. M) has encouraged me to try to make even my research accessible to all people affected by my NPO.
Hi Kari,
What a remarkable ministry to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation with your house church in Islamic Africa. It is inspiring to read your post. You are very right about persecution when our Muslim friends choose to follow Christ and go against the religious teachings of their culture.
In what ways do the ideas presented in The Freedom of the Christian inform Christian leadership? How can these concepts of freedom and servanthood be applied in a leadership context today?
Hi Shela.
Thanks for your comment. Christian leaders must lead out of their identity in Christ, and they are called to be servant leaders, as Jesus demonstrated. The same principles are true in a secular leadership situation. These were things that stood out to me last semester in our readings as well: good leaders know where their identity lies, and good leaders serve those they lead.
Hi Kari, While this may not have been the main emphasis of your post your comment about Luther’s theses being written in German as well as Latin. I had forgotten that he did that. It brought me back 40+ years. When I was a young adult I was still a Roman Catholic and a group of recent college grads reconnected and wanted to have a Bible study. We were told by the church pastor that we were not aloud to do that without a priest present, who happened to be unavailable. It was the beginning of my exit from that system. Yet, centuries before, Luther did put the message of the Gospel into the hands of everyday people who were not educated to read Latin and would have had to rely solely on what someone else told them to believe. So my wonder is, how do you think the intentionality with which you are living your faith is impacting those around you. Thanks for your post and thank you for living out the Gospel through your actions even when you might not be able to use your words.
Thank you for sharing your experience, Diane. Perhaps the biggest thing I admire about Luther is that he translated his pamphlets and, eventually, the Bible into German. I don’t think we will ever fully know the impact of our intentional living here on Earth. My hope is that people see something different in me because my freedom and identity are through Christ and are nudged a bit more into that direction themselves.
Kari, it is not lost on me that every day you practice your faith in your country, you are indeed risking your life. Of course, that leads me to wonder how “free” you feel, in reality, even though you know you are truly free in your Christ-based identity? What comfort do you take from some of the books you’ve shared in this post?
Hi Debbie, thanks for your questions. I feel more and more free here living out my faith. There are a lot of factors that contribute to this– more language ability, cultural acquisition, and trust building with friends and those in government to name a few. Another factor is just my own spiritual growth and trust in my Savior. As that grows, so does my boldness and courage.
My biggest comfort truly comes from knowing my God supplies all of my needs wheverever I am and that He is sovereign over all.
Kari,
I so admire your courage (Elysse, too) for doing such meaningful work in hard places. For Muslims who are quietly questioning their faith, how do you handle those difficult questions about whether they will be accepted into heaven when they die? What nuggets of strength inspire you from Luther’s experience?
I want to talk more with you about this in D.C. 🙂
Jennifer, I cannot wait to spend time and talk in DC. Here’s a little teaser until we can talk more in-depth. When speaking with Muslims about the Gospel, I always use Scripture when answering their question. God’s Word never returns void (Isaiah 55:11). I’ve had hard conversations about Heaven because Jesus says He is the only way.
Luther inspires me because he changed his society by challenging the status quo of his day (and centuries before him). Those changes continue to affect our world over 500 years later. I wonder who in Luther’s life influenced him to be so bold. It gives me hope that each of us can equally change and influence our world.
Kari, thanks for your blog this week. It is informative and inspiring. It seems that people tend toward one or the other. Some exercise freedom, but for themselves. Other tend to sacrifice so much of their freedom in service to others that it harms them. What do you find most challenging, personally, about the juxtaposition of being both lord and servant?
Graham, thank you for your insight. You are correct that people tend to lean towards one side or the other. I tend to default to the “lord” side of the spectrum, but it often looks like serving (but with a self-serving motivation). I am thankful for the people God has brought into my life who can speak to this when I get off balance. They will ask me the motivation behind my actions, especially when they sense it isn’t from a God-honoring motive.
Hi Kari! I appreciate your reflections on Luther. In many ways he was brave and out of the box. Two mutual characteristics not emulated by many especially with death as a backdrop. I’m interested what your takeaway is and how can you utilize some of Luther’s style in your context. I know that sometimes speaking Christ in a foreign land can be considered heresy of sorts, but as you stand tall how do you see the worksand writing of Luther applicable in your own backyard?
Hi Daren, Thanks for your comment and great question. As I mentioned to Adam, I have been inspired by Luther to continue to make sure the message I am sharing is available to the general population, not just the privileged and educated. This means working in multiple languages (and continuously perfecting them). My simple takeaway is do not compromise especially when it comes to sharing the Truth in languages that are hard to speak and learn (one of my biggest challenges living overseas).