Freedom, and the guy at the gym …

I don’t know the guy’s name, but he’s one of the very few who are long-term regulars at my local gym.

Unlike so many, he actually focuses on his workout when he’s at the gym; at least he’s serious about his cardio workouts. Since I’ve only seen him at the end of my workouts, and then again on my way out, I don’t know if he engages in strength training at all, but he works up a serious sweat in cardiovascular exercise.

First, the elliptical machine.

Then he moves to the treadmill, where he really moves!

By the time I’m leaving, he’s drenched in sweat.

I’ve seen him come in, and workout hard, at least fives times a week for more than a year.

The result?

No visible results whatsoever. None. He’s as overweight today as he was a year ago.

You don’t have to be a Personal Trainer like myself to know something is wrong. If you’re engaging, earnestly and consistently, in good habits, you should see some fruit from your efforts …

Unless …

Unless, of course, you’re also engaging in bad habits that wind up negating a few good habits in life.

While it’s a good thing this guy has a certain consistent routine of exercise, it’s either not enough to accomplish even moderate change, or he has some bad habits — like poor or indulgent nutrition, no portion control, not enough rest and recovery, etc — that wind up diminishing or completely derailing the gains he could be making from the good habits.

That’s often the outcome many of us have in life in general when we misuse our freedom. We might decide to integrate some good habits into our life, but we’re not willing to get rid of some of the bad habits, behaviors, or desires that will wind up derailing any significant or permanent fruit from the good habits.

The Apostle Paul faced that issue with the Corinthian Christians. Thinking that being free people meant they could do anything they wanted, they tried to add to their claims of faith some deplorable behaviors, especially sexual immorality (among other sin). Paul corrected them:

“You say, ‘I am allowed to do anything’ — but not everything is good for you. And even though ‘I am allowed to do anything,’ I must not become a slave to anything,” 1 Corinthians 6:12.

When you allow yourself to become a slave to the bad thinking, and the bad habits, and the sinful desires and behaviors you’re not willing to give up, your freedom of indulging in such things impede, stunt, or may fully derail any potential fruit of some of the healthier, more appropriate choices you sprinkle in with your other desires.

The result is a “syncretic” life. Syncretism is the practice of mixing philosophical, religious, or cultural practices to have a “worldview” that is a hodgepodge of beliefs. That’s what some of the Corinthian Christians were attempting — to use their “freedom” to indulge whatever their desires were, mixing worldly views with what they were claiming about their new Christian faith. The problem is, that did not result in being free, but pulling back toward their old slavery to sin:

“Dear brothers and sisters, when I was with you I couldn’t talk to you as I would to spiritual people. I had to talk as though you belonged to this world or as though you were infants in Christ. I had to feed you with milk, not with solid food, because you weren’t ready for anything stronger. And you still aren’t ready, for you are still controlled by your sinful nature. You are jealous of one another and quarrel with each other. Doesn’t that prove you are controlled by your sinful nature? Aren’t you living like people of the world?” 1 Corinthians 3:1-3.

That’s the same issue we face in America today. Recent studies reveal that only four percent of Americans have a biblical worldview, and only six percent of people self-identifying as Christians have a biblical worldview (access a report from that study here). Also, only 37 percent of pastors have a biblical worldview, with syncretism being the leading view held by people and pastors in America today (read details of that study here).

We embrace syncretism because it falsely feels like it is the ultimate “freedom” — to do whatever we think, whatever we desire, whatever we want. That isn’t freedom, it will lead to slavery to sin, something we must not slide back to:

“So we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it,” Hebrews 2:1.

With regard to our freedom, the Apostle Peter gives us a call to action:

“So prepare your minds for action and exercise self-control. Put all your hope in the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, ‘You must be holy because I am holy,'” 1 Peter 1:13-16.

What are you doing with your freedom?

Scotty