Freedom and Autonomy are Not the Same Thing

Freedom is a difficult subject. We can be free from certain things, but we can never be free from everything (e.g., gravity; the need to breathe). We can be free to do certain things, but we cannot be free to do things contrary to our nature (e.g., fly like a bird). It is relative freedom, not absolute freedom. And we can have freedom from certain things that will allow us then freedom for certain things (e.g., giving up being single so one can be married).

Autonomy is something else. In different fields of study, these words, freedom and autonomy, can be defined differently. But thinking Biblically, what I’ve said about freedom fits. And while the word “autonomy” doesn’t occur in the Bible, it is communicated by the phrase, “every man did what was right in his own eyes” (Deut 12:8; Jdg 17:6; 21:25).

In our current society, freedom is being re-defined as autonomy. People think they should be able to to choose whatever they want, and, they expect the government to back up their rights to choose whatever. They believe they should answer to no one but their own feelings. And, the Christian community has not been immune. Many people now believe that the Body of Christ should bend to their beliefs, whether they are right or wrong; whether they are Biblical or not. And, in our current setting, we have not sufficiently developed the skill of clearly and kindly saying, “You are wrong, and this will not be tolerated.”

Now, coming back to freedom, the Bible gives some context about what it means to be free. One important point is that our freedom is found within the framework of a covenant. That is, by grace, God bestows favors (e.g., forgiveness) and privileges (e.g., service) upon those who find freedom in Christ. But that covenant does not give autonomy. It binds Christians in a web of wonderful relationships which carry special privileges.

Because it is a gracious covenant, Christians have the freedom to be gracious. But they are also bound to be gracious. An un-gracious, un-kind Christian is oxymoronic. Also, Christians find themselves loved with an infinite and everlasting love, initiated by God, which they did not earn or deserve; and that freedom carries with it not only the security of being loved but also the obligation to love even people who are most difficult to love. This is not autonomy. It is Christian freedom, according to the Bible.