I’m no slave!
Yes you are. To something or someone.
Why? Watch our Truth in Two to find out (full text below, with link).
Subscribe to MarkEckel.com (here). Find the MarkEckel.com YouTube Channel (here). Mark is President of The Comenius Institute (website). Dr. Eckel spends time with Christian young people in public university (1 minute video), teaching at Indiana University Purdue University at Indianapolis, and interprets culture from a Christian vantage point (1 minute video). Consider becoming a Comenius patron (here).
Picture Credit: Luke Renoe, Snappy Goat
FULL TEXT
Shawshank Redemption. Uttering those two words brings an immediate reaction among movie fans. In almost every single listing of best movies, Shawshank is ranked number one. I am in full agreement. I never tire of that exceptional film. Yet, I wonder how many folks know what “redemption” means.
“A story of redemption” is a line peddled to advertise movies and TV series. And for good reason. Everyone loves a redemption story even if they are unsure of where the word “redemption” originates. In the Bible, “redemption” means that I have been purchased off the slave market of sin. That is exactly the metaphor in Romans chapter six. You see, throughout human history, people have been placed on an auction block to be sold as slaves. Paul uses that picture for humans in sin, our separation from God. To be redeemed in the Bible means to be set free from the shackles of sin, free now to freely serve the one who has bought our release, namely, Jesus.
Being “slaves to sin” is not the starting point in our culture. No. “I’m a good person” is where most folks begin. I have lost count of the number of times I have heard that line from neighbors, associates, acquaintances, or from characters in a movie. The statement, “I’m a good person,” does four things for me. One, I get to say what is good. Two, I will evaluate myself by my own standard. Three, my goodness assumes that bad must exist, though I’m not bad. And, four, others outside cannot judge me.
Take for example, a Psychology Today article entitled, “How to Know if You’re a Good Person.” The suggestion is made to “define what a good person is in 3-5 words and rate yourself on this continuum.” Again, humans set the standard and get to evaluate whether or not they measure up, by their own standard. There is no redemption, no release from sin, guilt, and shame; because if we are guilty, we cannot redeem ourselves. I love a good redemption story in movies. But there is no true redemption in this life apart from the saving grace of Jesus. For Truth in Two, this is Dr. Mark Eckel, president of the Comenius Institute, whose redemption is found in the person and work of Jesus.