This is the second reflection I have written for the recent Central & Eastern European Bible Commentary, a project of Langham Literature.

FREEDOM

When God in his sovereignty created human beings in his image, he gave them the precious gift of freedom as a means of attaining their God-given potential. As such, freedom is primarily an ontological concept which also has important ethical implications. With freedom came responsibility, so humans were free to choose either good or evil, but they could not avoid the consequences of their decisions – their choices were real and weighty. This also meant that genuine freedom could not be absolute; it involved limits. One person’s freedom could not infringe on another person’s freedom. Moreover, God’...