Freedom comes at no small price; of that we have been recently reminded. Friendly fire south of Kandahar, Afghanistan, resulted in the lost lives of four Canadian servicemen. They paid the ultimate price to perpetuate the freedom which we presently enjoy. John 15:13 tells us that, "Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." The currency of freedom in this world, therefore, is blood -- blood spilled by the laying down of life through the shedding of one's blood. Freedom in this country has been bought with the currency of blood, the blood of our forefathers and most recently of our contemporaries.
One might note that these minutes of freedom spent in this reading have been paid for with the most precious currency on this planet: blood. For blood is life (Leviticus 17:11). There is yet another freedom which has likewise been purchased by shed blood. This freedom is eternal and is purchased by the shed blood of God's Son. John 3:16 says that, "God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life." Hebrews 9:22 reminds us that, "Without the shedding of blood there is no remission of any sin." It follows then that without the remission of sin there is no eternal life. The currency of freedom eternally, therefore, is also blood -- the blood of Jesus.
The blood of the fallen over many greater and lesser wars, and of late the war on terrorism, all cries out. In Genesis 4:10, we can see that Abel's shed blood cried out from the ground. It has been likewise said by one writer that all innocently shed blood cries out to God for vengeance (H.A. Maxwell White). The toppling of the Twin Towers and the senseless loss of life in that attack embody a concerted effort to steal freedom not only from the United States but from the world. The effort to replace peace with terror is the essence of the evil which endeavors to rob the human of freedom within the theatre of his mind. Indeed dire consequences exist for lesser offenses. For example, Jesus says in Matthew 12:36 that, "Every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment." How much more will that hold true for the shedding of innocent blood.
True, not all of us are called to lay down our lives for our friends. Not all of us are called to shed our blood on this soil or on foreign sand for the cause of freedom. Nor are all of us called by God to lay down our lives on behalf of his gospel, though so many are. One source has estimated that since the 1950's some ten million Christians have been slaughtered as a result of their stand for Christ. The currency of eternal freedom for the lost and dying since the crucifixion of Christ still spills from the followers of Christ. They lay down their lives on behalf of the one they serve in their battle against the enemy of the souls of all who would otherwise perish. In thier living for Christ, they die as soldiers of the cross.
In light of the foregoing, what indeed is our work that "we might work the works of God?" In John 6:29 Jesus answers the question thusly. He says, "This is the work of God, that you believe on him whom he has sent." Although the currency of our freedom in this life is the blood of fellow men, the currency of freedom in eternal life for those who would believe is the blood of the Lamb of God: Jesus Christ. Will you beleive?