A great post over at The Institute for Faith Work and Economics by Art Lindsley. He begins:
The predominant note of the New Testament is not political freedom but freedom in Christ from bondage to sin, the Law, Satan, the old man, and death.
It is not that political freedom or freedom from slavery was unimportant, but that there was an even deeper bondage that had to be overcome first of all. With the Greeks, the problem was with the mind, but in the New Testament, the problem was the bondage of the will. The problem is that even if you were politically free, you could still be in bondage.
I like how he doesn’t downplay the importance of political freedom, but rather points out that there is something even more important. This is a good balance — it is not necessary to look down on good things in order to affirm the best thing. That is a helpful, holistic perspective.