Free But Not Feral

There's a dangerous confusion spreading through modern Christianity—one that's been around since the earliest days of the church. It's the mistaken belief that freedom in Christ means we can live however we want, with no boundaries, no accountability, and no transformation. This confusion turns spiritual freedom into spiritual chaos.

The early church in Corinth struggled with this exact issue. They were a congregation full of spiritual gifts and genuine faith, yet they had become what we might call "feral Christians"—saved by grace but untamed by wisdom. They confused tolerance with maturity and mistook permissiveness for love.

The Corinthian Problem

Corinth was the Las Vegas of the ancient world—a port city known for sexual excess and moral permissiveness. The culture was so notorious that "to Corinthianize" became a verb describing hedonistic behavior. Temple prostitution was part of religious worship, and Roman society had normalized sexual relationships outside of marriage in virtually every form.

When people in this environment became Christians, they brought their cultural assumptions with them. They thought that because they were "free in Christ," nothing they did mattered anymore. The church became so confused about grace that they actually celebrated behavior that even non-believers found shocking.

The Apostle Paul confronted this head-on in his first letter to the Corinthians. In chapter five, he addresses a situation so egregious that he says, "I can hardly believe the report about the sexual immorality going on among you. Something that even the pagans don't do."

What was happening? A man was in a sexual relationship with his stepmother, and rather than addressing it, the church was proud of how accepting they were. They thought their tolerance proved how spiritual and grace-filled they had become.

Paul's response was clear: "You are so proud of yourselves, but you should be mourning in sorrow and shame."

The Yeast Principle

Paul uses a powerful metaphor: "Don't you realize that this sin is like a yeast that spreads throughout the whole batch?"

What we normalize becomes our culture. When a church celebrates what Jesus confronts, the entire community becomes confused about what following Christ actually means. The tolerance of destructive behavior doesn't just affect the individuals involved—it shapes what everyone in the community believes is acceptable.

This isn't about being judgmental or legalistic. It's about recognizing that love sometimes means saying, "What you're doing doesn't reflect the life Jesus died to give you."

Five Truths About Freedom

1. The Freedom in Christ Is Real

The gospel offers complete, undeniable freedom—not partial freedom or conditional freedom, but total liberation. We're free from guilt, shame, spiritual death, condemnation, the pressure to be perfect, and the fear that God will abandon us.

This freedom is like finally paying off a car loan and receiving that letter saying, "It's yours now." The debt is gone. You own it outright. That's what Jesus accomplished on the cross.

2. Freedom Without Formation Is Feral

Here's the danger: freedom without discipleship becomes destruction. If you're free in Christ but not being formed by Christ, you'll drift toward dysfunction.

Think of a feral cat that's brought indoors. It has safety, food, and shelter—everything it needs. But because it grew up on the streets, it interprets boundaries as attacks and sees structure as restriction. It hisses at the toaster, shreds the curtains, and creates chaos.

Some Christians are like that cat. Jesus invites us into his family, feeds us, protects us, and gives us purpose. But we're still feral—resisting correction, bristling at boundaries, and treating spiritual guidance like an assault on our autonomy.

The toaster isn't attacking you. It's making you breakfast.

3. Freedom Means Transformation, Not Indulgence

The world says, "Follow your heart." Jesus says, "Follow me."

The world says, "If it feels right, do it." Jesus says, "If it's true, live it."

The world says, "You deserve to be happy." Jesus says, "You deserve to be whole."

These aren't the same things. Happiness is circumstantial and temporary. Wholeness is deep, lasting, and transformative. Jesus doesn't free us so we can live wild—he frees us so we can live whole.

4. We're Called to Model Healthy Freedom

Freedom is personal, but holiness is communal. When we applaud what Scripture warns against, we disciple people toward dysfunction without even realizing it.

This doesn't mean shaming people or throwing stones. It means we can love someone deeply while not condoning choices that lead to destruction. We can walk with people through complicated seasons without blessing what Jesus calls broken.

Consider this hypothetical: Two people in separate marriages, both heading toward divorce for legitimate reasons, find each other before their divorces are final. They start developing an emotional and romantic connection—sharing intimacy that should be reserved for their spouses alone.

Even if they feel like God brought them together, even if they post their happiness on social media, this is at minimum emotional adultery. And when we hit "like" or comment "So happy for you guys," we're condoning something Scripture clearly identifies as wrong.

We can love people without celebrating their dysfunction.

5. Jesus Frees Us to Become Who We Were Always Meant to Be

The gospel doesn't just save us from our past—it shapes our future. Jesus doesn't want us reckless; he wants us redeemed. He doesn't want our lives chaotic; he wants us called. He doesn't want us self-led; he wants us Spirit-led.

This is the beautiful purpose of freedom: not so we can do whatever we want, but so we can become who we were created to be.

Living Free But Not Feral

So where does this leave us? With an invitation to honest self-examination.

Are there areas in your life where you've confused freedom with license to do whatever you want? Where have you justified something Jesus wants to heal? Where have you confused "I feel this" with "God is in this"?

The more we let Jesus shape us, the more our freedom actually makes us whole.

We're called to live in both freedom and wisdom. Grace and growth. Acceptance and accountability. Love and truth. Compassion and clarity. Restoration and responsibility.

This isn't easy, but it's possible through the Holy Spirit living in us. When we position our hearts to hear Him and follow His leading, we discover that boundaries aren't restrictions—they're the framework for flourishing.

We are free but not feral.

That's the gospel invitation: to walk in the freedom Jesus purchased for us while being transformed into His likeness. To experience liberation that leads to life—not just any life, but life to the full.