Freedom, Choice and Slavery, by John Carberry

The four hundred years of slavery in the desert for the Israelites foreshadow the choices that God
gives us daily. The book of Genesis begins with creation, first the material aspects of the
universe and concluding with the creation of humanity. Adam and Eve are given free choice,
obedience to God or rejection of his authority, the tree of life or the tree of knowledge of good
and evil. We know humanity’s answer to this first choice, rejection. Along with the human
response and disobedience come the consequences: division, pain, suffering and death (Gn 3:15-
19).

For the Israelites in Egypt during the time of Moses, the consequences of slavery were not easily
understood. Why did God make them suffer under a foreign power through the rod of the
taskmaster and the heavy hand of Pharaoh. Perhaps they could not recall how their parents felt
no remorse when they unjustly sold their own brother into slavery several hundred years earlier
(Gn 37:26-28).

Why is freedom, choice, and slavery such common issues in the world. If we were not given the
alternative of doing evil, would this be a better world? Two films released in the last fifty years
seemed to take on this question. In Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978), alien beings attempt
to take over humanity and reduce it to what would more generally reflect plant life. Emotions,
choice, and error are all withdrawn as humanity follows a vegetative pattern. Steven Spielberg’s
A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001) has a similar theme. How can choices, including wrong
choices, be programed into a robot with human features. Both films show us how choice (free
will), is an essential part of the human soul which gives humanity superiority over plants,
animals, and robots. Without this free will, humanity would no longer have the capacity to love,
or to accept the good or superior choice over the bad or inferior one. This choice often involves
sacrifice of the one party to enhance the life of the other party.

To be free, one must be given choices, but selecting the better choice can only result from an
intellect guided by both reason and revelation. Reason is that part of the soul that sets us above
the animal and plant world and guides us toward what is right. Revelation adds another
dimension, where God, who is not finite and sometimes seems incomprehensible, can only be
understood when he enables us (Mt 11:27).

What attributes allow one person to discern God’s word while another misinterprets it? Adam
and Eve are the first ones to choose foolishly. Deceived by Satan, they look at what they think is
pleasing to the eyes, makes them like God, and increases their wisdom (Gn 3:5-6). In other
words, pride makes them equal to God in their own eyes, and they are drawn by the inferior parts
of the soul, the senses and the appetites, at the expense of the superior parts of the soul, reason
and right judgment. Pride factors in at the Tower of Babel, where the people once again desired
to make a name for themselves, leading to God confusing them in their language and scattering
them over all the earth (Gn 11:4-9). John’s Gospel regarding the man born blind compares our
lack of understanding to the plight of the blind man. When Jesus heals the man born blind, the
man not only improves in vision, but also in understanding. He first recognizes his healer as the
man called Jesus (Jn 9:11), then a prophet (Jn 9:17), later a man from God (Jn 9:33), and finally
as Lord (Jn 9:38). Christ then contrasts this development of understanding by the man born
blind with the deterioration of understanding by the proud Pharisees, who claim to understand
the wisdom of God (Jn 9:39-41).

Saint Paul argues that our slavery to this world is inferior to the much greater freedom offered to
us from Jesus Christ (Gal 4:7, Rom 8:14-17). In Galatians, Saint Paul presents an allegory that
compares the two covenants (Old Testament and New Testament) to the two sons of Abraham,
Ishmael born of a slave women and Isaac is the child of the promise (Gal 4:21-31). Ishmael was
in the shadow, Isaac in the light. Isaac is conceived through faith contrary to all hope. Born of
Abraham, one does not receive the heritage; the other is the heir. Ishmael are all those who have
for God only a carnal worship, and they belong to the old covenant. Ishmael belonged to the
earthly kingdom, Isaac to the heavenly kingdom. The old covenant has earthly promises, an
earthly Jerusalem, Palestine, salvation, victory over enemies, numerous sons, and abundant
fruits.1 These promises point to a heavenly home with eternal life promised after victory over
evil and a productive and fruitful spiritual life, similar to the promised land, flowing with milk
and honey to a people who are obedient to God (Ex 3:8).

In Romans, Saint Paul discusses that when we are baptized, our sinful body is done away with
that we might no longer be in slavery to sin (Rom 6:1-11). We are slaves of the one we obey,
whether of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness (Rom 6:16).
Jesus Christ has freed us from sin and made us slaves to righteousness (Rom 6:18), which leads
to sanctification and eventually to eternal life (Rom 6:20-22).

Similarly in Hebrews, our trust in Christ means his death has freed us from the one who has the
power of death, or the devil, and freed those who through fear of death have been subject to
slavery all their life (Heb 2:13-15). Since Christ was tested through his suffering, he can help
those who are being tested (Heb 2:18).

Choosing good over evil is therefore guided by the rules of Old, but natural in those who have
accepted Christ in the spirit of humility. The spirit of wisdom, understanding, counsel, strength,
knowledge, piety and fear of the Lord (Is 11:1-3) are graces that we receive at Baptism, and they
are developed through our Confirmation with the help of the Holy Spirit. Knowledge comes
from Sacred Scripture. The inspiration of the Holy Spirit gives us understanding. The Church is
our counsel. When we follow the example of Jesus, we exhibit holiness or piety. Fear of the
Lord leads us to be among the few who enter through the narrow gate of righteousness rather
than those who follow the wide gate of evil that leads to destruction (Mt 7:13-14, Lk 13:24).
Strength comes from being faithful. Practicing all of these virtues leads us to the wisdom that we
need to make proper choices. We must submit to the authority of Christ, as interpreted by the
Church, when we apply it to the choices in our lives. Since “God is love” (1 Jn 4:8, 16), when
we follow the example of Jesus, we see why the freedom to make right judgments makes
humanity far superior to a plant or a robot because this freedom to choose the good overcomes
our previous slavery to sin.

John Carberry is the author of Parables: Catholic Apologetics Through Sacred Scripture (2003) and
Sacraments: Signs, Symbols and Significance (2023).



1 Augustine, Saint, Psalm 119: The Ascents of the Christian, 7, Augustine of Hippo, Selected Writings, translated by Mary T. Clark. New York:
Paulist Press, 1984), p. 208.