EVERY CAPTIVE MAY BE FREE

Former U.S. Marine officer Trevor Reed, following three years of captivity at Russian hands, was released Wednesday, April 27, 2022, in a prisoner swap in Turkey.  As of this writing (April 28, 2022), he is back on American soil [1

The release followed “months and months” of negotiation between U.S. and Russian officials [2].  Despite tensions between the two countries relative to the ongoing war in Ukraine, the release appears to have gone smoothly.

“I’m going to try not to cry, because he doesn’t want me to cry,” Trevor’s mother told reporters following word of her son’s release. “I’m going to cry a little bit, give him a big hug, and just, you know, give him hugs, and it will be the four of us together again for the first time (for the first time) in a few years, so it’s going to be great” [3].

Two other Americans are still detained in Russia, and the release of Trevor Reed has revived hopes that they too will be granted freedom in the not-too-distant future [4].

Reflections

Unless one has had a family member or close friend released from such circumstances, it is difficult to appreciate the joy and relief that surges just now in the hearts of Joey and Paula Reed, and of their son most of all.  At a time when the news cycle is nearly always dominated by negative, even heart-searing reports, to have good news topping the headlines and TV broadcasts is truly refreshing.

But none who cherish the greatest of all good news—the Bible’s message of eternal salvation—can miss the metaphor in a story such as this.  One can’t help recalling the words of Jesus, citing the prophet Isaiah in the synagogue at Nazareth, as He declared His mission to “preach deliverance to the captive” and “to set at liberty them that are bruised” (Luke 4:18). 

The word “deliverance,” in the above verse, is actually the same Greek word translated forgiveness in such passages as Ephesians 1:7 and Colossians 1:14.  This underscores the fact that God’s forgiveness is not merely the legal cancellation of one’s sinful record, but represents also the deliverance of the soul from the bondage of sin.  Thus Ellen White declares in the following statement:

God’s forgiveness is not merely a judicial act by which He sets us free from condemnation.  It is not only forgiveness for sin, but reclaiming from sin.  It is the outflow of redeeming love that transforms the heart.  David had the true conception of forgiveness when he prayed, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” Psalm 51:10 [5].

Truly, there are spiritual captives all around us, chained to destructive and sinful practices just as surely as Trevor Reed was locked in the prison from which he is now free.  It’s easy to dwell on some of the more obviously egregious habits—smoking, drinking, drugs, pornography, spousal and child abuse, and others.  But what about those behaviors some may see as more benign—loss of temper, impatience, overeating, gossiping, and many more?  What of those bound by racial bias and material greed, who fail or refuse to see the wrong in such choices? 

The gospel of grace in Holy Scripture is a liberating force for all of these, for those who submit and surrender to the power God’s Word provides.  Sadly, unlike Trevor Reed’s involuntary captivity, the choice to sin is ours to accept or refuse.  Those in bondage to evil habits have forged their own fetters.  But through the mercy and power offered in the Bible, the choice for liberty is set before us.  Through the grace of God and our diligent, divine-empowered cooperation, freedom and a new life are available to all.

“Every Captive May Be Free”

When news of Trevor Reed’s release was broadcast Wednesday morning, the chorus of the following hymn—one of my favorites—came to mind:

            Blow the trumpet, trusty watchmen!

            Blow it loud o’er land and sea!

            God commissions sound the message

            Every captive may be free [6].

May we all, through word and deed, become God’s trusty sentinels, sounding the trumpet of gospel liberty to all who submit to heaven’s liberating grace!

 

REFERENCES

1.  Jennifer, Hansler, Kylie Atwood, Radina Gigova, and Anna Chemova, “American Trevor Reed is back in the U.S. after being released from Russia in prisoner swap, his mother says,” CNN April 28, 2022 https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/27/politics/trevor-reed-russia/index.html

2.  Ibid.

3.  Ibid.

4.  Ibid.

5.  Ellen G. White, Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, p. 114 (italics original).

6.  “Watchmen Blow the Gospel Trumpet,” Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal, No. 368.

Pastor Kevin Paulson holds a Bachelor’s degree in theology from Pacific Union College, a Master of Arts in systematic theology from Loma Linda University, and a Master of Divinity from the SDA Theological Seminary at Andrews University. He served the Greater New York Conference of Seventh-day Adventists for ten years as a Bible instructor, evangelist, and local pastor. He writes regularly for Liberty magazine and does script writing for various evangelistic ministries within the denomination. He continues to hold evangelistic and revival meetings throughout the North American Division and beyond, and is a sought-after seminar speaker relative to current issues in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. He presently resides in Berrien Springs, Michigan