Lost touch
The sin by which man has bound himself is the determination to live fantastically, in pursuit of unreality. But freedom can be exercised only in relation to real possibility. Fallen man remains, of course, a being who goes through the motions of free decision, but he lacks that relation to the realities of the universe which could make such decisions effective for ‘perfect liberty’. Clearly the restoring of man’s freedom must involve his awakening once again to the reality of God’s creation as it is revealed in Christ. The work of the Spirit as ‘witness’ to the objective deed of God in Christ, and his work as ‘life-giver’ who restores freedom and power to mankind enthralled, are not two distinct works but one. For man’s thrall is precisely that he has lost touch with reality. (O’Donovan, Resurrection and Moral Order, p. 109)
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