God's Freedom: Free to be Bound

It is a rather undisputed fact that God is free. Things become more intriguing when we ask how God exercises this freedom. The following essay answers this question by starting with the New Testament narrative concerning Jesus Christ, who is believed to be the image of God (John 14:9). In Jesus Christ, God uses God's freedom to restrict Godself. God is free to be bound. Taking into account God's covenantal relationship with humanity and the act of creation, which can be interpreted as God's free decision in favor of an independent world, God's self-restriction appears to be a generous act of giving, determined by God's all-encompassing attitude of faithful love. God's free self-restriction is actually an act of self-fulfillment.