If you live in the States as I do, you’ve just finished celebrating the birth of our nation and the freedom and liberties that our Forefathers so bravely fought for.
Freedom is such a powerful word, the cry of the oppressed, the song of birds in flight, and the motto of the liberated.
But, what is freedom, and what should we do when we have this liberty?
Noah Webster in his 1828 dictionary stated one of the definitions of freedom as “A state of exemption from the power of control of another; liberty; exemption from slavery, servitude, or confinement.
Contrary to popular belief, liberty did not begin with Yorktown, the Magna Charta, or the Greeks. Freedom began two-thousand years ago when Christ Jesus sacrificed himself on a cross outside of Jerusalem to free all of humanity from the bondage of sin. This freedom that reached within the very hearts of men had to reveal itself in their lives, cultures, and governments.
Easily the most influential book in history, the Bible teaches us three truths regarding Freedom.
Freedom, Now What?
First, freedom can only proceed from submission to Christ. For we each must either serve God or replace him with something else; all men serve something. (Romans 3:23) For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; (Romans 6:18) Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness. (John 8:36) If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
Secondly, we were given freedom for a reason. Freedom is never something passive that we take, rather it is active and takes ahold of our entire lives. (1 Peter 2:16-17) As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God. Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king. This verse shows us that freedom should affect every area of our lives. Our Freedom should influence both the way we interact with our countrymen and the world at large. Also, it should dictate the ways and degrees we fear our God and honor our rulers.
“Is life so dear and peace so sweet to be purchased with chains and slavery?”
When Patrick Henry declared, “Is life so dear and peace so sweet to be purchased with chains and slavery?” When the Overmountain men rejected the British’s request to lay down their arms but instead fought for their freedom, they were expressing that they were free, and would not be made slaves. If you claim to be free but do not live expressing this liberty the reason may simply be that you are not free.
Finally, we were given freedom to serve and to love one and another. (Galatians 5:13) For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. Christ made it clear that all of the law can be summed up in these two commandments (Matthew 22:37-39) Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. The interesting thing is “love” can only be performed by a free people. To love is to reject the evil inclination of man, defy tyranny, and to embrace freedom. Apart from the grace of God, we can not be free.
To close, I give you the challenge to live 2018 making the conscious decision to be free and to act in love.
I hope you have enjoyed this article and our search into the demands that liberty puts upon us.
Until next time,