Liberty!

Liberty in today’s dynamic social and political climate is in danger of being redefined into something that is no longer liberty. The U.S. Declaration of Independence declares that “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness” is the unalienable rights given to all humans by their creator, and that these rights should be protected by the government (Thomas Jefferson). The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines liberty as:

The quality or state of being free:

1. The power to do as one pleases.

2. Freedom from physical restraint.

3. Freedom from arbitrary or despotic control.

4. The positive enjoyment of various social, political, or economic right and privileges.

5. The power of choice.

How do you define liberty? For many today, it seems that liberty has taken on a different definition, a definition that is confusing, ever changing, and not liberty at all. There are organizations that are fighting to abolish the police, prisons, and wanting to change the tax codes for the redistribution of wealth. These organizations also support the breakdown of the nuclear family and seem to follow many Marxist principles (that go against the Constitution). Is this the definition of liberty that we should support? With so many in the media endorsing the breakdown of the fabric of society (blindly), it is not surprising that we experience so much confusion over simple terms like liberty (these organizations win through confusion, intimidation, and ignorance on our part)!

I think many in the United States would define liberty as freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and the freedom of choice to do as one pleases (they would validate the Bill of Right - within the bounds of the law). But this is not how liberty is being defined nowadays. The current political climate is moving rapidly toward limiting liberty as defined by our founding fathers. These political organizations are redefining liberty to mean what they want it to mean (through confusion and intimidation). Further, large corporations are getting into the act, and pursing their political agendas, to match the agendas of limiting the freedom of speech, the freedom of religion, and other forms of freedom, as long as it enhances their bottom line. If we allow our liberty to be infringed upon, then America will no longer be America, and society will be slaves to those driving the change. These people do not understand or respect liberty (they serve their own agenda, not the agenda of the people). They desire to destroy freedom and liberty as defined by our founding fathers. They are obsessed by what they believe in, and are hungry for change. This hunger is driven by their need to get even and balance the scales of injustice as they see fit. They desire control, take pride in tearing down the American way, and would do what the mob wants them to do (many are slaves to sin). To make matters worse, they are attacking our liberty valued by Christian believers; they desire the total annihilation of the Christian faith. We must affirm that the Constitution, Bill of Rights, and Declaration of Independence were influenced by Christian principles.

John Adams wrote a letter to Thomas Jefferson on June 28, 1813 and said “The general Principles, on which the Fathers Atchieved Independence, were the only Principles in which, that beautiful Assembly of young Gentlemen could Unite, and these Principles only could be intended by them in their Address, or by me in my Answer. And what were these general Principles? I answer, the general Principles of Christianity, in which all those Sects were United: And the general Principles of English and American Liberty, in which all those young Men United, and which had United all Parties in America, in Majorities Sufficient to assert and maintain her Independence.”

“Now I will avow, that I then believed, and now believe, that those general Principles of Christianity, are as eternal and immutable, as the Existence and Attributes of God: and that those Principles of Liberty, are as unalterable as human Nature and our terrestrial, mundane System. I could therefore Safely Say, consistently with all my then and present Information, that I believed they would never make Discoveries in contradiction to these general Principles. In favour of these general Principles in Phylosophy, Religion and Government, I could fill Sheets of quotations from Frederick of Prussia, from Hume, Gibbon, Bolingbroke, Reausseau and Voltaire; as well as Newton and Locke: not to mention thousands of Divines and Philosophers of inferiour Fame.”

This proves without a doubt that the U.S. Constitution was founded on Christian principles (why then, are so many people lying about this)?

So, how do we continue to fight for our liberty? Specifically, our Christian liberty? First, we need to understand that those who do not believe in Christ are slaves to sin, slaves to their master, the world, and all its worldly desires. As Christians we need to remember that true freedom only comes through Christ and Christ alone (we must evangelize, share the gospel, pray, love our enemy, read scripture, and tell the world that sin is not okay and that Christ is the only way to true liberty).

As Christians how do we respond to this attack on our freedoms?

John 8:31-38 (RSV)

So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?” Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slaveto sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you. I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard from your father.”

To be free we need to abide in the Word of God (the bible) and seek Jesus.

Romans 6:15-23 (RSV)

What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification. For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

We have been set free from sin, and are now slaves to righteousness which leads to our sanctification and freedom in Christ (true liberty)!

Believers in Christ! We need to stand our ground when it comes to our liberties defined by our forefathers when they formed the United States. We all need to realize that those who want to take away our freedom are themselves slaves to sin, and desire nothing less than eliminating our way of life. They are relentless in this pursuit. We need to stand as a body of believers across the country, and across the world. We need to let these people know that we will never give in, and we will always fight with love and truth, and will never give up! Until that faithful day when Jesus returns.

Some wisdom along the journey:

Proverbs 24:10-12 (RSV)

“If you falter in a time of trouble, how small is your strength! Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter. If you say, “But we knew nothing about this,” does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who guards your life know it? Will he not repay everyone according to what they have done?”