Freedom & Liberty: God-Given, But Needing God-Followed To Be Fulfilled
Word-Of-The-Day: ‘Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.’ (2 Corinthians 3:17)
As we are a week past our Independence Day, which we celebrate Freedom (the release from the control of an authoritarian and its oppressive constraints through and by its force, regulation and taxation) and Liberty (the ability through freedom to pursue goals and opportunities without interference from others) in the United States.
In our great American aspect, we are free to pursue whatever we desire our vocation to be, to live where we want, and to follow our own path in beliefs – both politically and religiously.
Our rights are inalienable, defined in the Bill of Rights. We have the freedom and liberty to do our ‘own thing’, at least in theory. But is that a true statement? There are limitations, when our pursuits begin to interfere and infringe with the pursuits of others.
One cannot (or should not) impose their will upon others. However, it happens, especially over the course of history we have seen – even in America – one party, through legislative or executive fiat, imposing their ideals upon the other, unless there is compromise.
In politics, compromise is a good thing. In Christianity, we cannot compromise the Word of God to appease the secular stances that oppose it. From a secular standpoint, we are never really free, either, due to the limitations imposed. We espouse freedom in the United States and we definitely have more freedom here than many places within the world, although this can change rapidly.
Today the pendulum has swung to favor a more conservative and moral stance, there are still limitations in what we can do – some for our protection, some for someone else’s hold on power.
There are still many in our nation leaning left toward socialism, restrictions through promoting their flavor of ‘democracy’ (but only in their favor, without compromise), and censorship through ‘politically correct’ speech. Leaning too far to the left, or the right, ultimately leads to a form of totalitarianism.
Even today, try to retire without enough funds to pay for medical care, or attempt to cut down a tree or put up a shed in your yard and you realize you are not as free as believed. We all answer to someone secularly while we breathe air – the IRS, the City of North Port, Charlotte County, or your HOA President (‘your mailbox is 2 inches too high and it’s the wrong shade of beige’).
We are limited in our freedoms through our physical conditions. A person in North Korea doesn’t have hardly any freedom, while I’m certain someone in the Alaskan wilderness has as much freedom as their weather and resources allow. Our bodies, talents, and available resources can also limit us. When I retired I was free from the corporate world, but of course am now limited by age (can’t fight time), financial status, and (with age) worsening health issues.
Despite these limitations, this is where we as Christians have an advantage. We don’t believe in the secular worldview as we do not belong to this world, but instead belong to Jesus, as we have accepted Him as our Lord.
As Christians, we know our instructions from Him; obey Earthly governance up to where it begins to contradict God’s Word. Of course, God knows this and has answered this through Jesus’ teachings (“Give Caesar what is Caesar’s, and give God what is God’s…”, in Matthew 22:21).
In obeying Christ, we have a freedom that is due to us thanks in fullness to Jesus. That freedom, like all of our freedoms, has limits. (Don’t yell ‘fire’ in a movie theatre unless there is truly a fire; don’t slander, etc.) We are free, but only up to where we begin to contradict God’s Word. But we are free from sin, from death, from our mortal bodies, and from Hell through Christ.
Don’t despair in what your calling is or your current situation; God is in control and He has a plan. For your worldly future, God wants you to BE PREPARED, BE AWARE, and PLAN ACCORDINGLY. But beyond that which is secular in its control, you are free with Jesus and in Jesus!
