Freedom

“Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.  Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever.  So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed (John 8:34-36).”

If there is one word that sums up the United States of America, it is “Freedom”.  As the Declaration of Independence reads, “we are endowed by our Creator with the right to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness”.  Before I show that this is all wrong, let me say this.  I believe “All men are created equal” is the phrase that sparked the eradication of legalized slavery in every civilized country in the world.  For that, Thomas Jefferson should be honored.

Having said that, let me take on each of these in turn.  I believe Life is not a right but a gift from God.  Seeing it that way is the difference between feeling owed and being grateful.  We are saved by Grace through faith, that none may boast (Ephesians 2:8-10).  Feeling like your rights are being curtailed creates anger.  Feeling like you have been given a precious gift creates Gratitude, which in turn begets Joy (see Philippians 4:4-13).  

In America, “Liberty” has come to mean the right to do whatever you want.  Americans want freedom to have sex with whoever they want.  That is what the unfettered right to abortion is about - for women to have the right to have sex as indiscriminately as men do.  Additionally, we want to be free to eat whatever we want, so we now have Ozempic to make us thin rather than eating healthy and exercising.  Gambling is everywhere, and coincidentally, so are bankruptcies.  We legalize recreational drugs and a movement is growing to create safe havens for addicts to be able to shoot up safely.  Speaking of shooting, the right to own weapons of war must be kept, regardless of the harm owners of these guns continue to do, especially in schools.  These are just a few of the freedoms we cherish today.

But “Freedom” in Christ does not mean freedom to do whatever we want, but freedom from the spiritual consequences of our sin.  That is, we no longer are spiritually dead, no longer separated from God by our sinfulness.  Romans 6:1-2 reads, “What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! (Literally, “Hell no!”)  We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?”  Our response to receiving this GIFT must be gratitude.  We must be humbled by God’s Grace such that we forgive those around us, if not, we have not truly accepted His Grace and He will not forgive us.  Matthew 6:14-15 makes this clear.  And as Paul says, we must work to stop sinning, which means surrendering to the Holy Spirit and asking God to give us strength and courage to change.

And then we come to the “pursuit of happiness”, which has evolved nicely into Consumerism.  Earn more, spend more, accumulate more and you will be happy.  Sound like Jesus to you?  Gratitude brings Trust in God, which brings the Peace of God - not just a lack of conflict but wholeness, a sense of being complete and of being Home.  We do not get this by pursuing, but by surrendering our will to His, and thereby participating in His Victory.  

Therefore, the cause of the Revolution, Taxation Without Representation, is un-Biblical. And the inspiration of the new nation, the Declaration of Independence, is un-Christian as well. How about our beloved Constitution?