Freedom and Liberty
Freedom and Liberty
I prefer dangerous freedom over peaceful slavery." – Thomas Jefferson
So said the author of the Declaration of Independence.
ST Paul said it this way in his letter to the Galatians," 1Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
2Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. 3For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law. 4Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace. 5For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. 6For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love."
Why would anyone exchange their freedom for slavery? Sometimes slavery creeps in and is hard to spot. Of course the colonists in America felt that way as well. They were seeking to live without an oppressive taxation.
n 2 July 1776, the Continental Congress, comprising delegates sent by the legislatures of the thirteen colonies, voted to declare complete independence from British rule, and on 4 July the formal wording of the declaration (principally the work of Thomas Jefferson) was approved and the document signed.
"When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,
That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation upon such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness."
Jesus said in John 8, " If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed. And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."
Or even more pointed , " If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed." 8:36
One of the most meaningful times in my life was when I was in seminary in 1976 in Philadelphia. I had the opportunity to volunteer at the American Bible Society, and operated an old printing press and showed people as they came in how it worked. I printed out Bible verses. Right there a block away was the Liberty Bell. On the Bell is engraved these words from Leviticus 25:10, " ..Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof..."
If we are in Christ , we have freedom. We should never exhange freedom in Christ for slavery to rules, laws, and regulations that are not of the Spirit of God.
Freedom is bought with the precious blood of Christ, the price we could not pay. But proper freedom is expressed in love for God, each other and doing His commandments. It is not license to do whatever we want outside of the Ten Commandments and the will of God.
In October 1777, the British occupied Philadelphia. Weeks earlier all bells including the Liberty Bell were removed from the city. It was well understood if they left they would be melted down and used as fodder for cannon. The Liberty Bell was removed from the city and put under the floorboards of the Zion Reformed Church in Allentown, Pa.
We too are safe in the Church and in Christ whose is our Redeemer, Liberty and Saviour.
2. The Apostle goes on in this chapter 5 of Galatians to exhort the Galatians to live their calling:
" For brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion for the flesh, but by love serve one another....Walk in the Spirit..."
Again, how is it possible to believe yet be so of this world that we fall back into the world's way of doing things? This is where we are as Christians for we are not fully perfect in our own behavior. We are justified in Christ, and have His righteousness, but do not always live up to His calling.
The Liberty Bell rung at Independence Hall in 1776 was such a reminder for the colonists on July 8 as the Declaration of Independence was read. In the 1880's in the time after the US Civil War, the Liberty Bell travelled across different parts of the US to heal with its message of liberty. In 1915 it went all the way to San Francisco at the request of 500 school children. Its message of unity and liberty went all across the US westward and back to its place in Philadelphia as many stopped to visit it and look at it on its journey.
Perhaps we need that again in our land . We need healing again.
3. Stand fast. The verb is present imperative active. Stand fast, and continue to stand fast. It is a command to all. Stand fast in freedom that Christ has bought for you and me. We may say persevere is a good way to say it. Hold on to what is true and right in Christ in His Word.
It is a word we need for our time. We should not give in . I remember that when I was a child I received a book on Winston Churchill and I will always remember what he said as he fought the Nazis along with the rest of the British people, " “Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never—in nothing, great or small, large or petty—never give in, except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force. Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.”
― Winston S. Churchill, Never Give In! The Best of Winston Churchill's Speeches
Have a blessed July 4th. From the prayers of Peter Marshall, Reverend Peter Marshall (1902-1949) was Chaplain of the United States Senate. He emigrated from Scotland to American in 1927.
"Prayer for America"
Our Father, we pray for this land. We need Thy help in this time of testing and uncertainty, when men who could fight together on the field of battle seem strangely unable to work together around conference tables for peace.
May we begin to see that all true Americanism begins in being Christian; that it can have no other foundation, as it has no other roots.
To Thy glory was this Republic established. For the advancement of the Christian faith did the Founding Fathers give their life’s heritage, passed down to us.
We would pray that all over this land there may be a return to the faith of those men and women who trusted God as they faced the perils and dangers of the frontier, not alone in crossing the continent, in building their cabins, in rearing their families, in eking out a livelihood, but in raising a standard of faith to which men have been willing to repair down through the years.
Thou didst bless their efforts. Thou didst bless America. Thou hast made her rich. Wilt Thou also maker her good?
Make us, the citizens of this land, what to do the right things. Make us long to have right attitudes. Help us to be Christian in our attitudes. Let all that we do and say spring out of understanding hearts.
Make us willing to seek moral objectives together, that in united action this nation may be as resolute for righteousness and peace as she has been for war.
Bless those who bear responsibility. May they be led by Thee to do that which is right rather than that which is expedient or politically wise. Save us from politicians who seek only their own selfish interests. Illumine the minds of management as well as labor, that there may be an end to selfishness and greed, to the stupidity of men who are unable to find in reasonable agreement solutions to the problems that plague us.
Bless this land that we love so much, our Father, and help her to deposit her trust, not in armies and navies, in wealth and material resources, or in achievements of the human mind, but in that righteousness which alone exalteth any nation, and by which alone peace can finally come to us. This we ask in that name that is above every name, Thy Son, Jesus Christ, our Redeemer. Amen."Free
I prefer dangerous freedom over peaceful slavery." – Thomas Jefferson
So said the author of the Declaration of Independence.
ST Paul said it this way in his letter to the Galatians," 1Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
2Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. 3For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law. 4Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace. 5For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. 6For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love."
Why would anyone exchange their freedom for slavery? Sometimes slavery creeps in and is hard to spot. Of course the colonists in America felt that way as well. They were seeking to live without an oppressive taxation.
n 2 July 1776, the Continental Congress, comprising delegates sent by the legislatures of the thirteen colonies, voted to declare complete independence from British rule, and on 4 July the formal wording of the declaration (principally the work of Thomas Jefferson) was approved and the document signed.
"When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,
That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation upon such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness."
Jesus said in John 8, " If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed. And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."
Or even more pointed , " If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed." 8:36
One of the most meaningful times in my life was when I was in seminary in 1976 in Philadelphia. I had the opportunity to volunteer at the American Bible Society, and operated an old printing press and showed people as they came in how it worked. I printed out Bible verses. Right there a block away was the Liberty Bell. On the Bell is engraved these words from Leviticus 25:10, " ..Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof..."
If we are in Christ , we have freedom. We should never exhange freedom in Christ for slavery to rules, laws, and regulations that are not of the Spirit of God.
Freedom is bought with the precious blood of Christ, the price we could not pay. But proper freedom is expressed in love for God, each other and doing His commandments. It is not license to do whatever we want outside of the Ten Commandments and the will of God.
In October 1777, the British occupied Philadelphia. Weeks earlier all bells including the Liberty Bell were removed from the city. It was well understood if they left they would be melted down and used as fodder for cannon. The Liberty Bell was removed from the city and put under the floorboards of the Zion Reformed Church in Allentown, Pa.
We too are safe in the Church and in Christ whose is our Redeemer, Liberty and Saviour.
2. The Apostle goes on in this chapter 5 of Galatians to exhort the Galatians to live their calling:
" For brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion for the flesh, but by love serve one another....Walk in the Spirit..."
Again, how is it possible to believe yet be so of this world that we fall back into the world's way of doing things? This is where we are as Christians for we are not fully perfect in our own behavior. We are justified in Christ, and have His righteousness, but do not always live up to His calling.
The Liberty Bell rung at Independence Hall in 1776 was such a reminder for the colonists on July 8 as the Declaration of Independence was read. In the 1880's in the time after the US Civil War, the Liberty Bell travelled across different parts of the US to heal with its message of liberty. In 1915 it went all the way to San Francisco at the request of 500 school children. Its message of unity and liberty went all across the US westward and back to its place in Philadelphia as many stopped to visit it and look at it on its journey.
Perhaps we need that again in our land . We need healing again.
3. Stand fast. The verb is present imperative active. Stand fast, and continue to stand fast. It is a command to all. Stand fast in freedom that Christ has bought for you and me. We may say persevere is a good way to say it. Hold on to what is true and right in Christ in His Word.
It is a word we need for our time. We should not give in . I remember that when I was a child I received a book on Winston Churchill and I will always remember what he said as he fought the Nazis along with the rest of the British people, " “Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never—in nothing, great or small, large or petty—never give in, except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force. Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.”
― Winston S. Churchill, Never Give In! The Best of Winston Churchill's Speeches
Have a blessed July 4th. From the prayers of Peter Marshall, Reverend Peter Marshall (1902-1949) was Chaplain of the United States Senate. He emigrated from Scotland to American in 1927.
"Prayer for America"
Our Father, we pray for this land. We need Thy help in this time of testing and uncertainty, when men who could fight together on the field of battle seem strangely unable to work together around conference tables for peace.
May we begin to see that all true Americanism begins in being Christian; that it can have no other foundation, as it has no other roots.
To Thy glory was this Republic established. For the advancement of the Christian faith did the Founding Fathers give their life’s heritage, passed down to us.
We would pray that all over this land there may be a return to the faith of those men and women who trusted God as they faced the perils and dangers of the frontier, not alone in crossing the continent, in building their cabins, in rearing their families, in eking out a livelihood, but in raising a standard of faith to which men have been willing to repair down through the years.
Thou didst bless their efforts. Thou didst bless America. Thou hast made her rich. Wilt Thou also maker her good?
Make us, the citizens of this land, what to do the right things. Make us long to have right attitudes. Help us to be Christian in our attitudes. Let all that we do and say spring out of understanding hearts.
Make us willing to seek moral objectives together, that in united action this nation may be as resolute for righteousness and peace as she has been for war.
Bless those who bear responsibility. May they be led by Thee to do that which is right rather than that which is expedient or politically wise. Save us from politicians who seek only their own selfish interests. Illumine the minds of management as well as labor, that there may be an end to selfishness and greed, to the stupidity of men who are unable to find in reasonable agreement solutions to the problems that plague us.
Bless this land that we love so much, our Father, and help her to deposit her trust, not in armies and navies, in wealth and material resources, or in achievements of the human mind, but in that righteousness which alone exalteth any nation, and by which alone peace can finally come to us. This we ask in that name that is above every name, Thy Son, Jesus Christ, our Redeemer. Amen."Free
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