Liberty

 

Isaiah 61:1-3 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.

 

The Hebrew word for “liberty” here is “dᵊrôr” meaning freedom; hence, spontaneity of outflow, and so clear: liberty, pure. This privilege of liberty is brought to light every Independence Day when Americans celebrate their Freedoms. The opposite of liberty is captive slavery. Liberty is so central to America’s essence; it’s who we are as a free sovereign nation. Founding Father Noah Webster defined the word “Liberty” in his 1828 Dictionary of the English Language as: 

1. Freedom from restraint, in a general sense, and applicable to the body, or to the will or mind. The body is at liberty, when not confined; the will or mind is at liberty, when not checked or controlled. A man enjoys liberty, when no physical force operates to restrain his actions or volitions.

2. Natural liberty, consists in the power of acting as one thinks fit, without any restraint or control, except from the laws of nature. It is a state of exemption from the control of others, and from positive laws and the institutions of social life. This liberty is abridged by the establishment of government.

3. Civil liberty, is the liberty of men in a state of society, or natural liberty, so far only abridged and restrained, as is necessary and expedient for the safety and interest of the society, state or nation. A restraint of natural liberty, not necessary or expedient for the public, is tyranny or oppression. civil liberty is an exemption from the arbitrary will of others, which exemption is secured by established laws, which restrain every man from injuring or controlling another. Hence the restraints of law are essential to civil liberty.

The liberty of one depends not so much on the removal of all restraint from him, as on the due restraint upon the liberty of others.

4. Political liberty, is sometimes used as synonymous with civil liberty. But it more properly designates the liberty of a nation, the freedom of a nation or state from all unjust abridgment of its rights and independence by another nation. 

5. Religious liberty, is the free right of adopting and enjoying opinions on religious subjects, and of worshiping the Supreme Being according to the dictates of conscience, without external control.

 

Patrick Henry from a speech he made to the Second Virginia Convention on March 23, 1775 “For my own part, I consider it as nothing less than a question of freedom or slavery; and in proportion to the magnitude of the subject ought to be the freedom of the debate. It is only in this way that we can hope to arrive at truth, and fulfill the great responsibility which we hold to God and our country. Should I keep back my opinions at such a time, through fear of giving offense, I should consider myself as guilty of treason towards my country, and of an act of disloyalty toward the Majesty of Heaven, which I revere above all earthly kings. … 

 

Shall we gather strength by irresolution and inaction? Shall we acquire the means of effectual resistance by lying supinely on our backs and hugging the delusive phantom of hope, until our enemies shall have bound us hand and foot? Sir, we are not weak if we make a proper use of those means which the God of nature hath placed in our power. The millions of people, armed in the holy cause of liberty, and in such a country as that which we possess, are invincible by any force which our enemy can send against us. Besides, sir, we shall not fight our battles alone. There is a just God who presides over the destinies of nations, and who will raise up friends to fight our battles for us. The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave. Besides, sir, we have no election. If we were base enough to desire it, it is now too late to retire from the contest. There is no retreat but in submission and slavery! Our chains are forged! Their clanking may be heard on the plains of Boston! The war is inevitable — and let it come! I repeat it, sir, let it come.

 

It is in vain, sir, to extenuate the matter. Gentlemen may cry, Peace, Peace — but there is no peace. The war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!”

 

Liberty is God’s will for His people. But, those who oppose God sovereign authority and control will wage war on this liberty, so [in the words of Patrick Henry] we must fight! I repeat it, sir, we must fight! We must maintain our “declaration of independence” and defend our Constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic. It is a battle between godly patriotism and godless globalism on the surface, but truly a spiritual battle for the hearts, minds and souls of every liberated by God individual; a battle between God’s light and rebellious darkness of sin and unbelief. Liberty is spiritual discerned as “set free from the bondage of sin”, so means nothing to the unregenerate sinner. The Lord Jesus proclaimed in John 12:46 “I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness.” The ultimate liberty is found in “Salvation”. In God We Trust.

 

Cherish Liberty!

In Christ, Brian

Happy Independence Day 2024

 

Celebrating the Declaration of Independence, the solemn declaration of the Congress of the United States of America, on the 4th of July 1766, by which they formally renounced their subjection to the government of Great Britain. A sovereign nation.

 

The 1828 Webster’s dictionary defines the word “independence” as: 

1.  A state of being not dependent; complete exemption from control, or the power of others; as the independence of the Supreme Being (God).

2.  A state in which a person does not rely on others for subsistence; ability to support one's self.

3.  A state of mind in which a person acts without bias or influence from others; exemption from undue influence; self-direction. Independence of mind is an important qualification in a judge.

The celebrating the Declaration of Independence is also a celebration of Dependence Day of Almighty Creator God and His Providence over this "One Nation Under God, Indivisible with Liberty and Justice For All". We depend on God.

Psalm 62:5-8 says, “Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him. Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.

 

Happy Independence Day to you and yours. 

May God bless you, and may God bless America!

May our nation declare its dependence upon Almighty God, may America bless God and may godliness and holiness reign upon this country and the world.

 

Liberty in Christ, Brian

 

Bloom Where You are Planted

 

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” The Apostle Paul echoes this instruction in his letter to the Romans 12:12 saying, “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” 

 

The statistics show that in my lifetime tribulation in our nation and in the world has been increasing with ethics on the decline and unethical behavior on the increase, morality on the decline and immorality on the increase, law-abiding on the decline and crime on the increase, decency and sexual boundaries on the decline, while indecency and promiscuity increase. All of these are based on a standard by which they are measured against, and in the nation where “IN GOD WE TRUST” that criterion is the Word of God, the Holy Bible. The laws set forth in the U.S. Constitution did not emerge out of a moral vacuum unrelated to the writers' own beliefs, but rather are the product of the reasonings of those who created it. By their own words, the Founding Fathers were not neutral on the question of religion as the basis of government and society.

 

Noah Webster , writer of the 1828 American Dictionary of the English Language stated, "The moral principles and precepts contained in the scriptures ought to form the basis of all our civil constitutions and laws. All the miseries and evils which men suffer from vice, crime, ambition, injustice, oppression, slavery, and war, proceed from their despising or neglecting the precepts contained in the Bible." All Americans of that era held to the commonly accepted morals, ethics and standards of behavior derived from English Common Law, which drew from biblical law given to the Hebrews by God. The Word of God in the Holy Scriptures provided the standard by which all was measured against for Civil government. 

 

Founding Father, First Vice-President and Second President of the United States John Adams stated, "Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious People. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." This remark captures the belief that virtues like honesty, industriousness, and piety were essential. Without these, the safeguards of liberty could not stand. That is why John Jay, the First Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court  “Providence has given to our people the choice of their ruler, and it is the duty, as well as the privilege and interest of our Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers. 

 

But, the circumstances are that not everyone knows the living God, believes in God or follows His standards of life, given in His God-breathed Book of Life, and atheistic secular humanist will cause tribulation in rebellion against the standards of their Creator. As Judges 21:25 says, “every man did that which was right in his own eyes.” Without God to set the standards by His commandments, statutes and Law, they are a law unto themselves. And since the Lord Jesus explained to us in John 3:19-20, “this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed, we see evidence of the unregenerate sinner actively working to oppose, challenge and criminalize the light of truth in the Word of God. It is a war of God then and now that battles on daily in this fallen world.  

 

The Greek word for “tribulation” is “thlipsis” meaning pressure, oppression, affliction, tribulation, distress, straits, trouble, anguish, persecution and burden. In John 16:33 Jesus tells us, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have tribulation. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Ephesians 2:8-10 proclaims, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” The world is disintegrating morally, ethically and spiritually, and needs to find salvation at the foot of the Cross. 

 

Jesus came to save the world from There is no greater need then to bring the light of truth in Jesus Christ into the darkness of this lost and dying world. Everyone sees the cultural chaos and the loss of society’s moral compass. Despite tribulation because of conviction, keep ministering the Gospel of forgiveness and salvation in Christ alone as Savior and Lord. No matter what the circumstance, bloom where you are planted. Eternal souls are at stake.

 

In Christ, Brian