Freedom Is Not Free!

by Bobby Witherington (edited by permission)

Yesterday our nation celebrated the 239th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, a declaration signed on July 4, 1776. In essence, this declaration amounted to an announcement to the world that the American Colonies were declaring themselves free and independent states, being completely absolved of any allegiance to Great Britain. The Revolutionary War had already begun over a year prior, on April 19, 1775, with “the shot heard round the world” when Colonial troops clashed with British soldiers at Lexington, Mass. This war officially ended eight years later when, on September 3, 1783 “the United states and Great Britain signed the final peace treaty in Paris.” The last paragraph of the Declaration of Independence contains these words, “And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our Sacred Honor.” Fifty-six brave men, pledging to each other their lives and fortunes, signed the Declaration. The youngest signer was Edward Rutledge, age 26, the oldest signer was Benjamin Franklin, age 70. Two of the signers went on to become Presidents, John Adams (2nd President), and Thomas Jefferson (3rd President). However, all signers signed the Declaration, knew full well that the penalty would be death if they were captured. Five of them were captured by the British and were tortured before they died. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons in the Revolutionary War. More could be said regarding the sacrifices other signers made, but enough has been said to establish the point intended.

The political freedom we enjoy today is freedom obtained through warfare, and which has been maintained through warfare, costing the lives of hundreds of thousands of brave men and women. The sacrifices they made for the freedoms we enjoy serves as irrefutable evidence that freedom is not free. Doubtlessly the most famous line in the Declaration is the second paragraph which states, “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.” Please note, “all men are created,” and “are endowed by their Creator.” They appealed “to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions.” The signers of the Declaration believed in, and affirmed by their signatures, that there is a “Creator”! The first paragraph mentioned “nature and nature’s God.” The last paragraph mentioned “Divine Providence;” in fact, the signers thereof referred to their “firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence”! These men were not atheists! They believed in God! They relied on “divine Providence”! It is evident that these men were seeking freedom of religion, not freedom from religion!

It is inconceivable that any one of them could have envisioned an America where a teacher could be fired for having a Bible on his or her desk, or a student suspended from school for having the audacity to tell another student about Jesus! I am thankful to be an American, a citizen of a nation long extolled as “the land of the free and the home of the brave.” I am thankful to be able to travel from state to state without having to stop at every state line to show my passport. I am thankful that I can still assemble with God-fearing people and worship God in keeping with His revealed will. But I have grave concerns for our nation! The Bible clearly says that “righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people” (Proverbs 14:34). Study the book of Judges, and you can’t help but take note of the fact that when the Israelites became caught up in both idolatry and immorality they invariably suffered the dire consequences. The northern kingdom, Israel, was later carried away into Assyrian captivity, (II Kings 17), for those very reasons. The same was true of the Southern Kingdom, Judah, which later was carried away into Babylonian captivity (II Kings 25, II Chronicles 36). With reference to the nation of Israel, and other nations mentioned in the Bible, there seems to have always been a correlation between the freedoms they enjoyed and the faith and morality of the people, or the captivities they endured and their lack of faith and morals. Neither individuals nor nations can successfully circumvent God’s law of sowing and reaping (Galatians 6:7)!

Are morals in America in decline? Consider the facts and judge for yourself! Around 50 percent of all marriages end in divorce. A recent study reveals that three of four women in the U.S. had been living with a partner without being married by the time they reached age thirty. Currently almost half of first babies are born to unwed mothers. Since 1973, over 54 million innocent babies have been legally aborted (murdered!) while still in the womb. Ninety percent of young people have been exposed to pornography. Young people, in school, need a parental signature to get an aspirin or to go on a field trip, but not to get an abortion.

On Wednesday, June 26, 2013 the U.S. Supreme Court “gave the nation’s legally married gay couples equal federal footing with all other married Americans.” As a nation, we have “switched from moral absolutes to situational morality.” Columnist Walter Williams was quoted as saying, “Today’s Americans have betrayed the values that made us a great nation, and this does not bode well for future generations.”

On Friday, June 26, 2015 the U.S. Supreme court ruled by a 5 to 4 vote that the Constitution guarantees the right to same-sex marriage. The N.Y. Times reported that Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr. said, “… If you are among the many Americans … who favor expanding same-sex marriage, by all means celebrate today’s decision … Celebrate the achievement of a desired goal. Celebrate the opportunity for a new expression of commitment to a partner. Celebrate the availability of new benefits. But do not celebrate the Constitution. It had nothing to do with it” (Adam Liptak, June 26, 2015).

As a nation, morally, we have plummeted to such a degree that one student of both the Bible and history was quoted as saying, in essence, that “if God doesn’t punish America He will have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah!”

Such moral conditions are not new. Man has always been a slave to sin and a bondservant of the devil! Prior to their obedience to the gospel, the saints at Rome had been “slaves of sin” (Romans 6:17). Jesus said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin” (John 8:34). In II Timothy 2:26 the apostle Paul voiced his desire that certain ones would “come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will”! Yes, multitudes have been “taken captive by” the devil; they are doing “his will,” and they are slaves to sin! Consider for example the sex addict, the drug addict, the alcoholic, etc.; these people are not just addicts, they are slaves, and they are so morally deviant and so biblically ignorant that they are even unaware of the extent of the slavery to which they have submitted their own hearts and lives! However, freedom for these is available! Jesus said, “you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). Writing to the saints at Rome, the apostle Paul said “the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death” (Romans 8:2). The same apostle admonished the saints at Galatia to “stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage” (Galatians 5:1).

Spiritual Freedom is Not Free! As we noted earlier, our political freedom was purchased at a great price; it has cost the blood of countless thousands of young men and women. Spiritual freedom also was purchased by blood; specifically, by the blood of Jesus Christ! Jesus purchased the church with “His own blood” (Acts 20:28). Jesus “gave Himself for” the church (Ephesians 5:25). Writing to Christians, Peter said, “you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, … but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (I Peter 1:18-19). The word “gospel” literally means “good news.” Good news is the antithesis of bad news. The bad news briefly summed up is this, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23), and “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). The gospel, the good news, is this: sinners can be forgiven; they can be cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ, they can cease being “slaves of sin,” and become “slaves of righteousness”! How? By obeying “from the heart” the saving gospel of Jesus Christ (Romans 6:17-18; I Corinthians 15:1-4). Such obedience involves hearing the word of God which produces faith (Romans 10:17; Acts 2:22), believing the gospel (Mark 16:16; Hebrews 11:7), repenting of all sin (Acts 17:30), confessing one’s faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God (Romans 10:9-10; Acts 8:37), and being “baptized into Christ” (Galatians 3:27), “for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:38). Upon so doing, by godly living and faithful service to God, one, having thus been made “free from sin” (Romans 6:18), can “stand fast … in the liberty by which Christ has made” him “free” (Galatians 5:1). Friend, don’t be a slave to sin! Seek the freedom which only Christ can give!