Liberty and Justice

                                                                                                    

Photo by Martin Falbisoner 2013

As we in the United States of America look forward to celebrating Independence Day, we give God thanks for our great nation, founded on Christian principles and blessed by God throughout the years since her birth on July 4, 1776.

Our Pledge of Allegiance to the flag recognizes that we are one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Being under God and being near to Him is what makes our nation great, as we learn from:

Deuteronomy 4:7 For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the Lord our God is in all things that we call upon him for?

Despite the cultural, socioeconomic, and ideological differences among Americans, if we remain indivisible, or united as a nation under God, we can gain great strength from one another. There is strength in numbers when we work together (Ecclesiastes 4:12). Our diversity gives us strength, much as God uses the unique gifts, talents and resources of each member of His Body, the Church, to serve a specific function in His kingdom (Romans 12:4-5; 1 Corinthians 12:14-27).

Our sin nature often results in discord where there should be unity, but only God can bind us together under His leadership, protecting us from all enemies. As the apostle Paul wrote: If God be for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31).  

God is the source of all our nation’s blessings, for blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord (Psalm 33:12). Whatever problems and challenges our country may be facing, God has promised to heal our land if we humble ourselves, turn away from our sins, and pray for His blessing:

2 Chronicles 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

As the Pledge of Allegiance reminds us, the USA is blessed to have liberty, or freedom, in many areas of life, and one of her great goals is to have equal justice for all. True liberty and justice are possible only through our Lord Jesus Christ, once we have trusted in His death, burial and resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) as the only Way to Heaven (John 14:6).

Isaiah prophesied that through the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ would proclaim liberty to those held captive by sin, death, and hell, and that He would open the prison doors of all those enslaved (Isaiah 61:1). How was this possible? The Son of God, God Himself, came in the flesh and died as the perfect, sinless, atoning sacrifice to pay in full the penalty of our sins, reconciling sinful man to Holy God (Romans 3:25; 5:10; 2 Corinthians 5:18-20).

He then rose again on the third day, so that all who trust Him would find perfect liberty in Him (2 Corinthians 3:17), meaning eternal life in Heaven (John 3:16) as well as abundant life on Earth (John 10:10), beginning at the moment of salvation. We are not to insult His precious gift of liberty by becoming legalistic (Galatians 5:1), thinking that we can add to His completed work on the cross (Hebrews 10:10) through religious rituals or good deeds (Ephesians 2:8-9). Nor should we restrict the freedom of others to worship and serve Him according to their unique personalities, talents and preferences, provided they are not in conflict with His Word, for He created and gifted each of us for His specific purpose (Ephesians 2:10).

God is perfectly holy, just and righteous, and fairly administers justice equally to all people. God cannot lie (Numbers 23:19; Titus 1:2); He is all-knowing (Psalm 139:6); and Jesus Christ is Truth personified (John 14:6). His justice is therefore perfect, yet tempered by mercy (Psalm 89:14). Perfect peace, judgment and justice await Christ’s reign in the Millennial Kingdom and will continue forever (Isaiah 9:7).

The apostle Paul tells us that God considers all His children who have trusted His Son Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior to be equal in Him, regardless of race, nationality, sex, or social status (Galatians 3:28), and James and Peter write that God is no respecter of persons, meaning that He loves and judges all fairly and equally (James 2:1,9; 1 Peter 1:17).

Thanks to the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Christ, all who trust Him can have true liberty from the penalty of sin, which is death and eternal punishment in hell. He satisfied the judgment for our sin required by His perfectly holy, just Father. He will reign one day in perfect justice.

Praise God that Jesus Christ rose from the dead, so that all who trust Him can experience true liberty in Heaven from even the presence of sin! Our glorified bodies will live forever with Him and with our loved ones in Him, without aging, death, pain, sorrow or sin!

Copyright 2025 Laurie Barclay

Independence Day

 

Photo by Amaury Laporte 2020

On July 4, the United States of America celebrates Independence Day, commemorating signing of the Declaration of Independence. This document, drafted by Thomas Jefferson and approved by the Continental Congress on July 2, 1776, proclaimed independence of the thirteen American colonies from British rule.

As important as July 4 is in our US national history as a celebration of liberty from tyrannical oppression, an even more crucial date in the life of every Christian is their spiritual birthday. At the moment we were born again (John 3:3-8), we trusted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, Who died on the cross to pay our sin debt in full and rose again on the third day (1 Corinthians 15:1-4), so that all who believe in Him have eternal life (John 3:16).

On that date of our second birth – our spiritual Independence Day – we trusted the One Who came to proclaim liberty to the captives (Isaiah 61:1; Luke 4:18), to free us from the tyrannical rule of the devil, to break the shackles of sin and death. Yet, our independence from Satan, sin and death is accompanied by our realization that we are totally dependent on the God Who knew us from before the beginning of time (Psalm 139:13-16) and has an amazing plan for each of us (Jeremiah 29:11; Ephesians 2:10).

We cannot live apart from Jesus Christ any more than a branch can grow grapes when cut off the grapevine (John 15:5). Without Him, we can do nothing, but with Him, all things are possible! (Matthew 19:26). It is only when we come to the end of ourselves, realizing our complete helplessness to free ourselves from sin (Ephesians 2:8-9), that we can let go and let God! Jesus Christ completed His work on our behalf on the cross (John 19:30) and rose again. All we need to do is to accept His freely given gift of salvation (Romans 6:23) and believe He is Who He says He is.

One of the most widely quoted excerpts from the Declaration of Independence is: "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."

The truth that there is a Creator God (Isaiah 40:28; 1 Peter 4:19) is indeed self-evident, as His infinite wisdom and power are implicit in the magnificent design of His creation (Psalm 19:1). Scripture teaches us that all who deny this are without excuse (Romans 1:18-20).

In an ideal government, all are treated equally, following the model of Christ’s rule over His Kingdom. We are one in Christ Jesus, regardless of race, gender, family heritage, worldly power, status, or education (1 Corinthians 12:13; Galatians 3:28). As God is love (1 John 4:8), Christ loves each of His children infinitely, meaning that He could not love any one of us any more than He already does, and hence, He loves each of us the same amount.

Not only did Jesus Christ create each of us, and everything else, but He gifted each of His children with rights that nothing and no one can take away from us. If God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31). Nothing and no one – no person or power -- can separate us from the love of God, throughout all space and time (Romans 8:35-39). We are kept in the hand of Jesus Christ, which is kept in the hand of God the Father (John 10:28-29), which is sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13; 4:30).

What do our unalienable rights as born-again Christians include? God has transformed us from His enemies (Romans 5:10) and children of the devil (John 8:44) to His friends (John 15:13), ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20), children (1 John 3:10), betrothed, beloved (Ephesians 5:25), and joint-heirs (Romans 8:16-17) with His Son the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Declaration of Independence refers to the unalienable Rights of Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. Christ came to give us not only eternal life with Him in Heaven (John 3:16), but abundant life (John 10:10) here on earth, for He gives us richly all things to enjoy (1 Timothy 6:17).

Liberty in Christ means that we are freed from a legalistic adherence to the law that cannot save us (Romans 8:3) but can only show us how far we have gone astray (James 1:22-23). No man can keep the law perfectly, for all are sinners, and if we break even a part of the law, we would be found guilty of breaking the whole law (James 2:10-13).

Jesus held us to an even higher standard, saying that our very thoughts and words, and not only our deeds, could condemn us. If we look at someone with lust, it is as if we have committed adultery in our hearts, and if we lash out in anger against someone, it is as if we have murdered him (Matthew 5:21-30).

But Christ gave His followers liberty from sin and death. We are now freed from the power of sin, for the Holy Spirit within us provides the way to refrain from sin even when we are tempted (1 Corinthians 10:13). We are freed from the penalty of sin, which is death (Romans 6:23), and one day in Heaven we will even be free from the presence of sin, for our glorified bodies will be unable to commit sin (Jude 24-25; 1 John 3:2).

Yet liberty from sin is not license to sin – as the apostle Paul says, God forbid!  (Romans 6:1-2; 14-18). Although Christ has washed away our sins in His own blood (Revelation 1:5), paid our sin debt in full (Colossians 2:13-14), and clothed us in his perfect righteousness (Isaiah 61:10), we are to honor Him by following the law of Christ. This is to love God above all and to love one another, treating each other as we would like to be treated, for all the laws given to Moses are summarized in this one commandment (Luke 10:27).

Our Founding Fathers promised us the right to the pursuit of happiness, which depends largely on our external circumstances. Yet Jesus Christ promises us the joy of His salvation (Habakkuk 3:18), and the peace that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7), which are far better. No matter what trials we may face, we can have true joy in our Father’s love (1 Peter 1:8), the Holy Spirit within us (Galatians 4:6), and our best Friend (Proverbs 18:24) Who will never leave nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). We can rejoice in our living and blessed hope (1 Peter 1:3; Titus 2:13), meaning the anticipation of our wonderful and sure destiny. 

John Adams, one of the Founding Fathers, wrote to his wife Abigail that Independence Day “ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty.” As Americans celebrate with parades, fireworks, and barbecues, may we take time to worship and thank God not only for the freedom we enjoy as a nation, but for our spiritual freedom from sin and death through the sacrifice and resurrection of His Son!

© 2023 Laurie Collett

Freedom or Captivity

 

As we in the United States prepare to celebrate Independence Day,  honoring our freedom from English rule and the birth of our new nation, may we never forget to thank God for that freedom. May we humbly pray for His continued protection from all enemies and evil, guidance, mercy, love and grace.

May we especially remember our Lord Jesus Christ Who freed us from the captivity of sin (Romans 7:23) and death to the ultimate liberty of eternal life!

Through His death and atoning sacrifice on the cross (Romans 3:25; 1 John 2:2), the perfect, sinless Lamb of God (John 1:36) paid the price in full for our crushing sin debt that enslaved us to the tyranny of sin, and its terminal consequences of physical and spiritual death (Romans 6:23) and everlasting punishment in hell (Matthew 10:28). Then he arose from the dead through the power of the Holy Spirit, liberating those who trust Him as Lord and Savior to eternal life (John 3:16) that begins at the moment of salvation!

The prophet Isaiah (61:1) foretold that Christ could claim: 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.

Now we who are His church (Colossians 1:24) are freed from the penalty of sin, or everlasting death. Through the indwelling Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13), we are freed from the power of sin, as He guides and strengthens us to live as a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 6:15), and not as slaves of our carnal desires and sin nature (Romans 7; 8:6).

One day we shall be freed from even the presence of sin, as Holy God cannot allow the corruption of sin to enter the perfect holiness of His Heaven. Praise God that He allows us, sinners saved by grace (Ephesians 3:8-9), to enter Heaven because of the imputed righteousness of His Son! (Romans 4:6, 11,22)

Once we were as depraved as the young Hebrew man who wasted his inheritance on sinful living until his hunger and poverty drove him into the captivity of defiling himself in a pigpen. But now, like the Prodigal Son, our realization of the depths of our sin freed us from that prison and allowed us to return to the loving embrace of Our Father (Luke 15:11-32).

No longer slaves to the devil, we are now God’s children and joint-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:14-17), Who clothes us in the pure white robe of His righteousness (Job 29:14; Isaiah 61:10) and places the ring, bearing His seal, on our finger!

While we are in this earthly life, we experience the bondage of aging and of death. Friends and loved ones leave us, but if they too are saved, we have the living and sure hope (1 Peter 1:3; Hebrews 6:19) that we will be reunited one day. We may be losing our physical and mental abilities and hardly recognize the wrinkled face in the mirror, but we know that one day, we will live forever in a glorified body (1 Corinthians 15:42-54) like that of Christ Himself! Then we will never grow old; experience pain, sickness or sorrow; sin; or die.

Meanwhile, while our physical body is aging, we can experience the freedom of knowing that our inward man is renewed day by day (2 Corinthians 4:16), if we do not quench or grieve the Spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:19; Ephesians 4:30), and if we die daily to our sin nature (1 Corinthians 15:31).

May we do that by bringing every thought in captivity (2 Corinthians 10:5) to His guidance and perfect standard, knowing that Christ led captivity captive (Psalm 68:18; Ephesians 4:8) and proclaimed liberty to all who follow Him!

Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

Only through trusting Jesus Christ can we have eternal life, liberty from sin and death, and joy in His perfect and complete salvation – please let Him free you from captivity today!

© 2022 Laurie Collett

Liberty or License?

 

In the United States, our weekend celebrations commemorate America’s independence from England in 1776. Wishing US readers a joyous holiday, and all readers the joy and peace found only in the perfect liberty of Christ, May you enjoy this repost from the archives. 

 

As we consider the battles the fledgling American nation endured, we realize that they were motivated by the quest for freedom from tyranny, taxation, and religious oppression. Liberty was the prize sought after at all cost, for as patriot Patrick Henry declared, “Give me liberty, or give me death!” Our Declaration of Independence says that our Creator has given us “unalienable rights” to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."

 

Even more important than political and religious liberty is eternal liberty, which only Jesus Christ can provide. Every born-again believer (John 3:3-8) who has trusted in His death, burial and resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) as the only Way to Heaven (John 14:6) has liberty from the oppression of sin. In His mercy, God spared His children from eternal death and damnation (Romans 3:25; 6:23). In His grace, He gave us eternal, abundant life with Him and our loved ones who know Him as Lord and Savior (John 3:16; 10:10). 

 

Jesus Christ has forever removed us from the penalty of sin, which is physical, spiritual, and eternal death (Romans 3:25; 6:23) He was the perfect, complete sacrifice, Whose finished, perfect work on the cross was sufficient to pay for all the sins of all mankind, past, present and future (Romans 3:25; 1 John 2:2). When God looks at the born-again believer (John 3:3-8), He no longer sees our sins, but the perfect righteousness of His Son (Romans 3:22,25;5:18). 

 

But does liberty from the penalty of sin entitle us to lawlessness? Because of the curse of sin brought on by Adam’s disobedience, no man can perfectly keep God’s law (Exodus 20:1-17; Romans 3:23). Should we even try? Our society, country and even some churches seem to be marred by permissiveness that often promotes individual liberty over morality and the common good. They have rejected the Creator, Who has turned them over to the consequences of their own sin (Romans 1:28-31). 

 

Followers of Jesus Christ have the freedom of knowing that even when we do sin, we cannot lose our salvation (Romans 8:35-39). We are saved by grace, not by works (Ephesians 2:8-9), and Jesus Christ has freed us from bondage to sin (Hebrews 9:14-15). We can't earn our salvation by being "good" or by not breaking the law (Romans 3:10-12). Given our liberty in Him (Luke 4:18), are we not freed from the law? (Romans 7:4-6)  

 

If we are guilty of breaking even a single point in the law, whether in deed or even in thought, we are considered guilty of breaking the whole law (James 2:10-13).  Only One Person could keep the law perfectly, and that is Jesus, Who died and rose again so that we could be freed from sin and death (Hebrews 9:14-15). We still need the law, not for salvation (Romans 3:19-21; Hebrews 7:19), but as a mirror to show us our sin and our need for a Savior (James 1:22-25). 

 

Our liberty in Christ does not give us license to sin, because we are to love God and love one another (Matthew 22:36-40), showing our love by obeying His commandments (John 14:15,21). When asked if we can sin freely so that God’s grace can much more abound, Paul replied, “God forbid!” (Romans 3:31; 6:1-15). 

 

Once we are saved, we should be in the world to spread the Good News of the Gospel (Acts 1:8), but not of the world (John 15:19; 17:14-16). This requires us to be a living sacrifice to Christ (Romans 12:1), set apart from worldly habits, holy as He is holy (1 Peter 1:15-16). Only then can others believe our testimony that Jesus is our Lord Who has redeemed us from sin, for they see proof of it in our lifestyle (2 Peter 3:11). 

 

The greatest fear of the apostle Paul was that he would be a castaway, or put on the shelf and removed from active service to God (1 Corinthians 9:27). Even Paul, arguably the greatest man of faith and Christian service ever to walk the earth, had this fear, and so should we. 

 

Paul was highly sensitive to the potential consequences of his actions. He knew that Christians were no longer bound by the dietary laws of Moses, and that whatever he ate could not jeopardize his salvation. Yet Paul was careful not to do anything that a babe in Christ might perceive as sin, such as eating food known to be offered to idols (1 Corinthians 8:4-13), because that might cause the newly saved to stumble in his Christian walk (Romans 14:13). 

 

Modern day examples might be drinking alcohol, indulging in off-color humor, or attending worldly entertainment. We can do all these without losing our salvation, yet they weaken our testimony to others and may even cause them to be discouraged or to fall (2 Peter 3:17). There are consequences for them and for us, because we may lose our health, joy, peace, and opportunities for service. 

 

Every day we must fight the battle between our “old man,” or sin nature, who wants us to fall back in our sinful ways, and the new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 6:15), who wants us to yield to the Holy Spirit by following and serving Jesus (Romans 6). We can refrain from sin only by yielding to the Holy Spirit within us, Who cannot sin (1 John 3:9). 

 

When we do sin, breaking the commandments in thought or in deed (Matthew 5:28), as we do nearly daily by having a covetous, angry or lustful thought, it is because our old sin nature has momentarily won out over the Spirit (Romans 7:14-25). May we daily put on the whole armor of God (Ephesians 6:11-13) to fight the devil and his traps luring us to lawlessness (1 Timothy 3:6-7), and praise God for the liberty He has given us in Christ!

 

© 2016 Laurie Collett

Reposted from the archives

 

 

Hope for Our Nation

Photo by Mike LoCascio 2011

As the United States celebrates Independence Day, we seem to be in an unprecedented time of turmoil, uncertainty, division, and civil unrest. Every issue and threat to our nation seems to be highly politicized, to the point that political ideology seems to overwhelm common sense. 

 

More than ever, our nation needs God's mercy, grace, love and protection.Only in Him, Who works all things together for good for those who love Him (Romans 8:28), can we have hope for our nation. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord (Psalm 33:12).

 

It is fitting for Christians to consider what the Bible says about those in authority over us. No matter how our personal feelings or our political leanings affect our thoughts about those in office, Scripture tells us to pray for those who rule over us (1 Timothy 2:2). 

 

This is appropriate, for there is no power that be whom God has not appointed to accomplish His specific purposes (Romans 13:1). We may not understand His choices, for His thoughts are higher than our thoughts, and His ways higher than our ways (Isaiah 55:8-9). Yet we are not to resist the powers over us, for they are of God, and rebellion would be against God Himself, leading to not only earthly consequences but to His judgment on us (Romans 13:2-7). 

 

When David fled for his life from King Saul, who in a jealous rage wanted him dead for being more popular with the people as a warrior leader than Saul was, David finally had the opportunity to take the life of Saul as he slept. But he could not even lay a hand on him, for he realized that Saul at that time was the Lord’s anointed, and that his own hour to rule awaited God’s perfect timing (1 Samuel 24:4-13). 

 

The apostle Paul established an authority structure revealed to him by Christ Himself. All of us, whether male or female, Jews or Gentiles, slaves or free men, are equal in God’s sight and one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28). God extends to whosoever shall call upon the Name of Jesus Christ the freely given gift of salvation (Acts 2:21, Romans 10:13). Regardless of our past, social status, nationality, or family history, all can be saved by trusting in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) as the only Way to Heaven (John 14:6). 

 

Yet we are all subject to the curse of sin (Romans 3:23), so God has ordained a power structure on earth to prevent chaos in our society and relationships. If we are to love others as God loves us (John 13:34-35), we must put their needs above our own, even if we are in a position of relative authority (Mark 9:35). 

 

In marriage, wives are to submit to their husbands, and yet husbands are to love their wives self-sacrificingly, as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it (Ephesians 5:21-33). Children are to submit to their parents, and yet parents should not provoke them to anger (Ephesians 6:1-4) and should give them good gifts (Matthew 7:11). 

 

Employees are to submit to their employers, working as if working for God directly and not for an imperfect human, who like all humans can make mistakes. Yet the employer is to consider the needs of those under his authority, for God has placed him in a position of responsibility to be a good steward (Ephesians 6:5-9). 

 

Even within the church there is an authority structure. Christ Himself is the Head of the church (Colossians 1:18), or the Chief Shepherd (1 Peter 5:1-4), and under Him is the pastor or bishop (Titus 1:7-9), who is the undershepherd. The elders or deacons report to the pastor, as do the teachers, worship and music directors, and other church leaders, and the congregation submits to all of their leadership. Yet the pastor, elders and leaders must also consider the needs of the flock over their own preferences (1 Timothy 3:1-13). 

 

To whom much is given, much is required (Luke 12:48), particularly in government where those elected or appointed to power should serve the good of their people ahead of their own ambition. The kings of Israel are an excellent example of how good rulers do this, whereas bad rulers fail to do so. The greatest rulers do not lord their power over their subjects, but serve and minister to them, following Christ’s example (Matthew 20:25-28). As He walked the earth, Jesus Himself submitted to the authority of God the Father (Matthew 21:23-27). 

 

Sometimes God may allow bad rulers into power as a form of judgment, allowing nations to get the tyrants they deserve. When the righteous rule, their subjects rejoice, but when the wicked rule, their subjects mourn (Proverbs 29:2). 

 

Yet regardless of the relative attributes or shortcomings of our earthly rulers, Christians should follow the law of the land, including paying taxes (Romans 13:7). Jesus Christ Himself instructed Peter to pay taxes on behalf of Himself and the apostles (Matthew 17:24-27; 22:17-22). He Himself said that He did not come to destroy the law, but to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17).

 

Thankfully, the laws of the United States, and those of many other nations, are based on Biblical law, or the Ten Commandments and other laws given by God to Moses to govern God’s people (Exodus 20:1-17). Christians should therefore submit to their earthly rulers and the laws they establish, while realizing that we ultimately serve the highest authority, and it is to Him that we pledge our highest allegiance (Matthew 6:33; Colossians 1:18). 

 

For the most part, if we do good as God defines it, we will be keeping the law of the land, which is established to prevent and punish evil (Romans 13:3-5).  If and when we cannot keep the laws of the land and of God at the same time, God’s law must be our guiding principle (Acts 5:29). 

 

To avoid this conflict, Christians should be diligent not only to pray for salvation, wisdom and guidance for those in authority, but also to humble ourselves and pray for our nation. If we who are God’s people humble ourselves and confess our sins, individually and as a nation, He will hear us and heal our land (2 Chronicles 7:14). 

 

As we celebrate Independence Day, may we remember to pray for those in authority over us, for healing and forgiveness in our land, and for Holy Spirit guidance to first honor and obey our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! 

 

© 2018 Laurie Collett

Edited and reposted from the archives