“God who gave us life gave us liberty...” Thomas Jefferson“Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.” Galatians 5:1
While Thomas Jefferson was referring to our civil liberties, he spoke the truth that God gave us life and gave us liberty.
God created mankind, and mankind enslaved himself to sin. Praise be to God that He again determined to give us life everlasting. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ to die on the cross, be buried, and rise again, conquering death (the wages of our sin). Through Jesus Christ we obtain liberty from the bondage of our sin.
When we yield ourselves to sin, we become its servant. Because of our propensity to sin, laws are established. For example, we have laws against murder because some in society seek to murder. Those laws enable a judge to assign an appropriate penalty to those who break the law.
The penalty for our sins--every lie we’ve told, every angry retort we’ve made, every time we have doubted God--is death (see Romans 6:23 and Revelations 20-22). We are doomed, and we know the law will decree our punishment. However, Jesus fulfilled the law, meeting the requirements of its punishment, by taking our place on the cross. He, the perfect lamb, the Son of God, God Himself, took our sin and paid the debt we owe. Now, for those who believe, liberty is offered. Liberty to do what is right without fear of punishment, even if we fail.
Yes, Thomas Jefferson, God gave us life and He gave us liberty.
“For brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.” Galatians 5:13
I put to you that our nation would be truly free if everyone accepted the free gift of Christ’s payment for our failure in obeying the law, and then having received that liberty, lived by love to serve each other.
I believe some of our nation's fathers knew this and sought, in their ways, to bring this freedom to our country. I, for one, am praying that our nation will turn back to God and seek the liberty He offers us.
Wonderful, Lynn. Love the thoughts here. Bless you.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Jefferson got it right in this instance. On the whole, Jefferson was an interesting character in regards to faith. He was reluctant to put some of the wording into our founding documents that wound up being in there, was pushed to it by the other men. He even had a copy of the Bible re-written and took out the parts he didn't agree with! A complex and brilliant man, for sure.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Laura. While we can't always see Him at work, God is always in control. I'm so thankful for our Sovereign Lord.
ReplyDeletePegg, which one of us who claim to be saved haven't at some point in time found passages in Scripture difficult to accept and follow? In this day, more than ever, many do what they will to Scripture, distorting Biblical truths to satisfy their own desires and align it with their own perspectives, not willing to submit themselves to God's divine and perfect words.
In his second letter to Timothy, Paul wrote of this:
"For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables." (II Timothy 4:3-4)
Our country's founding fathers were not perfect, but God still used them mightily. I believe we would be wise to learn from them and their mistakes and holdfast to the truth--doing as Paul instructed Timothy:
"Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness." II Timothy 2:15-16
"Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine...But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry." II Timothy 4:2,5
I found a wonderful sermon preached by Reverand Jacob Duche at Christ Church, I believe in Philidelphia on July 7, 1775. It was reprinted by David Barton of the American Heritage Foundation on his website. The Reverand quotes Galatians 5:1 as the premise for his sermon titled "The Duty of Standing Fast in Our Spiritual and Temperal Liberties." Unfortunately the Reverand Jacob Duche was also charged with treason later, for publicly siding with the British in order to cause less suffering for the Colonials.
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