Articles
The Only Path to Freedom
The Philadelphia Eagles won the 2018 Super Bowl. Surprisingly, and sadly, many in Philadelphia “celebrated” their victory through violence, vandalism, and looting.
How can this sort of destructive behavior be prevented? One approach is to take away freedoms, micromanage people’s lives, and treat everyone as a potential criminal in an effort to prevent disruptive behavior. You can get a taste of this approach by going through an airport security check.
If, however, people are motivated from the heart to behave themselves and treat each other decently and respectfully, freedoms don’t have to be restricted. People who want to behave well don’t have to be forced into good behavior.
Those who have decided to faithfully follow Jesus obey from the heart the standard of teaching to which they are committed (Rom. 6:17). Followers of Jesus willingly obey the governing authorities, recognizing that the God whom they have chosen to serve has put their human leaders in place (Rom. 13:1).
Faithful followers of Jesus can be trusted with freedom. They are excellent stewards of their freedoms, because their Lord has commanded them not to abuse their freedoms, but to use them as an opportunity to do good. “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.” (Gal. 5:13)
In 1798, our second president, John Adams said that our form of government will only work with a moral and religious people. If we as a nation don’t want to lose our freedoms, we must find God. Proudly practice your faith, and boldly share it. Understand that following and sharing Jesus are the most patriotic things you can do. -Paul
