Freedom Reigns - July 2003

In America, July 4th is a major holiday to celebrate our independence from foreign rule and the freedoms we have. This is also one of those times that an American Christian must look at themselves and realize that they have dual citizenship. Though they are citizens of the USA, they are also citizens of the body of Christ. The rights of citizenship in each of these nations varies tremendously.

The rights of a US citizen are spelled out and defined by laws and regulations. These are prone to change and shift overtime to match the morals and standards of the time. The laws of society exist where people can know what they can and can not do, and have an expectation of society protecting them from those that would take their freedoms. Laws are also designed where people can know the price for infringing upon the rights of others. The laws in society are only as strong as the desire of the people to follow and enforce them. If a law of society is broken the harmed person has to hope that the majority of the rest of society would not want the same infringement to happen to them and they will make sure that the wrong is righted as best as possible.

The rights and rules for Christians are found in the Bible. They do not change and they do not shift. They are enforced far differently then the laws of society. God enforces these laws, and the results are far different. No room for discussion, wrong is wrong, right is right, and He is the only judge. That sounds very harsh, but the more that you study the Bible the more you realize that God’s rules are really more for your good then His. He is not made stronger or weaker by our actions, but our actions make our relationship with Him either stronger or weaker. His judgements are always fair and He is willing to forgive our past mistakes and failures to assure our future happiness. God’s goals are not to make you act a certain way out of fear, but to act a certain way out of a desire to do right, be more like Him, and learn more about Him and His ways. He comes as a friend and a consouselor to correct, not as a executioner or a destroyer. Simply put, humans laws work to strengthen the society, God’s laws work to strengthen the individual.

If you study the laws in society you will see many parallels between them and the rules that God spells out for His people. The reason for that is people that follow God’s rules and instructions are strengthening the society at the same time as they are strengthening themselves and their relationship with God. A society full of people that are serving more then they are taking, thinking of others before themselves, not stealing, not murdering, staying married, and raising well behaved children make society stronger, not weaker. The Bible is viewed many times as a list of NO’s and DO NOT’s but in reality it is a book of DO’s and INSTEAD’s. A population that is filled with a majority of people yearning to serve their creator is far better for society then a population filled with a majority of people serving only themselves and their own self interests.

God knows the heart of man - Psalm 139:1-2 –– "O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. ", so He knows that our nature is to do wrong. The fall of man in the Garden of Evil was the beginning of man’s sinful nature. The Bible is designed where the fallen man can learn how to be restored by God and become closer to Him. This means that the Christian has a guide to how to live that is static. Societies laws change, but God’s do not. Just because it is legal does not mean it is right. Man’s laws are prone to change with each generation as some things are tolerated and others are outlawed. A recent example of such a change is the law of acceptance of homosexuality under the law, and the outlawing of racism under the law. God’s law is clear on both of these, they are both wrong, and His laws do not change.

A question that people may want to ask themselves is would they rather live by a standard that is fluid (human law) or by one that is solid and static (God’s laws). I think most would prefer the one that is unchanging where they always know where they stand with others and with those that surround them. Throughout history man has tried to model the perfect society by crafting and creating laws, communities, governments and nations. In the end, all of these human creations have flaws, not because of lack of desire by their designers, but because they were created by flawed men to begin with. God yearns to take these broken structures, created and filled by broken people and restore them to a perfect relationship with Him. If He restores the person, the person will help restore their own family, their community, their nation and their future.

As a Christian enjoys the 4th of July they need to remember that God wants them to take the freedoms provided by their US citizenship and use it in combination with their citizenship in the body of Christ to make US society more like God’s plan for society and for individuals. No human law can free someone from their sins, no human law can separate a believer from God’s hand, and no appreciation of freedom is complete without thanking God for the freedom He provides to the saved via the blood of Christ on the cross.

This 4th of July thank God for your nation, your family, your freedom, your health, and most of all your salvation. Take the opportunities you have from God to help shape society to be more like the ideal that God sets forth in the Bible. Freedom is found in the blood, not in the world.

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	In America, July 4th is a major holiday to celebrate our independence from foreign rule and the freedoms we have. This is also one of those times that an American Christian must look at themselves and realize that they have dual citizenship. Though they are citizens of the USA, they are also citizens of the body of Christ. The rights of citizenship in each of these nations varies tremendously. The rights of a US citizen are spelled out and defined by laws and regulations. These are prone to change and shift overtime to match the morals and standards of the time. The laws of society exist where people can know what they can and can not do, and have an expectation of society protecting them from those that would take their freedoms. Laws are also designed where people can know the price for infringing upon the rights of others. The laws in society are only as strong as the desire of the people to follow and enforce them. If a law of society is broken the harmed person has to hope that the majority of the rest of society would not want the same infringement to happen to them and they will make sure that the wrong is righted as best as possible. The rights and rules for Christians are found in the Bible. They do not change and they do not shift. They are enforced far differently then the laws of society. God enforces these laws, and the results are far different. No room for discussion, wrong is wrong, right is right, and He is the only judge. That sounds very harsh, but the more that you study the Bible the more you realize that God’s rules are really more for your good then His. He is not made stronger or weaker by our actions, but our actions make our relationship with Him either stronger or weaker. His judgements are always fair and He is willing to forgive our past mistakes and failures to assure our future happiness. God’s goals are not to make you act a certain way out of fear, but to act a certain way out of a desire to do right, be more like Him, and learn more about Him and His ways. He comes as a friend and a consouselor to correct, not as a executioner or a destroyer. Simply put, humans laws work to strengthen the society, God’s laws work to strengthen the individual. If you study the laws in society you will see many parallels between them and the rules that God spells out for His people. The reason for that is people that follow God’s rules and instructions are strengthening the society at the same time as they are strengthening themselves and their relationship with God. A society full of people that are serving more then they are taking, thinking of others before themselves, not stealing, not murdering, staying married, and raising well behaved children make society stronger, not weaker. The Bible is viewed many times as a list of NO’s and DO NOT’s but in reality it is a book of DO’s and INSTEAD’s. A population that is filled with a majority of people yearning to serve their creator is far better for society then a population filled with a majority of people serving only themselves and their own self interests. God knows the heart of man - Psalm 139:1-2 –– "O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. ", so He knows that our nature is to do wrong. The fall of man in the Garden of Evil was the beginning of man’s sinful nature. The Bible is designed where the fallen man can learn how to be restored by God and become closer to Him. This means that the Christian has a guide to how to live that is static. Societies laws change, but God’s do not. Just because it is legal does not mean it is right. Man’s laws are prone to change with each generation as some things are tolerated and others are outlawed. A recent example of such a change is the law of acceptance of homosexuality under the law, and the outlawing of racism under the law. God’s law is clear on both of these, they are both wrong, and His laws do not change. A question that people may want to ask themselves is would they rather live by a standard that is fluid (human law) or by one that is solid and static (God’s laws). I think most would prefer the one that is unchanging where they always know where they stand with others and with those that surround them. Throughout history man has tried to model the perfect society by crafting and creating laws, communities, governments and nations. In the end, all of these human creations have flaws, not because of lack of desire by their designers, but because they were created by flawed men to begin with. God yearns to take these broken structures, created and filled by broken people and restore them to a perfect relationship with Him. If He restores the person, the person will help restore their own family, their community, their nation and their future. As a Christian enjoys the 4th of July they need to remember that God wants them to take the freedoms provided by their US citizenship and use it in combination with their citizenship in the body of Christ to make US society more like God’s plan for society and for individuals. No human law can free someone from their sins, no human law can separate a believer from God’s hand, and no appreciation of freedom is complete without thanking God for the freedom He provides to the saved via the blood of Christ on the cross. This 4th of July thank God for your nation, your family, your freedom, your health, and most of all your salvation. Take the opportunities you have from God to help shape society to be more like the ideal that God sets forth in the Bible. Freedom is found in the blood, not in the world.