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LIBERTY AS IT PERTAINS
TO “AUTHORITY”
By C. Ross Trotter
“And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout
all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubilee unto
you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall
return every man unto his family.”(Leviticus 25:10)
(The 50th
year, the year of Jubilee was to be a time of liberty, all debts were
cancelled, and all slaves set free.)
Did
you know that the Liberty Bell, a symbol of this nation’s heritage, has
inscribed that exact verse which speaks of the rights and freedoms valued
by people the world over.
Noah
Webster’s definition of liberty: “freedom from restraint, applicable to
the body, or to the will or mind. A man enjoys liberty, when no physical
force operates to restrain his righteous actions. Religious liberty is the
free right of worshiping the Supreme Being of Authority (Jesus Christ)
according to the dictates of the conscience, without external control.”
This
was the basis of the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United
States, which states: “Congress shall make no law respecting an
establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or
abridging (depriving) the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right
of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a
redress of grievances.”
This
country was established as a constitutional republic and its laws were and
are based on that Supreme Being of Authority, Jesus Christ. Those placed
in authority must of necessity hold to the internal controls placed within
by a righteous and Holy God from where all authority rests. Romans 13:4 -
“all who are placed in authority must be “ministers of righteousness”.
However, a man placed in a position of authority oftentimes rejects the
laws of a righteous God and enacts his own unrighteous rules and
regulations. Their rebellious cry is this: “let us break away from the
restraints a righteous God has placed upon us.” (Psalm 2)
“While they promise them
(the people) liberty, they themselves
are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same
is he brought in bondage.” (2 Peter 2:19)
“When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the
wicked beareth rule, the people mourn.” (Proverbs 29:2)
We
can see by this that there are two sides to the concept of “liberty”.
(The
“wicked side” and the “righteous side” shown in the verses below):
The
“righteous side” here in James 1:25 –
“But whoso looketh into the
perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful
hearer, (of the perfect law of liberty) but a doer of the work, this man
shall be blessed in his deed.”
The
“wicked side” here in Psalm 2:1-3 -
“Why do the heathen rage, and
the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves,
and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his
anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their
cords from us.”
Those
placed in authority, must uphold their responsibility of keeping righteous
principles found in the Word of God. Authority = responsibility.
We
all have a responsibility to maintain God-given “liberty”!
One
of this country’s founding fathers had this to say about “liberty”.
“Those who would give up an essential liberty for temporary security
deserve neither liberty nor security.” (Benjamin Franklin) Note:
Giving
up liberty for security equals bondage!
Our
Great God and Creator of all things, Jesus Christ, gave us liberty! How do
we maintain it? Listen to His Word:
“Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ (Jesus) hath made
us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. (Galatians
5:1)
For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty
for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. For all the
law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour
as thyself.” (Galatians 5:13-14)
Where the Spirit of the Lord is…there is liberty!
Authority exercised (in love for the brethren) proclaims true liberty!
Volume 12, 2009 |
