Liberty

But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.
James 1:25 

Happy Birthday America!  Today is your birthday.  This day should be a reminder to all of us of the liberty we and freedom we have.  But liberty has a counterfeit - License. Liberty and License are two very different types of freedom.

Liberty

Liberty is freedom which is constrained by ethical and social law. Liberty is based upon authentic freedom which gives people the freedom to do what is right and good.  It is basically the freedom to ….  Liberty is true and ultimate freedom.  This nation of America was founded on the premise of liberty. The First Amendment guarantees the right of Americans to speak freely, to assemble, to petition, to publish, and most importantly, to practice their religion in peace, without government interference – the whole reason the pilgrims came to this land.

True liberty does not give anyone permission to be a menace to society.  It does not grant a person the right to falsely yell “fire” in a crowded theater, to found a destructive cult that opposes the social order or to publish lies and slanders in the press (well, not obvious ones, anyway). The First Amendment does not give someone the power to do whatever he or she wants – one still must operate within the bounds of a moral order, even under a society that promotes liberty.

License

License means basically that freedom is a sort of anarchist chaos where everyone does exactly what he or she wants regardless of the effect on others. License is inauthentic freedom. More simply, license is “freedom from.” It is the freedom from any restraint whatsoever. 

License is false freedom. A total lack of restraint leads to anarchy and chaos in any society. Imagine a city without traffic lights, stop signs, and policemen. Absolute chaos would ensue.

A society based upon license is corrupt and unjust and will not last.  Sadly, this is where our country seems to be headed.  The young people today who will lead this country tomorrow seem to embrace License over Liberty.  They seem to have an attitude of entitlement and are more selfish and self-serving than the generations that have precede them – the very ones who labored and sacrificed so they can have the freedoms they enjoy. 

The rebellion against conservative Christianity and its convictions can be read as no less than rebellion against any control by self-indulgent individuals who have chosen to exchange liberty for license.  The irony is, license essentially enslaves one to sin.  A person who cannot refuse his own out-of control desires is a slave; fundamentally unhappy and bound to a dark master.  Moral license, the idea that one should be allowed to do and act as he or she pleases, is promoted in society by a host of virulent influences.

Because of these evil influences, modern society is based on the delusion that license is true freedom.  Margaret Sanger’s infamous slogan “No Gods! No Masters!” is a perfect expression of the license that pervades our culture.  Society rejects God and scorns obedience to any moral or natural law.  

But liberty – the true liberty that a Christian worldview provides – is fundamentally freeing. Kept within the boundaries of faith by Christ, the Christian is free to be truly happy as he or she explores the wonders of God’s creation, within the moral bounds which Christ has set. The Christian who follows God's commands is free - in a way which those who are slaves to their own desires can only dream of.

Scripture to Claim
For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. Galatians 5:13