Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Freedom and Law

Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God (1 Peter 2:16).

The desire for freedom can be dangerous.  The desire of Americans living in the South to live according to their own laws resulted in the unprecedented carnage and suffering of the Civil War.  The desire of pregnant women to live free of the responsibilities of motherhood can result in the tragedy of abortion.  The desire to be free of Western influences on their society leads some Muslims to acts of terrorism. 

Freedom is also abused when it becomes a license for selfish and irresponsible behavior.  We regard freedom as a right, but no one has a right to mistreat another person, either by what is said or done.  No one has a right to make a mess and expect someone else to clean it up.  No one has a right to hoard or waste resources that others desperately need.  Freedom to do as we like reaches the end of the leash when it triggers problems for others. 

This is why the LORD God Almighty gave us rules to live by, rules like the Ten Commandments.  Our sinful nature wants to use freedom without concern for how others might be affected.  The Law of God reminds us to treat everyone with consideration and respect.  By submitting to the restrictions of God’s Law, we are showing love for the people we share our days with.  Instead of being rude, we are polite.  Instead of lashing out in anger, we work towards peaceful compromise.  Instead of using people and then discarding them, we make commitments that build long-term relationships.  Instead of saying whatever will get us what we want, we build trust by sticking to the truth. 

Thanks to God’s Law, we are free to experience something otherwise impossible—relationships where love dominates over sinful desire and dangerous impulsiveness.  Thanks to God Law, we are provided a look into His heart to see the kind of behavior that He values.  Thanks to God’s Law, we understand how to show Him gratitude for His kindness and the kind of respect that He deserves.  Sadly, we are terrible failures at using God’s gift of freedom responsibly.  How precious Jesus is to us, forgiving our failures and bringing us back to the straight and narrow!  He frees us from evil so we can be devoted to what is good.

Blog Top Sites
Blog Directory & Search engine
Blog Directory