The Truth About Liberty

THE STRUGGLE FOR DOMINANCE

  History reveals that there has always been a power struggle between good and evil. The goal, of course, is to be the majority stakeholder of wills amongst people and become a world power. This struggle for dominance has led to a blood-washed history filled with imperial battles and world wars. The struggle for truth is simply this: what you call good another may call evil, and what they call evil you may call good. So, what is the truth about liberty?

  Liberty is much more than an American dream; it is a precious gift from God to all mankind. Every human being is given this gift of individual soul liberty; each has the freedom to make his own choices. This freedom was gifted so a man could do as he ought, not as he wants. The difficulty with liberty is that it puts sinful man in the driver’s seat making his own decisions.

  Individual soul liberty runs on the same rails as the will. The will is the driving force of the human body. When surrendered, the will can be harnessed by outside influences, driving one’s energy in a desired direction (i.e. a horse surrendered to a rider). This harnessed power has not only allowed mankind to ascend to great heights but also to descend to extremely low estates. 

  From time to time the enemies of liberty (also known as tyrants) gain popularity and are identified – Marx, Lenin, Stalin, Hitler, Hussein, and others. These men were powerful leaders, but it is evident that they were not good, nor were they original, in their evil thoughts and deeds. They were simply copycats. Satan is the original tyrant, and his “weapon of slavery” is sin. Sin is the enemy of liberty. Jesus revealed this truth to an inquisitive party of Jews in John 8:34 when He said, “Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.” Satan is the originator of sin in the human race. He has enslaved all mankind to sin. He is the greatest tyrant in all of history. This is made known in the biblical account of the origin of man in the book of Genesis.

THE ORIGIN OF LIBERTY­­

  Forming man from the dust of the ground, God created man in His own perfect likeness. Read this account from Genesis 1:26-27:

      And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his [own] image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

  He then breathed life into man, making him a living soul. Genesis 2:7 says:

     And the LORD God formed man [of] the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

  It was at this moment man was given individual soul liberty. God named the first man “Adam,” and he was free to make his own decisions; however, his decisions would not be without consequence.

  God prepared the Garden of Eden and placed Adam in it so that Adam could exercise his free will (Genesis 2:15-17). It was in this garden that God planted the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil (Genesis 2:8-9, 16-17) and warned Adam not to eat of it, for the consequence was death. The fruit itself was not poisonous or toxic but stood symbolically as evil. Adam already knew good because God created him without sin; but what Adam did not know was evil. God gave Adam freedom to make his own decision.

  Laboring alone in the garden, Adam lived content with God until God revealed to him that he was the only creature without a mate So, God created a wife for Adam whom he would later name Eve. This compassionate account is found in Genesis 2:18-22:

     And the LORD God said, [It is] not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought [them] unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that [was] the name thereof. And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him. And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.

  She too was made aware of the forbidden fruit and was given the same free will to decide to obey or disobey God.

  The Bible is unclear as to how long Adam and Eve lived in the Garden of Eden, but it does reveal the occasion that Adam and Eve’s free will was challenged; and they chose evil over good.

Genesis 3:1-7 says:

     Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which [is] in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree [was] good for food, and that it [was] pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make [one] wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they [were] naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.

  Adam and Eve would not have consciously chosen bondage over freedom. Satan masked bondage with propaganda and promise.  Satan used this deceit to influence Adam and Eve to sin against God. The Great Deceiver promised them more liberty, but what they were given was bondage to sin. He painted God as a dictator and himself as a liberator, but the opposite was true. Adam and Eve’s liberty was exchanged for sin and death as explained in Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death,” and also in Ezekiel 18:4, “…the soul that sinneth, it shall die.”

  Adam and Eve were now aware of their sin and were ashamed to show themselves before God, for they were naked. Not only were they ashamed, but they also believed they were alone to mask their sin problem. Sin always isolates.

THE CONDITION OF MANKIND

  From that moment all mankind has been in a struggle to either hide from or hasten toward sin. Paul, under the inspiration of God, declares the sinful estate of man in Romans 3:10-19:

     As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

Their throat [is] an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps [is] under their lips: Whose mouth [is] full of cursing and bitterness: Their feet [are] swift to shed blood: Destruction and misery [are] in their ways: And the way of peace have they not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes. Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.

  Just as Satan masked bondage, Adam and Eve masked their nakedness with an inadequate garment of leaves. We find their attempt to do so in Genesis 3:7:

     And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they [were] naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.

  They tried to hide their shame. However, there would only be one acceptable covering for their nakedness: the coats of skins from animals. Leaves would not suffice because “…the wages of sin is death,” and “…without the shedding of blood is no remission” (Romans 3:23, Hebrews 9:22). So then, only by death could the wage be satisfied.

These animals had to be slain so that Adam and Eve could have a proper covering for their sin. Death is ugly, and Adam and Eve had their first glimpse of it. It was gruesome, tragic, nauseating, and weighty.

  In the Old Testament era, the only acceptable sacrifice for hiding man’s sin from God’s eyes was the blood of animals offered to God upon altars. This was the only way sinful men could stand before a Holy God. Sin carries an awful price tag! God warned Adam and Eve of the penalty for eating the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, yet they chose it anyway. Adam and Eve used their liberty and made their choice.

  The haunting reality is that you too have been given liberty from God to make choices, and you too have failed at living a perfect sinless life before God. You are a sinner by birth, and you are a sinner by choice. Hence, God’s Word declares the obvious truth in Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” No one is perfect but God. Like Adam and Eve, you are guilty of sinning against God and are bound by its penalty. This means the awful blow of death will eventually strike you too.

  Yes, your body will be consumed by death, but your spirit and soul will live forever in one of two places – Heaven or Hell. Eternal life is lived in Heaven with God. Eternal death is lived in the lake of fire. The good news is that you can escape eternal death. The Bible says in Revelation 20:14-15:

     And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

The underlying question that must be asked is: how can a man escape the penalty of death? Jesus tells us in John 8:32, “Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

THE LIBERATING TRUTH

  Here is the truth. Nearly 2,000 years ago God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to the earth in the form of a baby. Jesus lived a sinless life not incurring the debt of sin. However, He was crucified for our sins, willingly sacrificing His life. He was placed in a tomb and three days later He arose from the dead, conquering sin and its penalty of death. Just as the animals were sacrificed for a covering for Adam and Eve’s sins, Jesus Christ was sacrificed for your sins. Romans 5:8 says, “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” 

  Jesus Christ, God’s perfect sinless Son, took your punishment so you could be set free from the penalty of sin. He became your substitute so that you wouldn’t have to know eternal death. In exchange, He can give you righteousness. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “For he hath made him [to be] sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”

  One of the most beloved biblical accounts is John 3:16-18 because it is one of true love, real freedom, and eternal life. It says:

     For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

  God’s record is clear. Sinners need God’s Son, Jesus Christ, as their Savior to escape eternal judgement. The only acceptable payment is the blood of Jesus Christ. This is clearly stated in 1 Peter 1:18-21:

     Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, [as] silver and gold, from your vain conversation [received] by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.

  The only payment God will receive in your stead is the blood of Jesus Christ.

  Good works will not get you to Heaven. These are dispelled in Ephesians 2:8-9, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." There is no other way to God but through His Son.

THE SON OF GOD

 One day Jesus was talking with one of His disciples and spoke these emphatic words recorded in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” What Jesus said in one short statement answers three of man’s basic questions:

1)     How can I be saved?

– Jesus said, “I am the way...”

2)     How can I be sure?

– Jesus said, “I am…the truth...”

3)     How can I be satisfied?

– Jesus said, “I am…the life…”

 Jesus Christ is life! He proved His power over death three days after His crucifixion and burial. Jesus Christ conquered death and the grave for you. He rose victoriously and triumphed over death for you. Because He conquered the second death, all who will put their trust in Him as their Savior will conquer the second death also. The Apostle Paul celebrated and wrote about this truth in 1 Corinthians 15:54-57:

 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where [is] thy sting? O grave, where [is] thy victory? The sting of death [is] sin; and the strength of sin [is] the law. But thanks [be] to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

The only way you can be set free from your penalty of sin and receive forgiveness from God is by acknowledging your need of His Son, Jesus Christ, to save you from your sins. God has extended to you this means of salvation in Romans 10:9-13:

 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon Him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Have you accepted God’s free pardon? If not, call upon Christ now, and He will save you. The freedom from the bond of sin God offers to you is the same freedom that changes the sinful heart of man to live a righteous life. The love of God is the great compelling. influence for moral virtue. God’s love is the power to redeem cultures and to make nations great. God declares in I Chronicles 7:14:

 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

 If a man knows God through His Son Jesus Christ, then there is hope that he will do as he ought before God. If a man does not know God though His Son Jesus Christ, then He has no guide but himself. He is his own moral compass. He will continue doing what is right in his own eyes (as he wants, not as he ought).

So, what is the truth about liberty? The only hope for freedom and liberty is found in virtuous men and women. A nation’s constitution is not adequate to produce virtuous people; an organization’s mission statement is not adequate to produce virtuous people; and founding documents are not adequate to produce virtuous people. Virtue is a matter of the heart. The only One who can take sinful people and make them virtuous is the Lord Jesus Christ! Only God can change the heart of a man. The gospel of Jesus Christ not only redeems mankind, but also redeems cultures. America’s only hope is the Lord Jesus Christ!

If you have not received Him as your personal Savior there is no better time like the present. You will know true lasting liberty from the wages of sin, and you will be given God’s aid in this life to do as you ought. Experience true freedom today!

What do you have to do to receive Jesus Christ as your personal Savior?

     1. Acknowledge that just like Adam you too have sinned against God and deserve to spend an eternity in Hell.

     2. Believe that God’s Son, Jesus Christ, is the only way to receive forgiveness of sins.

     3. Call upon the Lord Jesus Christ to save you. He will!

What should you do after you have received Jesus Christ as your personal Savior?

     1. Tell someone you accepted Christ. Don’t keep this as a private matter. Allow others to rejoice with you.

     2. Attend church faithfully. Grow in your relationship with God.

     3. Follow Christ in Obedience. Talk with your pastor about getting baptized.

     4. Get involved in discipleship. This is like putting fertilizer on your Christian life.

     5. Read your Bible and talk with God through prayer daily.

Speaking the truth in love,

Pastor Adam Garber

If you accepted Christ as your Savior because of this letter, I would love the opportunity to rejoice with you. Please reach out to me and let me know your great news. I want to be a help to you.