Our Freedom Doesn’t Come From Today’s Politicians by Robert Socha

Why are we in these United States free, or at least, why do we consider ourselves at liberty?

Is it because we are privileged to have been born here or immigrated and been welcomed into the fold? Yes.

Is it because our freedoms are encapsulated in the Declaration of Independence and defined in the United States Constitution? Yes.

Richard Henry Lee (Virginian, signer of the Declaration of Independence), “Resolved, That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States.” This resolve beats in the heart of every American. It resounds worldwide as a beacon of hope. But, again, I ask why. Why is it that we yearn to be free? What is the source of the hope that freedom brings?

Is it the idea that we can do whatever we want and hopefully find peace and prosperity? I’m confident that is part of the equation, but even liberty has limitations. For example, even free men do not have permission to harm their neighbors physically.

We in these United States have chosen to abide by the limitations encoded in the U.S. Constitution, limitations that burden the government with enumerated powers and bless the people to pursue happiness. To what end, and for what purpose do we engage in these accountabilities and pursuits?

How can we continue in our private pursuits when our local bodies politic are subverting the ability to carry on independently without submitting to their nefarious and authoritarian edicts. Consider Mayor Lightfoot’s pronouncement that all Chicagoans must “vaccinate” to enjoy “life as normal” by January 3rd, 2022. Or the police in New York City arresting people for not showing a “vaccine passport.” Or the New York legislature considering legislation that will give their governor power to detain people deemed a public threat indiscriminately. Or the White House and Fauci intoning these shots labeled “vaccines” will soon be required for domestic air travel. These egregious usurpations of the people’s rights coincide succinctly with the possibility that FEMA has built camps to intern those deemed dangerous. Why do we care? Why is this significant?

It is important, and we care because there is deep in the soul of man the desire to be free. These continued assaults on our liberty are an affront to every American because of the inexorable human condition that yearns to be free. That condition finds its genesis in Creation, building to the climax of Christ’s cross and looking forward to the crescendo of His awaited return.

We desire this freedom because embedded in the depths of our culture is the fact that Jesus came to set us free. He told us in John 8 that “you shall know the truth and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:32) And continued in verse 36, “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” The Declaration of Independence was born on this self-evident ideal, “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” We are the fruit of these declarations, yearning to walk in the freedom God provides through Christ.

This freedom requires our submission to good, true and virtuous things while exercising self-control. It requires our yes to be yes, and our no to be no. It requires us to reign in our moral compass to the absolute truth of nature’s God. It requires us to call evil, evil, and good, good. For example, allowing a man to change his name to something feminine, put on a bikini and compete against women, calling it equal, is evil, and fighting for the right of the unborn to live is good.

Many evil things are vying to eclipse our liberty in the name of public autonomy, namely the collective worldwide response to a survivable variant of a virus. Our responsibility is to carry freedom’s mantle and stand for the good and true. That responsibility requires us to defy dictatorial mandates, unlawful orders, and decrees, even, no especially if they come from Washington D.C. Evil only prevails when good men do nothing. Instead, we have collectively allowed unrighteous rulers to dictate the last two years of our lives with draconian lock-downs, mandates, and orders. They are emboldened to continue in the face of worldwide protests, and the Nuremburg codes, because we slept while they usurped more power. But, seeing ourselves beholden to the state unleashes freedom’s yearning.

We consider ourselves free because of the work of Christ and His declaration of who we are in Him. We consider ourselves free because our Declaration of Independence states the same. Nevertheless, whatever may come from those imposing their will on the people, the freedom we enjoy is ours to declare and exercise. Let us enter this new year with a renewed resolve “to forever challenge us; to forever give us a sense of urgency; to forever stand in the midst of…our terrible injustices.” (Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.) If it costs us our lives or our livelihoods in the process, or promotes us to the public forum, may we have the same boldness and confidence in our Redeemer to endure today’s Colosseum games.