Truth Freedom

Just imagine if God allowed George Washington and Thomas Jefferson to see what's become of their country. Would they recognize it?

Today we're a nation where rights replace responsibility. Licentiousness (the unrestrained pursuit of one’s desires) replaces liberty. Diversity is celebrated instead of dignity. We do things out of convenience instead of conviction.

On top of that, the American Civil Liberties Union seems hell-bent to give us freedom FROM religion instead of the freedom OF religion. What’s going on?

Well, hold on just a minute.

If you didn’t know otherwise, you might think America was founded to give us a government and schools that are religion-free zones. Sadly most Americans have no concept of the religious heritage that helped make America great.

What Americans need is a refresher course in American History. Christian thinking was a major influence on our founding fathers. If you take a tour of Washington D.C.’s main monuments, you will see a multitude of quotes from Holy Scripture used by our founding fathers. Even the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia is imprinted with a quote from the Bible.

George Washington said, "I am sure there never was a people, who had more reason to acknowledge a Divine interposition [intervention] in their affairs, than those of the United States; and I should be pained to believe that they have forgotten that agency, which was so often manifested during our Revolution, or that they failed to consider the omnipotence [complete power] of that God who is alone able to protect them."

Thomas Jefferson was defending religious instruction at the University of Virginia when he said, "The relations which exist between man and his Maker, and the duties resulting from those relations, are the most interesting and most important to every human being and most incumbent on his study and investigation."

Theodore Roosevelt recognized the need for religious instruction when he said, “To educate a man in mind and not in morals is to educate a menace to society.”

But it was Jesus Christ who said “You will know the truth and the truth will set you free.”

Usually you hear that quote from politicians around election time and they take it completely out of context. Interestingly it’s not even about political or social freedom!

In the New Testament Gospel of John, chapter 8, Jesus talked about being set free from sin. He said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” After pointing out that we are all slaves to sin, he added, “So if the Son [Jesus] sets you free, you will be free indeed.”

The truth of Christ brings freedom from sin.

This week, as we celebrate the blessings of freedom, don’t neglect the greatest freedom of all: freedom from sin. America cannot provide that freedom. No government can.

Freedom from sin can only be found in the Kingdom of God.

The Bible says that people are set free from bondage to sin by putting their trust in the truth that Jesus Christ died in their place. And that his death, burial and resurrection provide forgiveness of sin, a new heart and the beginning of a new life. It’s a life of true freedom.

Real freedom starts with The Truth. Not just any truth but the truth about Jesus Christ.

Listen to the Bible; it’s good for your soul!