Freedom. A word that everyone wants the benefits of…but few truly understand or appreciate.
The Meaning of Freedom
Over the years, we have gone away from the actual meaning of certain words to using a definition that we like, or just creating our own definition. This is a dangerous practice. We end up with so many varying definitions it causes immense confusion, it is hard for anyone to come to an understanding about beliefs, and we just throw out the actual intentions of words…throwing open a lot of doors for hurt, ignorance and offense. When attempting to learn or understand what a word means, even if you think you know what it means, it is always a good idea to go first to the true definition.
Freedom – A state of exemption from the power or control of another; liberty; exemption from slavery, servitude or confinement.
Simply put, freedom is the state of being free from the control of another. We usually associate this as the exact opposite of slavery. One can enjoy freedom in almost all aspects. It can be observed in political, social and other areas of life. We see a lot of these given in our basic human rights, mentioned in our country’s Constitution. This includes freedom of the press, freedom of religion, freedom of speech, etc. Freedom leads to happiness and liberty.
- Both society and people enjoy freedom.
- A free society is free from external control.
- There is an absence of foreign dominion.
- The people of a free society enjoy a free opportunity.
- One can use the power to act at one’s own will.
We can actually break down freedom into three components: 1. National Freedom, 2. Political Freedom, and 3. Individual Freedom
National freedom is the most basic concept of freedom. It is the desire of a nation, ethnic group, or a tribe to rule itself. It is national self-determination.
Political freedom is the freedom to vote, hold office, and pass laws. It is the ideal of “consent of the governed.”
In its most basic form, individual freedom is the freedom to live as you choose as long as you harm no one else. Every nation and individual will define this differently… but in its noblest form, individual freedom is embedded in our Bill of Rights. It is freedom of conscience, freedom of speech, economic freedom, and freedom to choose your life style.
How Did We Get Started?
The first step to preserving our future is to remember our past. Throughout the Bible, God told the people of Israel to remember their past and to teach it to the future generations to avoid them falling away and losing all that they had gained. We, as Americans, have no less a responsibility to do this. We have such a rich past and have been blessed as a nation. We can look over the pages of our short history and see God’s hand of protection and guidance everywhere and in all the major events that have shaped our country.
There is so much history and many great writings we could look at, but we would be here for a long time, so let’s just cover the highlights:
- The Journey to Freedom – The Pilgrims were the first to risk their “lives, fortunes and sacred honors” to establish freedom in America, though their story began far away from our shores. Under the authoritarian rule of King James and his state-mandated doctrines, those who disagreed or had beliefs differing from the King of England and his church, were greatly persecuted and oppressed.
“Some were taken and clapped up in prison, others had their houses beset and watched night and day, and hardly escaped their hands.” – William Bradford, governor of Plymouth
After years of oppression, this group fled their homeland in 1607 and settled in Holland for 12 years. But even in a different country, they were not out of the reach of England and her king. Though, they no longer lived there, they still believed God called them to minister to their countrymen. So William Brewster began printing books and smuggling them back into England. This “illegal” speech and language infuriated the King of England and the church, and he sent officials Holland to uncover those responsible. Upon finding William Brewster’s press, King James began to pressure the government of Holland to crack down on this group. The Pilgrims then began to chart a new course to freedom, this time through even more dangerous waters.
“They sought a land so barbarous and so abandoned by the world that they might yet be permitted to live there in their manner and pray to God in freedom.” – Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America
Enduring ten weeks of ocean travel, illness, death and storms, they finally arrived on the shores of this New World…to face yet even more unknowns and danger…all “for the glory of God, and the advancement of the Christian faith.” -The Mayflower Compact
You can read more details of the Pilgrims and their journey here.
- The Need for Independence – Something that strikes me as amazing is just how much thought and prayer went into every action that the founders took. They did not enter into this lightly. These patriot leaders devoted a lot of time to prayer and the studying of the law they were under to see if they even had a leg to stand on BEFORE they made a move.
“Let us with candor judge whether they are constitutionally binding upon us; if they are, in the name of justice let us submit to them, without one murmuring word.” -Joseph Warren, 1772
The Father of the American Revolution, Samuel Adams, actually recommended studying the scriptures to gain a better grasp on how Christians should respond to this fight for independence:
“The Rights of the Colonists as Christians. . . . may be best understood by reading and carefully studying the institutes of the great Law Giver and Head of the Christian Church, which are to be found clearly written and promulgated in the New Testament.” -Samuel Adams
Was declaring independence from England legal?
In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson stated 27 lawless violations that the King of England committed against the colonies. You can read them in the Declaration for yourself, or check out the breakdown of them here.
America was an English colony. The people of the colonies were British subjects and by English law should have had the rights thereof. But they were not treated as such. They were oppressed, abused, and the law was being broken. Even a king, governor or president, is not above the law. They are meant to uphold it.
These men were not looking to start a war, in fact they tried every avenue possible to avoid it.
“In every stage of these oppressions we have petitioned for redress in the most humble terms: our repeated petitions have been answered only by repeated injury.” – Thomas Jefferson
“You cannot but remember how reluctantly we were dragged into this arduous contest; how repeatedly, with the earnestness of humble entreaty, we supplicated a redress of our grievances from him who ought to have been the father of his people. In vain did we implore his protection: in vain appeal to the justice, the generosity, of Englishmen; of men, who had been the guardians, the assertors, and vindicators of liberty through a succession of the ages.” –An Address of the Congress, 1778
Then came the declaration of war on the American Colonies:
“He (the King of England) has abdicated government here, by declaring us out of his protection, and waging war against us.” – Thomas Jefferson
That alone, was enough to cause the people to want their freedom from this leader…but the founding fathers didn’t stop there. They went a step further… Was it biblical? How did God want them to proceed? Was tyranny worth a war?
While the debate, in those days as well as today, is whether or not these men were responding to the governing authorities according to scripture, I believe digging a little deeper into the heart of the matter puts the whole debate to rest. The founding fathers believed that they were forbidden to overthrow the institution of government and live in anarchy (an example of this would be the French Revolution). However, they were NOT required blindly to submit to every law and policy.
“Were the talents and virtues which Heaven has bestowed upon men given merely to make them more obedient drudges, to be sacrificed to the follies and ambitions of the few? What an affront to the King of the universe, to maintain that the happiness of a monster sunk in debauchery and spreading desolation and murder among men…is more precious in His sight than that of millions of His suppliant creatures, who do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with their God!” -Samuel Adams
They understood that the institution of government was ordained by God and was not to be overthrown.
“…But government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil…For, were the impulses of the conscience clear, uniform and irresistibly obeyed, man would need no other lawgiver.” – Thomas Paine
We, as a people, reject God to be our ruler, and refuse to listen to our conscience 100% of the time… so He ordained government in lieu of anarchy. But that did not mean that God approved every government. He opposed anarchy, rebellion, lawlessness, and wickedness. How could a just, loving, and righteous God approve the exact opposite of His character? Therefore, it came down to this crucial determination: whether opposition to authority was simply to resist the general institution of government (ordained by God), or whether it was to resist tyrannical leaders who had themselves rebelled against God.
You can dive deeper into this subject and the beliefs according to scripture of the founders in this more in depth article.
- The Hellhound of Slavery – But the journey for freedom was not complete after the end of the war. Having attained their own freedom, the founding fathers believed that ALL men should be free. They knew that, after fighting and praying for their own freedom, to hold other humans in slavery was inconsistent and wrong.
“That men should pray and fight for their own freedom and yet keep others in slavery is certainly acting a very inconsistent, as well at unjust and perhaps impious, part.” -John Jay, first Chief Justice U.S. Supreme Court
“The inconsistency of the institution of domestic slavery with the principles of the Declaration of Independence was seen and lamented by all the southern patriots of the Revolution; by no one with deeper and more unalterable conviction than by the author of the Declaration himself.” -John Quincy Adams
Thus began the long fight for the abolition of slavery…and freedom for ALL. After his term as President, John Quincy Adams served in the House of Representatives. He fought a seventeen year battle to abolish slavery in the United States and became known as the “hell hound of slavery”.
While he never really saw any progress and did not live to see the abolishment of slavery in America, he mentored a young freshman Member for one term while in Congress. This young man was one of the pallbearers at Adam’s funeral and went on to implement the save plan to abolish slavery that Adam’s worked so hard for. This man later went on to write the most famous words: “Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth upon this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.” Finally, under Abraham Lincoln’s watch, the principles of freedom embedded in the Declaration of Independence were granted to all Americans.
What was the American Revolution – defense or rebellion? Was the goal of freedom intended for every race and color? When we look at our true history and read the actual words of our founding fathers, we find that their reason for breaking away from England was not to simply overthrow the present government, or for their own personal power or gain…but for the idea that all men are created equal, that one man should not have the control over the fate of the multitudes, and that man made in the image of God should not be enslaved by others. That this new nation would be a haven to all – to protect the rights and freedoms of future generations.
Preserving Freedom
Now that we have a better understanding about what true freedom means and how we acquired it…how do we go about preserving our freedom for our lifetime and for the future generations? And why should we?
I urge you by all that is dear, by all that is honourable, by all that is sacred, not only that you pray, but that you act!
John Hancock
You know… John Hancock’s words sound very similar to the words of James:
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.
James 1:22-24
We need to be putting our belief into action. If we believe in freedom, or we enjoy enjoy it and wish it for our children, we need to preserve it.
Courage, then, my countrymen! Our contest is not only whether we ourselves shall be free, but whether there shall be left to mankind an asylum on earth for civil and religious liberty.
Samuel Adams, American Independence
When you actually read the words of our forefathers, and dig a little deeper into their writings and their lives, you find something very interesting. Something we perhaps never really understood before: everything they did, the government they set out to create and the actions they took, putting their very lives on the front line…was never about them, but for their children, and for future generations.
That should be our desire, as well: to see the torch of freedom lit for the next generation. To be able to tell our children and grandchildren that we did not sit idly by, but fought for their future.
The right of freedom being the gift of God Almighty, it is not in the power of man to alienate this gift and voluntarily become a slave.
Samuel Adams, The Rights of Colonists as Men
God gave us a gift when He gave us freedom. What right do we have to alienate this gift and not care for it? He made us stewards of something so precious…how dare we despise it and allow it to be torn away from us and future generations by evil and tyrannous people!
The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us – that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion – that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain – that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom – that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
Abraham Lincoln, The Gettysburg Address
Stain not the glory of your worthy ancestors, but like them resolve never to part with your birthright; be wise in your deliberations, and determined in your exertions for the preservations of your liberties.
Joseph Warren, Constitutional Liberty and Arbitrary Power
Why should we care about preserving freedom? Because so many gave their lives so that we could live in peace and safety and enjoy the freedom and liberty that God gave us. They gave all so that our nation would remain one nation under God, and be a light of freedom and good for as long as the Lord tarries. To not preserve it for future generations would be to turn our back on what God has given us to take care of…and to allow these dead to thus have died in vain.
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