I find it interesting how the interpretation of words can change depending on their context. For instance, the opening verses of Psalm 139: 1-3, 7 can provide a wonderful sense of comfort; a sense of peace and serenity. “Oh Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my every thought when far away. You chart the path ahead of me and tell me where to stop and rest. Every moment you know where I am. I can never escape your spirit! I can never get away from your presence.” It is indeed wonderful to know God is always with us, charting our path and guiding our steps.
Now think of the connotation those words would have if instead of thanking God for his presence, the writer had been writing about a government or other ruling agency. In that case the implication would probably not result in a sense of peace and serenity, but would most likely instill uneasiness about the invasion of our privacy. Same words; different sources. Our response to anything generally depends on our previous experience with a source.
Isn’t it interesting to think that at Creation God could have made us all perfect boys and girls. Had he done that, we would always be in line with His will, and we would still be living in Paradise. But He didn’t do that. Instead, even knowing this decision was a double-edged sword, he gave us free will so we could make our own choices. Why would He do this? What if man were to choose the wrong path and go astray? Well…all we have to do is look at the world around us for the answer. Does this world look like paradise to you?
In Genesis we learn that God created us for two purposes: 1. Man was given dominion over the earth, and 2. man was created for a relationship with Him. However, a relationship only happens when two people choose to engage in that mutual endeavor. There is no doubt that God loves us. In fact we are told in 1John, 4:19, “We love because He first loved us.” That was the whole purpose of creating man. God gave us something no other species of the animal kingdom had; the ability to engage in rational thinking. The point of my engaging in this line of thought is…God values freedom. While he could have made us perfect and we would all be following his plan, he chose instead to value our freedom by giving us free-will. And what is even more amazing…God never extends his will to trump our free-will.
Since we have the freedom to make choices, we quickly learn to make our new choices in light of the experience that resulted from our past choices. For instance, when we put our hand on a hot surface and get burned, we learn not to do that. If we trust in a statement made by someone and we experience that statement to be true, we start to believe (trust) that person. This is how we develop faith, and faith guides our future choices.
By standing on the example of God’s value of free-will and freedom, the founders of this great country stated in the second paragraph of the Declaration of Independence, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, 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.” According to the Declaration of Independence, and supported by the Bible, these unalienable rights are granted to us by God Almighty.” Therefore, no man or man-made entity (government or religion) should have the audacity to act in a manner contrary to God’s design.
Freedom should be man’s most precious possession, and protected at all cost. The framers of the constitution were well aware of the challenges that lay ahead for this young republic concerning our individual liberties, as revealed in the following discourse: “At the close of the Constitutional Convention of 1787, Franklin was queried as he left Independence Hall on the final day of deliberation. In the notes of Dr. James McHenry, one of Maryland’s delegates to the Convention, a lady asked Dr. Franklin, “Well Doctor what have we got, a republic or a monarchy.” Franklin replied, “A republic . . . if you can keep it.”
That is still our challenge today. Our Constitution created a limited representative republic. A republic is different from a democracy in that a democracy decrees the majority can directly make laws, while in a republic, elected representatives make laws. Basically, in a pure democracy, the majority has unlimited power, whereas in a republic, a written constitution limits the majority and provides safeguards for the individual and minorities.
It seems to me the answer to the question concerning liberty and individual rights can be found in the motivation of the grantor. God’s motive for granting us free-will was grounded in love. He wanted us to choose to love him back once we came to know him; knew we could trust him; and knew we could count on him. That motivation can stand up to any scrutiny.
A man-made entity is, unfortunately, subject to the flaws of man. Those flaws, however, can be minimized if the entity is willing to humble itself and seek God for guidance. To return to the framers of the Constitution, it is well-known that the Constitutional Convention reached a point of grid-lock concerning State’s representation that threated further progress. Benjamin Franklin appealed to the men to adjourn for four days and during that time, “to seek God’s guidance through prayer.”** Upon their return, there was unity in the ranks and the Constitution was completed. Wow! Can you imagine that happening today?
I believe there is a message in that scenario, and its truth can be found in James 4:10, “When you bow down before the Lord and admit your dependence on him, he will lift you up and give you honor.” When we, as a man or as a nation, are in line with God’s will, we are blessed. God wants us to love him and our fellow man: that is his charge to both mankind and nations. (2Chronicles 7:14; Jeremiah 18: 7-10)
Many times agendas can get cloaked in, or can sound like they are rooted in fundamental truths, ie. “looking out for our fellow man”, when in fact the agenda is driven by an entirely different motivation. Let’s look at Step III of Alcohol Anonymous. It states very clearly God’s intent: “We became willing to turn our will and our life over to the CARE of God.” Care in this statement is rooted in love. It’s about Gods desire to look out for us; to be our protector and our shield. We know that because of our experience with the source.
Another source, however, can make the same statement, but the motivation behind that statement might be wrapped in a different agenda. Perhaps the agenda of that source is actually power and control. So once again we could find ourselves confronted by the same dilemma one could experience with the opening few verses of Psalm 139 if we did not know the source.
So what is the answer? We have to know our source. If our source has proven itself to be worthy of our faith, trust and obedience, we would most likely have a sense of peace and serenity about following that path. However, if the source has been proven to be deceitful and untrustworthy, peace and serenity gives way to uneasiness, and that too helps us make this and future decisions.
And the final litmus test must be, “Does making this choice cause me to relinquish any of my freedoms – freedom of choice or otherwise?” Remember, God gave us free-will and his will never trumps our will. Can we say the same thing concerning other sources? It is definitely worth our scrutiny.
May God continue to bless you!
Dan Presgrave (a.k.a. Pastor Dan)
*Unalienable (or inalienable): cannot be bought, sold, or transferred; cannot be conveyed; unable to be disposed of, unforfeitable, untouchable. Wikipedia Legal Dictionary
**WallBuilders LLC; Franklin’s Appeal for Prayer at Constitutional Convention
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