Freedom of Choice

 Freedom of Choice

Galatians 5:1-6

Question: How many of you like rules? Or another way, who would call themselves a rule follower?

The Founding Fathers desired a government that was governed by natural law and natural rights. Who can name the three natural rights listed by Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence? (Life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness) The idea was that in a perfect society man could govern oneself by abiding by these three principles. However, men in their inherent flaws need law or rules to govern them.

In all truth, the Founding Fathers were inspired by their Creator to create this style of government. If man was truly in tune with their Creator then they would be bound by the Creator’s law of:

1. Preserve life-The preservation of life is established by those who value the lives of themselves and others. The greatest thing in all of creation is humanity. The word of God in Genesis states that we are created in His image. The value of humanity in itself is the value of God.
2. Life has the liberty of man to choose- God created in us the ability to choose. We are not robots who are programed to only follow commands. We have the right to choose to value life, value each other, and value God.
3. Man can choose to pursue anything they want as long as rules 1 and 2 are followed. In essence, the totality of natural law is the ability for man to choose to protect life, for themselves and others. Furthermore, it is about valuing the right of individuals to choose for different beliefs and ideas as long as it values others.

Seems good, right? Well, that is God’s law. In your head quote the Ten Commandments, and go! If you can’t get them all go to Exodus 20.

Okay, so now let’s look at this greater theme of the Commandments: Love God, Love Others. Doesn’t that follow the idea of the Old Testament and the Founding Fathers? If you have doubt, it really does focus on the preservation of God’s laws and God’s nature.

But sin…Sin doesn’t follow these rules or concepts. Sin is selfish, angry, prideful, resentful, petty, foolish, and the list goes on! (Galatians 5:19-20) Sin keeps us bound because it is sin that leads to destruction.

If you have a Bible, get it and read Galatians 5:1-6

Contrary to popular beliefs and naysayers alike, Christianity is not about following rules. God set forth laws in the old way of doing things and Israel was terrible at following it. You can’t please God by being just a rule follower. At some point, a person must be willing to submit to living in the freedom of Christ.

What we see is the battleground that many men are willing to fight on is that man is in essence their own god. We are not able to abide by God’s standards on our own accord. We can’t regulate ourselves. Though we have free will, the free will will always lead to a choice that is counter to the will of God.

So what is the answer?

Faith…Our faith in Jesus is what allows us to have freedom. It is because of Christ that we have the freedom to abide in God. As we place our faith in Jesus, it is now that we have made a choice to live in the righteousness of God, not ourselves. It is in this faith that we have established the trust that God will provide for us in this life. Furthermore, it is in this faith that we recognize that our only hope is to live in the righteousness that has been established by Jesus Christ. Hebrews writes that our faith is the hope of what we cannot see in this life

All in all, we have freedom due to our faith in Christ and a willingness to recognize the sovereignty that God has in our lives. Through the Holy Spirit, we can now find peace and hope that Jesus Christ is our redemption, salvation, and hope.

Blessings,

Nick Engleman

If you have questions about Jesus, or are interested in beginning this journey of living for God through the blood of Christ, please feel free to contact me at 417-808-1049, or email at nengleman902@gmail.com.