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LIBERTY VS LICENSE

The Magna Charta, as well as The United States Constitution, supposedly grant those under them "the right" to worship as they please, and the freedom to speak as they please. The God of The Bible granted man no such freedoms. In Eph 4:5, God said that THERE IS ONLY "ONE FAITH", and THAT fact alone automatically forbids "the freedom to choose" ANY of the well over 12, 000 "other faiths" in view today!

The Bible goes on to say in 1 Pet 4:11, "IF ANY MAN SPEAK, LET HIM SPEAK AS THE ORACLES OF GOD". Speaking any other way is an unscriptural freedom, as follows:

In 1 Cor 1:10 Paul stated, "NOW I BESEECH YOU, BRETHREN, BY THE NAME OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, THAT YE ALL SPEAK THE SAME THING, AND THAT THERE BE NO DIVISIONS AMONG YOU; BUT THAT YE BE PERFECTLY JOINED TOGETHER IN THE SAME MIND AND IN THE SAME JUDGMENT." Why so? Amos 3:3 "CAN TWO WALK TOGETHER, EXCEPT THEY BE AGREED?" Not so, as The Word of God goes on to state throughout Holy Writ.

It must here be noted that if one does not accept the scriptural definition of "freedom", one may not resort to The Holy Bible to prove a point concerning it. One man's "opinion" concerning freedom may be just as valid as another's. But it is the purpose of this study to plainly set forth the Biblical limitations surrounding one's personal, as well as collective, freedom(s). We will find that, contrary to man's "legal conclusions", LIBERTY IS NOT LICENSE! As far as The Bible is concerned, one is free to do as one pleases, just as long as what one pleases to do -- pleases God!

In the past few years, much controversy has arisen over The First Amendment to the United States Constitution; i.e., concerning it's "FREEDOM OF SPEECH" provision. Needless to say, The Supreme Court (?) invariably rules "in favour of" those who would misuse that amendment to promote pornography, obscenity, and an innumerable host of other unscriptural practices. The Supreme Court (?) either cannot, or will not, draw the scriptural line between LIBERTY AND LICENSE! For example, it refuses to "define" obscenity, in effect ruling that OBSCENITY LIES IN THE EYES OF THE BEHOLDER; and that ONE'S COMMUNITY STANDARDS ARE THE ACCEPTED LEGAL DEFINITION FOR THAT PARTICLAR AREA OF WHAT DOES OR DOES NOT CONSTITUTE OBSCENIITY, PORNOGRAPHY, AND THE LIKE! Little wonder, then, that the nation, and it's people, are set on a steadily escalating moral decline! As we shall see, every freedom - individual, as well as collective - carries with it A CORRESPONDING OBLIGATION NOT TO ABUSE IT. For example, we may have the freedom to operate a vehicle on public thoroughfares, BUT we only have this freedom as long as we are duly licensed; as long as we obey all duly passed traffic laws; and as long as we obey all the common courtesies related to that freedom.

We have freedom of speech. BUT, we do NOT have the freedom to yell "fire!" in a crowded building, when there is no fire. We are free from censorship, BUT are obligated to censor ourselves, according to proper "Godly conduct". We are free to live our own "lifestyle", IF that "lifestyle" conforms to what God's Word plainly describes as a biblically approved "lifestyle". Such would never include that of homosexuals, lesbians, transvestites, mate-swappers, incest, pedophiles, polygamists, or other "alternate lifestyles". See Rom 1:18-32; Ex 22:16, 19, Ex Ch 20, Lev 21:7.

As "the fountain-head" of moral confusion, The Supreme Court (?) of the U. S. A. has refused to legally delineate between LIBERTY AND LICENSE. Its refusal to
establish a distinct "moral line" between the above has led this country's lower courts (as well as its related enforcement agencies) to wallow in a moral limbo of legal error and legal indecision! Little wonder, then, that there has been a complete breakdown in the so-called "legal system", along with those who are supposed to enforce it.

The only valid "scriptural" solution to the foregoing dilemma can be found in certain passages which were penned by the Apostle Paul. The following verses could provide the answer to the dilemma of LIBERTY VS LICENSE, IF the world at large would simply choose to abide by them:

1 Cor 6:12 "ALL THINGS ARE LAWFUL UNTO ME, BUT ALL THINGS ARE NOT EXPEDIENT: ALL THINGS ARE LAWFUL FOR ME, BUT I WILL NOT BE BROUGHT UNDER THE POWER OF ANY."

1 Cor 10: 23 "ALL THINGS ARE LAWFUL FOR ME, BUT ALL THINGS ARE NOT EXPEDIENT: ALL THINGS ARE LAWFUL FOR ME, BUT ALL THINGS EDIFY NOT."

In the foregoing verses, Paul states that even though the saved person is no longer "under the law" (e.g., Rom 6:14; Rom 10:4), common sense alone should dictate that whosoever continues to sin, becomes the servant of sin (e.g., Rom 6:6). And as Paul continued to say in Gal 5:13, "…YE HAVE BEEN CALLED UNTO LIBERTY; ONLY USE NOT LIBERTY FOR AN OCCASION TO THE FLESH, BUT BY LOVE SERVE ONE ANOTHER." To which Peter also agreed, in 1 Pet 2:16 "AS FREE, AND NOT USING YOUR LIBERTY FOR A CLOAK OF MALICIOUSNESS…" Nor should the save person use his liberty as an excuse for ANY unscriptural conduct, as Paul went on to say in 1 Cor 7:31 "AND THEY THAT USE THIS WORLD, AS NOT ABUSING IT…"

Paul also covers the matter in the following verses of 1 Cor 8:9-13, "BUT TAKE HEED LEST BY ANY MEANS THIS LIBERTY OF YOURS BECOME A STUMGLINGBLOCK TO THEM THAT ARE WEAK. FOR IF ANY MAN SEE THEE WHICH HAST KNOWLEDGE SIT AT MEAT IN THE IDOL'S TEMPLE, SHALL NOT THE CONSCIENCE OF HIM WHICH IS WEAK BE EMBOLDENED TO EAT THOSE THINGS WHICH ARE OFFERED TO IDOLS; AND THROUGH THY KNOWLEDGE SHALL THE WEAK BROTHER PERISH, FOR WHOM CHRIST DIED? BUT WHEN YE SIN SO AGAINST THE BRETHREN, AND WOUND THEIR WEAK CONSCIENCE, YE SIN AGAINST CHRIST. Then Paul "sums up" the "liberty vs. license" issue, as follows: WHEREFORE, IF MEAT MAKE MY BROTHER TO OFFEND, I WILL EAT NO FLESH WHILE THE WORLD STANDETH, LEST I MAKE MY BROTHER TO OFFEND."

In addition, Paul also states in Rom 14:21, "IT IS GOOD NEITHER TO EAT FLESH, NOR TO DRINK WINE, NOR ANY THING WHEREBY THY BROTHER STUMBLETH, OR IS OFFENDED, OR IS MADE WEAK."

Yes, the entire world, including The Supreme Court (?), should unanimously turn to the foregoing verses in order to determine the legal, moral, and socially correct line BETWEEN LIBERTY AND LICENSE! However, it is highly unlikely that they will ever do so! In point of doctrinal fact, 2 Tim Ch 3 & 4, as well as 2 Pet 3:3, state that they will never do so; but that the evil permissiveness of those who say that LIBERTY IS LICENSE will continue to grow progressively worse! Christ Jesus confirms this in His Olivet Discourse of Matt, concerning the "end of time" and The Great Global Tribulation which will lead to The Global Battle of Armageddon (also described in Rev 16:13-16, Rev Ch 17 & 18). The entire planet earth has already been fully inundated with the Satanic flood of printed, filmed, and live pornography. Each day it grows only progressively more inundated. The Nations' conscience (?) has become "seared with a hot iron", 1 Tim 4:2. The Supreme Court (?) has upheld the pornographer's position that such LIBERTY IS LICENSE! The world at large has so agreed. The dwindling voices of opposition to the above is now all but non-existent. Satan appears to have "won that entire legal battle". And "AS IT WAS IN THE DAYS OF NOAH", so once again the world has become a "monkey see, monkey do" cesspool of social chaos.

That the saved (who can never become un-saved) must never claim such "LICENSE TO SIN" is plainly so stated by Paul, as follows:

Rom 6:1, 2 "WHAT SHALL WE SAY THEN? SHALL WE CONTINUE IN SIN, THAT GRACE MAY ABOUND? GOD FORBID. HOW SHALL WE, THAT ARE DEAD TO SIN, LIVE ANY LONGER THEREIN?"

While "the saved" are not to be in bondage to any other human being, we must still agree to become a willing servant, love slave, and "bonded prisoner" of Christ Jesus. In doing so, we willingly submit ourselves to His "LAW OF THE SPIRIT OF LIFE IN CHRIST JESUS", which has made us free from the (Old Testament letter of) the law of sin and death; e.g. Rom. 8:2. Since we are free in our "perfect liberty", and "under bondage to no man", the saved are not "under" the Old Testament Law of Moses. Rather, we are "under" the higher, spiritual law stated above.

Wellington


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