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A long time ago, in a
sermon on the nature of God, I remember my pastor relating the
results of an informal and very unscientific survey of Sunday-school
children on their perception of God. One child, a little boy,
described God in a way that I have never forgotten. He very frankly
told how he saw God as a big parent who just went around trying to
keep people from having fun. I think I’ve always remembered what
that little boy said because I too can relate to that perception of
God. When I was a child, there were many times that I saw Him as
just a bigger version of my parents, a being whose sole purpose it
seemed – especially when I was being disciplined – was to keep me
from having a good time. Unfortunately, in today’s day of
watered-down Christianity, I think many adults still view God this
way. Many Christians see God not as a just and benevolent parent who
places boundaries in our lives out of love, but as a punitive parent
who simply wants to restrict our freedom to do as we wish.
A few years ago, when
studying the Book of James, I came across an amazing truth contained
in Chapter 1, verse 25:
But one who looks intently at the
perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having
become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be
blessed in what he does. (NASB)
Did you notice the phrase "the law of liberty"? Think about that
for a moment. These two concepts, law and liberty,
operate at odds with one another. Liberty is freedom, and law
restricts freedom, yet the former cannot exist without the latter.
Ironically, law, which restricts liberty, is also that which makes
it possible. Freedom actually cannot exist without law. William
Blackstone, a 18th century Christian legal scholar
influential on the Founders of our nation, described the link
between law and liberty. According to Blackstone, God has so "inseparably
interwoven the laws of eternal justice with the happiness of each
individual, that the latter cannot be attained but by observing the
former". In other words, God’s laws are not only designed to create
human happiness, human happiness cannot be truly achieved apart from
the observance of God’s laws. The two are "inseparably interwoven",
as Blackstone said. Furthermore, if God’s laws are "punctually
obeyed, it cannot but induce" human happiness.
1
Blackstone continues:
In consequence of which mutual
connection of justice and human felicity, he has not perplexed the
law of nature with a multitude of abstracted rules and precepts,
referring merely to the fitness or unfitness of things, as some have
vainly surmised; but has graciously reduced the rule of obedience to
this one paternal precept, ‘that man should pursue his own true and
substantial happiness.’ 2
God’s laws aren’t just a series of
random, meaningless rules - a list of "dos" and "don’ts" intended to
inhibit our fun. They are designed to provide a framework for human
conduct through which we can achieve the highest level of happiness,
healthiness, and freedom. Think of His laws as a guardrail on a mountain road.
When the road gets a little slippery, the guardrail is there to
prevent a devastating disaster. Or think of them as signposts
pointing us down the smoothest road and warning us of any trouble
along the way. As long as we take heed, we can experience the
greatest joy and peace in our lives – even when life is difficult.
God’s design for our lives does not guarantee that we will never
experience difficulty in life, but it does help to insure that we
create for ourselves the least amount of trouble that can encroach
on our freedom and happiness and that of others.
Despite what our
do-whatever-I-want society preaches, we cannot truly be happy and
free without boundaries in our lives. What kind of adult does a
child become when he is allowed to run wild throughout his boyhood
and youth with no limits on his behavior? Such a child is a terror
in childhood and very likely a criminal in adulthood, and society is
typically forced to take away his freedom just to keep him from
creating trouble. The truth is that too much freedom inevitably
leads to slavery. If we choose to disregard God’s boundaries for our
lives and choose to decide for ourselves what is right and wrong, we
invite enslavement upon ourselves and others. What are the
consequences when we choose to indulge in drugs? We become addicted
to them. What if we indulge in sexual experimentation? We enslave
ourselves to sexual baggage and maybe even diseases that will impact every
major decision made for the rest of our
life. That certainly doesn’t sound like freedom. What if we engage
in the freedom “to choose"? We take away the life of another and
enslave ourselves to the resulting guilt and shame. What if we
refuse to believe the truth about God? We choose to remain enslaved
to our sin and deny ourselves the boundless depth of peace and joy
that comes from knowing God.
The truth is that the God of the
Bible is like a loving parent with our best interests at heart. Any good
parent knows that one of the greatest expressions of love for their
children is not to let them run free to do as they wish, but to
provide boundaries and loving discipline so that they grow up to be
healthy, functional adults. Can anybody that does otherwise possibly
be considered a good parent? God places limits in our lives so that
we can enjoy the greatest freedom and happiness in our lives, just
as Blackstone wrote. God’s standards for our behavior and His design
for our lives constitute a "law of liberty" that insures our freedom
from the bondage of sin. If your experience
with Christianity is that it is just a set of stern rules and
regulations, then you have never experienced the true, freeing power
of Christ. Knowing Christ is not about legalism, but about being
free from sin through His power. Only by believing in Jesus
Christ can we overcome the shackles of sin and achieve the
joy and freedom He wishes for our lives. |
