"Give Me Liberty Or Give Me Death!"

The historic conclusion of Patrick Henry's address in 1775 at Richmond, Virginia rings true to us living today. He concluded, "Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me – give me liberty or give me death!" (source).

In the reality of human existence, there are indeed only two choices for each of us – liberty or death. Those of us who have attained personal accountability, stand condemned before God because of our sins. By inspiration, Paul pronounced, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). The sins we have committed stand us worthy of a frightening penalty (Romans 6:23). The only relief from this death sentence is to be freed from that which condemns us to it – our sin. Ironically, that freedom requires a death of its own. Paul beautifully illustrates this death in Romans 6:3-7.

Christ, who knew no sin, died to liberate us from our sins (2 Corinthians 5:21). To gain that liberty, we must die with Him, crucifying our former sin-condemned self through repentance, then burying the "old man" through baptism into the death of Jesus. Because our sinful self has died and been buried with Christ, we who have undergone this process stand freed – at liberty from sin. Liberty from sin, however, does not imply liberty to do whatever we please (Gal. 5:1,13; 1 Peter 2:16; 1 Corinthians 8:9). In fact, the totally opposite is true (Romans 6:17-18). You see, by freeing us from our enslavement to sin, Christ has liberated us for the privilege of becoming enslaved to Him and to His commands. Some would complain that that's not much of a trade – one slavery for another. But when the alternative is spiritual death (eternal separation from God – Isaiah 59:2), that's actually an excellent exchange.

As Paul in Romans 6:17 illustrates, our liberty is not acquired by being passive. Becoming free requires action on our part – obedience from the heart of that to which we have been delivered by the instruction of God's word. That obedient action entails what Paul described earlier in the chapter – being "baptized into Christ Jesus, into His death" (Romans 6:3). Even our Lord emphasized the importance of baptism being relative to our salvation when He said, "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned" (Mark 16:16).

When we look at sin, it is important to realize that there is no "gray area" in God's eyes. We are either free from sin, through God's grace in Christ, or we die in sin – "Liberty or death," as Patrick Henry put it. And as Mr. Henry noted, the outcome depends on what course we choose to take. We can choose either to die to sin and live in Christ, obeying His will, or we can turn a deaf ear to the Lord's commands, remain disobedient, and die in our sins (John 8:24; Luke 13:3; Mark 16:16).

Dear reader, which do you choose? (cf. Deuteronomy 30:15-19).

Mike Riley, Gospel Snippets

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