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Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death!

Writer's picture: nbccnkynbccnky

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!”


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, in Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned and fall short of

the glory of God”. The sins we have committed stand us worthy of a

frightening penalty. Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death but the

gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.


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.


Christ Gives Us “Liberty” From Sin. The bible says in 2nd Corinthians 5:21, “For

he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be

made the righteousness of God in him”.


To gain that liberty, we must die with Him, 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, the bible says in 1 Peter 2:16: “As free, and not using your

liberty for a cloak of maliciousness, but as the servants of God."


Freedom from Sin Requires Obedience As Paul in Romans 6:17 says,

“But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have

obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you”.


This 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.


Even our Lord emphasized the importance of baptism being relative to

our salvation when He said in Mark 16:16, “He who believes and is

baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be

condemned”.


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 Jesus said in John 8:24, “I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die

in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins”.


Moses in Deuteronomy reminds the new generation of the importance

of obedience. That same obedience stands today.


Deuteronomy 30:15-19:


15 See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil;


16 In that I command thee this day to love the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the Lord thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it.


17 But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them;


18 I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it.


19 I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:


We have a opportunity to live, to live in Christ Jesus.


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