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About Jesus - Steve (Stephen) Sweetman The
Limitations Of One issue that is
polarizing the population of the western world these days concerns
individual freedoms within the context of community constraints.
Does the individual trump the community or does the community trump
the individual, or is there any balance between the two?
Long before the American Bill of Rights and the U.S. Constitution
were formulated, this issue might have been in the mind of God, as is
hinted in Genesis 2:16 and 17. "And the LORD
God commanded the man, 'You are free to eat from any tree in the garden;
but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for
when you eat from it you will certainly die.'" Note the words "you
are free," "you must not," and, "you will certainly
die" in this passage. These
words suggest that God created the individual to be free within the
constraint of a command. Stepping
beyond the constraint would end in certain death, a death that was
realized, as we read in Genesis 3. Did
God place limitations on liberty?
However you view the
creation account of Genesis, I believe that God assigned the universe to
exist in a state of balance, and getting out of balance produces problems.
As balance applies to a national community, to prevent a
free-for-all fight of individual freedoms, certain communal
constraints must be instituted and observed.
It's where the individual agrees to limit his liberty for the
benefit of the community as the community agrees to limit its laws for the
benefit of the individual. This
balancing act is obviously difficult, if not impossible, in a world where
our me-first, sinfully-selfish human nature trumps all of life. No
wonder we find ourselves in this present fight.
Nevertheless, to escape national death, this
balance must be realized. From
my personal prophetic perspective, like previous civilizations, I believe
the death of the West is inevitably certain.
However you think about
this issue, and some of you will disagree with me, Galatians 5:13 applies
to all who call themselves Christians. "You, my brothers
and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to
indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love."
Whether it's a national
community or a marriage community between a husband and wife, balancing
individual liberty with communal constraints is necessary for the health
of both. Stepping beyond these
limitations ends in certain death for all.
Nevertheless, as Paul wrote, the fundamental fight is the fight the
individual has with his flesh. Let's
think about winning that fight.
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