Freedom is not free
Reports on the recent riots have revealed that some of those arrested were not from underprivileged backgrounds. Professionals, graduates, and youngsters from stable homes were amongst those arrested. It therefore appears that these riots have been fed as much by greed as by frustration. The greed in all of us wants what others have. The frustration is that others, such as politicians, bankers, company directors and senior civil servants prosper and ordinary men and women pay for their success.
There are two answers to this present problem. Firstly, in the short term, the law must show its teeth and those who break the accepted standards of society must be judged and punished. Yet reliance on the law alone is doomed to fail. This would lead to increased state control and less freedom for individuals, reminiscent of communist and other totalitarian societies. However we cherish freedom not totalitarian control.
There is another solution. Surely a fair and just society exists when the majority of its members recognise that there is a higher and more certain judge than human law. Integrity, doing what is right before God, is vital for a society to thrive. Few have recognised that the opposite of ‘integrity’ is ‘dis-integrity’ or ‘disintegration’. When doing what God wants is no longer the ultimate motivation for how I behave, then my own life will begin to disintegrate. Then my family will be at risk; then finally society will begin to disintegrate. Are we not beginning to see this today with the increase in family breakdown and society breakdown? Could the root cause be a lack of integrity?
But if we return to an emphasis on God’s law there are two other problems. Which god is true? The god of atheism, and make no mistake this is a religion, does not lead to a more integrated and caring society, but ultimately to an increase in selfishness and disintegration. Atheistic states throughout the last century have demonstrated a callous disregard for individual freedom and life. When the historical and moral evidence for the God of the Bible and for Jesus, who claimed to be God, are honestly investigated it becomes clear why Jesus said,
“I am the way, the truth and the life. No-one comes to the Father but through me.” John 14:6
The second problem is that of guilt. Once I have recognised the evil in others, I will begin to see that I also have the very same tendencies to selfishness and greed. We are all guilty in one way or another. Yet again there is a solution to the problem of my guilt. Jesus said to Zacchaeus, a cheat who came to recognise both his faults and his need for forgiveness by God and others, that he had come to ‘seek and to save the lost’ (Luke 19:10).
There is therefore hope, but only if we honestly look at the problem within ourselves and search for a righteousness that is beyond ourselves. This is a righteousness that God alone can give us. This is what Jesus offers. Reading through the Gospel according to St John is a good place to start such an investigation. Alternatively you could join one of several local groups investigating the claims of Jesus. Why is it that many in our society refuse to face up to the claims of Jesus?
The price of freedom, both personal and in society, is the recognition that there is a sovereign God who is both judge and saviour. Freedom only comes through being His subjects, and as such we gratefully subject ourselves to His will.
At root this is a spiritual problem that has affected our families, our schools, our work, our discipline, and even our social support system. The wise king Solomon understood why people ran wild in his day:
“Where there is ignorance of God, the people run wild; but what a wonderful thing it is for a nation to know and keep His laws.” Proverbs 29:18 (Living Bible)
BVP
