“The greatest enemy of freedom is freedom.” So says Os Guinness, in his recent excellent book, “A Free People’s Suicide.”
“Freedom requires order and therefore restraint, yet the only restraint that does not contradict freedom is self-restraint, which is the very thing that freedom undermines when it flourishes. Thus the heart of the problem of freedom is the problem of the heart, because free societies are characterized by restlessness at their core.”
“The core problem can be expressed like this: Such is our human propensity for self-love—or thinking and acting with the self as center—that the virtue it takes for citizens to remain free is quite unnatural… Thus, in Montesquieu’s words, the self-renunciation needed for freedom is “always a very painful thing.”
Paul understood the necessity of self-restraint for freedom to flourish. He said everything was permissible for him, but not everything was beneficial, helpful, or constructive. [I Cor. 6:12,10:23] He restrained himself so as not to put a stumbling block in the path of those whose faith is weak. [II Cor. 6:3]
America is losing her freedom because we no longer want to pay the painful price of self-restraint and we are on the way to tyranny. After the Greatest Generation spilled their blood and gave their lives to preserve our freedom, the next generations grew increasingly tired of the necessary vigilance and sacrifice.
“A despotism may almost be defined as a tired democracy. As fatigue falls on a community, the citizens are less inclined for that eternal vigilance which has truly been called the price of liberty; and they prefer to arm only one single sentinel to watch the city while they sleep… [G. K. Chesterton, “The Everlasting Man”]
The more we let “one sentinel” watch the gates and give us what we want, the more power seduces him, and the more he controls us and the more freedoms he steals from us. Or it is probably more accurate to say, the more we give away our freedom to false promises of peace and provision.
In reality, freedom is the privilege of choosing our master – self, others, or God. We are all in the position of the young slave boy on the block for auction…
Once upon a time a young slave was put on the block for auction. He was terrified at the thought of being separated from his family and by the unknown character of his new master. Who would buy him? Would he be kind or cruel? Finally the bidding began and after a few minutes, it reached the point about which everyone figured he was worth, and the bidding stopped. The auctioneer was about to pound down his gavel and cry, “Sold!” Then suddenly, a stranger stood in the back and bid triple the price of the highest bidder. It was a ridiculous price to pay and silence filled the room. All eyes turned toward the new bidder and watched him walk up to the auctioneer, pay the price, and receive the certificate of sale. Then he slowly walked over in front of the lad and simply said, “I have bought you to give you your freedom,” and he handed him the certificate of sale.
Now the lad was faced with the tremendous burden of freedom! His first impulse was to run out the door and just do what he wanted. Then he thought about returning to his family. The possibilities were flooding his mind. Then he looked into the eyes of the man who had the love to purchase his freedom and he saw what his heart truly was made for, and he said, “Sir, can I be your servant?”
Christ set us free to chose our master. Choose wisely.