“The liberty of one depends not so much on the removal of all restraint from him, as on the due restraint upon the liberty of others.” William Ames, theologian of the American Republic
Noah Webster defined liberty as our founders knew it to be, “the power of acting as one thinks fit, without any restraint or control, except from the laws of nature.” Civil liberty is an exemption from the arbitrary will of others, which exemption is secured by established laws, which restrain every man from injuring or controlling another.
Tyranny, the opposite of liberty, is the “arbitrary or despotic exercise of power; the exercise of power over subjects and others with a rigor not authorized by law or justice.”
Tyranny is in opposition to personal liberty and property. It opposes liberty of conscience. It denies civil liberty within a nation. It is the duty of all mankind to oppose tyranny and work to establish liberty, as liberty is a gift of God and His design for mankind.
Teach the children
1. All righteous law and justice come only from God. Psalm 19:7-8
2. All men are fallen and able to corrupt government. Romans 3:10-12, Proverbs 25:5, 29:2
3. Our liberty is rooted in the principles of Scripture that restrain evil and empower good. Romans 13:1-6
4. We will enjoy liberty when we exercise Christian self-government. Psalm 119:45
“And I will walk at liberty, for I seek thy precepts.” Psalm 119:45