Lady Liberty stands tall and proud: welcoming to to the shores of America, outcasts, refugees, immigrants and all wanting a life of freedom. This gift from the French people to celebrate American’s sticking it to the King of England. The French men and women who crowd-funding the Statue of Liberty were doing it to stick it to the French authoritarian rulers.
The promise of liberty that Christ offers us, is life.
The promise of liberty that the Statue of Liberty offers, is death.
Eve was deceived by Satan. She was persuaded that she could experience truth apart from God’s revelation and that she could be freed from this burden rules and structures. She was essentially persuaded that God deciding what was right and wrong, was a burden, a trouble, slavery. We are deceived by Satan if we believe we the same lie.
Did you know that the Statue of Liberty was named after Libertas: the Roman goddess of outcasts and harlots? She is the same goddess Ashteroth, and Ishtar, the Babylonian sex goddess. Libertas promotes freedom to live as you please. This is not true liberty.
Jesus is clear: all who sin, are slaves to sin; a bondage he came to set us free from. Throughout the New Testament imagery abounds equating sin with bondage and slavery, but true freedom is found in Christ. Jesus promises, unlike the burdens of sin, his burden is light, and you will find rest for your soul (Matthew 11:28-29). Jesus setting captives free, was not talking about physical slavery, he was talking about freedom from sin. Libertas offers the freedom to sin, the promise Satan made to Eve: to decide for yourself what is right and wrong. They are complete opposites: Life, and death.
Christian Nationalists, rightly in my view, see Christ promise of rest and a light burden, and desire if for all. They desire their government justly uphold God’s laws, and will allow them to live free to obey all Gods commands without interference; essentially Biblical bounds on government powers.
Christian Secularists, in my view, are terrified of what may come if God’s commands are the commands of the nation, and how that might be abused. They shudder at the thought of a government upholding God’s commands, but are wholly unconcerned about the abuses secular governments may wreck. They invoke other religions and the desire not to impose God’s commands on others. While there are merits to some points raised, I believe they have fallen for the same lie as Eve, and the same lie that Lady Liberty offers: Liberty found outside of God.
In truth, there is no liberty or freedom outside of God’s commands. True freedom; true liberty; comes when I and my neighbour is free from the burden of sin, when we are free from unbiblical burdens placed by government, and when biblical justice is the law of the land.
Christian Nationalists get it right. It is good to lobby the authorities to uphold God’s commands. Unfortunately, this time, they have got it wrong.
Christians are told to flee the Whore of Babylon, not try to reform her. The USA fulfils all the requirements of the Whore of Babylon. It is time to flee, not attempt to reform.