Liberty and Christianity, One and the Same (More Christian libertarian stuff)

I am, for the most part, culturally conservative. I am a conservative Christian, and I attend a Southern Baptist church. I believe the Bible to be truth and inspired by our Creator. I am not hostile towards, nor am I afraid of, science though. I do not see science as a threat to my beliefs. I believe scientific knowledge is a gift of God, one that has improved the living standards of human beings.

I believe that we Christians live in the "age of grace", and that the purpose of the Law was to show us that we are incapable of living out the standards of God. It is our sin that puts a barrier between us and God, and that is why we need Jesus as our advocate. Christianity is not a set of do's and don't's. Neither is it simply a code of morals. Christianity is about a personal relationship with the Father, who reveals Himself in the teachings of Jesus and the presence of the Holy Spirit. Practicing Christianity or adhering to certain principles doesn't make one a Christian. Believing that Jesus Christ is the son of God, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of a virgin, lived a perfect life, was crucified, rose on the third day, and now resides at the right hand of the Father, is what makes someone a Christian. Some may disagree, but I do not believe that all roads lead to heaven.

Some people believe that it is the role of government to enforce certain ideas on morality. They believe that God would prefer a government that forces people to be charitable toward the poor, and to refrain from bad behavior that affects no one but themselves. I disagree. I believe in a God that gives humans free will. He doesn't force us to do anything. If we ask, He will give us the Holy Spirit to help us along the way. But whether or not we choose to listen to the Spirit is up to us. It breaks our Father's heart when we disobey Him, but nevertheless He still allows us to hurt Him.

When I say "us", I am referring to Christians. Non-Christians have not been given the Spirit. Realizing this, we should not hold them to the standards of our God. As individuals, we should only hold ourselves to those standards. What we should be doing, is telling them about how our God is loving and forgiving and all powerful, so that they might also become willing to accept the Holy Spirit. The only message that we should ever deliver to the unbeliever is the message of salvation. All other messages about how to live a Christian life should be directed toward those that are already saved. The non-Christian should never be led to believe that he or she has to change his behavior in order to be a Christian. He should be told though, that as a result of a sincere salvation experience, his behavior will change.

When we pass laws against things like pornography and drug use, we are not really doing anything to affect the real problem, which is the spiritual condition that leads one to turn to those things. If you are addicted to drugs, and your drugs are taken away, are you suddenly at peace? I know from experience that the answer is no. Alcoholics refer to this as being a "dry drunk". Many sober alcoholics work around alcohol every day. Some are even bartenders. They can do this because they have come to realize that alcohol was not their problem. Alcohol was only a symptom of their problem. Rather than outlaw that which reveals their inability to live without God's help, we should instead be focused on helping them improve their spiritual condition. I often think that those who advocate the criminalization of things like pornography, prostitution, and sodomy, are the very ones who struggle with those things themselves. The same goes for those who support the transfer of wealth through taxes and spending. They want the government to force them to give and to help them overcome their vices by taking them away. They don't want to have to face these things that reveal their lack of a healthy spiritual condition.

Christians should oppose forced benevolence and support the legalization of everything that does not infringe upon the freedom of others. We need to treat the problem, rather than outlaw the symptoms. That would be the Christian thing to do, in my opinion. That would be following the example of Christ and the way He deals with us. He will not get rid of the sin in the world, but He will deliver us from temptation if we ask Him.