Six Freedoms
Real peace for the individual, the nation and the world
July 1, 2011
Fear not, for I have overcome the world.—John 16:33
by Billy Graham
The world is searching desperately for peace and freedom.
There is no possibility of world peace until the individual has found peace, because the world is made up of individuals. John Kenyon has listed six freedoms necessary for real peace for the individual and thus for the nation and the world.
First, there is freedom from God’s law. The Bible says we “all have sinned” and “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 3:23, 6:23). It is impossible to have peace without assurance of pardon. All people are born into the slavery of sin. That slavery is far more binding than anything people could impose. It is useless to talk about peace unless we have emancipation from this slavery to sin.
The Bible teaches that all of us are born under a colossal debt. Even as babies in America are born into our national debt, and each must share in it in the future, so every descendant of Adam is born into the debt of a sin nature which later progresses into personal sin. The only hope of freedom for you, the only way you can be emancipated from the chains of this debt, is through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He redeemed us from the slave markets of sin.
But that freedom, that payment and that pardon must be appropriated by the individual—you must receive Jesus Christ as your Savior. Therefore, there must come a point in your life when you accept and appropriate for yourself this freedom from sin and the broken law of God.
The second freedom essential for peace is freedom from fear. There must be assurance of protection. We build gigantic armaments to protect the American people; this gives a certain sense of security and safety. And yet we still have a sense of uneasiness and fear.
The Bible even commands sinners to be afraid. “But if you do evil, be afraid,” the Bible says (Romans 13:4). We have done evil. We have forgotten God. It is time that we fear God. If there is no fear of God in the hearts of people, then there is little hope indeed. Only Christ can say, “Do not fear.” And He says it not to the world, but to His own (Luke 12:32). “Fear not, for I have overcome the world,” He said (Cf. John 16:33). Only in Christ can we have freedom from fear.
The United Nations is filled with suspicions, with criticisms of each other and with fear. The shadow of war hangs over the beautiful building on the bank of the East River in Manhattan. The only personality in the universe at this hour who can remove that fear is Christ, for He is the Prince of Peace.
The third freedom that is necessary is the freedom from want. There must be the assurance of provision. All mankind is searching for ideal conditions in a world that is anything but ideal. Many people think the world owes them a living. If that is true, who is going to pay off this indebtedness? Everything that you receive free, somebody had to work to pay for.
I am convinced that a peace built upon promises of keeping people free from want is precarious. We can try, but populations are increasing at astounding rates. There are more hungry people today than ever before. There are more diseased people than ever before.
I know of only one Ruler who can supply our needs. The Bible says, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want” (Psalm 23:1). That promise is made to the people of God. He can give us perfect contentment. The Scripture says He will supply all of our needs “according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). The Christian has a right to call upon the inexhaustible supply of God to meet his needs.
Fourth, we must have freedom from death. Unless we have this freedom, everything else is in danger. Death cancels out every blessing. Nothing matters if death ends all. “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” (Mark 8:36).
And yet it is painfully obvious that no person or nation can give freedom from death. Everyone has a death sentence hanging over him at this hour. How can governments expect to keep the world at peace when the peoples of the world are marching to certain doom?
One of the basic desires of the soul is to live on and on. Self-preservation is the first law of nature. People may grow tired of aches and pains and the decrepitude of old age, but they do not grow tired of life itself.
God has arranged to satisfy this yearning of the soul to live forever and this desire to be free from pain and sickness and trouble. Humans are little creatures with big capacities, finite beings with infinite desires, deserving nothing but demanding all.
God made us with this huge capacity and desire in order that He might come in and completely satisfy that desire. God made the human heart so big that only He can fill it. He made it demand so much that only He can supply that demand.
No government can compete with God. The government has nothing satisfying to offer to the soul, and therefore it cannot bring peace of soul. Jesus Christ is the only one who holds the keys of death. In His death and resurrection, He took the sting out of death, and now God offers eternal life to every person who puts his or her trust and faith in Jesus Christ, God’s Son.
Fifth, there is freedom from isolation. The human soul is a lonely thing. It must have assurance of companionship. Left entirely to itself, it cannot enjoy anything. God said in the beginning, “It is not good that man should be alone” (Genesis 2:18). The creation of Eve was the beginning of human companionship.
God’s people are a body, not intended to function separately, not intended to be unconcerned for one another. The only true body in the world is the Church. The world may talk grandly of brotherhood, but in reality its philosophy is “each man for himself.” God’s children are guaranteed the richest and truest friendship both here and hereafter. “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another,” said Jesus (John 13:35).
Only in true friendship and true love do we find a genuine basis for peace. And only God can break down the national and racial barriers that divide people today. Only God can supply that love we must have for our fellow human beings.
We will never build brotherhood of people on earth until we are brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus. The only true cohesive power in the world is Christ. He alone can bind human hearts together in genuine love. Until this genuine love and trust and comradeship are evident among peoples of all races and nationalities, there can never be permanent world peace.
Sixth, there must be freedom from eviction. The human heart craves a permanent home. To any thoughtful person the prospect of being evicted at the close of this life is terrifying. This is just what death amounts to for those who do not know Jesus Christ.
There is nothing more dreary and forlorn than homelessness. And the unconverted not only face this eviction, but they must go into a place that Jesus warned about, called hell. One moment in hell will convince any person that however many blessings and delights he may have had during this life, all were just mockery.
Thanks be unto God, believers in Christ have the assurance that they are going to a home where all is happiness, joy and peace. This blessed hope fortifies us to bear our hardships. We will not insist on our wants here and fight over our rights, but we will be willing to suffer the loss of all things for the sake of those things that are yet to come. Earthly possessions will not vitally concern us. The quality here may be poor, but the Bible teaches that the quality there is far better. The possessions here will pass away; the possessions there are enduring.
It is honorable, right and praiseworthy that our leaders should seek and promote national and world peace; but they must recognize its limitations without Christ, the Prince of Peace. The Bible teaches that the world will never come to this place of tranquility and permanent peace until Christ, the Prince of Peace, comes back to this earth. When He comes to reign and rule, man shall know war no more.
I am looking forward to that glorious day when Jesus Christ will be crowned King of kings and Lord of lords. Are you? I entered that Kingdom by being born again, by repenting of my sins and receiving Christ as my Savior. I have the peace and assurance that only Christ can give. There is meaning and purpose in living. Do you have it? If not, you can have it right now by making your commitment and your decision to receive Christ as your Lord and Savior. ©BGEA
Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, New King James Version.
PRIVACY
