From a Christian perspective, we believe these rights are not granted by governments but given by God. They are woven into our very existence, declaring that all people share equal worth before their Creator.
Of course, we’re not equal in every way. We differ in talent, intelligence, beauty, strength, wealth, and opportunity. But we are equal in dignity—and in our shared right to life, responsibility, and moral agency. This equality should be reflected in how people are treated under the law. No matter who you are, equal protection should be extended to all.
We are free people. Yet freedom doesn’t mean doing whatever we want. To protect and preserve the liberty God has given us, we must live in a certain way.
Samuel Adams once said:
“He therefore is the truest friend to the liberty of his country who tries most to promote its virtue… The sum of all is, if we would most truly enjoy this gift of Heaven, let us become a virtuous people.”
Adams understood something we often forget: freedom and virtue are inseparable.
N.T. Wright, in the book After You Believe, describes virtue as the steady formation of character through the Spirit’s work—developing habits of goodness so that doing what is right becomes second nature. Freedom can only endure when it is shaped by this kind of moral character. Laws and systems may preserve order, but only virtue keeps liberty alive.
Too often, conversations about freedom focus only on what we are allowed to do.
We ask, “Is this legal?” or declare, “It’s my life—I can do what I want!”
But freedom is not simply the ability to make choices; it’s the responsibility to make the right ones. The enjoyment of freedom is not the same as its preservation.
In fact, the number one reason people lose their liberty—personally and collectively—is because of poor choices. Yes, freedom gives us the right to choose, but not all choices lead to life.
Take addiction, for example.
A person is free to use drugs or abuse alcohol. God has given them free will. But addiction quickly becomes a self-made prison, robbing people of the very freedom they wanted to exercise.
The apostle Peter wrote:
“Submit as free people, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but as God’s slaves.”
—1 Peter 2:16 (CSB)
That sounds strange, doesn’t it? How can freedom be found in being a slave to God?
Yet this is the paradox of the gospel: True freedom is not found in self-rule but in surrender to God’s good and loving authority. When we live as servants of God, we live according to His design—and that is where genuine freedom flourishes.
Even if a government strips away our civil liberties, no one can take away the freedom we have in Christ. Our freedom doesn’t come from the Constitution or the Bill of Rights—it comes from God.
This is why followers of Jesus can remain free even under oppression. True freedom, the freedom described in Scripture, is not the absence of external constraint; it’s the presence of internal obedience.
As Paul wrote,
“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do.”
—Ephesians 2:10 (CSB)
God, in His wisdom and mercy, has placed the direction of our lives in our hands. The choices we make determine whether we live enslaved to sin or free in King Jesus.
So choose well.
Choose virtue.
Choose obedience.
Choose Jesus.
Because when we live as God intended, we discover what freedom truly means.
Paul’s Ponderings is a blog dedicated to reflecting on Scripture and encouraging believers to live out their faith with love and purpose.
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