But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

James 1:25

This weekend, our country celebrated its 250th birthday marking the signing of the Declaration of Independence. There is a lot of talk about liberty as a God given right. Our country has the Liberty Bell and, more famously, the Statue of Liberty and it is true that liberty is key to our country – just ask most have have immigrated here and many will describe oppression as a lack of freedom.

But for the Christian, liberty is something more. In the verse above, James describes the law of liberty. In much of modern day America, that term is full of contradictions. What does law have to do with my liberty. I’m free to do whatever I want if I’m free, right?

Not so. While the world describes freedom or liberty as the absence of restraint, Scripture defines freedom as the ability to live as God intended.

You may have heard the illustration before, but “freeing” a fish from a stream or lake doesn’t help the fish. In fact the fish will flop around in the boat struggling to get a breath. Left outside of water, the fish will die. Why? The fish was designed to flourish in the water.

The comparison isn’t perfect. People aren’t fish. Fish have no desire to live outside of what’s best for them, but people often do because our tendency is to rebel against the One who made us. That rebellion is what we often think liberty is.

In the verse above, James describes the outcome of the one who gains insight into the law of liberty as one who doesn’t just hear the words of Scripture, but puts them into practice –

The following verses add to the idea as to what we do-

If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

James 1: 26-27

The law of liberty is reflected in the words we speak and how we speak them, how we care for others and how we are influenced for God instead of by the world around us.

What does that look like for you?