Liberty Given By God
Pastors Rodney & Adonica Howard-BrownePublish date: 07/05/2026
Foundation Scripture:
Galatians 5:1
1. Liberty
a. Our liberties come from God not government.
b. This principle is deeply rooted in both Scripture and the political philosophy that influenced the founding of the United States.
2. Created in His Image
a. The Bible teaches that mankind's dignity, value, and certain freedoms originate with God, because we are created by Him and in His image.
b. Genesis 1:26–27 KJV — And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…
c. Human worth does not come from government, society, or kings.
d. It comes from God Himself.
3. God Gives Freedom
a. Galatians 5:1a KJV — Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free…
b. Biblical liberty is first spiritual freedom through Christ, but the Bible consistently portrays freedom, rather than oppression, as God's design.
c. 2 Corinthians 3:17 KJV — Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
d. Liberty flows from God's presence.
4. Government Is Under God
a. Romans 13:1–4
b. Romans 13:1a KJV — Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God…
c. Government is established by God to reward good and punish evil—not to replace God as the source of rights or morality.
d. Acts 5:29b KJV — We ought to obey God rather than men.
e. When human authority conflicts with God's commands, God's authority is supreme.
5. Liberty and Deliverance
a. Jesus Christ came to proclaim and deliver liberty.
b. Luke 4:18–19 KJV — The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, 19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
c. Liberty is part of God's redemptive work.
d. God delivers His people from tyranny.
e. The Exodus from Egypt is perhaps the greatest Old Testament picture of God delivering people from political oppression (Exodus 3–14).
f. God Himself opposed Pharaoh's tyranny and brought His people into freedom.
6. Historical Foundation
a. The Declaration of Independence (1776) states:
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights…"
b. Notice the progression:
— Created by God
— Rights given by the Creator
— Rights are "unalienable" (cannot legitimately be taken away)
— Governments are instituted to secure those rights
c. Government does not create rights; it exists to protect them.
d. An "Unalienable Right" cannot rightly be:
— Granted by government
— Sold
— Surrendered
— Taken away by rulers
e. Because it comes from God.
7. The Constitution
a. The United States Constitution does not say government gives rights.
b. Instead, it limits governmental power.
c. Examples: The First Amendment.
d. Government shall make no law:
— Establishing religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.
— Abridging freedom of speech.
— Limiting freedom of the press.
— Preventing peaceful assembly.
— Preventing petitions to government.
e. These are treated as liberties government must not violate.
f. The Ninth Amendment:
"The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people."
g. The people possess rights beyond those specifically listed.
h. The Tenth Amendment:
Powers not delegated to the federal government are reserved to the states or the people.
i. Again, emphasizing limited government.
8. Influential Founding Fathers
a. Thomas Jefferson:
"The God who gave us life gave us liberty at the same time."
b. Samuel Adams:
"The rights of the colonists… may be best understood by reading and carefully studying the institutions of the great Lawgiver and Head of the Christian church."
c. John Adams:
"Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people."
d. He believed constitutional government depended upon a virtuous people who recognized accountability to God.
e. James Madison:
Often called the "Father of the Constitution," Madison argued that because human nature is fallen, government must have limited powers and checks and balances.
9. Biblical Principles that Were Influential
a. Many historians identify these biblical themes as influential:
— Humans are created in God's image.
— All people are equal before God.
— God alone possesses ultimate sovereignty.
— Human rulers are accountable to God.
— Sinful human nature requires limited government.
— Justice is grounded in God's moral law.
— Liberty carries moral responsibility.
10. Definition of Liberty
a. Liberty = Freedom plus morality.
b. Freedom: we are created in the image of God and granted His free will.
c. Morality: the self-governance and stewardship of loving your neighbor as yourself.
d. Liberty is not license.
e. The Bible distinguishes liberty from doing whatever one desires.
f. 1 Peter 2:16 KJV — As free, and not using your liberty for a cloak of maliciousness, but as the servants of God.
g. Galatians 5:13 KJV — …use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.
h. Biblical freedom is not freedom from all restraint.
i. It is freedom to obey God, serve others, and live righteously.
11. Summary
a. God is the source of human dignity and, according to the Declaration of Independence, the source of unalienable rights.
b. Government is instituted to administer justice, preserve order, and protect those rights—not to originate them.
c. The Constitution is a framework that limits governmental power and helps secure the liberties the people are understood to possess.
d. This distinction—between rights that are inherent and government that is limited—has been one of the defining principles of the American constitutional tradition.