Reflections on Freedom, Part 1: The Tarnishing of Liberty

The Statue of Liberty was a shiny bronze way back on Oct. 28, 1886, when President Grover Cleveland presided over her dedication on Liberty Island in the Upper New York Bay. Lady Liberty has welcomed immigrants from all over the world as they come through Ellis Island, seeking Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness in America.

So why is Lady Liberty green nowadays?

The scientific answer may be a wonderful way to understand a great spiritual truth for followers of Jesus, especially in the month in which we celebrate our nation's 250 years of freedom.

One word describes why Lady Liberty is green and not her awe-inspiring shiny copper color: oxidation.

Here is how it is described on the official website, www.statueofliberty.com: "When the Statue of Liberty was dedicated on October 28, 1886, she was not green. Her skin is made of over 30 tons of copper, so she originally had the brilliant, shiny reddish-brown color of a brand-new penny. For years after her unveiling, Lady Liberty stood in the harbor with this dazzling copper sheen. The transformation to the green color we see today was a gradual process that occurred as the statue was exposed to the air and rain of New York Harbor."

Lady Liberty lost her sheen through exposure.

"When a metal is exposed to elements in the air, like oxygen, it begins a series of chemical reactions. For the Statue of Liberty, the key element was her copper skin interacting with the air, water, and pollutants of her environment. This process created a thin layer of corrosion on the surface of the copper, known as a patina." (Why Is The Statue Of Liberty Green​ – Everything about Statue Of Liberty)

For Lady Liberty, standing in this world's air changed her, gradually, over time.

"The color change was not immediate. It was a slow transformation ...

• 1886: The statue is a shiny, brilliant copper.

• By 1890: The statue has begun to darken to a dull brown.

• By 1900-1906: The green patina begins to spread across the statue, often in patches, giving it a mottled appearance.

• By 1920: The entire statue has turned the familiar, uniform sea-green color that we recognize today." (Why Is The Statue Of Liberty Green​ – Everything about Statue Of Liberty)

This is what happens to us, metaphorically speaking, as we live in this earthly kingdom.

Think about the everyday act of living, working, and relating to family. As much as we may love our lives, our vocations, and especially our family, we experience stress in each of these areas. Bills accumulate, the workplace changes, and we want to do more for our families than we can. We feel the pressure. We overthink. We begin reacting rather than responding or, better yet, taking a pause.

According to the American Brain Foundation, "Nearly everyone experiences stress from time to time ... But too much stress can have negative effects on both the physical brain and emotional well-being."

For example, stress affects our memory and dulls our ability to perceive sound. (The Brain and Stress - American Brain Foundation)

"Chronic stress can also lead to diminished cognitive processes like learning, memory, and decision-making. Potentially, it can lead to psychiatric or sensory disorders. To try to manage ongoing stress, the central and peripheral nervous systems are forced to make certain adaptations, which in turn can lead people to make changes to their behavior," according to the article.

Like the Statue of Liberty, we metaphorically lose our shine through emotional, cognitive, and physical oxidation caused by stress. Add the loss of loved ones, awareness of our own mortality, the everyday need to understand our place in the world, etc., and our innocence, vitality, and sense of wonder begin to oxidize at a rate that is both surprising and regrettable.

Like Lady Liberty, we, too, are impacted by pollutants, both chemical and spiritual.

It is corrosive trying to live as a Christian in a culture that seems to be increasingly separating itself from basic Christian values and beliefs. A culture of media-supported political divisiveness doesn't help.

We lose hope.

We begin changing.

For Lady Liberty, standing exposed to air and pollutants create a patina, which is a good thing.

"Once the stable patina layer formed, it sealed the copper from the corrosive elements of the environment. The patina is extremely resistant to corrosion and prevents the underlying copper (which is only about 2.4 mm thick, or the thickness of two pennies) from being eaten away by the rain and salty air. It is, in effect, a perfect natural preservation system." (Why Is The Statue Of Liberty Green​ – Everything about Statue Of Liberty)

For the Christian, the corrosiveness of living in a culture opposed to godliness is another thing altogether.

Consider what Paul says to the believers in Rome about how God views people who are opposed to Him.

Romans 1:18-25, NLT

"But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness. [19] They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. [20] For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities-his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God."

"[21] Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn't worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. [22] Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. [23] And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles."

"[24] So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other's bodies. [25] They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen."

Here is a short summary of this passage:

• Scripture says Jesus is truth (John 14:6) and says Satan is the father of lies (John 8:44). God is angry with those who suppress truth through their sinfulness.

• There is no excuse for not knowing the truth, because God's creation points to Him. Look at the creative genius of the brain. (God’s Design of the Brain: A Biblical Perspective for Kids)

• We desire and worship that which the Creator has created, for our own purpose and glory.

• The more we suppress the truth about God, the more dulled we become to God.

• Eventually, we are abandoned to our own sinful thoughts and ways. We are tarnished.

What is the result?

Romans 1:28-32, NLT

"Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done. [29] Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip. [30] They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents. [31] They refuse to understand, break their promises, are heartless, and have no mercy. [32] They know God's justice requires that those who do these things deserve to die, yet they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too."

This is corrosive. Unlike a bronze statute, we will not develop a protective green colored patina. So, how do we protect ourselves from spiritual tarnish?

After all, we live in America, this is our 250th birthday year as a nation, and there is a great deal of talk about freedom - including freedom to practice any religion, or no religion. How do we square this idea of freedom and liberty with basic Christian values and beliefs?

One of our nation's founders, Patrick Henry, said this about the role of religion in society: “Bad men cannot make good citizens. It is when a people forget God that tyrants forge their chains. A vitiated state of morals, a corrupted public conscience, is incompatible with freedom.” (Patrick Henry Quotes)

This is a strong statement, and many will want to push back against it and throw in all kinds of other views. But Patrick Henry had a great deal to say about religion and its role in society. In fact, he mentions the name of Jesus Christ, specifically.

Regardless of one's view about the Christian foundation of our nation, can we agree that guarding against cultural influences that separate us from God's character and values is necessary? But where do we start?

Paul tells us how to do this in two short verses.

Romans 12:1-2, NLT

"And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice-the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. [2] Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect."

We learn to think about things and people the way that God thinks about them. We evaluate cultural customs and what is considered acceptable in this world, and we evaluate it next to God's word. We think, speak, and act accordingly.

We root our lives in Christ, not in culture or personal freedom or liberty. We seek God's heart on matters rather than trust our own hearts, which scripture says will deceive us and mislead us. (Jeremiah 17:9-10 and Proverbs 28-26)

And we guard against pride.

The idea of American exceptionalism can become an idol. Modern libertarianism can lead to idol worship of individual freedoms and rights. Liberty can become a license to live as we please.

To be sure, we are free to choose to live how we want. We can live for and with God, or we can live in opposition to God. Here is how Jesus talked about it.

John 8:31-36, NLT

"Jesus said to the people who believed in him, "You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. [32] And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

"[33] "But we are descendants of Abraham," they said. "We have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean, 'You will be set free'?"

"[34] Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave of sin. [35] A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son is part of the family forever. [36] So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free."

Because of their religious and national pride, the descendants of Abraham could not understand the liberty and freedom that Jesus spoke of.

The freedom Jesus gives is better than the freedom to live how we please, to cast off religion, or to refuse to acknowledge and worship God.

Romans 8:1-2, NLT

"So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. [2] And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death."

Giving ourselves to Jesus means we are not condemned and we have been set free from the power of sin and death. Once free, why would we return to those things that rob us of our freedom?

Galatians 5:1,13-17,19-26, NLT

"So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don't get tied up again in slavery to the law."

"[13] For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don't use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love. [14] For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: "Love your neighbor as yourself." [15] But if you are always biting and devouring one another, watch out! Beware of destroying one another. [16] So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won't be doing what your sinful nature craves. [17] The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions."

"[19] When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, [20] idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, [21] envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God."

"[22] But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, [23] gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! [24] Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. [25] Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit's leading in every part of our lives. [26] Let us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another."

We are not called to individual freedom at the expense of others or on the backs of others. We are called to love one another, to not provoke one another, and to serve one another out of love.

Broken chains and shackles lay at Lady Liberty's feet. They symbolize the abolition of slavery and the end of oppression. Lady Liberty is envisioned as stepping away from bondage and tyranny.

On the cross Jesus has broken our chains and shackles and has set us free. Like Lady Liberty, we continue walking away from the bondage and tyranny of the enemy and sinfulness. We are free from the power of sin and death.

But only through Jesus.

John 8:36, NLT

"So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free."

Freedom is a beautiful thing. Let us use it to bring more of the Kingdom of Heaven and God's will to the people who are breathing the same air that we breathe.