Topic: Freedom

What exactly is freedom? Does God provide it? Find out in episode 14 of Talking About Topics! PLEASE SHARE IM BEGGING U. For any topic ideas of questions, email talkingabouttopicspodcast@gmail.com. Enjoy! Sorry for being absent.

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Hello. I know I haven't released an episode in a while, so I'm very sorry. I've been pretty busy. But I'm back with a new episode in The Ready. So let's get into it. Freedom is a very interesting term. Certain parts of the world, such as the United States of America, have freedom, while others unfortunately do not. Or do they? Could there be worldwide freedom? If so, what type of freedom is global? Welcome to episode 14 of Talking About Topics, which is a podcast that discusses and compares thoughtful topics, usually in both Christian and Earthly viewpoints. This week's topic is freedom, which is debated constantly. Let's dive in. First viewpoint on freedom, earthly. Before the discussion, let's define freedom so we are on the same track. Freedom, according to Miriam Webster, is the quality or state of being free. Since that definition was useless since the word was in its own definition, let's define free, which is having liberty. Short and simple. Freedom is having the liberty to do, say, or believe anything. Now I believe that there are two main types of earthly freedom. They are political freedom and cultural freedom. First of all, political freedom is a freedom given by a form of government or the law. It's like I really wanted to steal something. I live in America and the law says I cannot steal. So I do not have the freedom to do that. Political freedom also ranges all throughout the world. Here's a fun fact. Being a Christian and publicly declaring your faith is illegal in over 50 countries. Laws and regulations change everywhere you go. The next type of freedom I would like to mention is cultural freedom. This is freedom that doesn't actually have anything to do with laws or regulations. It can be compared with unspoken rules. Here's an example. America has free speech, but if I were to racially insult someone, I'd be going home with a concussion. Technically, I do not have freedom to racially insult people. That is cultural freedom. It too also ranges everywhere you go, since there are many different cultures. In conclusion of the earthly viewpoint, freedom can be separated into two categories political and cultural. Political freedom is determined by the law, and cultural freedom is determined by a group of people. Second viewpoint on freedom Christian What does the Bible say about freedom? Well, it actually points out both types of earthly freedom and says something important. Acts five verses twenty six through thirty two in the Bible says The captain went with his temple guards and arrested the apostles, but without violence, for they were afraid the people would stone them. Then they brought the apostles before the high council, where the high priest confronted them. We gave you strict orders never again to teach in this man's name, he said. Instead you have filled all Jerusalem with your teaching about him, and you want to make us responsible for his death. But Peter and the apostles replied, We must obey God rather than any human authority. The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead after you killed him by hanging him on a cross. Then God put him in the place of honor at his right hand as prince and Savior. He did this so the people of Israel would repent of their sins and be forgiven. We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit who is given by God to those who obey him. For context, the apostles were thrown in jail for preaching God's word, and God freed them. Instead of them listening to the law, they decided to continue preaching. Then, while rebuking the Pharisees, they said that they are supposed to obey the Lord, as should we. Earthly wise, the apostles were not allowed to preach, they didn't have the freedom. Yet God gave them the freedom to do so. God given freedom such as this could be another type of freedom, which is biblical freedom. There are a special set of biblical laws called the Ten Commandments. Everyone on earth should strive to follow these. They can be found in Exodus twenty verses one through twenty one when Moses goes up onto the mountain to receive these commandments from God on two tablets of stone. Exodus twenty one through twenty one says, Then God gave the people all these instructions. I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery. You must not have any other god before me. You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind, or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth, or in the sea. You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous god who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children. The entire family is affected, even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands. You must not misuse the name of the Lord your God. The Lord will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name. Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest, dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day no one in your households may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you. For in the sixth day the Lord made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them, but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy. Honor your father and mother, then you will live a long full life in the land the Lord your God is giving you. You must not murder, you must not commit adultery, you must not steal, you must not testify falsely against your neighbor. You must not covet your neighbor's house, you must not cover your neighbor's wife, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbor. When the people heard the thunder and the louse blast of the ram's horn, and when they saw the flashes of lightning and the smoke billowing from the mountain, they stood at a distance trembling with fear. And they said to Moses, You speak to us and we will listen, but don't let God speak directly to us, or we will die. Don't be afraid, Moses answered them, for God has come in this way to test you, and so that your fear of him will keep you from sinning. As the people stood in the distance, Moses approached the dark cloud where God was. There really is no explanation for this. Just try not to break these laws. Striving to obey God can really strengthen your relationship with Him. One final type of freedom I would like to discuss is spiritual freedom. See, guilt is when the Holy Spirit convicts us after we sin. If we ignore it, it could lead to a bad habit. Now when someone gives their life to Christ, they could fall back into these old habits after a long time. This is because of our human nature, which is always wanting to go back what pleases us, not the Lord. But obeying God and strengthening your relationship with Him and giving your life to Christ can break off the burden of sin. This is spiritual freedom. You no longer have to submit to the ways of the flesh. Psalm one hundred and forty six verses two through ten in the Bible says I will praise the Lord as long as I live. I will sing praises to my God with my dying breath. Don't put your confidence in powerful people. There's no help for ye there. When they breathe their last they return to the earth, and all their plans die with them. But joyful are those who have the God of Israel as their helper, whose hope is in the Lord their God. He made heaven and earth, the sea and everything in them. He keeps every promise forever, he gives justice to the oppressed and food to the hungry. The Lord frees his prisoners. The Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are weighed down. The Lord loves the godly. The Lord protects the foreigners among us. He cares for the orphans and widows, but he frustrates the plans of the wicked. The Lord will reign forever. He will be your God, O Jerusalem, throughout the generations. Praise the Lord. God cares about us. When we submit to the Lord, we are free from sin, and He is the one who frees us. It's very similar to the passage in Acts five that I mentioned earlier when some of the apostles were freed from prison and chose to declare the name of the Lord Jesus, just as we should do when we achieve spiritual freedom. In conclusion of the Christian viewpoint, the Bible tells us to obey Him in the worldly law, as long as the worldly law agrees with Scripture. Jesus offers us spiritual freedom through his death and resurrection, and by strengthening your relationship with God, you too, everyone on earth globally can be freed from your sins. There is no one who is exempt from this. Thank you for listening to episode 14 of Talking About Topics, which discussed freedom. If you genuinely enjoyed and if it was meaningful to you, please share it with others so that they can experience the same thing you did. And also share with people who you think may enjoy it more than you do. Everyone is welcome to this podcast. If you have any questions, critiques, comments, or topic ideas, or special Wednesday episode ideas, then just email my very obnoxiously long email talking about topics podcast at gmail.com. Again, I am very sorry for being absent for three weeks. I have been super duper busy. With that, thank you for listening, and I'll see you in the next episode.