An inconspicuous paradox hides in this obscure little verse.

“So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty.”
‭‭James‬ ‭2:12‬ ‭ESV‬‬

How can there be a “law” of “liberty?” Aren’t rules and freedom a little bit contradictory?

Once in college a friend took me to Martha’s Vineyard, a cozy isle just off the coast of Massachusetts. An old man there told us they leave their keys in their cars at night, unlocked, “Because who’s going to steal them?” The ferry’s the only way off the island and the captain would easily recognize a stolen car.

In a place where people don’t steal — or more broadly speaking, where everyone restrains themselves — there really isn’t much to worry about. You’ve probably experienced this if you have any friends or family with whom you would trust your wallet. You know they will respect certain boundaries, and that creates a good deal of freedom.

So there it is — freedom is what results when everyone obeys certain laws, be they moral, legal, or otherwise. It’s even better when they do it out of kindness, not just to avoid getting caught.

Our definition of freedom seems very sick to me, almost unrecognizable. We like to think freedom means, “Nobody tells me what to do!” We know all to well, however, that when people think they can’t be bossed around, they can be harder to trust. Freedom diminishes.

Maybe a better definition would be, “Freedom is what happens when we obey a basic set of laws about how to love your neighbor as yourself.” Imagine living in a nation, or a neighborhood, or a home, where everyone did that!. That would be freedom indeed.