I’m about to break the ice. As a libertarian, the idea of free speech is crucial within the premise of personal liberty. The idea that we as Americans can freely exercise our religious freedoms and beliefs without the fear of being executed by authorities.
The idea that we can freely express our opinions and thoughts without the fear of being imprisoned or beaten by the government.
I want to ask a tough question, and it might make you feel uncomfortable.
Does a Christian really have a God given right to America’s idea of free speech?
To put it bluntly, no, and later on I’ll explain why.
Lawful and helpful
Paul says in 1 Corinthians 10:23, “’All things are lawful,’ but not all things are helpful. ‘All things are lawful,’ but not all things build up.“
In the United States (and around the world), some things might be LEGAL, but it may be IMMORAL.
Slavery was something that was practiced under the law, but it was objectively immoral.
Abortion is practiced under the the law, but it is objectively immoral.
I would argue that the idea of free speech should fall into the same type of thinking. We have the freedom under the law to express our beliefs, views, and opinions, but it may be objectively immoral.
Our words have the power to bring life to those around us or spread death to our surroundings.
The tongue is a fire
The Bible should be our moral compass. The Word of God should be our guideline and standard regarding everything in life.
The words that come out of our mouths will either display the glory of God, or the sinfulness of man.
James makes this super clear in James 3**.
James says every animal that walks the earth can be tamed, but no human can “tame the tongue”. James also says that our tongue is a “restless evil”, full of “deadly poison”.
We cannot tame the tongue ourselves through our own power, but with God’s power, we can tame the tongue.
Choose life
In conclusion, I beg everyone to (including myself) to pray earnestly that God would continually give us the words to say that need to be said. Even though it may be lawful to exercise our freedom to free speech, it could possible be immoral. I pray that as Christians, our words would magnify God instead of spreading poison, so that when people would see us, they would see Christ in us. Christians, whenever we encounter someone we may disagree with, we need to choose our words wisely. May we beg God to give us the power to tame our tongues, because left to ourselves, we are helpless and hopeless.
Soli Deo gloria
**I highly encourage everyone to dig into James 3