This is a big week here in the United States. On July 4, 2026, our nation marks its 250th anniversary, and the celebration will stretch far beyond a single day.

Hi, my name is Bob, and this is Common Man Guitar, where I share my faith through music and a few honest reflections along the way. Today’s post is about political freedom. Next time, Lord willing, we’ll look more closely at spiritual freedom—the freedom we have in and because of Christ.

The song I’m sharing today is called Freedom.

Freedom is one of the core values of the United States, but it is also one of the deepest longings of the human heart. People everywhere desire freedom—not only as a political ideal, but as part of what it means to live with dignity.

But what is freedom? Is it merely something a government grants, or is it something deeper—something given by God? The Declaration of Independence says that human beings are “endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights,” and then names “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” Liberty, in that sense, is not presented as a gift from rulers. It is presented as something rooted in our Creator.

That matters, because if freedom is only given by government, then freedom can also be taken away by government—or by any other powerful institution.

I want to talk about that God-given aspect in a moment. But first, we need to remember something important: freedom is not the same thing as license. I’m afraid many of us have come to think freedom means, “I can do whatever I want, whenever I want, without consequences and without concern for anyone else.”

Freedom does not mean I have to accept, condone, and celebrate everything someone does even if it offends my conscience. Freedom does not mean anything goes. Even in a free country somethings are still wrong. Especially when it comes to truth, biblical truth. God has not changed his mind. Sin is still sin. Freedom and liberty do not negate that.

You can see it in small, ordinary places—like the sample tables at Costco. People will nearly block an aisle push you aside to get half a meatball, with very little regard for the people around them.

Or think about the grocery aisle: “I need my gallon of milk now, so everyone else needs to get out of my way.”

Or the group catching up in front of the bread while someone else is trying to reach the shelf. We may laugh at these examples, but they reveal something about the human heart.

We see the same thing in traffic. “Where I’m going matters more than where you’re going. If I can get one car ahead, ignore the merge sign, and force my way in, then that’s what I’ll do.”

Yes, in one sense, I may be free to make choices. I can drive too fast. I can ignore the rules. But freedom does not remove consequences.

And that is true not only in traffic or grocery stores. It is true morally, spiritually, and culturally. When we disregard God’s design for human life, family, community, and truth, there are consequences—whether we see them immediately or not.

Please don’t misunderstand me. I am deeply grateful for the freedoms I enjoy. I do not know how I would handle living in a place where those freedoms were far more limited.

And while I may not like every restriction a government imposes, I also recognize that I live in a community. The exercise of my freedom requires me to consider my neighbor, my responsibilities, and the consequences of my actions.

According to Scripture, governing authorities have a God-given role: to preserve order, promote what is good, and restrain evil for the good of the community.

In Romans 13, Paul writes, “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.”

Now, the question of exactly what rights we do or do not have is a larger conversation. But this much is clear: liberty does not mean we are free to do whatever we want without consequence.

Biblically, freedom is the ability to live according to what God has designed and called us to. I Do not get to make up a God in my own image who does whatever I want.

Government, at its best, protects the wellbeing, safety, and flourishing of the community so people can live responsibly before God and one another.

It is a God given institution.

Freedom is God’s gift, and government is meant to protect that gift—not replace God as the source of it.

But if God gives freedom, then God also defines both our rights and our responsibilities.

So much of the Old Testament shows us God forming a people and teaching them how to live. The Ten Commandments give us a helpful summary: the first four focus on our relationship with God, and the remaining six focus on our relationship with one another.

God places us in community, and then He gives us ways to live together in a healthy and flourishing society.

That touches everything: how we worship, how we conduct our business, how we care for our families, and how we treat our neighbors.

God also established structures of authority—families, local communities, elders, judges, kings, and governments—to help maintain order and protect liberty.

At the same time, just as individuals do not have unrestricted freedom to do whatever they want, governments do not have unrestricted authority to command whatever they want.

America’s founders understood that no human being is fit to exercise total authority. We are fallen and fallible, so power needs checks, balances, guidelines, and restraints.

And when a government permits, requires, or pressures people to violate God’s clear commands, Christians must obey God rather than man—and be willing to accept the consequences.

That distinction matters. If I drive as fast as I want, I cannot complain when I get a ticket or lose my license. Consequences are part of moral order.

When Nebuchadnezzar demanded worship, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused—and they accepted the the fiery furnace.

When Daniel was told it was illegal to pray, he prayed anyway—and accepted the the Lion’s Den.

Neither had any guarantees God would intervene as He did. They went in accepting the consequences of their actions

When the apostles were told to stop preaching, they kept preaching—and accepted the consequences. At one point they were delivered. But they all lost their lives obeying God over man.

Even Paul, when arrested, appealed to his rights as a citizen and took his case through the proper authorities. He obeyed the governing authorities where he could. When obedience to man conflicted with obedience to God, he followed God and accepted what came with it.

God has given all people dignity, life, and the need for protection. IT is part of being made in the image of God. I am grateful to live in a country where many of those rights have been preserved, even though the times are changing.

So I must exercise my rights with responsibility—to my community, to my neighbors, and to the governing authorities God has placed over me.

Where I can obey, I must obey. Where a law is unjust or unbiblical, I must resist faithfully, humbly, and courageously.

And in either case, I must be willing to accept the consequences.

I may not always like or agree with my leaders.

I may not always like or agree with their laws.

But I am not free from the responsibility to honor and obey those whom God has placed in positions of authority, insofar as I can do so without disobeying Him.

And I also have a responsibility to work for laws and leaders that are just, wise, and aligned with what is good.

I also do not want to forget the debt of honor we owe to those who have served, fought, and even died to help secure and preserve the freedoms we enjoy.

And we should remember those who, even today, put themselves on the line for the benefit, safety, and security of our communities.

So as we celebrate freedom, let’s do it with gratitude, humility, and responsibility. Let’s give thanks for political liberty, but let’s not confuse it with ultimate freedom.

Next time, we’ll take a further look at the freedom we have in Christ. Until then, may we use our liberty not simply for ourselves, but in love for God and neighbor.

And part of that freedom is to Create, Not Copy