Liberty has to do with freedom from force, power or influence like a foreign nation or ruler and also has, to some degree, to do with equality. When we talk about liberty we must distinguish between the diverse kinds. There is what we might call physical liberty which is predicated on external factors such as being free from foreign occupation and persecution. For example the Greeks viewed liberty as being free from the reign and rule of the Persian Empire. To be under the control of the Persians was anything but liberty. Likewise the Israelites viewed liberty as being free from bondage, specifically the bondage they were under while in Egypt. The Israelites for hundreds of years were under the control of the Pharaoh and were unable to choose …show more content…
We see this clearly in the life of the Apostle Paul who often found himself in prison and yet he was free in Christ. This internal or spiritual freedom releases a person from the shackles of sin, condemnation, and death. If Christ sets you free, you are free indeed. With physical liberty there also tends to be a limited amount or kind of equality. With regard to the Israelites, the Old Covent people of God, they had liberty and equality but, it was not a full equality. They like the Greeks had certain peoples who were more exalted than others. For example, the Israelites would eventually have kings, but their women were not educated. Similarly the Greeks had a certain amount of equality but this was basically only for free men, women and slaves were not considered equal. Only in Christ do we have a liberty that creates true equality. Paul will state that there is neither Jew, nor Greek, slave, nor free, male, nor female but that all are one in Christ. While the Greeks and even the Israelites had a type of liberty that produced a certain amount and kind of equality they certainly had nothing like what is found in