Liberty and freedom are used interchangeably today. I imagine if you asked anyone on the streetwhether a high school history teacher, a teenager, a business executive a doctor or a sanitationworker if there is a difference between liberty and freedom, you would get five differentanswers. Perhaps the reply would be, "they are the same." How do you answer this question? Isthere a difference? We might even hear someone say, "What makes the difference and why doesit matter anyway"?

Patrick Henry was born in 1736 and in 1775 he gave a famous speech where he said, "Give meliberty or give me death! His speech was the ignitor and inspiration for the AmericanRevolution, which resulted in the freedoms you and I enjoy in 2020. Throughout the course ofthe *Revolutionary War, an estimated 6,800 Americans were killed in action, 6,100 wounded,and upwards of 20,000 were taken prisoner. Historians believe that at least an additional17,000 deaths were the result of disease, including about 8,000 to 12,000 who died while prisonersof war (*Battlefields.org)

Most Americans would say they are free to do what they want. This seems to be the definitionmany Americans have for freedom. Rarely do you hear anyone mutter the word, liberty. Todayin particular we have noticed government stepping into our lives in a moments notice and takingaway the very freedoms our ancestors fought for. Man can take freedoms away. But PatrickHenry was referring to that which no man can take away liberty!

Our birth certificate, the Declaration of Independence, lays out for us that the laws of natureand natures God entitle mankind these truths are self-evident and all men are created equalthat they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, among these are life,liberty and the pursuit of happiness governments are to secure these rights instituted amongmen deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.

Why didnt Patrick Henry say, "Give me freedom or give me death"? To our founders thedifference was, the source. Freedom comes from man. Liberty comes from God! Rights comefrom God not from man. Today, we believe rights come from man instead of God. Our founderswere willing to die for those Liberties. Today, we do not seem to have the same cultural mindsetof those who wrote our Declaration of Independence. The founders mindset as they built thefoundation to our nation was, God gave rights not man. Their mindset led us to liberty andfreedom but all other mindsets will lead to neither liberty or freedom.

God was willing to give us both, liberty and freedom, through the sacrifice of his Son, ourSavior, Jesus Christ. For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son that whoeverbelieves in Him will not perish but have eternal life. He alone is the source of liberty andfreedom.

The verdict is in; the consequence of sin is death. All of us have had a birthday and now we allhave coming a death day. You and I cannot avoid it. Are you prepared to say, Jesus, give meliberty and give me life? This is what Patrick Henry was trying to say. We need more PatrickHenrys today. May God bless you and may God bless Ashland.

Dan Phillip is president and founder of Transformation Network.

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God alone is the source of liberty and freedom - Akron Beacon Journal