Word Nerd Wednesday – Liberty and justice for all

Happy Wednesday and happy Fourth of July to you, my friends! I was looking into “Bible verses for fourth of July” and topics like freedom, justice, and inclusion. I believe that the Lord put the phrase “Liberty and justice for all” from the American pledge of allegiance on my heart. I’m so excited to share the verses and word studies I found this week! Enjoy!

Liberty

The first word in this phrase is “liberty”, which is a synonym for “freedom.” Here’s the first verse I found as I was studying this topic:

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, [there] is freedom.

2 Corinthians 3:17 NASB20

In the original Greek of this verse, the word translated as Liberty/Freedom is eleutheria, which means “freedom from the dominion of corrupt desires, so that we do b y the free impulse of the soul what the will of God requires.” In other words, the original translation tells us so much more than the English word! Rather than our understanding of freedom as “the ability to do what I want, within reason”, the Biblical understanding is more like “the ability to obey God out of a sense of love and joy rather than burden and obligation, because I know that He knows what’s best.” Here are some more verses on the topic of freedom:

Therefore there is now no condemnation at all for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.

Romans 8:1-2 NASB20

“I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people. I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, so that you would no longer be their slaves. I broke the bars of your yoke and enabled you to live in freedom.

Leviticus 26:12-13 CSB

I was reading this verse and its context as I journaled what I’ve learned about freedom, and I really liked the way that the Christian Standard translation phrased it. In context, this verse is part of the covenant between God and the Israelites, in which they promised to be faithful to Him and what He asked them to do (they failed many, many times) and He promised to bless them if they obeyed and allow them to experience the consequences for their disobedience (He fulfilled this promise every time). This verse in particular is a reminder of who God is and why He is worth obeying. From the very beginning, He rescued the people of Israel, promised them a special relationship with Him, and gave them a new identity.

Here’s another resource I found with more verses on the topic of freedom.

Justice

The next word in our search for fourth of July Bible verses is “justice.” In the modern-day Western sense, this word has a lot to do with retribution, people in the wrong getting what they deserve. It can also mean people who are under-served or under-privileged receiving the services and rights that they are deserving of. Here’s a verse I love that speaks to the character of God and His justice:

Therefore the LORD longs to be gracious to you, And therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you. For the LORD is a God of justice; How blessed are all those who long for Him.

Isaiah 30:18 NASB20

The original Hebrew word in this verse that we often translate as just/justice is mishpat, which can mean “judgement, law, that which is right according to the law,” which is pretty close to our English-speaking, American definition. In the cultural understanding of the time, Justice also had to do with honor and shame. I learned a few years ago that justice had the idea of “The honorable reaching down to the shameful and restoring them to a place of honor.”

So while God does not allow evil to go unpunished, and He does reward those who follow Him, His primary concern is relationship. That’s why this verse that mentions God’s justice, which in context meant punishing Israel for rebelling and breaking their covenant with Him, it also means that He will restore us from shame to honor. Here’s a verse showing the importance of justice in humans as well as in God Himself:

“Blessed be the LORD your God who delighted in you to put you on the throne of Israel; because the LORD loves Israel forever, He made you king, to do justice and righteousness.”

1 Kings 10:9 NASB20

For all

The final phrase in our little sentence is “for all,” which I expanded to include “all nations/people.” Here’s the first passage that came to mind:

“I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven, and will give your descendants all these lands; and by your descendants all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because Abraham obeyed Me and fulfilled [his] duty to Me, [and kept] My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.”

Genesis 26:4-5 NASB20

This promise is spoken many times to the various generations of the family that would become the nation of Israel. In this passage, Isaac, the son of Abraham, is the audience. Most if not all commentators agree that this promise is a reference to the coming Messiah, Jesus, who would bless all the people through His sacrifice on the cross.

“Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to follow all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Matthew 28:19-20 NASB20

After reading the original promise hundreds of years before, this well-known passage kind of takes on a whole new meaning! In the original Greek, the phrase “all nations” is pas ethnos. The word ethnos in particular means “a multitude associated or living together (like a neighborhood!); a multitude of individuals of the same nature or genus; a tribe, nation, people group.” I especially love that last definition because it’s so much more expansive than our English-speaking understanding. “People group” could literally mean anyone! For me, it means, the geeks, fangirls, and Disney adults who I hope visit this website.

Anyway, the point here is that the Bible and its truths and the Gospel are for all people. That doesn’t just mean the people on the other side of the planet; it also means the people right here, right now.

Here are a couple more verses on the topic of “all people, all nations”:

This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

1 Timothy 2:3-4

This passage speaks to the nature of God, infinitely patient and loving. He gives us the freedom to choose Him, but that doesn’t lessen His desire for us to do so!

If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all people.

Romans 12:18 NASB20

This is an intriguing verse that I’d like to look into more deeply. It doesn’t mean that we should become doormats or refrain from speaking out on issues that we care about. I need to look into this more, but I believe it simply means to treat everyone with love and respect and do our best to avoid escalating situations.

Conclusion

I hope you’ve enjoyed this week’s Word Nerd Wednesday post! Here’s another one I think you might enjoy : )

Have any thoughts on the phrase “liberty and justice for all”? What does freedom mean to you?

Happy studying!