The Higher Liberty

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The Higher Liberty

by Gregory HHC, d
Minister of His Holy Church

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Sacrificed to Idols

The Greek word eidololatrais translated idolaters would be called “Bandits, hijackers, grafters... today.”173The Greek word eidolothuton translated things or meats offered unto idols was produced from two Greek words eidolon meaning an image or likeness of something, and the word thuo something sacrificed. It seems to have been invented by Christians and appears to be “the negative counterpart to Corban”174 mentioned in Mark which made the word of God to none effect.

Corban means sacrifice and was common to all temples. The purpose of those sacrifices was two fold, to provide for the needs of the people, and the need to care about others. Charity, love, giving, and forgiving are the foundation of the character of God and the cornerstone of His righteous society.

The sacrifices in temples were commonly divided between the priests, members, and the poor. What the priests could not consume was sold at a discount to the needy. Some temples were more like investment houses and regularly issued money. They funded trade or mining ventures and harbors, aqueducts, or roads, even war.

Temples could be institutions of charity or social insurance. Religion is not only loving God but loving one another. The temples managed the contributions of the people. When they operated with freewill offerings they were a blessing to the liberty of the people. When they compelled the contributions of the people they were institutions of bondage. Like Nimrod of Babylon, the Pharaoh of Egypt, and the Roman emperors, they could be a snare and trap, a stumblingblock and a recompense, an enemy of freedom.

Rome moved from a free republic to an indirect democracy, and then a socialist dictatorship. The “... middle – class [was] sandwiched between a new arid conspicuous moneyed class and a proletariat that had no other aspiration but to be kept by a Welfare State.”175

Religion comes from the Latin meaning to bind. The religion of society will determine the state of society. The religion of Christ binds the people by charity and love. Civil religion is the result of a social contract. When welfare of society is provided by the sword of the State, pure religion is murdered and liberty dies. An authoritarian bureaucracy of the State becomes the new ministers and priests of society. All who take by that sword will perish under that sword.

“Liberty is not collective, it is personal. All liberty is individual liberty.”176 Individual rights given by God and the privileged power of government granted by men have been at war since Cain killed Able. “State is an end and individual is means to this end or state is means and individual is end in itself.”177 The State’s duties never venture into the redistribution of wealth in a moral society because man was not endowed with the right to take from from his brother.

“Redistribution is immoral... it allows one person to treat another as no more than a means...”178 The welfare state is the enemy of religion.179 When pure religion diminishes, socialism flourishes.

Some people through social compact give the state the power to take from its members for the welfare of society. That power has been deemed a foolish rejection of God.180 “It is impossible to introduce into society a greater change and a greater evil than this: the conversion of the law into an instrument of plunder.”181 “All socialism involves slavery”182 “Socialism is the religion people get when they lose their religion”183

“I will never live for the sake of another man or ask another man to live for mine”184

We must learn to distinguish between charity and socialism. Charity is good, socialism is evil. (Pr. 14:30, 31, 19:17) Charity is for the helpless poor while [the socialist's] welfare makes the poor helpless. (Ga. 2:10)”185

 

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Related Articles and Audio:

Romans 13 part 1
http://www.hisholychurch.org/media/audio/rm/Romans131.ram

ROMANS 13 verse 1 the higher liberty
Does God want us to be subject or to be free?
http://www.hisholychurch.org/sermon/romans13.php

Romans 13 and I Peter 2,13-14
Is the Bible consistent about setting men free or does it contradict itself?
http://www.hisholychurch.org/sermon/romanspeter.php

Romans 13, NN Video Series:7-10 4:32
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SEMYx6affo

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