as part of my political theory module this term, i'm studying mill's on liberty, rousseau's the social contract and machiavelli's the prince. even though political theory is under politics, it's probably closer to philosophy. maybe that's why it's also called political philosophy.
mill begins on liberty by stating that 'the subject of this essay is not the so-called 'liberty of the will', so unfortunately opposed to the misnamed doctrine of philosophical necessity; but civil, or social liberty: the nature and limits of the power which can be legitimately exercised by society over the individual'. his thesis is that 'the individual is not accountable to society for his actions in so far as these concern the interests of no person but himself'.
however,
"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honour God with your body." - 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NIV)
who/what are you a slave to?
"Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey - whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.
I put this in human terms because you are weak in your natural selves. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness. When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." - Romans 6:16-23 (NIV)
with great power comes great responsibility
"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." - Galatians 5:1 (NIV)
"Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God." - 1 Peter 2:16 (NIV)
in the social contract, rousseau expounds that 'the constant will of all the members of the state is the general will; it is through it that they are citizens and free'. on a theological level though, the constant will of all the members of the body of Christ is the will of God; it is through it that we are chosen and free.
once again, discernment in christian liberty is really about proving the will of God with our free will - more precisely, our God-given capacity for exercising our free will within our God-given capability of accomplishing all that our free will desires.
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