Soul liberty is an unalienable right bestowed on us by our Creator God. Unalienable means that something cannot be taken away, nor given away (as opposed to inalienable which means something can be given away voluntarily). God has given you a free-will choice to either let him liberate your soul from this material world or to keep it in spiritual darkness. No government, man, or created being has the right or even the ability to prevent you from doing so. Your enemies may be able to kill you, maim you, or physically imprison you – but they can never touch your soul. As Jesus Christ said in Matthew 10:28: “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”
To adequately understand soul liberty, we must first understand the meaning of the words soul and liberty. As Christians, we have one ultimate source of authority on Earth, the King James (1611) Bible, which can be used not only to find the meaning of life but can also be used to find the meaning of words. All other sources (dictionaries, commentaries, references, etc.) are secondary. The Bible uses the word soul 427 times and much can be gleaned about what it is from the context in which it is used:
- Our souls are directly connected to the breath of life (this is the first usage of the word and appears to define its meaning). Genesis 2:7
- Our souls define us. Genesis 12:13, Genesis 27:4, Exodus 12:15, Leviticus 5:1, 1 Samuel 20:4
- Our souls can be lost. Matthew 16:26, Mark 8:36-37
- Our souls are separate from our physical minds. Matthew 22:37, Mark 12:30, Mark 12:33, Luke 10:27
- Our souls can be left in hell. Acts 2:27, Acts 2:31
- Our souls can fear, sorrow, and be troubled. Matthew 26:38, Mark 14:34, John 12:27
The 1828 Webster’s Dictionary defines soul as follows:
SOUL, n.
1. The spiritual, rational and immortal substance in man, which distinguishes him from brutes; that part of man which enables him to think and reason, and which renders him a subject of moral government. The immortality of the soul is a fundamental article of the christian system. Such is the nature of the human soul that it must have a God, an object of supreme affection.
As we can see from both the Bible and the dictionary; our souls are our immortal substance. They constitute not just our physical life, but our very being. They are a part of us that we cannot give away, sell off (not even to Satan), or destroy. When our physical bodies pass away, our souls will still exist (either in hell or in heaven). The Bible uses the word liberty 26 times and the first usage in Leviticus 25:10 defines it as the return of every man unto his family. This indicates that liberty frees us from bondage.
- Liberty can free those in bondage or captivity. Leviticus 25:10, Isaiah 61:1, Jeremiah 34:8, Ezekiel 46:17, Acts 24:23, Acts 26:32
- Liberty seeks the precepts of God. Psalm 119:45
- Liberty can be abused, violated: Jeremiah 34:16, Galatians 5:13, 1 Peter 2:16
- Liberty can be used against us. Jeremiah 34:17
- Liberty can become a stumbling block. 1 Corinthians 8:9, 1 Corinthians 10:29
- Believers have Liberty. 1 Corinthians 8:9, 1 Corinthians 10:29, 2 Corinthians 3:17, Galatians 2:4, Galatians 5:13, 1 Peter 2:16
- There is a perfect law of liberty (God’s law). James 1:25, James 2:12
The 1828 Webster’s Dictionary defines liberty as follows:
LIB’ERTY, n. L. libertas, from liber, free.
1. Freedom from restraint, in a general sense, and applicable to the body, or to the will or mind. The body is at liberty, when not confined; the will or mind is at liberty, when not checked or controlled. A man enjoys liberty, when no physical force operates to restrain his actions or volitions.
6. Liberty, in metaphysics, as opposed to necessity, is the power of an agent to do or forbear any particular action, according to the determination or thought of the mind, by which either is preferred to the other.
Freedom of the will; exemption from compulsion or restraint in willing or volition.
Both the Bible and the dictionary define liberty as freedom. For this study we are not concerned with natural, physical, political, or even religious liberty. We are concerned with soul liberty. The freedom of our thoughts, our immortal being, our soul. The Powers That Be (PTB), can place our bodies in bondage, but they cannot place our souls in bondage as we are the children of God,as seen in Romans 8:21: “Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.”
Soul liberty is the very essence of your mental being. It is the freedom to believe, to think, and to be spiritually free. Soul liberty is what has fueled every great revival in history. Soul liberty is what keeps a man from sinking into despair when his place in life appears hopeless and futile. Soul Liberty is the greatest freedom that any man can hope to attain. The question you need to ask yourself is: Is my soul free? Do I have soul liberty?
If you can’t answer the question directly, maybe the Bible can help us shed light on the answer:
- Are you free in Jesus Christ or merely paying lip service? John 8:36: “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.”
- Are you the Lord’s freeman or Christ’s servant? 1 Corinthians 7:22: “For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord’s freeman: likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ’s servant.”
- Do you use your freedom to serve God or Satan? 1 Peter 2:16: “As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God.”
- Do you fear God or the Powers That Be (PTB)? Matthew 10:28: “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”