A Perspective On Free Speech I’ve Never Heard Before

 




“light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds evil.  For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deed should be reproved.  But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be manifest that they are wrought in God.”
 
 
---John 3:19-21
 

 
One would normally think that free speech would be a natural inclination as it seems by nature that we will all have the tendency to say anything that is on our hearts or minds and that may very well be true when there is no fear of civic or social reprisal but I never thought I would ever come across anyone who would say that free speech isn’t natural and as I read The Epoch Times piece called “Free Speech Isn’t Natural” I read the piece to find out why the author thereof believed it to be so.  The author, Mark Baurlein, stated:
 
 
 
Why let it continue? Why should I have to listen to a viewpoint I find appalling? I haven’t done anything wrong, and yet I have to allow a villainous individual to have his nasty say about a tender issue, one that reaches deep into my heart, maybe into my core identity. That’s not fair. It’s brutal. What is his right to speak compared with my peace of mind, with my very self? [1]
 
 
 
And there is truth in that observation: When people are confronted with anything that challenges anything that they have held to be true or that which strikes at their very heart and soul, they have a tendency to lash out but Baurlein also makes another observation that is largely not taken into consideration: “that it might be instinctual for one person to dominate another.” [2]
 
And if we are all honest with ourselves, we all become defensive when confronted with opinions that differ from ours or with information that challenges that which we have believed to be true and we lash out when the integrity of the institutions and figures in which we have placed our trust is attacked, or when we feel our honor is being assaulted and denigrated and there is always within us a desire for the respective creeds, doctrines, and philosophies to which we hold to be the prevailing and dominating world view and the means used to enforce a favored worldview may, at times, be far from diplomatic.
 
Any who refuse to hold to, question, or challenge the status quo are bound to experience anything from mockery and ridicule, social ostracization, and discrimination, to civic penalties and punishments and violent reprisals.
 
 
 
Some of the most horrific atrocities that have taken place throughout our history have been done in the name of some form of religion or philosophy by those who felt the need to suppress competing worldviews and terrible things continue to be done to this day in the name of some form of religion or philosophy, even by those who sincerely believe that they are doing their Creator a service by eliminating those they believe are spreading and perpetuating falsehoods but few ever consider that a free exchange of information, ideas, and a propagation of different doctrines and creeds is how truth flourishes best because they do not really know what truth is and by suppressing that which they perceive to be a challenge to that which they believe to be truth, they are so blind to how they are perceived to be on the side of lies by those whom they would persecute and silence in the name of defending “truth” because if there is one thing that sets truth apart from lies, it is that which is truth is able to stand on its own merits and need not silence that which questions or challenges it.  In fact, truth is not afraid of being challenged because it is able to withstand every challenge brought against it.  It is able to stand on its own merits but lies cannot stand on their own merits and because they cannot stand on their own merits, those who have built their power and dominance on lies will see the need to suppress anything that may challenge, expose, and discredit the very lies upon which their power and dominance is built and in order to retain power and dominance, they cannot allow freedom of speech or the free exchange of ideas, information, and opinions, nor can they allow civil debate and discourse.
 
Those who are on the side of truth need not suppress lies with force and censorship as they are confident that lies will fall on their own merits when actively challenged and therefore should not be afraid of the free exercise of speech and the free exchange of ideas, information and opinions.
 
“Truth” that demands the censoring and silencing of anyone who would challenge it, is not truth because the Spirit of truth is civil and diplomatic.  It attempts to reason and to persuade, but it is never suppressive.  It is only the spirit of lies who would attempt to silence and suppress anything that might challenge the falsehoods it propagates and it was by a lie that this spirit of lies, who is also the father of lies, (Jn. 8:44) seized power over the nations and kingdoms of the world (Mt. 4:8-9, Lk. 4:6-7) which is why he is also called the prince of this world (Jn. 12:31, 16:11) and what he has taken hold of, he will not relinquish willingly and he has been enmity with the God who is also the source of liberty ever since he, in his pride thought to make himself equal with God and thought to take for himself the glory that belongs to God alone and as a consequence he, and they who sided with him, were cast from their positions that they had once held in Heaven (Is. 14:11-21, Ezek. 28:12-19) and this spirit of lies who exalted himself against God was a certain angel called Lucifer who had once served at the throne of God as a covering cherub, but became known as Satan in the day that he set himself at enmity with his Maker which began that agelong warfare between God and Satan.
 
After this, God had created the universe in all that is in it which he had made to be a beautiful and peaceful world in which there was no death, no decay, no suffering, misery, grief, sorrow, destruction, violence, nor pain of any sort, but only happiness, joy, contentment, and a perfect harmony between God, man, and nature itself. There was virtually nothing withheld from mankind except for one thing and that was a tree called the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and it was warned of Adam who was the first man and the first woman Eve, being Adam’s wife, that in the day that they ate the fruit of that tree, they would surely die. (Gen. 2:16-17, 3:3)
 
But after God had created the world, Satan, who had been cast from the Kingdom of God, crept into the world in the form of a serpent and led Adam and Eve to do the one thing that they were told not to do which would prove consequential not only for themselves, but for the rest of mankind who descend from them and for all of creation itself.  They ate the fruit from the very tree that they were told not to eat from (Gen. 3:6) after being falsely assured by the serpent, which was that evil spirit who had rebelled against God, that they would not die, but that they would become like gods, and be given more knowledge and wisdom than they did before. (Gen. 3:4-5)
 
But instead of receiving more wisdom, Adam and Eve only received the shame of their nakedness (Gen. 3:7) and instead of ascending to a superior state, they were reduced to a state inferior to the one in which they were created, and the penalty of death of which they were warned, was pronounced upon them due to sin entering into them after having committed that one fateful transgression.  (Gen. 3:19)
 
But the sentence of death and the consequences of Adam and Eve’s disobedience did not stop with them but extended to the rest of creation and to the rest of us since we are descended from them and because we are descended from them because the sin that entered into them was then passed down to all of mankind since we all descend from them (Rom. 5:12) and because of the inherited corruption of our nature, we all sin and as a consequence, we all die (Rom. 6:23) and because of sin, we are born estranged from and separated from our Maker for that which is sinful cannot dwell in the direct presence of that which is sinless and holy and not only did sin bring death to mankind, but it also brought decay corruption, grief, misery, pain, and hardship to all of creation which is why it is written that the entire creation travails in pain to this day (Rom. 8:19-22) and even worse, the disobedience of Adam gave Satan justification to claim and declare lordship over the kingdoms, empires, and nations of the world (Mt. 4:8-9, Lk. 4:6-7) which is why the enemy of God and the adversary of our souls is called the prince of this world (Jn. 12:31, 16:11)
 
By a lie did Satan cause Adam and Eve to disobey that vital command to not eat the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which then caused sin to enter into them, and which then brought upon them the sentence of death, which was then passed down to all of mankind due to the inherent inward moral corruption produced within Adam and Eve by the sin that entered into them also being passed from them to all of mankind.
 
By a lie did Satan cause the once perfect and peaceful creation to be subject to a slow death and destruction by way of a curse brought upon it because of the sin of man.
 
And by a lie did Satan cause the dominion that man was initially given over the earth (Gen. 1:26) to be diminished.
 
And it was the very lies that Satan told to Eve in the garden that earned him the title of the father of lies (Jn. 8:44) for the lies he told then were the first lies ever known to mankind and it was by those lies that he, through the sin that entered into mankind by way of that first transgression against God, brought death to mankind and a death that has killed and continues to kill everyone who has ever been born into this world and is still being born into this world and which makes no distinction between the young and the old, child or adult, man or woman, nor skin-color, ethnicity, nationality, lineage, economic, occupational, or social status, nor religious, political, and philosophical leanings which is why he is also called a murderer (v. 44) and because of what he has stolen from man, and because of the death and destruction that he brought into the world that was once a wonderful place, Satan is also called the thief who comes to kill, steal and destroy (Jn. 10:10) but a day is coming when Satan will face his final defeat and be cast out of this world forever when he receives his final sentence which will be nothing more than an unimaginable and unrelenting torment in a place called the lake of fire from which there will be no release nor any escape (Rev. 20:10-15) but not only he himself, but also all who have sided with him and have persisted in being instruments of his evil because a day is coming when the evil of this world will reach a certain measure and when it does, it must be dealt with in righteous judgment and that includes the elimination of those who remain in their sin and persist in their evil ways for in that day, there will be no other remedy but judgment and there is no one person who is not guilty of sin for it is written that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, which is defined as moral perfection. (Rom. 3:23)
 
Now sin does not merely affect just our actions or even the words that come out of our mouths, but it affects our very thoughts, the attitude of our heart, and our motives which is why it is written that man is not defiled by that which is from without but from that which is within (Mt. 15:11, 17-20) and it is because of this inward defilement that even our own goodness is tainted, making it impossible for us to attain a state of moral perfection as demanded of us by God Almighty who is morally perfect and when we take time to examine ourselves before our Creator and not just our outward performance, but our inward condition, it is only then that we come to understand how it is that we all sin and fall short of His glory and albeit some fall further short of His glory than others, we all nevertheless fall short and such an honest examination of ourselves may be ever the most humbling experience that we ever have because it is then our moral imperfections and flaws are revealed to us, but it can also be the most terrifying experience that we may be faced with knowing full well that all sin will eventually be judged and punished because a perfectly good and holy God cannot allow evil to persist forever and in light of our inherent corruption, our situation may appear to be a hopeless one, but we have not been left without hope, for God who made us is also a God of love and mercy who, because of His great love for us is not willing that any should perish but that all would come to repentance. (2 Pet. 3:9)
 
And in His love for us, He has shown us mercy in Christ Jesus, His only begotten Son, (Jn. 3:16) whom He sent into the world to take away our sins and by the shedding of His blood was redemption bought thereby satisfying both the demand for the penalty, which He, being without any sin (2 Cor. 5:21, Heb. 4:15) took upon Himself, to be paid for all sin and granting mercy in His death upon the cross and by His resurrection are we made justified in Him (Rom. 4:25) so that anyone placing full trust in Him alone for the forgiveness of sin and salvation will not have to face eternal damnation, but be made a citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven and granted eternal life and it is in calling upon Him for the forgiveness of sins and believing that God raised Him from the dead that we are saved from an otherwise terrible everlasting judgment (Rom. 10:9, 13) and it is by Him are we reconciled to the Father from whom we had once been estranged (2 Cor. 5:18) and inwardly transformed and made anew (2 Cor. 5:17) and it is this inward cleansing of the soul and this regeneration which cause all who are willing to call upon Christ for it, submit to it, and embrace it to no longer desire to follow after selfish and worldly pursuits but after those things that pertain to the Kingdom of Heaven, (Mt. 6:33)
to no longer take pleasure in those things that are evil and displeasing in the sight of the Lord, but in that which is good, right, and pleasing in His sight,
to no longer desire to walk in the lies of this present world, but only in the truth that comes from Christ Almighty, (Jn. 14:6) no longer placing our hopes in the things of this present world, but looking forward to that new and better world to come, (Rev. 21-22)
to no longer rely on worldly resources, men, or even our own power, abilities, skills, and wisdom for our needs and provision but upon God who is able to meet all of our needs, (Mt. 6:25-33) recognizing that the resources of this world and even the people He brings into our lives are but instruments and vessels through which God meets our needs and that the skills, power, knowledge, and wisdom by which we might acquire our provision are provided and instilled in us by God,
to no longer fear what men can do to us, but rather fearing the God before whom we will have to one day give an account for how we lived our lives, (Mt. 10:28)
to no longer look to corruptible institutions within our society for direction and order in our lives but to God who, by His written Word has given us laws and precepts to be applied to our lives and which serve to produce and maintain an ordered life, and who, by His Holy Spirit which comes to dwell within us upon repentance, establishes in our lives a course and direction in our lives to pursue for His glory,
to no longer seek our own glory but the glory of God,
to no longer rally behind corruptible men, but instead behind the incorruptible God in Heaven bearing in mind that those men and women God raises up for our edification are but instruments and servants of His for that respective purpose to which He has called them,
to no longer seek to align ourselves with the things of darkness but only with the things of the light,
to no longer trust in the wisdom of the world but only on the wisdom and knowledge that comes from above, nor depend on corruptible earthly authorities to swiftly administer justice, but only in the power of God to deliver us from evil.
 
And just as we are made spiritually alive in Christ, so also we will one day be delivered from bodily death itself when our present bodies are changed from that which was born into corruption into that which is without corruption (1 Cor. 15:51-55, 1 Thess. 4:13-18) but not only will we also see our bodies redeemed from death, just as our souls have been redeemed from eternal damnation, we will also witness creation itself being delivered from the curse of sin when the present prince of this world is cast out and receives his final sentence and defeat (Rev. 20:10-15) and when the creation is made anew, there will be no sin, no evil, no darkness, nor any curse.  There will be no death, no decay, nor any pain, nor any hardship, no oppression, no misery, no cruelty, no despair, or any grief for all of these things will have passed away with the old corrupted creation and if our captivity and bondage began spiritually which itself began with a lie, then our liberation must also begin spiritually and spiritual liberation can only begin with the truth that sets us free (Jn. 8:32) and what is this truth that sets us free? It is the Gospel of salvation that sets us free and this spiritual liberty which is only made possible in Christ is that liberty from which economic, political, academic, and social liberties eventually arise and every soul won over to our Lord is a blow to the power and influence that Satan holds over this earth which is why he will use any and all means at his disposal, both visible and invisible, to hinder the spread of this liberating Gospel through lies, deceits, perversions and misrepresentations of the faith, infiltrating the ranks of the saints and spreading heresies and false doctrines amongst them, causing needless dissention and discord amongst saints who might otherwise be united, leading them into sin and causing them to disgrace themselves in the sight of the entire world and thereby destroying the credibility of their testimony, and he will try to intimidate they who might otherwise boldly preach the Gospel message into silence and when he cannot deceive them with false doctrine, lead them into sin, nor intimidate them into silence, he will then bring varying degrees of persecution against them ranging from mere ridicule and social ostracization to violence and even death in his relentless attempts to keep the souls who might otherwise be won over to our Lord blind to His truth and anything that might lead them to that truth by hiding, suppressing, and even destroying any evidences that might open the eyes of the lost to the truth of the Gospel message by which their souls may be saved from damnation and which upon reception, brings a spiritual transformation to the recipients thereof.
 
The assault on free speech is not merely political or even social.  It is a spiritual assault because, truth thrives best where there is freedom of speech and where truth thrives best, so does the Word of God which brings liberty to the captive soul and in his war against the Gospel of salvation, Satan will do all that he can to hinder the preaching of God’s Word, and he will even put it in the hearts and minds of men to silence anything they deem offensive.  It is not enough for them to be content with not entering the Kingdom of Heaven themselves.  They will do all they can to prevent others from entering in as well because they are under the influence of Satan and are the instruments he will use, if need be, to keep captive the souls he has captured.
 
 
 
If you have not done so already, but would rather be a free soul under God than either property of the state or a subject and instrument of Satan, then I would urge you today to surrender your soul, your heart, and life to Christ Jesus so that you may know what true liberty is under God.  It is but a simple sincere prayer of repentance away:
 
 
 
"Lord Jesus I need you.
 
 
I realize that I am a sinner
who has fallen short of the glory of God
and that my goodness falls short
of your standard of Moral perfection.
 
Please forgive me of all of my sins.
Come into my heart and into my life
to be the Savior and Lord of my life.
Make me into the servant and follower
that you want me to be.
In your name Lord Jesus, I pray.
 
 
Amen."
 
 
Know that God is not concerned with the words that you use to call upon Him forgiveness, but with the attitude of your heart and if you have, with all sincerity, have asked Christ to forgive you of your sins, placing your trust in Him only for your salvation and in nothing else, then your sins are forgiven and your place in Heaven is certain.
 
 
 
End notes:
 
 
 
1.  Mark Baurlein, “Free Speech Isn’t Natural,” The Epoch Times, September 25, 2025
https://www.theepochtimes.com/opinion/free-speech-isnt-natural-5915832?utm_source=partner&utm_campaign=imctgm01
 
2.  Ibid.
 
 
 
Scripture references:
 
 
 
1.  John 3:19-20
 
2.  John 8:44
 
3.  Matthew 4:8-9, Luke 4:6-7
 
4.  Isaiah 14:11-21, Ezekiel 28:12-19
 
5.  Genesis 2:16-17, 3:3
 
6.  Genesis 3:6
 
7.  Genesis 3:4-5
 
8.  Genesis 3:7
 
9.  Genesis 3:19
 
10.  Romans 5:12
 
11.  Romans 6:23
 
12.  Romans 8:19-22
 
13.  John 10:10
 
14.  Revelation 20:10-15
 
15.  Romans 3:23
 
16.  Matthew 15:11, 17-20
 
17.  2 Peter 3:9
 
18.  John 3:16
 
19. Corinthians 5:21
 
20.  Hebrews 4:15
 
21.  Romans 4:25
 
22.  Romans 10:9, 13
 
23.  2 Corinthians 5:17
 
24.  2 Corinthians 5:18
 
25.  Matthew 6:33
 
26.  John 14:6
 
27.  Revelation 21-22
 
28.  Matthew 6:25-33
 
29.  Matthew 10:28
 
30.  1 Corinthians 15:51-55, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
 
31.  John 8:32