Give me (Christian) Liberty or give me death!
In a world where terrorists strike every week, and Christianity is more and more being mocked and disdained, Facebook Theologians have long, drawn out discussions on whether a Christian should smoke, drink, and watch certain movies and tv shows. For a people who continually tout that "It's not a religion, it's a relationship," We sure seem pretty obsessed with what we can and can't do, and who disagrees with us.
For your reading pleasure, I submit the entire fifth chapter of Galatians:
"Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free,[a] and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. 2 Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing. 3 And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law. 4 You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. 5 For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love.
7 You ran well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? 8 This persuasion does not come from Him who calls you."
If Paul was writing this passage in todays world, how would he phrase it? Maybe he would say; "You are free in Christ! Why aren't you acting like it? Act like you're free, and stop slaving away to sin and legalism. In fact, even circumcision doesn't get you anywhere in Grace. If you're circumcised, you have to keep the entire law. You've wandered from Christ, you who try to earn righteousness with the law. For we who are in Grace are waiting eagerly in faith for the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus, circumcision or uncircumcision gets you nowhere, except for faith working through love. You used to understand this. Who confused you? Your new ideas don't come from the God who called you."
"Christian Liberty" is a term we love to use. But what does it mean? It means we're no longer in bondage to the law. For grace has come, and it came by our Saviors death and resurrection. So does this mean that we are to no longer care how we live, because our salvation is assured? "by no means" Paul says.
"By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 3 Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life." (Romans 6:2-4)
New life, dead to sin, new liberty. Sometimes we take our liberty too far. We take liberties with our liberties, if you will. but sometimes, sometimes we take it too far in the opposite direction, and we do things like tell people we're concerned for their salvation if they watch football on Sundays or we say "that person must not be born again, did you see that top she was wearing?"
Paul is very clear that our Christian liberties are not to be exercised at the expense of others. He told the church in Corinth that if by eating food offered to idols, they offended a weaker brother, they should not eat.
"However, not all possess this knowledge. But some, through former association with idols, eat food as really offered to an idol, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. 8Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. 9But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. 10For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eatingc in an idol’s temple, will he not be encouraged,d if his conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols? 11And so by your knowledge this weak person is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died. 12Thus, sinning against your brotherse and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. 13Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble." (1 Corinthians 8:7-13)
Interesting that in these passages, the issue of "Christian Liberty" seems to be kept to our own decisions and how they affect others, not others' use of Christian Liberty and how it affects us. The way I apply this verse, I believe I should be sensitive of peoples' pre-Grace struggles before I exercise my Christian Liberty. I.E, I wouldn't drink in front of a known recovered alcoholic. I wouldn't watch a movie with sex scenes with an individual I know used to struggle with pornography. (actually, I wouldn't watch it at all, but you get the point.)
The whole point of Christian Liberty is that we are free in Christ. There is no set amount of time everyday that we have to be reading the Word or evangelizing. But what do we do with our spare time? How do we portray ourselves?
Bottom line: If they are not involved in an addiction, and we are not lovingly confronting a brother in his sin with the express purpose of bringing him back into the fellowship of the church, we have no right to tell someone that they are exercising their liberties incorrectly.
"You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye." (Matthew 7:5)
For your reading pleasure, I submit the entire fifth chapter of Galatians:
"Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free,[a] and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. 2 Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing. 3 And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law. 4 You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. 5 For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love.
7 You ran well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? 8 This persuasion does not come from Him who calls you."
If Paul was writing this passage in todays world, how would he phrase it? Maybe he would say; "You are free in Christ! Why aren't you acting like it? Act like you're free, and stop slaving away to sin and legalism. In fact, even circumcision doesn't get you anywhere in Grace. If you're circumcised, you have to keep the entire law. You've wandered from Christ, you who try to earn righteousness with the law. For we who are in Grace are waiting eagerly in faith for the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus, circumcision or uncircumcision gets you nowhere, except for faith working through love. You used to understand this. Who confused you? Your new ideas don't come from the God who called you."
"Christian Liberty" is a term we love to use. But what does it mean? It means we're no longer in bondage to the law. For grace has come, and it came by our Saviors death and resurrection. So does this mean that we are to no longer care how we live, because our salvation is assured? "by no means" Paul says.
"By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 3 Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life." (Romans 6:2-4)
New life, dead to sin, new liberty. Sometimes we take our liberty too far. We take liberties with our liberties, if you will. but sometimes, sometimes we take it too far in the opposite direction, and we do things like tell people we're concerned for their salvation if they watch football on Sundays or we say "that person must not be born again, did you see that top she was wearing?"
Paul is very clear that our Christian liberties are not to be exercised at the expense of others. He told the church in Corinth that if by eating food offered to idols, they offended a weaker brother, they should not eat.
"However, not all possess this knowledge. But some, through former association with idols, eat food as really offered to an idol, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. 8Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. 9But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. 10For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eatingc in an idol’s temple, will he not be encouraged,d if his conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols? 11And so by your knowledge this weak person is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died. 12Thus, sinning against your brotherse and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. 13Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble." (1 Corinthians 8:7-13)
Interesting that in these passages, the issue of "Christian Liberty" seems to be kept to our own decisions and how they affect others, not others' use of Christian Liberty and how it affects us. The way I apply this verse, I believe I should be sensitive of peoples' pre-Grace struggles before I exercise my Christian Liberty. I.E, I wouldn't drink in front of a known recovered alcoholic. I wouldn't watch a movie with sex scenes with an individual I know used to struggle with pornography. (actually, I wouldn't watch it at all, but you get the point.)
The whole point of Christian Liberty is that we are free in Christ. There is no set amount of time everyday that we have to be reading the Word or evangelizing. But what do we do with our spare time? How do we portray ourselves?
Bottom line: If they are not involved in an addiction, and we are not lovingly confronting a brother in his sin with the express purpose of bringing him back into the fellowship of the church, we have no right to tell someone that they are exercising their liberties incorrectly.
"You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye." (Matthew 7:5)
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