Christian liberty is freedom from what, exactly?
CHAPTER 21: Of Christian Liberty and Liberty of Conscience
(Parts One and Two)
The Bible clearly teaches that Christians are not under the law but under grace (Romans 6:14). What does that mean? Some insist that since we are “no longer under the law,” we are no longer subject to obey God’s law. Is that so? Are we really free to murder, covet, and commit adultery since we are Christians? Hardly. So being “no longer under the law” cannot mean that.
Some misuse this biblical truth to dismiss the Old Testament, either in whole or in part. If one does that, what does one do with the myriad of quotations and allusions to the Old Testament scriptures in the New Testament? And what of Jesus’ clear teaching that He “did not come to do away with the law but to fulfill it,” while pronouncing a curse on those who teach otherwise (Matthew 5:17-19)? Not being under the law doesn’t mean that either.
What it does mean is simply this: Christians, whose sins are forgiven, are no longer under the condemnation of the law (Romans 8:1). Why? Jesus took that condemnation for those He came to save.
Furthermore, being born again and filled with the Spirit, we are empowered to live lawful lives (see 1 John 5:4-5). We are not saved by our obedience. We are saved by Christ’s obedience, but once saved, we are to live lawfully rather than sinfully.
We have no liberty of conscience to disobey the commands of God.
(Part Two)
In addition to being liberated from the condemnation of the Law (Romans 6:14, 8:1), another aspect of Christian liberty is that we are liberated from bondage to sin (Romans 6:6-7, 16-18). Yes, we still feel the pull of sin, but when we are born again, we no longer have to sin. We do it willingly. We do it because we choose to sin. The good and liberating news is that we do not have to.
A second aspect of our liberty in Christ is that we are free from bondage to the devil. The scripture is clear that Satan has a measure of authority over the sons of disobedience (Ephesians 2:1-3). His is a delegated and limited authority. He can only do what God allows for the accomplishment of God’s purposes (Job 1:12) but the devil has authority—until we are saved. After that, we are free!
A third aspect of Christian liberty: We are free from the fear and the sting of death (1 Corinthians 15:54-57). As mortals, we still experience physical death. But we are completely liberated from spiritual death, the wrath of God, or what Revelation 20:11-15 calls the “second death” in a “lake of fire.” Because of that, while we still may have certain apprehensions about how we will die physically, we have Christ’s iron-clad assurance that if we believe in Him, we “shall never die” [spiritually] (John 11:25-26). That liberty is the ticket to fearlessness in death.
More on our liberties in Christ next time…
Free from damnation, free access to God, and free from bondage to sin
CHAPTER 21: Of Christian Liberty and Liberty of Conscience
(Parts Three and Four)
The greatest Christian liberty is that we have complete liberty (freedom) from everlasting damnation. In the short span of time during which our Lord suffered and died on the cross, He received all the damnation deserved by all the people He came to save. Think about it. Each person for whom Christ died deserves damnation that is infinite both in intensity and duration. Multiply that infinite double damnation by the number who will be saved. That is a whole lot of damnation! Here the miracle gets even more mind-numbing. Jesus received all of that in a relatively short span of time, whether in the moment of His death, or during the three hours He hung on the cross.
If all the force of all the water in all the oceans of the world were poured out at once, how much force would there be? But what if all the water from all the oceans of the world were forced through a small opening in a high pressure nozzle? That illustration is a finite picture of the infinite magnitude and force of the way our Savior experienced the wrath due those He came to save.
No matter what else happens in our lives, if our sins are forgiven by Jesus Christ we are free from eternal damnation. That sounds like something worth praising God for, don’t you think?
(Part Four)
Consider two Christian liberties God has given to all of His children. First, those who are “in Christ” have free access to the throne of Almighty God—any time. It is sad that so many, even many Christians, fail to comprehend what a blessing that is. Consider Isaiah 59:2, “But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.” Sin demolishes all access to God.
But because of Jesus, access to God is not only provided, but according to Hebrews 4:16 we are encouraged now to “come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” While we fear God in the sense of reverence, we need not fear that God will ever do His children any harm.
Second, because we are no longer slaves to sin (John 8:32-36), believers are free to obey God. Our freedom to obey is not an obedience motivated by a slavish fear of God’s wrath. It is an obedience motivated by a child-like love, overwhelming gratitude, and a willing mind.
As Jesus said in John 8:36, “if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.”
More on our liberties in Christ next time…
Free to do as I please, or to do what is right?
CHAPTER 21: Of Christian Liberty and Liberty of Conscience
(Parts Five and Six)
We do well to remember Luther’s famous statement about conscience: “I consider myself convicted by the testimony of Holy Scripture, which is my basis; my conscience is captive to the Word of God. Thus I cannot and will not recant, because acting against one's conscience is neither right nor safe. God help me. Amen.”
Some, who only cite the last portion of that quote, elevate one’s own conscience to the highest authority, as though “acting against one’s conscience” is never “safe nor sound.” That is simply not true because our consciences can be incorrectly programmed to call good evil and evil good (Isaiah 5:20). A person raised to be a racist will hear his conscience affirm racism, but that does not make that man’s conscience a voice to obey.
Luther’s statement begins with the assertion that his conscience was “captive to the Word of God.” While we would agree that a person’s understanding of Scripture can be mistaken, and therefore have his conscience incorrectly programmed, at least Luther asserted that the Word of God has greater authority than one’s conscience.
Therefore we would insist on the following:
Do not follow your heart! Jeremiah 17:9 warns that our hearts are naturally deceitful and desperately wicked.
Seek to know God’s Word and to understand it as the most important means of correctly programming your conscience.
As your heart is held captive by the Word of God, do not disobey your conscience, since to do so is neither right nor safe.”
(Part Six)
Liberty of Conscience is not a free pass to think and do as one pleases, hiding behind “conscience.” If one’s conscience is warped or corrupted, resulting in sinful thoughts, words, or actions, the sinner is responsible—conscience or no.
Those who are born again, filled with the Holy Spirit, and are being instructed correctly from the Bible, are constrained by their conscience,, that are held captive by the Word of God. to live righteously and not to sin.
In matters that are not clearly right or wrong, in which a believer may have liberty to believe, speak, or act differently from another believer, one must be careful not to use his liberty as a cloak for any sin. This includes the sin of flaunting one’s liberties at the expense of a brother whose conscience is more constraining. Christian liberty, channeled by the law of love, ends where a brother is scandalized or tempted either to violate his conscience or to judge his brother in matters of liberty of conscience.
May I encourage you to read Romans 14:1-15:7 for straight scripture on this subject?
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