The concept of Christian Liberty is a fairly common and likely pretty popular Christian doctrine. I mean, who wouldn't like, "That which God does not expressly forbid is allowed"? Sure, that was the short form and, sure, there are nuances and caveats, but it looks like a wide open field there once you get past those few "Thou shalt nots" that are in there, right? And I wouldn't want to take anything away from the doctrine. It is very unwise to forbid what God has not or to command what God has not. To do so is to put yourself in the place of God. So we need to be very careful when we say, for instance, that abortion is a sin because there is no specific statement on that in Scripture. I don't think it's any kind of a leap at all to recognize "Fetus is a baby" and then understand "Killing babies is a sin" (from one of the best known commands, "Thou shalt not kill"). So I'm comfortable in saying that it doesn't require specific commands from God to fall under God's principles of right and wrong. But we ought to be very careful about commanding that which God has not.
There are, however, a couple of pitfalls in the doctrine of Christian Liberty. Perhaps we'd do well to keep our eyes open as we walk in this area that appears to be so free and easy. It's not all fun and games.
The first problem I see is the concept itself. The general idea that most people have is "I can do whatever I want as long as God doesn't say no." That idea is only vaguely accurate. As it turns out, the fundamental premise offered in the standard texts about Christian liberty is not "I can do whatever I want", but "I will do nothing with my liberty that will cause a brother to stumble." While we're hurrying off to, using Paul's example, eat meat offered to idols, there are believers of lesser faith who are being injured by our freedom. Paul says, "Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats" (Rom 14:20). Even further, "If food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble" (1 Cor 8:13). Interestingly, in this passage on Christian Liberty, Paul declares exercising your liberty to the detriment of your brother in Christ a sin (1 Cor 8:12). The Law of Christ is designed to keep us from licentious living. Christian Liberty is designed to free us from false legalism. Remember, "All things are lawful, but not all things are helpful. All things are lawful, but not all things build up" (1 Cor 10:23).
The second pitfall to avoid is using Christian Liberty as a starting point. The thinking goes like this. "I can do whatever I want unless commanded otherwise by God. So ... I will." This view offers blinders as a blessing. "As long as I don't know what God commands, I can keep going, right?" This is a serious distortion of the concept. We ought not be trying to figure out the minimum standard. We ought to be seeking the highest. "You are to be perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect" (Matt 5:48). We should, instead, be diligent in seeking what God calls sin. What Scripture commends, we should commend. What Scripture calls sin, we should call sin.
The doctrine of Christian Liberty is biblical. It is personal, requiring each of us to take responsibility for ourselves. "That which is not of faith is sin" (Rom 14:23). It precludes legalism. It's a good thing. Like so many good things that God gives, let's be careful not to abuse it. Let's seek to honor the things God honors, avoid the things God tells us to avoid, call sin what God calls sin and commend what God considers commendable. We already struggle with sin. Let's not use a gift of God as an excuse to do more sinning. Instead, "Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Cor 10:31).
6 comments:
The general idea that most people have is "I can do whatever I want as long as God doesn't say no."
For my part, I know of no one who says this or believes this (not saying it doesn't happen, I just never have seen it in any serious Christian discussion, or really, anywhere).
What I HAVE seen, though, are people (myself included) saying, "God has not offered us God's opinion on that behavior, so it's improper for you to speak for God on it. I'm responsible before God to work that out the best I can, and that's what I'm doing..."
Which seems to be what you're saying here. Christian liberty is NOT an excuse to sin, it is the notion that we are a priesthood of believers, responsible for figuring things out and, I think, responsible to grace-fully support one another in doing so.
Dan Trabue: "Which seems to be what you're saying here. Christian liberty is NOT an excuse to sin ...."
Yes, Christian liberty is not an excuse to sin. But the problem (one of) that I tried to highlight is that this perspective of "I'll try to figure out what's right" is not quite the biblical perspective. The biblical perspective is "If it causes my brother to stumble, I won't do it."
The standard thinking around Christian liberty is "Is it wrong for me to ...?" The biblical thinking around Christian liberty is "Is it right for me to ...?"
There's all the liberty in the world in Paul's pregnant statements: "For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.", or "I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead."
I have a recurring theme I teach our children in our morning devotions. I draw a circle that represents God's law. Then I draw a much smaller inner circle that represents God. I point out that we live between the concentric circles and that when we are according to the Spirit, and are setting our minds on the things of the spirit, when we are focusing on knowing the inner circle, God, when this is our cause in life, our motivation, The outer circle decreases drastically in importance.
But, on the other hand, when we are according to the flesh, and have set our minds on the things of the flesh, when we are overly concerned in our lives about the "legality" of the things we desire to do, then we are now much more concerned by the outer circle, and as a consequence, much less concerned with the inner Circle.
The more we desire to know Jesus, to love him, to walk in his footsteps, to glorify him, the less rules and regulations matter. In Dietrich Bonhoeffer's book "The Cost Of Discipleship" he points out early in his book the concept of cheap grace, that is, that we can live according to the desires of our flesh and it's covered by grace.
Good points all, Dan, and I'm already writing down my own thoughts along those lines for another blog entry. Hopefully I'll disguise it enough that you won't recognize it as your own. ;)
Stan,
Great post and excellent comments Dan. I've been reading in 1 John for a while in personal devotions and the following has been powerful as I have been meditating on it.
"There is no fear in love. But perfect love drive out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because He first loved us." 1 John 18-19.
Prior to these verses is the description love and its origination in God's nature. After these verses are details of how God's love transforms us and leads to love of others.
My point is this - what I have found in my life is that as I have grown in the faith my views have dramtically shifted to an overwhelming love of God based on an increasing knowledge of who He is (based on His revelation in His Word) and what He has done on my behalf. Because of that love my main concern is not whether or not doing a certain thing is OK or not but whether my God whom I love would be greived by my action. It is love of God, not fear of punishment that drives me.
This is just a different way of stating what you both did already and agrees with Stan's assessment that our attitude is not one of "Is it wrong for me to..." or "Is it right for me to..." and Dan's concentric circles and our continuing decrease in importance of the outer ring.
Thanks guys for your encouragement in the faith.
Jeremy
Your comment hits me where I'm living now. I've been in Philippians as of late and more particularly: "To live is Christ, to die is gain". The latter of those two "choices" depends on our expectations I think. If we are in the flesh, we tend to think of our gain as an abundance of things that appeal to the flesh. But if we are according to the spirit, then we would, I think, tend to think about things like knowing Jesus, and the opportunity to spend an eternity with him, worshiping him while at the same time shedding this flesh which seems to always be engaged in constant warfare against our spirits; not to mention leaving "the air" and its ruler behind. I have been purposing as of late to know him in such a way that "to die is gain" would be a thing I could truly live out as if I really believed it. I'm not sure I can say this as honestly as I'd like to at this moment.
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