With our recent national celebration of Independence Day, my thoughts have turned to liberty and freedom – not just as it relates to government, but more importantly as it relates to our spiritual lives.
What does the Bible say about liberty and freedom?
The mission of the Messiah was prophesized by Isaiah:
The LORD has anointed me… To proclaim liberty to captives And freedom to prisoners; (Isaiah 61:1b NASB)
And this prophecy was fulfilled in Jesus. The mission of Jesus included liberty and freedom. He spoke about freedom on several occasions, including the following:
John 8:32, 36 (NASB) You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free. So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.
What exactly is this “freedom in Christ” that believers are designed to experience? In the following verse, Paul is addressing how some in the church of Galatia were advocating for Gentiles to first become Jewish converts and submit to all of the Mosaic Law before they could become Christians:
Galatians 5:1 (NASB) It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery [i.e., slavery to the Mosaic Law as a means to salvation].
So, the first aspect of freedom in Christ is freedom from the traditions of man. In other words, we must be free from the notion that the traditions of man are a way to obtain our salvation, or to grow in righteousness. As followers of Christ, our righteousness is not obtained or enhanced by anything we do – not by following any standards or expectations of conduct that are advocated by other well-intended believers. Our righteousness comes from our identity in Christ, and comes by faith alone, in Christ alone. Please understand me. The spiritual disciplines are helpful for spiritual growth. But our motivation in engaging in them is critical. In short, as Paul warned, we must not become enslaved to the traditions of man. This gives us great freedom in our lives.
But there is a second aspect to this freedom in Christ. Listen to these verses:
Galatians 5:13-14 (NASB) For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14 For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.”
1 Peter 2:16 (NASB) Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God.
1 Corinthians 8:9 (NASB) But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak.
In the New Testament era, there was an excellent illustration of this principle, that Paul addressed in Romans chapter 14. At that time, the very best quality of meat being sold in the market, at the lowest cost, was meat that had been sacrificed to idols. For followers of Jesus, it became a matter of conscience. For some believers, they could eat this meat with a clear conscience. For other believers, it violated their conscience to eat this meat. Here is how Paul addressed this issue:
Romans 14:1-3, 13-15 (NASB) Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions. One person has faith that he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats vegetables only. The one who eats is not to regard with contempt the one who does not eat, and the one who does not eat is not to judge the one who eats, for God has accepted him.
Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather determine this—not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother’s way. I know and am convinced in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself; but to him who thinks anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. For if because of food your brother is hurt, you are no longer walking according to love. Do not destroy with your food him for whom Christ died.
What is the principle here? It is the principle of deference, which is limiting my freedom in order to not offend those whom God has called me to serve. Paul is saying that those that had a clear conscience to eat this meat should not flaunt their freedom in front of those that could not do so with a clear conscience. This is a way of showing deference to them. They should also not judge the others as weak in faith or wrong, but should respect them as fellow followers of Christ. And likewise, those who could not eat the idol meat should not be judgmental toward those that could. They must maintain an attitude of “others can, but I cannot.”
Examples of more contemporary matters of conscience include the consumption of alcohol, or the various ways of observing the Sabbath, or the various forms of personal expression of worship in a corporate setting. Applying Paul’s admonition, those who have the liberty of conscience to act in one way in these various areas should be careful not to cause their liberty to become a stumbling block to believers that do not have the same freedom of conscience. And there should not be judgement in either direction – toward those that can, or those that cannot.
In summary, allow me to adapt a famous quote by Abraham Lincoln: “Freedom [in Christ] is not the [ability] to do what we want, but [the power to do] what we ought.”
Today, I encourage you to “Reflect on This.”