CHRISTIAN LIBERTY PART 8

March 5, 2013 at 11:41 AM (Christian Liberty, Doctrine)
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CLARIFYING SOME COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT FREEDOM

PART VI

Earlier, I asked the question, What do we do with a freedom that isn’t edifying? What do we do with a freedom that has an adverse effect on us and others as well? In the first of a two-fold response, I pointed out the Biblical prescription for us to voluntarily put restraints on our freedom. You can read all about it in the 6th and 7th installment of this blog on Christian Liberty.

When we put the whole of Scripture together here is a second thing we see. While the Lord expects us to voluntarily place limits or restraints on our freedom, there may come a time when restraints may be placed upon us by the church, that is, the church’s pastors and leaders. This is necessary (a) in order to safeguard the well-being and unity of the whole church. And it’s also necessary (b) in order to preserve the church’s witness of Christ in the world.

We read about this in Acts 15. There were so many Gentiles getting saved that the early Church, which was predominantly converted Jews, was confronted with the question of whether or not these Gentiles were required to keep the Jewish, Old Testament law in order to be saved (verse 1). Evidently, some of the converted Jews in the early Church were still keeping the law and using the law as a means of salvation. They felt that if they had to keep the law to be saved, then the Gentile believers should also have to keep it if they wanted to be saved.

The controversy was so serious and divisive that the believers involved in this conflict appealed to the Lord’s apostles in Jerusalem for a clarification and resolution of this matter (verse 2). A council was held and many of the people present were given an opportunity to voice their opinion.

Finally, when everyone had their say, James, our Lord’s brother who was the recognized leader of the church in Jerusalem, gave his judgment on the matter: And so my judgment is that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God.  (20)  Instead, we should write and tell them to abstain from eating food offered to idols, from sexual immorality, from eating the meat of strangled animals, and from consuming blood.  (21)  For these laws of Moses have been preached in Jewish synagogues in every city on every Sabbath for many generations (Acts 15:19-21, NLT).

Evidently, after James voiced his judgment on the matter, the rest of the church’s leaders discussed the merits of what James had decided. They prayed about it and sought God’s guidance. And God, in turn, through the Holy Spirit let the leaders know what His will was in the controversy (Acts 15:28). When everything was said and done, all the leaders agreed that James’ decision was the right one (Acts 15:25). In other words, James’ decision was not the dictatorial edict of one man, but rather, a binding proclamation that all of the church’s leaders were in agreement about. Most importantly, the judgment was God’s will.

The church then wrote a letter that was sent to, and read in, the churches in Asia Minor and Syria. It read, For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay no greater burden on you than these few requirements:  (29)  You must abstain from eating food offered to idols, from consuming blood or the meat of strangled animals, and from sexual immorality. If you do this, you will do well. Farewell (Acts 15:28-29, NLT).

Now when James issued his judgment, he declared that the Gentiles were not required to keep the Law in order to be saved (verse 19). But because there were Jews in every city who diligently observed Moses’ Law, and even converted Jews who continued to attend synagogue services in addition to church; then James chose what he felt were the most important things that the Gentiles not do in order not to offend the Jews (verses 20 and 29).

Why didn’t James want the Gentiles to offend the Jews? Because the church was trying to reach out to the Jews. The apostles realized that the church’s ministry to the Jews would be greatly hampered and hindered—the Jews would not be won to Christ—if  Christ’s followers were guilty of doing things that were truly abominable in the sight of the Jews.

Now of the many things that James could have chosen to lay upon the Gentiles, he chose only four: the Gentiles must not eat foods offered to idols, not commit fornication, not eat blood, and not eat meats that had been strangled. [When an animal was strangled the blood remained in it and the Jews were prohibited from eating blood, Leviticus 17:10-14].

Note that these four prohibitions were from the Law. But James already said that the Gentiles weren’t required to keep the Law to be saved. That’s right. They didn’t have to keep the Law to be saved.

But as a matter of courtesy or consideration for the Jews and Jewish believers who lived among them, the Gentiles weren’t allowed to do these four specific things. James, you see, wasn’t trying to put the Gentiles under legalism or the law: he was simply setting forth the guidelines, limits, or restraints that were necessary to keep the Gentiles from offending the Jews. In other words, while the Gentiles didn’t have to keep the Law to be saved, they still had to keep these four prohibitions of the Law as a safeguard to keep the Jews from stumbling or taking offense. The Gentile believers were indeed free. But free not to sin (fornicate) and certainly not free to offend the Jews (eating blood, food offered to idols, and strangled meat).

Furthermore, by issuing a judgment that would be binding upon the other churches, James sought to bring peace and unity to a church that had been greatly divided on this issue.

So what’s the point in all this? The point is, while we must willingly and voluntary impose restraints on our freedoms, there is nevertheless a place for the church, through its leaders, to put restraints on us; and even prohibit or forbid us from doing some things that are, like the early church, divisive to the church and offensive to those whom the church is trying to reach with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Naturally, this right and prerogative of the church to put restraints on freedom can be abused by carnally-minded, power-hungry, controlling, legalistic pastors and ministers. That is regrettable. God’s people ought to stand fast on their God-given liberty and not allow themselves to be brought under bondage to the whims and fancies of men, regardless of their calling or office in the church.

But, having said that, the misuse of restraints by carnally-minded ministers does not negate the right and prerogative of the church to put restraints on freedom if it is deemed proper and necessary by the will of God for the edification of the entire church and for the success of its ministry in the community or world.

CONCLUDING GUIDELINES

In bringing our study on freedom to a close, here are some general guidelines that I’d like for you to prayerfully consider and observe for your sake and the sake of others.

  • Don’t legislate your liberties over others and compel them to do something that their conscience won’t allow them to do.
  • Don’t exercise your liberties in the presence of the weak or the unenlightened. When legalists are involved, stand fast on your liberty and don’t let their religious laws bring you into bondage.
  • If you’re weak in an area of the flesh and are temptible or liable to give in to temptation and sin, then temporarily forego your liberty. IF YOU CAN’T HANDLE THE LIBERTY, THEN TAKE THAT LIBERTY AWAY FOR THE TIME BEING. For example, if you consider yourself free to drink alcohol, then quit drinking it altogether if temperance isn’t working and you find yourself becoming a drunkard or an alcoholic. If you consider yourself free to watch TV, then turn it off, or get rid of the TV altogether, if you lack self-control and find yourself  addicted to watching programs that aren’t any good for you.  Set your liberty aside until you’re crucified and dead to the temptation. If it takes several months or years, so be it. Join the club. Many of us have had to work hard and long to be free and stay free. Remember, liberty doesn’t force or compel you to do something that you’re free to do. Not everything permissible is profitable! Liberty is the power to not do things that you’re free to do. Concentrate on dealing with the problems that liberties have caused in your life. If you don’t deal with your problems, the Lord will deal with you about them and that’s never a pleasant or an enjoyable experience. Resume your liberty only when you’re in full control of your decisions and actions. May God bless you and help you to be free and to stay free.

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CHRISTIAN LIBERTY PART 7

February 25, 2013 at 9:51 AM (Christian Liberty, Doctrine)
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CLARIFYING SOME COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT FREEDOM

PART V

In my last post I dealt with the adverse effects that our exercise of freedom can have on ourself or on others. Not everything that we’re free to do is edifying us or others. So what do we do with a freedom that isn’t edifying?

First, the wrong way. For a lot of conservative Christians and churches, the easiest thing to do with freedoms that have undesirable consequences is to deny and confiscate those freedoms, take them away from people, and outlaw them. Dating, credit cards, television, internet, beer, caffeine, meat, sugar, salt, and women engaged in a professional career outside the home, are just a handful of the countless prohibitions that some Christians  legislate over God’s people.

The fact that some liberties can be misused and thereby end up hurting others and ourselves isn’t a valid argument against the abandonment or confiscation of those liberties.

Consider the example of wine. We’re all familiar with alcohol’s tragic and deadly effects. Christ could have come right out and outlawed it. But He didn’t. What He does instead is He limits a Christian’s intake of the stuff (1 Timothy 5:23). Yes, God prohibits drunkenness. But He didn’t prohibit the drink itself.

Just so you know, I don’t drink alcoholic beverages. I can’t stand the taste of alcohol. I’m not advising or encouraging people to drink the stuff. I’m just honest enough to recognize the fact that Christ didn’t outlaw it, therefore, I see no Scriptural precedent to outlaw it myself.

Eating meats is another example. This was a big, divisive issue in the early church. It was causing all sorts of problems among the brethren. So did the Lord forbid the eating of meats? Did He tell His people to become veggans? No. He told them it was alright to eat meat as long as they didn’t do it in the presence of those who thought it was wrong (Romans 14, 1 Corinthians 8-10).

 THE BIBLICAL RESPONSE TO A FREEDOM THAT’S CAUSING PROBLEMS IS NOT TO CONFISCATE OR OUTLAW THAT FREEDOM. Rather, the biblical response  is a command for us to put limits or curbs on that freedom so that the freedom doesn’t lead to problems down the road.

Freedom isn’t the problem. It’s the misuse of freedom that’s the problem and this misuse begins in the heart. It’s called intemperance, not crucifying the flesh, not resisting temptation, and a whole lot of other things.

What do we do with a freedom that’s having an adverse effect on us and others as well? We put restraints on that freedom. This brings me to a fifth popular misconception that many people have about freedom.

5. WHEN YOU PUT RESTRAINTS ON FREEDOM IT’S NO LONGER FREEDOM. Many Christians wrongly believe that freedom must be left free and not subject to controls or restraints. They believe that the moment you put limits on freedom you’re putting yourself and others under legalism or law.

But this is simply not the case–not in the spiritual realm and certainly not in the natural realm.

In the natural realm, we’re free to own and drive a car. But our country puts all kinds of restrictions and laws on that freedom: we can’t drive without a driver’s license, we’ve got to have insurance, we’ve got to register our vehicles every year and pay taxes on them, our driver’s license must be renewed every four to six years and we’ve got to pass the eye test or else wear eyeglasses if we want to drive; we can’t drive unless we’re at least fifteen years old, all drivers who are sixteen years old and younger can drive only if there’s an adult in the car, and if student drivers get caught driving drunk, under the influence, are out past curfew, or get bad grades, their licenses will be taken away from them for a period of time; we’ve got to buckle up in both the front and back seats; infants and toddlers up to the age of five have to be in car seats, we can’t place these car seats on the front seat of cars with airbags, and children under the age of twelve aren’t allowed to seat in the front seat of cars with airbags; there are laws as to how fast we can drive, which lane of the road we must drive on, and when we can pass a slow moving vehicle. In some states, you can’t drive a car unless it passes an emissions test. You see, we’ve got all these restrictions and laws placed on driving. Yet we acknowledge the fact that we’re free to drive in this country.

In much the same way, the Lord puts restrictions on our liberties. Here’s a few.

  • We’re not to indulge in our liberties in the sight of those who are unenlightened to the truth and who would therefore stumble or take offense at our liberties, Romans 14:14, 20-21, 1 Corinthians 8:9, 10:25-29, 32. I wrote about this in my previous blog post.
  • We’re not to give place to the Devil or flesh and use our freedoms as an occasion to sin, Romans 13:13-14, Ephesians 4:27.
  • We’re limited to just a little bit of wine, not a lot, and certainly not so much of it that we become drunk, develop a drinking problem, and become alcoholics or drunkard, Ephesians 5:18,1 Timothy 3:2-3,8, 5:23, Titus 2:3.

We’re not supposed to be enslaved to our freedoms. If we ever come to a point where we’re compelled or addicted to do something that we’re free to do, then at that point we’ve become slaves to our so-called freedom and we’re no longer free.

Paul puts it this way in 1 Corinthians 6:12, All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any (literally, I will not be ruled by any one thing, I will not become a slave to anything that I’m free do to).

You see, THE REASON WHY THE LORD PUTS RESTRAINTS ON OUR FREEDOM IS BECAUSE UNRESTRAINED FREEDOM CAN RESULT IN SIN AND SLAVERY. When our freedoms lead us to sin and slavery we’re no longer free. We’re slaves. And in order to avoid this entrapment of liberty and sin there has to be restraints put on liberty. In other words, THE FREEDOM TO DO SOMETHING ALSO MEANS THE FREEDOM NOT TO DO IT. For us to truly remain free we must apply discipline, control, or restraints on our freedoms. Freedom unrestrained leads to slavery. But FREEDOM RESTRAINED KEEPS US FREE.

We’re supposed to practice temperance, Galatians 5:23. What is temperance? It is self-control.

Now self-control is two things. First, it is control. It’s putting limits, restraints, regulations, rules, or laws on yourself so that while you’re free to do something, the freedom isn’t absolute and unrestrained. YOU PUT LIMITS ON THAT FREEDOM IN ORDER TO SAFEGUARD THAT FREEDOM AND NOT USE IT TO BECOME A SLAVE TO SIN, THE DEVIL, AND THE FLESH ONCE AGAIN.

In the example of wine, you limit your intake of wine, you don’t let yourself get drunk, and you don’t drink wine in the sight of  weak Christians.

You see, brethren, THE FACT THAT GOD WANTS US TO BE TEMPERATE IN ALL THINGS, INCLUDING OUR FREEDOMS, IS PROOF POSITIVE THAT THERE’S NOTHING WRONG, LEGALISTIC, OR UNCHRISTIAN WITH PUTTING RESTRAINTS OR CONTROLS ON OUR FREEDOMS. Freedom, dear friends, demands restraints.

Self-control, as I said, is two things. In the second place, it  is strictly personal or voluntary: it’s something you put on yourself, something that you freely choose to do for yourself (1 Corinthians 6:12, 8:13). No one forces you to put restraints on your freedom. No one puts those restraints on your freedom for you. You do it by yourself and on your own because this is something God  wants you to do (1 Corinthians 9:25-27, 2 Peter 1:5-6). You do it willingly because you see the value of putting curbs or restraints on yourself and your freedom.

Some people wrongly interpret not doing something that we’re free to do as a confiscation or abolishment of freedom. They view it as legalism. But that, brethren, is not the case. The restraints that we put on our freedoms are not laws against freedom. They’re not a denial or confiscation of freedom. We’re not outlawing our freedoms, nor are we taking those freedoms away. In no way do I advocate legalism.

THE RULES OR LAWS THAT WE PUT ON OUR FREEDOMS ARE NOT MEANT TO ABOLISH OUR FREEDOMS: THEY’RE MEANT TO ENSURE OUR CONTINUING FREEDOM. WE GOVERN OUR USE OR EXERCISE OF FREEDOM TO MAKE SURE WE DON’T BECOME ENSLAVED TO SIN ONCE AGAIN. 

Self-control is what keeps us from becoming enslaved to sin. Brethren, what kind of restraints or laws do you have on your freedom? What sort of guidelines or limits do you observe when engaging in your freedoms? Can you name them? Can you write them down so that you know what they are? Do you have any at all?

Coming Up On My Next Blog Post, Part 8. This final installment of freedom looks at the sensitive, if not controversial, issue of other people applying restraints to our liberties. Is that legal? Stay tuned for this exciting, eye-popping finale.

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