They Fought For Liberty and So Should We!!
Oct 14
Three things are necessary for the salvation of man: to know what he ought to believe; to know what he ought to desire; and to know what he ought to do. ~~~ Saint Thomas Aquinas
The liberties of our country, the freedom of our civil Constitution, are worth defending at all hazards; and it is our duty to defend them against all attacks. We have received them as a fair inheritance from our worthy ancestors: they purchased them for us with toil and danger and expense of treasure and blood, and transmitted them to us with care and diligence. It will bring an everlasting mark of infamy on the present generation, enlightened as it is, if we should suffer them to be wrested from us by violence without a struggle, or to be cheated out of them by the artifices of false and designing men. ~~~ Samuel Adams
The Declaration of Independence, the Liberty Bell, the Boston Tea Party, The American Revolution, the Emancipation Proclamation and the great Civil War. Each was birthed out of “inalienable rights”, and “liberty for all”. These are the defining moments in our nation’s history. These are the pillars so to say of the American way. These men and women were willing to risk their lives, livelihood and possessions for this freedom, this life, this liberty and we applaud them as courageous, heroes, even “founding fathers”. I don’t disagree with this (though I may disagree with the way they went about it) because for this nation they were all of the above plus more. However, someone greater entered human history. He is the Son of God and all of God. He stepped down from eternity to take on the form of a servant and guess what He did it for? Our Spiritual liberty! He died on the cross of our liberty, yet we are giving it over and are very passive about sustaining such liberty.
Snuffing Out Other’s Liberty Is Sinning Against Your Brother/Sister
I am going to say this another way. Whenever we tell a believer to obey something, that believer has only two real options. The first option is to submit to whatever it is the other believer called them to obey. The second and more biblical option is to search the scriptures much like the Bereans to “see if these things are so”. If that lines up with the scripture then we are to submit to the Holy Spirit indwelling that believer, if it is not biblical we can say, I am not obligated to submit to that; however, I understand your conviction on the matter. The third option which is an unbiblical option also is to outright ignore your brother or sister and continue in whatever pattern you are currently in.
Therefore, if the believer calling the other believer continues to call you into submission to something that is not clear in the scripture, he/she has begun to sin against you and that is something we can’t allow. I will say this and I know some of you may not like this. However, often times there are many believers who are over-burdened with convictions that they have no business being convicted about. They are stuck in traditionalism, religion, family values and so forth and it is a shame for us to allow this to go on. We don’t want to be forceful about it; however, we can lovingly tell them, you don’t have to wear that dress if you don’t want to, you don’t have to abstain from alcohol if you don’t want to, you don’t have pursue this or that type of education if you dont’ want to. You don’t have to follow this Old Covenant law if you don’t want to. Why? Because Christ has freed you from such an obligation and others have put a yoke of bondage on you against the will of God. Now we shouldn’t run around and look for people to free; however, through relationship they may be persuaded by your love and freedom to hear you out. I tell you what, it was an older COGIC guy in my Army unit who sat me down and talked to me about Sabbath Days, and other things which only confirmed what I was reading in the scripture, and it got me out of a very legalistic and burdened down congregation.
Christian Liberty Is Found in Christ In the New Covenant
Paul says;
For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery…..13 For you were called to freedom, brothers
Freedom is sometimes scary. I remember reading about some slaves who didn’t want to be free, that is because we like boundaries. Boundaries are safe and a law that says “love one another” is even scarier. However, this is the law/freedom Christ purchased on the cross. It is a freedom that obligates us, but it is a freedom that we posses. I came up with a slogan and it goes like this “if the bible says obey, then you must obey, if the bible says you don’t have to obey, then you don’t have to obey; however, if YOUR conscience calls you to obey it, then you must obey it!” . The operative words being “the bible and your conscience” . Too often we are submitting to things that Christ does not obligate us to obey and often time we call others to the same type of obligation. However our calling is to “freedom” not a “yoke of slavery”. Paul talks about this some more in Colossians 2:
20 If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations— 21 “Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch” 22 (referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to human precepts and teachings? 23 These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh
Often times I hear Christians condemning others on the “handle nots, touch nots and tastes nots” in which we died to with Christ.
Liberty and Love
My last point which is just as important is that of Love. Here is where the New Covenant finds its foundation. Now that we understand that we are free, now I want us to understand that we are only free that we may love. Paul says in Romans 14:20-21 and in 1 Corinthians 8:9-13:
20 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. 21 It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble.
9 But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. 10 For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, will he not be encouraged, if his conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols? 11 And so by your knowledge this weak person is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died. 12 Thus, sinning against your brothers and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. 13 Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.
Why is love important? Well God displays His love by sacrificing His Son and the Son shows His love by becoming that sacrifice (John 3:16 and 1 John 4:7-12). If love has caused the Father and the Son to sacrifice, it then calls us to sacrifice also. That may mean that we abstain from our freedom, until our brothers and sisters get it. This is a delicate dish to balance on our heads and takes much prayer for two reasons. 1. We don’t want the weaker brother to remain weak and to use his weakness to control the group. 2. We don’t want those who are stronger to injure their brother by flaunting this liberty (this is why wives are commanded and slaves are commanded to be submissive because of this new found freedom in Christ). So love is always the deciding factor. Love will prevent us from being boastful in our freedom and love will also prevent us from attempting to burden our brother and sisters with our conviction.
Often though we are so concerned with being right (1 Corinthians 8:1-13) that we forget that we have been enslaved to Christ and thus obligated to love. And so we go around “biting and devouring one another” as Paul says in Galatians 5:13-14.
In closing, we have to fight for the freedom of others, much like the Forefathers of this country did. Christ has purchased the Church and has set her free. To continue to yoke other believers up with bondage is to sin against them; however to flaunt such a liberty is to violate the New Covenant foundation of love. People are more important than being right and we often forget that we are ostracizing other believers because of both legalism and liberationsim. We walk the line in love. This applies to education practices, sexual practices within the confines of marriage, what you listen to, what you watch (though porn would be a problem), child bearing, financial decisions (again with the command to let no debt go outstanding), discipline, family work decisions and diet (what you eat and drink). Lets keep Christ at the center of it and I believe He will never allow us to go too far on either side, and even if we do, He will guide us back to Himself.
“and even if we do, He will guide us back to Himself”
My favorite part of the entire truth that you’ve spoken. Kinda reminds me of Paul in Philippians 3:15, “Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, have this attitude; and if in anything you have a different attitude, GOD WILL REVEAL THAT ALSO TO YOU.”
Thanks LD!!!!
I don’t know how many times I have sat down to start to write a paper entitled: Freedom in Christ, the weak brother, the legalist and the false teacher, but I never seem to find the time.
You are so right to state the love and patience we must show to our weaker brothers and sisters who do not fully understand their freedom in Christ. It is interesting that the ones who wish to bind our conscience with their legalistic understanding of an issue are actually the weak believer, they almost invariably think of themselves as the strong that are endeavoring to correct the weak.
After all is said and done, I truly believe the scriptures indicate that someone who wishes to elevate himself above the other brothers and attempts to dominate, control and bind the churches conscience regarding teachings that directly contradict the teachings of Christ and the apostles are no longer just weak brothers or legalists, but have moved into the category of false teacher. If we have gently and patiently and repeatedly shown them where the scriptures indicate that the Sabbath has been abolished by Christ and that the Old Covenant is no longer binding on a believer who lives under the law of the spirit of life in Christ, then I think that is telling us something. Why cannot they discern spiritual truth? Why do they still desire to enslave their victims under the law of sin and death? I am confident the Holy Spirit is not leading them to do so.
Hutch,
You bring up an intesting discussion, that we might end up having Sunday. When does someone fall under the anethema proclamation of Paul in Galatians 1. How far do we let it go? How much of the misrepresentation of the Gospel is allowed?
Its a tough subject…I think we should have great patience…much prayer…loving appeals…more loving appeals…pleading with them on your knees if necessary
BTW…from my experience, when and if you see the heels dig in and then the backroom attacks against your character are launched…then you know who and what you are dealing with.
In light of our conversation
about this topic yesterday, I’ve been thinking……
In your post, you speak about the role our consciences weigh in our convictions. And I want to ask this question: How do you handle a believer who feels strongly convicted about something that the bible doesn’t explicitly command yet they say it’s from the Holy Spirit and use their conscience to back up their conviction? (For example, I have a Christian friend who feels convicted about using Christmas trees, and told me I shouldn’t because it represents the pagan practice of Christmas.) Would the Holy Spirit tell her something is wrong and not tell me? Or is she lying about it being a conviction from the Holy Spirit? Could she easily make a case because Scripture doesn’t necessarily support the tree (but it doesn’t speak against it either), and her conscience is pretty strong about the issue? (By the way, we do Christmas trees on Chellen B).
Javetta,
1. We have a Christmas tree ceremony in our crib. I have to put on Christmas music, get some hot chocolate (I am going to spike mines this year
) and then set the tree up and sing songs. I do all this because I prefer my wife (actually I prefer the warm bed that follows LOL).
2. I believe we all do that. For example you always say “whatever steals your affection for Christ should be avoided”. Now what steals your affection may not still my affection and vice versa. So the Holy Spirit could be telling me to abstain from something because He knows me but allow you to have freedom in it. So yes I believe we should submit to our conscience and that is what Paul says at the end of Romans 14.
3. Yes, I believe the Holy Spirit could tell her something is wrong because of her conscience but not tell you because of you conscience. This is what Paul was talking about in 1 Corinthians 8. The person who struggled with “idol meat” had this type of experience while the person who would eat it your experience.
4. Nope she could be telling the truth.
5. If the scriptures are silent then we are to be silent unless there is some very close guiding principles driving us in a certain direction for example I would throw the quality of the church meeting into the guiding principles bucket, while the venue of that church in the silent bucket. So silence most of the times mean silence for us also.
6. Here is the problem Vetta. When that person says that her conviction is sin for you, she has crossed the line and should be corrected given their maturity and the extent of the relationship. I will be honest with you. Very honest, and maybe someone could help. To love them may mean keeping your tree under wraps this year. Are you willing to make that type of sacrifice for her? This is what Paul says “if it causes my brother to stumble I will never eat meat”.
Can someone add to that? Whats your thoughts Vetta? Maybe you can email me their name so I don’t invite them over
Spiked Hot Chocolate,
Mrs. SHC would light you up if she knew you wrote that. And we also have a tradition: Every year we decorate for Christmas, Jeff and I put together a gingerbread house while singing Boyz II Men’s “Let It Snow” while drinking “spiked” egg nog. I agree with 1-5…
Now as it relates to 6: On the one hand I see what you’re saying, but I don’t think it would be un-loving to have my tree up. It’s an interesting paradox, though. She (as a mature Christian) has an obligation to honor my freedom in Christ and not push her convictions on me. Romans 14 and 1 Corinthians 8 speak of new believers who have “weak consciences.” My friend is not a new believer, nor is her conscience weak, so would I have to honor this verse in that situation? Now, if she did and she were coming to my house for Christmas, I would forgo my tree because she would be worth the sacrifice (any sister or brother would).
Thank goodness this friend lives over 1000 miles away and would never come to my house for Christmas because she knows I celebrate it and she will not.
It never ceases to amaze me how just after some false teacher like Bill Gothard finishes taking his Institute in Basic Legalistic Practices through town that all of a sudden people are convicted by the Holy Spirit for all the perennial issues of conscience that can come up within the church: Celebrating Christmas, “Christian Circumcision”, Drinking Alcohol, Celebrating Halloween, Rock music, Hip-Hop music, Women wearing pants, Women speaking in “the church”, Women with short hair, Men with long hair, Wearing short sleeved shirts, Women and cosmetics… etc, etc, etc.
What a coincidence!
Vetta,
1. He is speaking of new believers, the church is very young itself, so he doesn’t distinguish it by newer vs older and also older and even people who have been Christians longer still can be much, much weaker.
2. I promise she is not mature, if she can’t balance her conscience with what the scriptures teach about “judging your brother” then I promise she is not mature, though she may do many things that supposedly maturer Christians are to be doing.
3. She is maturer and weaker. Look how Paul defines the weaker brother in both passages. It is the brother whose conscience is sensitive to areas of liberality. Rather that is in drinking, smoking, dancing, Easter, Christmas Trees or so forth. Not if they don’t do those things, but if they become an “apologist” (as Dave always says) then that would make them weaker, though they may be perceived to be very mature. There is nothing wrong with disagreeing with those things, but when that person presses that upon you they are then the weaker brother/sister.
4. I am thankful that they live that far also, so you can have our present under the tree
Hutch,
You hit the nail on the head and drove it through the board my friend! By the way in about a month and a half we will finally get to share a hot cup of java and rap about the Lord! I am very excited and am praying that all goes well and the we are both healthy and available!
LDW,
Ummm…I think she is mature. I think her devotion to her demoninational beliefs sway her. She is legalistic in the area of celebration, yet she chooses to practice freedom in others (she drinks, she has piercings, etc). She doesn’t ever judge me about it. She just treats it like it’s an area of sin that the Holy Spirit will convict me in as I continue to grow in Christ. She doesn’t try to force it on me, but if it comes up she will boldly assert her conviction about it.
Hutch-
That’s a great observation! That’s why I asked is it possible for the Holy Spirit to convict someone of a “wrong” and not convict me of that same “wrong”? There are LOTS of people who say that their convictions are from the Holy Spirit, and I don’t think they are.
So in those cases where a person is “convicted” by a clearly biblical liberty, is it possible that they are just convicted by their own consciences and not necessarily the Holy Spirit?
Javetta-
I believe the Holy Spirit will always lead us to liberty not bondage, I believe Paul’s viewpoint was that the goal is for the weak to eventually become strong, we do not tip toe around their weak conscience regarding an issue because they are right, we do it because we love them as our brothers and sisters in Christ and we are patiently waiting for them to grow up.
Paul would want us all to understand that the false gods that people worship are not real and that meat sacrificed to idols means nothing, if you accept it as a blessing from the one true God, go ahead and eat it…especially if it tastes good! He would want us to know that there are now no unclean foods, he would want us to know that just because some ignorant pagans used to worship their made up gods through the fire-oaks, that decorating a home in a festive way does not mean that I am worshipping the god of the grove, or that drinking a glass of wine with dinner is not the sin of drunkenness etc.
The tragedy is that in some groups and denominations the weak believers with all the legalistic non-binding hang ups have assumed positions of authority, stunting the growth and maturity of the group and almost guaranteeing that anyone who is maturing in their faith with leave, most likely with a good dose of illegitimate church discipline and shunning for good measure!
Lionel-
Stacy and I are looking forward to meeting you guys! Can’t wait.
Hutch you said:
The tragedy is that in some groups and denominations the weak believers with all the legalistic non-binding hang ups have assumed positions of authority, stunting the growth and maturity of the group and almost guaranteeing that anyone who is maturing in their faith with leave, most likely with a good dose of illegitimate church discipline and shunning for good measure”
I don’t know what to say! Man, I don’t know what to say.
Man you have said a mouthful here brother. the crux of the issue rest in the balance that you so eloquented stated. That balance of love and patience with the force of being right. Many leaders or mature Christians disciple by whips instead of open arms. That does not delieneate the need for biblical discipline around the board but what is the motive behind the discipline. Many times I presume that it is a need to be right instead of a true concern for the soul of another.
Brian,
I agree 100%. It is more “we are a true church that disciplines” than it is a loving concern. Not all the times but I know of people who boast about church discipline versus being broken by it.
Reading through I Corinthians 8 and I Corinthians 10, it’s amazing to see how the issue played out for Paul/others seeking the Lord.