Few concepts of Christianity are more abused and misunderstood than freedom in Christ! Some ignore the gift and keep on trying to please God by living under a heavy load of self-imposed rules that they imagine to be creating favor with the Lord. Others take the idea and run straight to unbridled indulgence of their whims and miss the beauty of a holy life, all the while insisting they are just exercising their liberty.
While in Pennsylvania yesterday, I visited a school that is noted for ‘holiness.’ There on a softball field were high school age students playing a game for gym – the boys dressed in long sleeves in the hot sun; the girls attempting to run the bases in skirts that reached to their ankles. From all appearances, I would guess that ‘freedom in Christ’ would not be a doctrine that is well understood in that setting. As an example from the other end of spectrum, I can think of a church noted for preaching about liberty in Christ where the leadership clothes themselves in high fashion and extremely expensive jewelry, which I am sure they wear without a thought for the message of cultural conformity they are proclaiming without words.
The truth is – neither group owes me or you an explanation! It is Christ they serve (hopefully!) and it is Christ to whom they will give account (most assuredly!). The Bible says, "Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law. (keeping rules that others write for you) Listen! I, Paul, tell you this: If you are counting on circumcision (the ritual that marked Jews as truly Jewish) to make you right with God, then Christ will be of no benefit to you. I’ll say it again. If you are trying to find favor with God by being circumcised, you must obey every regulation in the whole law of Moses. For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God’s grace." (Galatians 5:1-4, NLT)
Because Jesus Christ makes me right with God, by His death on the Cross, I am free from slavery to public opinion and human rules. Furthermore, Christ finished the work of my salvation. Oh, blessed thought. If I truly and faithfully receive His gift, I know that I can’t make myself any more acceptable to God by what I do, where I go, or how I eat. So, let’s ‘eat, drink, and be merry’ right? Wrong! There are choices to be made if that reflect our status as holy disciples of Jesus Christ. Those choices do not earn us ‘blessing points’ with our Father, but they do align us with His will and allow us to let His beautiful character shine through us.
For example, God tells us not to gossip about others. He gives us this rule because He wants us to enjoy the blessing of deep, trusting relationships. A person who is negative, who is always sharing the worst about others robs himself of that blessing. Will gossiping send us to Hell? No, but it will keep us from a blessing!
Another example is setting aside quality time for worship with others who love God. In the Old Testament, God gave His people the Sabbath rule. In the NT, the principle remains for us in the Lord’s Day. His desire is that we take a break from the usual stuff of our busy lives to look to Him in adoration and to get together with fellow disciples for encouragement and worship. Will a person lose his salvation if he fails to go to church every Sunday? No, but he will miss out on the renewal that corporate worship provides and the maturity that one learns when living in a close community.
Here’s a word from the Word. Read it prayerfully and thoughtfully. These words are rich in promise and call us to something higher than religious practice. Here God calls us to holy lives that are free but loving, without pretense, dedicated fully to the life in the Spirit.
"Let’s stop condemning each other. Decide instead to live in such a way that you will not cause another believer to stumble and fall. I know and am convinced on the authority of the Lord Jesus that no food, in and of itself, is wrong to eat. But if someone believes it is wrong, then for that person it is wrong. And if another believer is distressed by what you eat, you are not acting in love if you eat it. Don’t let your eating ruin someone for whom Christ died. Then you will not be criticized for doing something you believe is good.
For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. If you serve Christ with this attitude, you will please God, and others will approve of you, too." (Romans 14:13-18, NLT)
________
I stand on the shore of an ocean
Gazing out to sea;
He casts my sins to the waters,
And watches them sink down deep.
Oh, Love that covers me!
Oh, Truth that sets me free!
For I know my Savior lives today,
There's an empty tomb
And a promise made
That free in Him is free indeed!
I'm free, I'm free to live.
Free to Live
© 1998 Thankyou Music (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing)
Ian White
CCLI License No. 810055
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