Christian Liberty #4 Practical Guidelines

Q: What does the Bible say about Christian liberty?

The Bible emphasizes that Christian liberty is a vital aspect of the gospel, as stated in Galatians 5:1 and John 8:36, highlighting the freedom Christ provides. Christian liberty, as explored in Scripture, signifies the freedom from sin and the law that Christ grants to believers. Galatians 5:1 states, 'For freedom did Christ set us free. Stand fast, therefore, in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free.' This establishes the foundation of Christian liberty as essential to the believer's identity in Christ. Additionally, John 8:36 affirms, 'If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.' This liberty encompasses both the freedom from condemnation under the law and the freedom to serve God without the burdensome rituals of human tradition.

Q: How do we know the doctrine of Christian liberty is true?

The doctrine of Christian liberty is supported by scriptural teachings that emphasize freedom in Christ, as well as historical confessions of faith like the Westminster Confession. The assurance of Christian liberty's truth lies in its consistent affirmation throughout Scripture, especially in the teachings of the New Testament. The Apostle Paul underscores this doctrine in his epistles, where he clarifies the believer's position of freedom in Christ as opposed to legalism or bondage to the law. Furthermore, historic confessions such as the Westminster Confession of Faith provide a summary of biblical teachings on liberty, affirming that it is a core component of the Christian faith rooted in Scripture. The four theological pillars—sonship, servitude, the sovereignty of God, and the supremacy of Scripture—serve as a framework supporting this doctrine and illustrate how liberty is both a privilege and a responsibility for believers.

Q: Why is personal holiness important for Christians in exercising liberty?

Personal holiness is crucial because it ensures that the exercise of liberty does not lead to sin or allow for moral compromise. Personal holiness plays a central role in the application of Christian liberty as it guides believers on how to live in a manner that honors God. The pursuit of holiness is a fundamental calling for every Christian, as evidenced by Romans 8:29, which states that believers are predestined to be conformed to the image of Christ. While Christians enjoy liberty in Christ, they must also recognize that not all actions permissible in their freedom are beneficial for their spiritual walk or the community of believers. As drawn from Hebrews 12:1, Christians are urged to lay aside every weight and sin that besets them, highlighting the need to assess their liberties in light of their pursuit of holiness and the impact on their relationships with God and others.

Q: How should Christians approach the exercise of their liberty?

Christians should approach their liberty with an awareness of the needs of others, ensuring that their actions edify rather than harm. In exercising their liberty, Christians must be mindful of several guiding principles that ensure their freedom is not just a license for self-indulgence but a means to serve others. 1 Corinthians 10:23 reminds believers that while all things may be lawful, not all actions edify. This means that one's liberty should be exercised in a manner that builds up the faith of their fellow believers. The exercise of Christian liberty must consider the impact on the community of believers, as it is not merely a private issue but one that affects the body of Christ. Believers are called to prioritize the growth and edification of their brothers and sisters in Christ, demonstrating a loving and selfless approach to liberty that reflects the character of Christ.

Now, as has been announced, we
continue tonight the fourth in a series of studies on the broad
biblical doctrine called Christian liberty, or in the words of the
Confession, of Christian liberty and liberty of conscience. I will attempt in about five
to seven minutes to capture the main threads of thought that
we've sought to lay out before you over a period of some three
hours. We've begun each study by reminding you that the whole
note of liberty is one of the dominant emphases of the gospel
of Christ, both in prophecy, in the pronouncements of our
Lord, and in the infallible interpretation of the work of Christ given to
us in the apostolic letters and in the epistles. The note of
liberty comes before us again and again and again. I shall
cite but two verses as an example of this note. If the Son, therefore,
shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. John 8, verse
36. And then the exhortation of the
Apostle in Galatians 5, verse 1. For freedom did Christ set
us free. Stand fast, therefore, in the
liberty wherewith Christ has made us free. So, as Calvin has
so accurately stated in his treatment of this subject in the Institutes,
no summary of the Gospel is complete without a statement on the precise
nature of the liberty purchased by Christ, extended to us in
the Gospel, and applied by the Holy Spirit to the believing
sinner. Now what I've attempted to do
in the previous studies is first of all to give some historical
background to the doctrine of Christian liberty both in the
apostolic church and in the post-apostolic church. some reference to the
importance of this doctrine in the light of the contemporary
situation, and then we launched upon a broad biblical and theological
overview of the doctrine using the Westminster Confession of
Faith as a framework within which to collate and gather the biblical
materials. And in those four paragraphs
of the statement found in the Westminster Confession of Faith,
there is perhaps the most comprehensive, the most profound, the most accurate
statement in short compass of this doctrine to be found anywhere
in uninspired literature. And in that section of the Confession,
we have a statement of the nature of Christian liberty, the fruits
of Christian liberty, and then the qualifications of that liberty. And then what I attempted to
do in the last study was to set forth the theological basis of
our liberty in a more definitive and in a more precise form. And
I suggested, using Donald McLeod's article from the Banner of Truth
magazine back in 1971, I believe the July-August edition, that
the liberty that is ours in Christ rests upon these four biblical
theological pillars. The sonship we enjoy as believers,
Second, there was the servitude that is ours as believers. Thirdly,
the sovereignty of God over the consciences of believers. And
fourthly, the supremacy and sufficiency of Scripture as a guide to believers. Now those four things are the
immovable pillars of any appreciation of our liberty in Jesus Christ. If you're a stranger to what
it means to approach God with the spirit of adoption enabling
you to cry, Abba, that is Father, then you can know nothing of
true liberty. No serious thought of God as
He's revealed in Scripture against the backdrop of what you know
yourself to be as a sinner can bring anything other than the
bondage of dread and fear. And it is only when we have seen
that God reconciled to us in Jesus Christ and have by faith
made our approach to Him through the merits of Christ that we
are enabled to come in the liberty of adopted sons and call Him
our Father. And yet coupled with this is
the realization that those sons we are bond slaves. Loving bond
servants of Jesus Christ the Lord who purchased us And in
that relationship of sons and servants, we recognize that God
alone has the Lordship over our consciences, and that He exercises
that Lordship by His Word and His Word alone. And then we concluded
our last study by drawing out three lines of implication or
application of that fourfold theological basis of our liberty. This means that in the realm
of doctrine, worship, and conduct, none but God can bind the conscience
of a child of God. Only God can tell me what doctrines
are to be believed. The Church has no right to construct
its own and to force confession from its adherence to man-made
doctrines. In the realm of worship, the
Church can bind the conscience to no practice of what is clearly
revealed. And in the realm of conduct,
the Church can make no regulations but those clearly taught in the
Word of God. Well, I did it in less than seven
minutes. Now we come tonight in our fourth
study to consider the beginning of another whole area of concern
with reference to this doctrine. Having set out the broad biblical
and theological overview from the Westminster Confession, and
those who are not here, I did not preach the Confession, we
preached the word Turn to many passages, simply use the confession
as a guideline. Having then seen in a more distinct
and precise way the fourfold pillars, or the four pillars,
the fourfold foundation of our liberty and what that means in
these three areas, we come now to what I'm calling practical
guidelines which relate to the exercise of our liberty in Jesus
Christ. And God willing, when I begin
tonight, I hope to conclude a next lord's day evening practical
guidelines which relate to the exercise of our liberty and I
propose to handle the subject by doing two things number one
I want to articulate a major principle of distinction, and
then having done that, I want to give three fundamental practical
guidelines which determine the exercise of our liberty, and
then we'll occupy ourselves with the fourth one for the entirety
of our study next Lord's Day. First of all, then, a major principle
of distinction. If you've got your thinking cap
on, if you're not quite sure, reach up and push it down good
and firm, will you please? and use a hairpin or bobby pin
or two to make sure it doesn't fall off halfway through. And
I'm dead in earnest when I say that if you do not grasp this
major principle of distinction, you will miss much of the whole
teaching of the Word of God on the subject of Christian liberty.
And the principle of distinction is this. There is a difference
between the essence of our liberty in Christ, understood and appreciated,
and the exercise of our liberty actually expressed in specific
conduct. Now let me give you that again.
There is a difference between the essence, the thing itself,
the essence of our liberty in Christ, understood and appreciated,
and the actual exercise of that liberty in specific conduct. You see, the understanding and
appreciation of our liberty in Christ is an inward spiritual
reality. It pertains to God, to me, to
my relationship to God, and to the world in which God has placed
me. It's a very individual and personal
thing. But the exercise of my liberty
brings other factors into its orbit. I do not exercise my liberty
simply in the presence of God and of myself. My liberty in
Christ is exercised in the presence of the world, in the presence
of fellow believers, in the presence of the people of God. So the
essence of the liberty is one thing, and the exercise of the
liberty is quite another. To state it a little differently,
The appreciation of one's liberty is holy inward, but the exercise
of the liberty is primarily outward. And the classic statement of
this principle of distinction that I have found anywhere in
uninspired literature is in John Brown's commentary on the book
of Galatians, in which, commenting on that section which we are
exhorted to stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ has
made us free, John Brown says, quoting another and then using
his own words, it is a very important observation of a judicious commentator
that, quote, there is a great difference between Christian
liberty and the use of Christian liberty. There John Brown ends
his quote without telling us who he was quoting. But he does
tell us he was quoting. Christian liberty, now John Brown
speaking, is an internal thing. It belongs to the mind and conscience
and has a direct reference to God. The use of Christian liberty
is an external thing. It belongs to conduct and has
reference to man. No consideration should prevail
on us for a moment to give up the essence of our liberty. That's
a relationship to God. But many a consideration should
induce us to forego the practical assertion or display of our liberty. And that's stated beautifully.
I about danced a jig sitting in my chair when I first read
that. And that's no small thing to do, to dance a jig sitting
in a chair. But nonetheless, I almost did it. No consideration
should prevail on us for a moment to give up our liberty. As we
saw in our last study, to relinquish the liberty I have in Christ
is to despise the death of Christ. He died to set me free, free
from all man-made regulations of worship, of conduct, and of
doctrine, that I might be his adopted son, his loving bondservant. And therefore, John Brown rightly
says, nothing should prevail on us for a moment to give up
our liberty, but many a consideration should induce us to forego the
practical assertion or display of our liberty. So having set
forth this major principle of distinction, let me now proceed
to some of the fundamental factors which determine the exercise
of liberty. What are some of the factors
John Brown had in mind when he said many factors will cause
us to forego the exercise of our liberty? Well, as I've tried
to cull from the scriptures and from literature that seeks to
be true to the scriptures, In answer to that question, I believe
the four major factors which will govern the exercise of our
liberty are these. Number one, the prior claims
of personal holiness. Two, the powerful claims of the
advance of the gospel. Three, the practical demands
of edification. And then, God willing, next week,
the practical claims of the weaker brother. And when we're done
dealing with those, we will have, I trust, touched on every major
portion in the New Testament dealing with the subject of Christian
liberty. First of all, then, in the exercise
of my liberty, holding firmly to the reality that I'm a free
man in Christ, that nothing can bind my conscience but the law
of God, that nothing will be regarded by me as taboo or unclean,
but what God Himself has revealed is unclean, holding tenaciously
to that principle of my liberty in Christ, Factor number one
that will guide me in the use and in the expression of that
liberty is what I'm calling the prior claims of personal holiness. Now, why do I do that? Well,
for this simple reason. All who are called into the family
of God as sons and daughters are called unto a life of holiness.
That's a fundamental axiom of the Word of God. Romans 8, 29.
Whom He did foreknow, He did predestinate to be conformed
to the image of His Son. He set His love upon us and marked
us out to be made over into the more likeness of His own beloved
Son. To use the language of Paul in
Titus 2, Christ redeemed us from all iniquity. For what purpose?
That he might purify unto himself the peculiar people, zealous
of good works. To use the language of Peter,
be therefore holy, as he which hath called you is holy. Be holy
in all manner of living. I trust in this place. I need
not labor that point. All who are called into the family
of God as sons and daughters are called to share in the family
likeness. They are called to holiness.
Now, in the pursuit of holiness, conformity to Jesus Christ, which
means in the most practical terms I know, conformity of heart and
mind and life to the revealed will of God in the power of the
Holy Spirit, That holiness, and in the pursuit of the same, the
believer soon finds there are many things which, though not
sinful in themselves, impede his progress in the pursuit of
that goal. You follow me now? Things that
I am free in Christ to enjoy in the material world in personal
activity, in human relationships, things that nowhere are condemned
in the Word of God as being sinful in themselves, but because I
am called to holiness, while maintaining my absolute liberty
in Christ with reference to those things, I will find myself relinquishing
the exercise of that liberty in the interest of the pursuit
of holiness. At this point, please turn to
Hebrews chapter 12. Having given to us this great
gallery of the men and women of faith, who by faith triumphed
and persevered We are exhorted, as we were reminded several months
ago when Mr. Fisher expounded this passage,
therefore let us also, seeing we are compassed about with so
great a cloud of witnesses, notice what we are to lay aside. Lay
aside every weight and the sin which doth so easily beset us,
and let us run with patience the race that is set before us
looking unto Jesus, etc. Now in preparation for the race,
we are not only to lay aside sin, that which is clearly condemned
by the law and word of God, and anything God condemns explicitly
is sin. Any duty to which he calls us
that we do not perform is sin. Any evil which he forbids, and
yet we indulge in it, it is sin. When we do not measure up to
the thou shalts, we sin. When we leap over the boundaries
of the thou shalt nots, we sin. But, the writer to Hebrews says,
the runner is not only troubled by sin that must be laid aside,
but he said every weight. It's perfectly innocent and perfectly
within the realm of an athlete's liberty to come up to the starting
blocks for the 220 with his hiking boots on. That's right. And with his backpack strapped
to his back. And with his winter parka on. I mean, there's nobody
who can say you can't run with those things. That's against
the rules. I've never seen the rules of any race which dictated
how heavy a man's shoes could be. Or whether or not he could
have a backpack. All they say is you've got to
get in the starting blocks with the others. Make sure you don't
come out before anyone else. And if you get over the line
without moving out of your lane and shoving anybody else, you'll
win. Now, if you can do that with
your hiking boots and with your backpack and all the rest, well,
that's fine. But the most well-trained athletes
in the world have not been able to devise a way in which they
can do that. And they strip themselves down to the bare essentials,
taking off from their bodies every, albeit legitimate in itself,
but every thing that would impede Their efficiency is a runner.
That's the imagery here. Lay aside every weight. Why? Because there is something
before us which demands the dealing with these things that would
impede my swift progress through the course. Likewise, you and
I, as the people of God, Fully appreciating the liberty that
is ours in Christ, not going around with a conscience laden
down with fourteen hundred and twenty-two lists of things that
we can and cannot do because this one is said, no, no, no,
we're God's sons and we have the run of the house. All things
are yours, life, death, the world. Everything is ours in Christ.
He has given us all things richly to enjoy. Yet when we come into
the starting blocks, we say, wait a minute, There are things
that in themselves legitimate, which could be received as the
gifts of God, but they hinder me in the pursuit of holiness. Therefore, therefore, in the
language of 1 Corinthians 6.12, all things are lawful, but not
all things are expedient. Now, Paul did not mean all things
are lawful absolutely. Because in that very context,
he's telling these Corinthians, be not deceived, neither fornicators,
nor adulterers, nor idolaters, nor effeminate, nor abusers of
themselves with mankind shall enter the kingdom of God. Those
things are not lawful, and if you're determined to do them,
you'll go to hell. That's what he says. But in that context,
he says all things are lawful. That is all things concerning
which the law of God does not speak with explicit condemnation. They are matters of indifference.
All things are lawful, but he says not all things are expedient.
And though I'm a free man in Christ, it is not in my own best
interest, in the pursuit of holiness, to fully and or fully to indulge
all of the liberties that are mine. This is the emphasis that
you find in 1 Corinthians chapter 10 as well. Paul has treated
the subject of Christian liberty in the latter part of chapter
8 Then in chapter 9, as we shall see subsequently, he shows how
he relinquishes liberties for the powerful claims which the
advance of the gospel make upon him. Then in chapter 10, he gives
a warning. about a people who had great
privileges, the nation of Israel, who had exposure to tremendous
opportunities, but in spite of all of that, their carcass is
rotted in the wilderness. And now he utters a warning in
verse 12, Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed
lest he fall. Remember, remember, Christian,
you are not indulging your lawful liberties as an unfallen man. or as a perfected saint, you're
carrying around in your bosom dry tinder. And many liberties
are like fiery sparks upon the dry tinder of remaining corruption
within the human breast. Now, what may be sparks to my
tinder may be water to yours. And that's why I can't tell you
what is a weight to you, and you can't tell me what is a weight
to me. But I better know what is a living, live, burning spark
to the tinder of my own remaining corruption and lay it aside,
no matter how legitimate it may be in itself. That's what Paul
is saying. Let him that thinketh, he standeth. The man that can have dry tinder
strapped to his back and boldly and brazenly walk back and forth
in front of a raging bonfire is a fool. Paul says, you better
not play the fool. You know the tinder is there.
Don't go near the sparks even of legitimate liberties. Therefore,
when anyone under any circumstances justifies to himself or to others
the indulgence in things which erode his own pursuit of holiness,
He's violating the clear commands of such passages as Galatians
5.13 and 1 Peter 2.16. Let's look at them. Galatians
5 and verse 13. For ye, brethren, were called
for freedom. You see here, freedom is viewed
as the very end of my effectual calling. When I was called out
of darkness into light, I was called into a state of freedom.
But, he says, only, only, Use not your freedom for an occasion
to the flesh. Don't allow the reality of that
freedom to become the occasion of putting sparks on the tinder
of your remaining corruption. And is not that essentially what
Peter is saying in 1 Peter 2 and verse 16? Again, in the context
of Christian liberty. These are not general exhortations
to holiness, but exhortations in the context of liberty. 1
Peter 2.16, giving a series of admonitions, he says, as free
and not using your freedom for a cloak of wickedness, but as
bondservants of God. That is, there is no extent to
which my liberty is exercised that I ever forget that I am
the purchased property of the living God. I am not anxious
to use my liberty as an occasion to serve my corruption or my
flesh. You see the principle? The assimilation
of the glory of my liberty is inward. The expression of that
liberty is outward and relates to specific things. And in the
exercise of that liberty, I must always have conscious concern
for the prior claims of personal holiness. But I want to underscore
what I shared earlier and give a couple of specific nitty-gritty
illustrations. Only you can determine for yourself
and judge for yourself what lawful liberties you must relinquish
in the pursuit of holiness. As Pastor Chantry so eloquently
stated several summers ago in those two masterful sermons on
Christian liberty and self-denial, he said, Our Lord said, If thy
hand offend thee, cut it off and cast it from thee. He says,
Look, there's only one hand that you can cut off in the pursuit
of holiness. That's your own. God has never appointed anyone
to go around cutting off other people's hands. You see? You
see the difference? Now let me descend to some specific
illustrations. I was at a family conference
last weekend, some of you know, way out in the boondocks in the
Everglades. No phones or nothing, alligators in the canals. I mean
literally, and armadillos crashing through the woods so you couldn't
sleep at night. It was something else. Those
of you who like to rough it, I recommend that you go there
sometime, but that's not my bag. I'll assure you. In the discussion,
after trying to give some principles to guide parents, it was a family
conference and they asked me to speak in the family, and after
giving some principles about how to govern one's TV so that
it's a Christian TV in the sense that Christian principles govern
its use. One man, who obviously was very weak with reference
to his TV, spoke very dogmatically. You could tell his own experience
was everything he tried to do to discipline it failed, and
the only thing he could do was get rid of the thing. And he
was about to legislate for others, you see. He had come to the conviction
that though he was free in Christ to have a TV and to use it, His
own corruption was so stirred up by the very presence of a
TV that for him, for him, relinquishment of the very presence of a TV
in his home was the only way he could pursue practical godliness.
But you know what he was tempted to do, and I could sense it in
the very way he spoke. He was tempted to legislate for everyone
else in that building and say, in essence, since I cannot pursue
practical godliness while having a TV in my living room. How in
the world can any of you people pursue a practical life of godliness
if you have a TV in your room? And I reared back on my hind
legs and I said, no, my brother, if that's the only way you can
pursue holiness is to put an axe in your TV, put an axe to
it. Don't you come into my house
to put an axe to mine. No, no. Not because of the economics
of it. No, no. But because of the biblical
principle of it. I will not allow anyone to infringe
upon my liberty in Christ. I must determine what is a right
hand that offends me and cut it off and cast it from me. But
I cannot determine what is your right hand that offends and what
is your right eye that offends. You see the principle? And all
the cursive legalism that has inundated the evangelical church
because two or three generations ago, a group of Christians by
and large found that a certain activity, that a certain form
of food or beverage or entertainment was inconsistent with their personal
pursuit of godliness. And they've legislated to everyone
else ever since. My friends, that is an infringement
upon the crown rights of Jesus Christ. I must, as a believer,
in the pursuit of personal holiness, lay aside everything that is
a weight to me. But wonder of wonders, some of
the very things that are a weight to me are an aid to my brother
running the same race. And I'm chugging along, you know,
and I see him at my shoulder there, and I say, man, how in
the world can you keep up with me? The very thing I had to lay
aside to keep up with you, you're running with it. He says, man,
that's the very thing that helps me keep up with you. That's right. Isn't that right? Sure it is.
Sure it is. Here's the man that said I had
all kinds of physical problems. Couldn't sleep, was restless,
and I met such people. I know someone, a dear woman,
just recently. And she didn't want to get hooked
on downers and uppers and all the rest. So she got bold enough,
and it wasn't at my recommendation, it was at the recommendation
of her own husband, doesn't live in this area, so you can't wonder
who's that, that's none of your business. She began to drink a little glass
of wine before she went to bed at night, now she sleeps like
a baby. So she feels better, she's sweeter to her husband,
she doesn't have as guilty a conscience that she's nasty. It's been a
help in personal holiness. And I know others who dare not
trust themselves to take one tablespoon, a tablespoon full
of anything with any alcoholic content, because they know the
moment they do, they're putting sparks on their tinder. You see? Our liberty in Christ is inward.
The exercise of that liberty is governed by the prior claims
of personal holiness. All right, secondly, we'll never
get through the three tonight. the powerful claims of the advance
of the gospel. Our liberty in Christ is to be
exercised in the light of the powerful claims of the advancement,
that's a better word, of the advancement of the gospel. I believe it is accurate to say,
and I don't often say I believe, but I do believe this, it is
accurate to say, that everyone who is called into the fellowship
of Christ is called into the defense and proclamation of the
gospel. Now listen closely. I did not
say that everyone who's called into the fellowship of Christ
is called into an activity of verbal confrontation with sinners
in the defense and proclamation of the gospel. Nor did I say
that everyone who's called into fellowship with Christ is called
to be an evangelist. No, no. But everyone who's called
into fellowship with Christ is called to the defense and proclamation
of the gospel because that's the task of the church. And if
you've been called into fellowship with Christ, you've been called
into the fellowship of his people. That's why Paul could write to
the Philippian church. Now, not a band of evangelists. not some kind of special board
of high-pressure salesmen for the gospel, but to the church
with the great diversity of gifts, with the great diversity of capacities
and inclinations and opportunities. Yet he could say of the whole
church in Philippians 1, Verse 3, I thank my God upon all my
remembrance of you, always in every supplication of mine, on
behalf of you all, making my supplication with joy for your
fellowship, your sharing, your koinonia in furtherance of the
gospel from this day until now. He thanks God for the church
that shared with him in the work of the gospel, in the furtherance
of the gospel. We could approach it from the
standpoint of the commission given peculiarly and explicitly
to the apostles in Matthew 28, make disciples, baptize and teach. There are no more apostles. Contrary
to some, there are no more apostles with capital A. The requirement
was to see Jesus Christ. So when God would make another
Apostle, capital A, named Saul of Tarsus, who did not see Christ
in the flesh, he gives direct revelation. There are no more
Apostles with capital A. Great confusion is coming because
some people who get an English concordance and know a few Greek
words say, Ah, but Barnabas was called an Apostle. Yes, but in
what sense was he called an Apostle? There are no more Apostles with
capital A. The church is built upon the foundation of the apostles,
and that foundation is laid. The New Jerusalem is seen to
be constructed with foundation stones on which are the names
of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. I had to put in that little
aside. It's needed in our day. And where
was I doing? What was I putting it in there
for? All right, okay. Now, the task given to apostles.
Many of those tasks have now merged into the general responsibility
of the Church. And the Church is to make disciples,
and to baptize, and to teach, etc. So then, the whole Church
is involved in the defense and propagation of the Gospel. Now,
with the previous qualification, not every member is to be evangelist,
etc., but every one of us should have a sense of holy constraint
that the advancement of the gospel be a cause to which we are personally
committed and for which there is a sense of personal responsibility. Now the Apostle Paul is a tremendous
example of a man who felt the claims, the powerful claims of
the advancement of the gospel with reference to his Christian
liberty. Turn please to 1 Corinthians chapter 9. 1 Corinthians chapter
9, the very one who has taught us so much, for we've looked
at many of his own words in establishing the doctrine of Christian liberty,
free from the doctrines of men with reference to what we believe,
free from the commandments of men with reference to what we
do, free from the dictums of men with reference to how we
worship? Well, we've looked at many statements in the writings
of the Apostle. He understood this doctrine well.
It is he who has taught us most of what we know about it. And
yet this same man says, reading now from 1 Corinthians 9, Am
I not free? See, Christian liberty. Am I
not an Apostle? Have not I seen Jesus our Lord? One of the requirements for being
an Apostle with a capital A. Are not ye my work in the Lord? If to others I am not an apostle,
yet at least I am to you. For the seal of mine apostleship
are ye in the Lord. My defense to them that examine
me is this." Now this is interesting. He says, those that would want
to prove whether or not I'm the real thing, whether I'm some
phony apostle of the real thing. He says, here's my answer to
them. Here's the mark. of my true apostleship, to know
that I'm committed for the advance of the gospel to the ends of
the earth and the establishment of the church. It is found, he
says in essence, I'll give you a summary paraphrase and then
we'll look at it. He says it is found in the fact
that I am again and again relinquishing lawful liberties in order to
advance the gospel. You see, the false apostle doesn't
do that. He uses his false apostleship for self-aggrandizement, for
his own praise. to fleece the people. He always
has some ulterior motive, but Paul says, the validity of my
apostleship is seen not only in the signs of the apostles
that are wrought in me, but he says, look, it's found in this. Have we no right to eat and to
drink, that is, to eat any foods and to drink any drink? For all
of God's creatures are good and nothing is to be refused. And
may I remind those who may be tempted to get on the vegetarian
cult, you better beware of despising God's gifts. The Bible speaks
of meat as one of God's gifts. Now you're free not to eat meat,
but don't you go binding people's consciences to say that is in
the best interest of their preservation of their temple of the Holy Ghost.
You'll be vegetarian, fine, you've got your liberty. We need to be aware of anything
that infringes upon these principles. He says, don't I have a right
to eat, that is, any kind of meat, to drink any kind of beverage? Don't I have this right? The
answer is obvious. Of course I do. Have we no right
to lead about a wife that is a believer, even as the rest
of the apostles and of the brethren of the Lord and Cephas? Apparently
these men took their wives with them. Don't I have a right to
go out and get a wife and lead her around? Funny imagery, but... He says, don't I have a right?
Don't I have a right? And the answer is obvious, of
course. Marriage is honorable in all and the bed undefiled.
It's only whoremongers and adulterers that God will judge. He won't
judge apostles who get married and lead their wives around with
it. He said, of course not. I have a right. The answer is
obvious, all right? Or, I only in Barnabas have we
not a right to forbear working? Why am I laboring with my hands?
Is it that I have no right to live of the gospel? He said,
of course not. And then he gives some illustrations. What soldier
ever serves at his own charges? Whatever soldier was ever sent
by his country to the front of the battle and then his commanding
officer said, now go on out and get yourself some bullets and
go make yourself a rifle. No, no, no. If the country sends
him, they supply him with the ammunition needed. They supply
him with the materials to fight. And he changes the imagery, who
plants a vineyard and does not eat the fruit thereof. The man
goes out and plants his vineyard. No one accuses him of being selfish
if he takes some of the grapes and eats them. He says, if I'm
laboring the gospel, no one should accuse me if I live of the fruit
of that labor and I receive the monetary support of God's people.
Do I speak these things after the manner of man, or saith not
the law the same? So he says, now if my human reason
has captured your yea and has brought your consent, I want
you to know that I haven't just tricked you with human reason.
He said, this is what the scripture says. For it is written in the
law of Moses, thou shalt not muzzle the ox when he treadeth
out the corn. Is it for the oxen that God careth,
or saith he it assuredly for our sakes? For our sake it was
written, because he that ploweth ought to plow in hope, and he
that threshes to thresh in hope of partaking. If we sowed unto
you spiritual things, is it a great matter if we shall reap your
carnal things? If others partake of this right over you, that
is, you've got paid ministers among you, do we not yet more?
Nevertheless, we did not use this right, but we bear all things
that we may cause no hindrance to the gospel of Christ. That's
the principle. He said, I have a right to have
a wife. I have a right to live of the gospel. I have a right
to eat any food, drink any drink in my relationship to God and
in his presence. I'm his free man. I'm his son. And I have the run of the house.
But he said out there in the world, he said, there's something
that drives me and I cannot escape its pressure. It's the desire
that the gospel be advanced. It's the desire that by every
legitimate means I gain the ears of men and advance the cause
of my beloved Savior and His gospel. And he says, for this
reason, I did not use this right, but I'm willing to bear all of
these inconveniences. Why? That there be no hindrance
to the gospel of Christ. He felt the powerful claims of
the advancement of the gospel. And then he goes on to develop
the theme even more. Know ye not that they that minister
about sacred things eat of the things of the temple? So did
the Lord ordain that they that proclaim the gospel should live
of the gospel. But I have used none of these
things. And then he goes on into that
amazing statement, verse 19. Though I was free from all men,
that is, no man could say, look, Paul, Eat kosher food only. He said, look, I'm free in Christ
to eat any kind of food. I'm free from all men. Though
I was free from all men, I understand the nature of my liberty. What
did I do? I brought myself under bondage
to all. He doesn't mean in his conscience.
He meant in his conduct. See the difference? I'm free
in my conscience, but in my conduct I brought myself under bondage
to all. For what end? Look at it. what
was the end in view that I might gain the more he was constrained
by this powerful motivation that the gospel be advanced. So he
brought himself under bondage to the scruples of the Jew who
was still all tied up in the ceremonial lois to the Jew I
became as a Jew to the week I became as the And when the Gentile man
had his, he said, I was willing in my external conduct to live
like a straight-laced legalist while all the time as free as
a bird in my heart before God. See the difference? You see,
legalism is when the conduct is a reflection of the disposition
of the mind and heart. The poor Christian who thinks,
this is a no-no, and that's a no-no, and this is a no-no. No, really. And his spirit is shriveled.
And what a view he has of God, who's filled his world with good
things, but he stamps over most of them no-nos. Like putting a child in a room
full of brand-new toys and put a sign over nine-tenths, and
thou shalt not touch. Now, you see, the poor person
who's not touching, touching, touching, doing, going, seeing,
Because of that, he's crippled. But the man who, like Paul, can
say, all of God's gifts are mine. But for the sake of the gospel,
I'll write no over every single one of them. I'll bring myself
under bondage to all that I might gain. See the difference? Oh,
if you get nothing else tonight, I hope you get that distinction.
Now, what's that say to us? It says to us, dear people, if
we feel one little measure of what Paul felt, that as a congregation,
not just me as a preacher, not just the elders in this assembly,
not just those who have some gift for public ministry, but
that we as a congregation are under solemn and powerful claims
to advance the gospel in our generation, it will mean that
though free as a bird in our hearts, will relinquish many
lawful liberties that we might gain no more. You see it? The person who is so irresponsibly
content to enjoy his liberty to the full, forgetting that
we're in an emergency situation, that person really does not understand
the biblical doctrine of Christian liberty. For you see, we're not
in the Garden of Eden. and our liberties will be limited
by the emergency situation in which we find ourselves. Isn't
this precisely what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 7, 29 to 31? Look at it. 1 Corinthians 7,
verses 29 to 31. But this I say, brethren, the
time is shortened, that henceforth those that have wives may be
as though they had none. and those that weep as though
they wept not, and those that rejoice as though they rejoiced
not, and those that buy as though they possessed not, and here's
the key word, and those that use the world as not using it
to the full, for the fashion of this world passeth away. Dear
people, we're in an emergency situation. If this world were
the Garden of Eden, with no hell to come after we all breathe
a few more short breaths, with no sinners to rescue from the
clutches of the devil, with no frontiers to be pushed back in
the name of Christ. If we were in Eden, surrounded
with all of God's gifts, and could enjoy them with no dry
tinder within our breasts, and with no emergency situation calling
and pressing upon us with heavy and weighty claims, then we could
enjoy all of God's gifts to the full. That's what heaven will
be. all of God's gifts to the full, without any backlash of
conscience, and without any reservation because of an emergency situation. But this is not Eden, and this
is not glory. This is the mixed society in
which you and I are called upon to be committed to the advance
of the gospel, and your liberty and mine is limited by those
claims. And I think I know a little something
of what that is in these very areas. And I ask you to pray
for me, as in the past days, we as a family have come through
some real wrestlings. You know how much I've been away
this fall. I mentioned a week ago Wednesday. Some of this was unavoidable,
commitments made when Pastor Blaze was still with us and when
there was still valid pastoral oversight and I felt I could
take these responsibilities but now having been involved in them
in the days away from home and wife and flock and everything
in me cries out against it. Now I'm not asking for your sympathy
nor putting myself forward as the epitome of fulfillment. All
I'm saying is, as Paul does from time to time, reasoning from
the crucible of his own experience I think I know a little something
now what the Apostle meant in these things that perhaps I've
not known for a while. Do not I have a right to go home
to my wife and kids every night like you do? That's what he's talking about.
Do not I have a right? Nevertheless, we have not used
these things to the full. Well then, let me touch very
briefly on the third area and then we'll be done for tonight.
Not only the prior claims of personal holiness will govern
the use and expression of our liberty, the powerful claims
of the advance of the gospel, but thirdly, the practical demands
of edification. When the Lord saved us, he united
us to his Son. Now that's done only individually
and inwardly by the power of the Holy Spirit. No one was ever
being brought into the kingdom with someone hanging on his coattails. You don't get in hanging on the
coattails of your mother, your father, your brother, your sister. Now, some people have constructed
big, long coattails out of the fabric of the doctrine of the
covenant. Now, I love the doctrine of the covenant and all the fabric
that it sets forth, but God never constructed it into a coattail
by which you lay hold and get in on behalf of what your mother
or your father was or did. And some of the folk here will
appreciate a little more than others what I'm saying when I say that.
At least I hope they will appreciate it. No, no. When God saves a man,
he saves him as an individual. You, boy, girl, man, woman, you
must be born again. There must be an inward, powerful
operation of the Holy Ghost imparting new life to you. Now that's some of the purest
individualism in all the world. But once the Spirit unites you
to Christ and brings you into the Kingdom, all individualism
ceases. For the Scripture says in 1 Corinthians 12 and verse
13, by one Spirit we are all baptized into one body and are
made to drink of the one Spirit. In the moment I am individually
united to Christ, I am joined to His body. I don't take that
by faith. I don't claim it. That just happens. That's the fact. I need to wake
up to it and live in the light of it. And perhaps in few areas
is the recognition of this at the practical level more demanding
than in the area of Christian liberty. For immediately, as
we reminded you at the communion service, those who are being
received into membership, the moment you become joined to the
body of Christ, you not only enter the orbit of blessed privilege,
but the orbit of solemn obligation growing out of your union with
Christ and with his people. And I want us to look now at
two statements of that obligation as it relates to Christian liberty.
First of all, Galatians 5 and verse 13. All of them Christian
liberty passages. I'm not pressing matters that
are extraneous to this subject into the service of the subject,
but only directing your attention to those things that speak explicitly
to the issue at hand. Galatians 5.13 For ye, brethren,
were called for freedom. That's a Christian liberty passage.
Only use not your freedom for an occasion to the flesh. You
notice I didn't read the last part of it when I quoted this
earlier, but I want to now. But through love be servants
one to another. He said the orbit of freedom
into which you have been brought is not an orbit of irresponsible
individualism. No, no. You were called for freedom. Now that you're free from the
bondage of living only for yourself, for that's the bondage of every
sinner, his world stops at the end of his own nose. Whatever
he does for others ultimately terminates upon himself, for
he lives unto himself. He says, thank God you've been
liberated from all of that. You've been set free now to do
what? To serve one another. In other words, one of the critical
fruits of your liberty in Christ is that of being released from
the bond service to self that you might render loving service
to one another. I'm free. Think of a misery. Is there someone here tonight
whom I'm describing the misery of waking up in the morning and
thinking only about yourself? Looking in the mirror, seeing
only yourself, going out into the day, thinking only of yourself.
And in all of the hours of the day, having nothing beyond yourself
as your goal and ambition and preoccupation and lying down
in your bed at night with nothing but yourself in your eyeballs. What terrible bondage, miserable
bondage. Blessed liberty to wake in the
morning with a heart that runs out to Christ. and to his people
that runs out to the Savior and to the desire to edify his people. So then the exercise of my liberty
will be influenced by this principle. Can I, in the exercise of this
liberty, truly serve my brothers and my sisters? Turn back to
1 Corinthians 12, 13. We'll see another statement of
the same thing. 1 Corinthians 12 and verse 13. I'm sorry, it must be 2 Corinthians
12. That's why one spirit, you're all baptized into one body. I
quoted that earlier. No, that's not the verse either.
I'll find it. It's another one of the all things
are expedient. All right, let me turn back to
the other one, then in First Corinthians six and we'll find
it. I'm sorry, I copied the wrong reference on my notes. All right. Yes. All right. I'm sorry. First Corinthians 10, 23. That's
it. First Corinthians 10, 23. We found it. Very good. All things are lawful. Now, it's
in the context, you see, of dealing with the matter of Christian
liberty. Verse 20, the things the Gentiles sacrifice, they
sacrifice to demons, not to God. Here were some people who are
still identifying themselves with heathen worship under the
guise of liberty. And he says, look, when you do
that, you're partaking of the worship of demons. And you can't
do that while professing to be partaking of Christ. in the supper
of remembrance that he has instituted. Now he says in verse 23, because
he's been talking about meats, etc., all things are lawful,
but all things are not expedient. All things are lawful, but not
all things edify. Let no man seek his own, but
each his neighbor's good. See it? Is this sure it's lawful? I can eat any kind of meat that
comes from any place as long as it's not rancid or spoiled
and it's... I can eat it. All things are
lawful but... In many instances, it is not
expedient to indulge my liberty. Why? Because the indulging of
the liberty, though it may fill my tummy and may cause things
to pass over my taste buds that taste good and satisfy me, he
says, they do not build up, my brother, and I am not to seek
just my own, but my neighbor's good. So you see, my liberty
will be influenced not only by the prior claims of personal
holiness and the powerful claims of the advance of the gospel,
but my liberty will also be limited by the practical demands of edification. Can I indulge my liberty in this
area and still build up my brethren?
You see, the question is not, can I do this and not be a stumbling
block? The question is, can I do this
and be a means of edification? You see, the Christian is not
just concerned with the negative. I don't want to harm my brother. I'm concerned with the positive.
How can I help and assist my brother? You see, that's the
perspective that the apostle brings into focus. Now, you see
what's happening? Some of you may have leaned back
when you heard the first few messages, saying, man, this is
great. Christian liberty, do what I want. No. You know what's
happening as you're sitting here? So you take that seriously, you
live more strict than the most high-bound, legalistic, fundamentalist. That's right, you will. But you'll
be free as a bird in doing it. And that's the difference. You
see? You will live a more strict life because you've got principles
that touch you in many areas that his mile-long list doesn't
touch you. You see, and that's the curse
of making lists with men. making list that men concoct,
because they cannot anticipate all of the situations in which
I will not be able to pursue holiness and exercise my liberty,
all of the circumstances in which the cause of the gospel will
not be advanced if I indulge that liberty, all of the circumstances
in which I will not edify if I indulge that liberty. But when
these principles have been inwrought by the Holy Spirit and I carry
them about in my bosom, as living, burning realities by the present
ministry of God the Holy Ghost. Then you see, wherever I am,
in whatever circumstances I find myself, I'm Christ's bond slave. I'm God's adopted son or daughter. But because I've been liberated
from the tyranny of self-will and self-indulgence, I'm free
to relinquish my liberty for the sake of those three things.
You see, you're not free if you can't relinquish your liberty
for the good of your brother. You're in bondage. You're not
free if you can't relinquish the liberty of taking that three
week vacation to some beautiful spot next year. If you can't
relinquish that for the sake of raising enough money to put
your kid in a Christian school when you know you ought to, you're
not free. You're in bondage to your sand in your surf. You see,
if you can't relinquish That little dream castle that you've
been building in your mind for the sake of the cause of the
gospel, you're not free. You see, true freedom is to be
able to receive all of God's gifts with thanksgiving and to
relinquish any of them with joy. That's freedom. Isn't that freedom? Do you know anything about that
freedom as you sit here tonight? As we bring our study to a close,
let me press the question upon your conscience. Are you Christ's
free man? Are you still, in the language
of Romans 6, a bond-servant to sin, a bond-slave to yourself? Oh, my friend, what a miserable
tyranny! And I have good news for you tonight. Christ Jesus
came to set the captives free. He came to set us free by taking
us into the family of God, making us His own bond-slaves, giving
us of His Spirit. enabling us to say, Abba, Father,
to look upon all his world as his gift to us, as heirs of God
and joint heirs with Christ. And then in this emergency situation,
bound to our Lord in loving bonds of submission and devotion, bound
to his people in deep ties of the tenderest affection, bound
by solemn obligation to see this gospel taken to the ends of the
earth, I am free to exercise that liberty in the light of
the prior claims of personal holiness, the powerful claims
of the advancement of the gospel, and the practical demands of
edification. God willing, next week we will
take up that very difficult subject, the claims of the weaker brother.
May I encourage you, if you get done the large assignment that
Mr. Fisher gave you, to read through Matthew. to read again
through Romans 14 and 15 in particular, as those chapters will be the
seedbed out of which we extract most of our study next week. Let us pray.

Christian Liberty #4 Practical Guidelines

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about Christian liberty?

How do we know the doctrine of Christian liberty is true?

Why is personal holiness important for Christians in exercising liberty?

How should Christians approach the exercise of their liberty?

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About Albert N. Martin

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Christian Liberty #4 Practical Guidelines

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about Christian liberty?

How do we know the doctrine of Christian liberty is true?

Why is personal holiness important for Christians in exercising liberty?

How should Christians approach the exercise of their liberty?

Sermon Transcript

About Albert N. Martin

Comments

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