There have been quite a few threads recently that have to do with Christian Liberty. So I thought I would start a thread on what exactly is Christian Liberty and how is one to practice it.
I would define Christian Liberty as the freedom to do or not do anything that is neither commanded nor condemned in the New Testament.
There are a couple of important passages to consider when talking about Christian Liberty and how it plays into our larger role as members of the Body of Christ.
Romans 14:1-15:7
1 Cor 10:23-33
In these passages Paul lays out some guidelines.
1. Love should be the motivating factor behind all actions
2. The One who does practice Liberty is no better than the once who abstains from that liberty and visa versa.
3. The one who practices a liberty should not be stumbling block. This goes back to the first point, that love should be behind our actions.
4. It is sinful to partake in a liberty if your conscience bothers you.
This point seems to be a major sticking point in this day and age as those who practice a liberty often want others to join them regardless of their conscience. If someone is truly persuaded in their own minds and conscience that an action is fine, it should not matter that others are not persuaded, as that is between them and God. This leads me to my next point
5. One should not flaunt their liberty, but keep it between themselves and God.
6. Do not seek to give offense for the sake of liberty or conscience
It is important to note that most of this passage is dealing with Christian interaction with unsaved which is why both liberty and conscience are in play. Paul tells the Corinthians church not to ask about the mean so that their conscience won't be bothered, but also says if they tell you it was sacrificed to an idol, not to eat so not to ruin the unbelievers conscience.
Now how does this all play out practically.
1. When it comes to issues of liberty I need to be looking out for the interest of others more than myself, Letting love for both the church, and the unsaved dictate how I practice my freedom in Christ.
I need to make sure that I am not flaunting my liberty. Examples: If I had a tattoo, I would make sure it was covered around those I know it would offend. Or if I knew someone had issues with women wearing pants I would make sure to wear a skirt of a dress around them. It is putting their interest ahead of my own.
I should be aware of cultural norms among different cultures. Example when my husband and I were trying to witness to some Mormon guys, I made sure to only have non-caffeinated drinks to offer, water, lemonade, ice tea. Of If we were having dinner with a Jewish Family I would make sure what I cooked was kosher. Or if we were going out, I would not order pork for their sake as there is no reason to offend them, for my own freedom.
Couple of additions I would like to add. Christian Liberty is not a license to go back on your word.
Example when I was in Bible College, there was a rule that said we could only watch G rated movies. I signed an agreement that I would obey those rules, therefore it would have been sinful (Lying, not submitting to authority) to watch a movie with a higher rating even if my conscience was fine with that movie.
Just because you are free to do something doesn't mean you should do something. We live in a day and age that likes to push limits and be offensive for offense sake, and that is not something that should define the church.
And the last thought is who are we trying to please when we exercise a liberty. Romans 15:1-3
I would define Christian Liberty as the freedom to do or not do anything that is neither commanded nor condemned in the New Testament.
There are a couple of important passages to consider when talking about Christian Liberty and how it plays into our larger role as members of the Body of Christ.
Romans 14:1-15:7
1 Cor 10:23-33
In these passages Paul lays out some guidelines.
1. Love should be the motivating factor behind all actions
Romans 13:10
2. The One who does practice Liberty is no better than the once who abstains from that liberty and visa versa.
Romans 14:3
3. The one who practices a liberty should not be stumbling block. This goes back to the first point, that love should be behind our actions.
Roman 14:13,15
4. It is sinful to partake in a liberty if your conscience bothers you.
Romans 14:14, 23
This point seems to be a major sticking point in this day and age as those who practice a liberty often want others to join them regardless of their conscience. If someone is truly persuaded in their own minds and conscience that an action is fine, it should not matter that others are not persuaded, as that is between them and God. This leads me to my next point
5. One should not flaunt their liberty, but keep it between themselves and God.
Romans 14:20-22
6. Do not seek to give offense for the sake of liberty or conscience
1 Cor. 10:31-33
It is important to note that most of this passage is dealing with Christian interaction with unsaved which is why both liberty and conscience are in play. Paul tells the Corinthians church not to ask about the mean so that their conscience won't be bothered, but also says if they tell you it was sacrificed to an idol, not to eat so not to ruin the unbelievers conscience.
Now how does this all play out practically.
1. When it comes to issues of liberty I need to be looking out for the interest of others more than myself, Letting love for both the church, and the unsaved dictate how I practice my freedom in Christ.
I need to make sure that I am not flaunting my liberty. Examples: If I had a tattoo, I would make sure it was covered around those I know it would offend. Or if I knew someone had issues with women wearing pants I would make sure to wear a skirt of a dress around them. It is putting their interest ahead of my own.
I should be aware of cultural norms among different cultures. Example when my husband and I were trying to witness to some Mormon guys, I made sure to only have non-caffeinated drinks to offer, water, lemonade, ice tea. Of If we were having dinner with a Jewish Family I would make sure what I cooked was kosher. Or if we were going out, I would not order pork for their sake as there is no reason to offend them, for my own freedom.
Couple of additions I would like to add. Christian Liberty is not a license to go back on your word.
Example when I was in Bible College, there was a rule that said we could only watch G rated movies. I signed an agreement that I would obey those rules, therefore it would have been sinful (Lying, not submitting to authority) to watch a movie with a higher rating even if my conscience was fine with that movie.
Just because you are free to do something doesn't mean you should do something. We live in a day and age that likes to push limits and be offensive for offense sake, and that is not something that should define the church.
And the last thought is who are we trying to please when we exercise a liberty. Romans 15:1-3
This really comes back to the very first point of the law of love and looking out for others ahead of ourselves.
