Christian Liberty: What is Christian Freedom?
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Question: What does it mean to be free as a believer? What is Christian liberty or freedom?
Let’s begin by reading:
Main Point: OUR FREEDOM WILL EITHER INVIGORATE OUR LIFE OR DRAIN IT.
First, why do I need to hear this? Why do I need to understand the difference between Christian freedom and freedom as we know it?
Well…as a people we are enamored with ourselves and our pursuit of pleasure—even if it costs us everything we have and value. Our desire for self-expression and personal freedom has risen to a such an intense level that it is making us sick spiritually and physically.
Let me illustrate…
For the last 15 years I have held two jobs (a Police Officer and a Pastor) that allowed me to witness the extent that we will do what we want and have reasons (strong or weak) to justify the ________. Some of the insanely painful things I’ve observed are:
1) I worked a case where a man with an outstanding warrant refused to call EMS for his friend—who died—because he did not want to risk the possibility of going to jail.
2) I worked a case where a drunken argument led a man to fatally shoot his cousin and, then, his uncle beat him into a coma.
3) I heard numerous men justify their affairs and various sins because they “felt” it was right.
4) I’ve been on a crime scene where a parent couldn’t stand that her newborn child hampered her life, so she shook her child to death.
5) I had a friend I worked with who used his free-time on duty to cheat on his wife. It cost him his job, his ministry, his wife, and the respect of many.
6) I arrested hundreds of people who used their freedom to become enslaved to drugs, alcohol, and sex.
7) I’ve pastored numerous individuals who absolutely wrecked their lives by indulging in what they should have fled from.
IN SHORT, THE DESIRE FOR PLEASURE AND SELF-GRATIFICATION ABSOLUTELY ENLSAVES AND KILLS US!
Though we may abuse our freedom to our own demise, the Bible paints a picture of freedom that is intoxicating. That is to say, the Bible teaches that freedom is an immensely good thing.
That is to say, the Bible teaches that freedom is an immensely good thing.
The Lord wants us to be FREE from SIN.
The Lord wants us to be FREE to INTERACT WITH Him.
The Lord wants us to be FREE from all the EFFECTS of sin.
However, Christian freedom is often used—in the negative—as an avenue we travel to justify our sin.
Bearing this in mind, I want to take a few minutes and look at two underlying principles that we desperately need to understand as we engage this text:
1) THE ABUSE OF CHRISTIAN LIBERTY IS A SIN THAT DESTROYS THE LIVES OF OTHERS
-and-
2) THE EMBRACING OF GODLY LIBERTY IS A BLESSING THAT GIVES AND STRENGTHENS LIFE.
Before we take a detailed look at what Paul says in , let’s take a minute and see the overall picture of what the Bible says about freedom and what our society says about freedom:
The Bible addresses the concept of Freedom from two angles:
From the Positive: Freedom is one of the greatest blessings God gives us!
a. = We get to approach God
b. = We get to abide in God’s freedom
c. = Jesus set us free
d. = The intention behind the work Christ was our freedom
e. = We’ve been set free from sin
2) From the Negative: We tend to use our freedom as a means of sin—this is evil!
From the Negative: We tend to use our freedom as a means of sin—this is evil!
a. = Freedom does not mean freedom to indulge in sin
b. = We are to live in freedom, but we are to avoid sin
As Americans we’ve discussed freedom in great depth—here are a few quotes from both the positive and negative.
From the positive:
From the positive:
TRUE FREEDOM HELPS OTHERS = “Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves.” (Abraham Lincoln)
TRUE FREEDOM IS RESPECTFUL = “For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.” (Nelson Mandela)
TRUE FREEDOM IS RESPONSIBLE = “Liberty means responsibility. That is why most men dread it.” (George Bernard Shaw)
TRUE FREEDOM IS AWARE OF “SELF” = “The real difference in the believer who follows Christ and has mortified his will and died after the old man in Christ, is that he is more clearly aware than other men of the rebelliousness and perennial pride of the flesh, he is conscious of his sloth and self-indulgence and knows that his arrogance must be eradicated. Hence there is a need for daily self-discipline.” (Dietrich Bonhoeffer)
TRUE FREEDOM IS MORAL = “Everything one has a right to do is not best to be done." (Benjamin Franklin)
From the negative we see that:
“The urge to save humanity is almost always a false face for the urge to rule it.” (H.L. Mencken)
“The urge to save humanity is almost always a false face for the urge to rule it.” (H.L. Mencken)
We use our freedom to dominate others
b. WE USE OUR FREEDOM TO JUSTIFY EVIL =
“Anything that feels good couldn't possibly be bad.” (Angelina Jolie)
We use our freedom to justify evil
“The self-indulgent man craves for all pleasant things... and is led by his appetite to choose these at the cost of everything else.” (Aristotle)
We us our freedom to destroy ourselves
“To use good things to our own ends is always a false religion” (Richard J. Foster, Celebration of Discipline)
i. “To use good things to our own ends is always a false religion” (Richard J. Foster, Celebration of Discipline)
ii. “Too many of us now tend to worship self-indulgence and consumption.” (President Jimmy Carter)
“Too many of us now tend to worship self-indulgence and consumption.” (President Jimmy Carter)
We use of freedom as our religion
William Booth, a preacher and founder of the Salvation Army, once said:
“I consider that the chief dangers which confront the coming century will be religion without the Holy Ghost, Christianity without Christ, forgiveness without repentance, salvation without regeneration, politics without God, and heaven without hell.” (William Booth)
Sadly, most people do not use their freedom to the glory of God and the good of others; rather, freedom is often used to engage in sin and deconstruct Christianity into something that seems more suitable to us.
Paul sees this problem and addresses it in .
We will find the best answer to the freedom question in how Paul specifically addresses idolatry.
First, the specific question Paul addresses is this: “Can we eat food that was sacrificed to an idol/false god?”
First, the specific question Paul addresses is this: “Can we eat food that was sacrificed to an idol/false god?”
Why should we care about this? We don’t actually engage in sacrifices any longer, so does this matter?
Animal sacrifice is still practiced within Hinduism, Islam, and various other religions (some still perform human sacrifices). [1]
While we may not practice animal sacrifices, we do purchase goods from stores that use profits to promote Satan’s war against God.
Disney openly embraces gay rights
o Coca-cola openly embraces gay rights Target openly supports gay rights
Coca-cola openly embraces gay rights
o Target openly supports gay rights
Target openly supports gay rights
Amazon openly supports gay rights
Amazon openly supports gay rights
Know this, while we may not actually see the sacrifice made to the idol in person—and though the sacrifice is not an animal—chances are that the toothpaste you use (Colgate), the jeans you wear (Levi’s), the bank you bank at, and the foods you eat all support causes and agendas in direct opposition to the way God has commanded us to follow.
So… what are we to do? We know that our that the American gods are not little shiny statues like we see in the movies; nonetheless, ALL Americans are idolatrous.
But what do these idols look like and how do we live in a country where the money we spend on the goods we need is used in the support of extremely sinful and evil ambitions?
Before we look at Paul’s instruction within this area, let’s take a minute and understand what constitutes an idol.
What is Idolatry?
Idolatry Classically Defined: Man-made images or representations worshiped as deities; any natural or manufactured objects worshiped as deity; anything receiving worship other than the one true God. Idolatry is the spiritual worship of an idol.[2]
Idols tended to revolve around success, achievement, prosperity in certain categories:
Idols tended to revolve around success, achievement, prosperity in certain categories:
Personal/Family wealth
Nature
Pleasure—especially sex
§ Pleasure—especially sex
Fertility
Modern Idolatry within America:
o Any religion outside of Christianity that does not worship the Trinity EXACTLY as the Bible instructs is idolatry. (This includes: Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons, Catholics [veneration and prayers to saints], Islam, Hindus, and anything else).
Any religion outside of Christianity that does not worship the Trinity EXACTLY as the Bible instructs is idolatry. (This includes: Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons, Catholics [veneration and prayers to saints], Islam, Hindus, and anything else).
Humanism is idolatry—the idol is man. Our pleasure, feelings, and desires reign above belief in and submission to God.
Pornography is idolatry
Extreme devotion to how you look is idolatry
Fascination with celebrities is idolatry
Allegiance to particular governmental officials can become idolatry
Elevation of family above God is idolatry
Elevation of friendships above God is idolatry
Extreme devotion to work, amassing money (or at the least the image of having it), and success is idolatry.
In short, idolatry is the worship of any image or thing instead of God—even if that image is you!
Question: How does Paul address the issue of eating that which was sacrificed to idols?
Paul’s threefold instruction:
1. Idol do not exist because idols are imagined by man (vs. 4)
2. There is ONE God (vs. 4)
3. The nature of God excludes divinity within idols—even if idols should happen to exist (vs. 6)
Paul’s argument is easily understood when outlined in the manner we just viewed.
Paul tells the church that food sacrificed to idols has no bearing on them because idols do not actually exist.
Idols are nothing more than works of human crafting. Idols are, in fact, and invention of the human imagination!
All of this is supported in () which says:
Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that “an idol has no real existence,” and that “there is no God but one.”
T
However, there are two important aspects to idolatry that we need to understand:
1) Though idols do not exist, demons do. And demons work to trick us to follow idols of the heart.
a. Satan disguises himself as an angel of light ()
b. Satan’s desire is to steal, kill, and destroy us ()
What this means for us is profound,
though the idol mankind creates is dead and useless, demons can manipulate the physical world so that the idols “appear” to be alive.
When we reconcile the Bible’s instruction that there is only ONE God with the Biblical instruction about the presence of demonic beings—fallen angels—we understand that Satan and his demons work to deceive people into believing that the idol they worship has some sort of power.
However, Paul tells us that when you sacrifice to an idol, you actually sacrifice to a demon manipulating the idol ().
No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons.
2) Though we may understand that idols are imagined, the immature in Christ may not have the same knowledge we do—therefore, our maturity can actually lead to their demise.
a. Knowledge puffs up: ()
b. A little Knowledge can be deceiving ()
c. Knowledge used without discretion wounds: ()
Let’s take these two points from the text and restate them into teaching points that appear more relevant to us:
1) Though idols do not exist, we experience temptation form both demonic influence and personal desires to worship something other than God—this is madness and folly!
2) A lack of wisdom, in reference to freedom, ALWAYS leads us to sin and to harm others.
I know I’ve already covered quite a bit, and there is a lot of food for thought, but I really want us to grab another gear and dig deep into this area.
Every moment of our life we experience great temptation and desire to do things our way.
We desire to step out in “freedom” and do what we feel is right, what we prefer, and what is most comfortable.
However, Paul instructs the church—within the manner of food and idolatry—to live in a manner that avoids self-gratification for the good of those who surround us.
The “old guys” (long dead now) used the phrase “THE MORTIFICATION OF SIN” to speak of putting to death our individual desires so we could glorify the Lord and equip His people.
However, we live in a culture of extreme self-expression.
Instead of taking our crosses up to follow Christ, we crucify those who would restrict the expression of our personal freedom.
We don’t want to follow Christ because it is hard—as MORTIFICATION of sin should be!
G.K. Chesterton once said, "The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and left untried." (G.K. Chesterton)
The truth is, we don’t want to be told how to live, and we most-definitely resist commands pertaining to restricting personal freedoms!
Our governments, various businesses, universities, talk-shows, and everyone in between proclaims that it is unloving, intolerant, hateful, racist, narcissistic, and enslaving to correct others.
It is culturally unacceptable to require others to live in a certain way that restricts self-expression.
EVEN THE CHURCH HAS BOUGHT INTO THIS LIE!
However, when we refuse to acknowledge that Christ limits our freedom—a very basic concept derived from the fact that He ALONE is LORD, KING, GOD, and MASTER—we bring harm to both ourselves and others.
A second and predominate form of idolatry is self-righteousness.
It is in the vein of humanism, but not nearly as refined.
Humanism elevates man above all else; whereas, self-righteousness elevates me above all else.
This makes sense if you think about. If we idolize ourselves, then we naturally idolize and tout what we do.
Paul’s response to those who contemplate worshipping the Greek Pantheon of idols is the same to those who worship humanity and themselves. What was Paul’s instruction?
Paul argues that there is no god but God. Meaning, idols are invented within the mind of a man.
Meaning, idols are invented within the mind of a man. It is man that created idols—not God. God created man—not man—so to worship man is equally as illogical as worshipping something your hands made. Why? Because the value that idols have over us is not intrinsic but ascribed. What do I mean?
It is man that created idols—not God. God created man—not man—so to worship man is equally as illogical as worshipping something your hands made. Why?
Because the value that idols have over us is not intrinsic but ascribed. What do I mean?
Intrinsic value: The value something has because it is what it is; that is, its value is in itself. It is valuable because it is inherently valuable.
Example: Human life. Nearly every human on this planet would go to great ends to protect the life of others.
THE BEST EXAMPLE: GOD. God is intrinsically valuable because He is the source of life, hope, salvation, and all good. These are attributes of God; therefore, God is intrinsically valuable—even if we did not exist.
· THE BEST EXAMPLE: GOD. God is intrinsically valuable because He is the source of life, hope, salvation, and all good. These are attributes of God; therefore, God is intrinsically valuable—even if we did not exist.
Ascribed value: The value something has because it was given that value; that is, its value is the result of someone assigning value to it.
Example: A photograph of your child is valuable only to you—you alone will run into a burning house to grab photos and heirlooms that everyone else would allow to burn.
THE BEST EXAMPLE: IDOLS. Idols have no real value (except the material that you use to make them). We ascribe value to idols, which means when we change their value changes.
This is all summed up in Paul’s instruction in verse 4: ().
“Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that “an idol has no real existence,” and that “there is no God but one.” ().
Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that “an idol has no real existence,” and that “there is no God but one.”
Paul’s point is clear, the idol does not exist in reality therefore its influence is not intrinsic but ASCRIBED.
The prophet Isaiah explains this concept in detail within , which states:
7 (God speaking) Who is like me? Let him proclaim it. Let him declare and set it before me, since I appointed an ancient people. Let them declare what is to come, and what will happen.8 Fear not, nor be afraid; have I not told you from of old and declared it? And you are my witnesses! Is there a God besides me? There is no Rock; I know not any.” 9 All who fashion idols are nothing, and the things they delight in do not profit. Their witnesses neither see nor know, that they may be put to shame. 10 Who fashions a god or casts an idol that is profitable for nothing? 11 Behold, all his companions shall be put to shame, and the craftsmen are only human. Let them all assemble, let them stand forth. They shall be terrified; they shall be put to shame together.
12 The ironsmith takes a cutting tool and works it over the coals. He fashions it with hammers and works it with his strong arm. He becomes hungry, and his strength fails; he drinks no water and is faint. 13 The carpenter stretches a line; he marks it out with a pencil. He shapes it with planes and marks it with a compass. He shapes it into the figure of a man, with the beauty of a man, to dwell in a house. 14 He cuts down cedars, or he chooses a
Who is like me? Let him proclaim it.
Let him declare and set it before me,
since I appointed an ancient people.
Let them declare what is to come, and what will happen.
Fear not, nor be afraid;
have I not told you from of old and declared it?
And you are my witnesses!
Is there a God besides me?
There is no Rock; I know not any.”
All who fashion idols are nothing, and the things they delight in do not profit. Their witnesses neither see nor know, that they may be put to shame. Who fashions a god or casts an idol that is profitable for nothing? Behold, all his companions shall be put to shame, and the craftsmen are only human. Let them all assemble, let them stand forth. They shall be terrified; they shall be put to shame together.
The ironsmith takes a cutting tool and works it over the coals. He fashions it with hammers and works it with his strong arm. He becomes hungry, and his strength fails; he drinks no water and is faint. The carpenter stretches a line; he marks it out with a pencil. He shapes it with planes and marks it with a compass. He shapes it into the figure of a man, with the beauty of a man, to dwell in a house. He cuts down cedars, or he chooses a cypress tree or an oak and lets it grow strong among the trees of the forest. He plants a cedar and the rain nourishes it. Then it becomes fuel for a man. He takes a part of it and warms himself; he kindles a fire and bakes bread. Also he makes a god and worships it; he makes it an idol and falls down before it. Half of it he burns in the fire. Over the half he eats meat; he roasts it and is satisfied. Also he warms himself and says, “Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire!” And the rest of it he makes into a god, his idol, and falls down to it and worships it. He prays to it and says, “Deliver me, for you are my god!”
They know not, nor do they discern, for he has shut their eyes, so that they cannot see, and their hearts, so that they cannot understand. No one considers, nor is there knowledge or discernment to say, “Half of it I burned in the fire; I also baked bread on its coals; I roasted meat and have eaten. And shall I make the rest of it an abomination? Shall I fall down before a block of wood?” He feeds on ashes; a deluded heart has led him astray, and he cannot deliver himself or say, “Is there not a lie in my right hand?”
18 They know not, nor do they discern, for he has shut their eyes, so that they cannot see, and their hearts, so that they cannot understand. 19 No one considers, nor is there knowledge or discernment to say, “Half of it I burned in the fire; I also baked bread on its coals; I roasted meat and have eaten. And shall I make the rest of it an abomination? Shall I fall down before a block of wood?” 20 He feeds on ashes; a deluded heart has led him astray, and he cannot deliver himself or say, “Is there not a lie in my right hand?”
Israel failed to understand that there is ONE God.
Israel failed to understand that the “gods” the nations around them worshipped were false and were inventions of the mind. Therefore, there was no real power behind these gods.
Israel failed to understand that the “gods” the nations around them worshipped were false and were inventions of the mind. Therefore, there was no real power behind these gods.
Paul affirms the prophet Isaiah by reminding his audience that only ONE God exist.
However, just because an idol does not possess intrinsic value or power does not mean it does not possess influence over us (again the influence is ascribed).
Too many people are enslaved to their idols of the heart.
They obsess over so many things, yet they never consider their souls before the living God.
The Corinthian church worried about eating food sacrificed to idols, but they bragged about sexual immorality, abused each other, and constantly indulged in self-gratification.
They stressed over things sacrificed to idols and completely missed the gross self-indulgence they were engaging within on a daily basis.
Paul, on the other hand, briefly passes over eating what is sacrificed to idols and obsess over the sin that the Corinthians were either ignorant of or rebelliously living within. We would be well-served to do the same.
Far too many Christians refuse to shop at and buy from companies that are non-Christian, YET they regularly engage in harmful and high-handed sins such as: gossip, pornography, jealousy, slander, laziness, and all-sorts of evil.
How is it we pine over the insignificant and neglect the significant?
Paul’s point is twofold, but it is clear:
1) I WILL SERVE THE ONE GOD—BECAUSE NO OTHER GODS EXIST
2) I WILL NOT USE MY FREEDOM TO THE HARM OF ANOTHER BELIEVER
If we would but stop here, I wonder what these two concepts would do to us? If you think about it, is a summary of the Greatest Commandment ():
1) Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength
2) Love your neighbor as yourself.
When we worship our freedom instead of the God who gives us freedom we will hurt others. Hindering the spiritual growth of others is sin and is a grave sin. Of this sin Jesus says in (ESV),
“Temptations to sin are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin.”
And he said to his disciples, “Temptations to sin are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin.
This is weighty stuff. We should avoid exercising our freedom at the harm of another.
But do we do this? Is there a way that we use our freedom to hurt others?
I can think of several ways, but I will give you only one. --Alcohol--
Alcohol.
Stay with me before you check-out and write me off as being too old school, a fundamentalist, or a legalist. Just bear with me for a second and test the logic here.
Let’s start with some basic Biblical facts...
1) Alcohol is not evil, it is amoral = meaning, it is neither good nor evil, it’s derived from food.
2) Drunkenness is ALWAYS a sin
a.
b.
c.
d.
3) Alcohol for Elders/Pastors is prohibited
a.
4) It is noble to avoid alcohol, to avoid all distractions to the gospel, to be sober in mind, and to exercise moderation
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
i.
Yet, with all of this, there are some who still decide to drink. And you know what? It may not be a sin for them. Why?
How can a person drink and not sin?
1) They do not violate any laws
2) They are not an elder/pastor
3) They use moderation
4) They do not become drunk
5) They are able to think clearly and remain alert of Satan’s schemes
6) They are able to control their thoughts, actions, and speech
7) They do not become enslaved (addicted) to drinking
8) They do not negatively impact another person
9) They do not negatively impact the effectiveness of the gospel in others
10) They do not tempt another person to sin
Based upon my understanding of scripture (my opinion), if you can guarantee that you are good in all of these, I guess you can have a drink.
Herein lies the problem, I cannot guarantee my assessment of how I negatively impact those around me.
I don’t know if my having a beer (less alcohol then wine) is going to adversely affect your perception of me, of Jesus, and tempt you to sin.
Thus, I completely avoid alcohol.
This is the same point Paul is making. If eating a steak, prepared in honor of Zeus, could potentially offend someone around him, it was better to avoid the steak (or the whole meal).
Paul applied self-control not only for his personal avoidance of sin, but to help others avoid sin as well.
Is this how we operate?
Do we live in such a manner as to strive to avoid tempting and needlessly offending someone’s conscience?
Paul did, and he told us to imitate him in .
With all this, what would encourage us to want to imitate Paul- what was so compelling about this freedom in Christ?
Remember back in Chapter 2 Paul determined to know nothing but Christ and him crucified- why
Jesus gave EVERYTHING up for Paul, for you, for me, and for those that don’t know Christ yet.
That is the power that Paul boasted in. A God that sacrificed himself.
What head-lifting, spine-straightening, heart-pumping freedom is there in knowing that your God held NOTHING back?
Don’t we want to walk in that?
That is exactly what Christ is calling us to do, it is what Paul is exhorting Corinth to do, it is what I am beseeching you to do.
This is freedom to walk in a manner worthy of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, “to look fully into his wonderful face and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His fullness and grace.” To not be held in bondage to the trappings of this world.
So, what does this mean for us?
I know prayer and quiet makes us uncomfortable, but right now let’s be still and seek the Lord and ask Him to reveal to us where we have misused the freedom we have in Him as believers.
If you are not a believer yet, then what you have heard may sound confusing and even off-putting, but listen it is not. Come talk to me or any of the elders (elders stand so they can see you) about how to know more and enter into a life-altering relationship with Christ.
But first, church, let’s look and examine ourselves briefly:
Maybe you need to ask God to reveal the idols in your life?
What do you devote yourself more to than Christ?
· What do you devote yourself more to than Christ?
· It may be work, hobbies, children (and the overwhelming activities targeted at them), image of self, ----what? I have them…one of them is you all…
It may be work, hobbies, children (and the overwhelming activities targeted at them), image of self, ----what? I have them…one of them is you all…
What is God asking you to step away from that you have idolized? — How can you start doing this?
How can you start doing this?
Read His word,
· Pray to God ask for His help in breaking free from it.
Pray to God ask for His help in breaking free from it.
· Enter into an accountable relationship with someone – If you are unsure of how to do this, we can help you in this process.
Enter into an accountable relationship with someone – If you are unsure of how to do this, we can help you in this process.
CHURCH, LET’S TAKE A FEW MOMENTS AND SEEK THE LORD TOGETHER...
[1] On an interesting note, I once visited (and ate) within a village in Africa where ALL the meat sold in the market was sacrificed in accordance to Islamic law. Meaning, I ate meat that was killed in worship of an idol.
[2] Carl E. DeVries, “Idols, Idolatry,” Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1988), 1014.