As Christians, we have amazing liberty. We have been set free from the Law (Romans 7:6); we are no longer bound to Mosaic regulations (Acts 15:24-29). Anything that is not specifically prohibited by Biblical principles is open to us. However, it is not always right to do things that are themselves permissible. As Christians, we need to know when to limit our liberty.
Scriptural Basis for Christian Liberty
The New Testament teaches very clearly the freedom believers have in Christ. We are not bound by sin and the Law, but free under grace.
- "If, then, the Son will liberate you, you will be truly free." John 8:36. (Note that the Greek word for "liberate" is eleutheroo, which implies exemption from ceremonial or religious obligations.)
- "Now we are removed from the Law." Romans 7:6
- "Understand, the Lord is the Spirit, and there is freedom where the Spirit of the Lord is." 2 Corinthians 3:17
- "So don't let anyone judge you in eating, drinking, holidays, New Moon festivals, or Sabbath days, which are all a shadow of the future; but the body is Christ." Colossians 2:16-17
- "Now when it was time, God sent His Son, made in a woman under the Law, to rescue the people under the Law…" Galatians 4:4-5a
- "Stand firm, then, in the freedom that Christ gave us, and don't be trapped with the yoke of religious bondage again." Galatians 5:1
These are just a few of the many verses that teach the freedom we have in Jesus. He has set us free from religious rituals, ceremonial law, Mosaic regulations, and sin. However, this liberty comes with responsibility. We must not use our liberty in any way that might not please God. There are three main ways to do so: needlessly offending people, stretching your liberty to the point that you fall into sin, and damaging your witness.
Needless Offenses
There are some cases when you may offend someone or even yourself by exercising your Christian liberty. Firstly, however, let me clarify the definition of "offend" for this purpose. While this does include the normal offense of hurting someone's feelings, it can also mean (in the more accurate Biblical sense) to cause someone to sin either directly or indirectly. Neither of these is an acceptable use of Christian liberty. The following verse is a good example of the Biblical teachings against offending through liberty: "It is honorable not to eat some foods, drink wine, or to do anything that could cause your brother to stumble, fall into sin, or become weak." (Romans 14:21). This shows three types of activities that can cause needless offenses:
- Eating – Eating by itself is perfectly fine. God made food for us to eat. However, food can be abused. Gluttony is wrong, and will trip up young believers who look to you for spiritual guidance. Eating certain foods can also be a problem: some immature Christians feel that it is wrong to eat certain food: you may cause them to do so anyway, which offends their own conscience. Finally, one can eat food associated with idol worship, which may confuse another Christian. Although this is rare today, it can still occur on missions and while witnessing.
- Drinking – Drinking wine is a very controversial topic. There are many Christians who are very opposed to alcohol, especially those who were saved out of alcoholism. The Bible teaches not to get drunk, but in our Christian liberty, we may drink alcohol in moderation. However, for the sake of those who may be disturbed, upset, or convicted in regard to alcohol, it is good not to drink around them. It is a good idea not to drink alcohol at all, but it is not necessary.
- Anything else – This is a very wide inclusion. This summarizes the rest of the point: one should never do anything that would hurt another's relationship with God. If you know that you are doing something that may offend someone, you are wrong, even if the action is not inherently wrong.
The verse also shows three different ways in which a believer may be offended. These are the things you wish not to cause.
- Stumbling – The Greek word is proskopto. Its original literal meaning is to strike against something, but it carried the connotation of striking against something so that one stumbled, such as when one stubs his toe. The idea is that you want to prevent someone from being upset and unbalanced over something. If you drink wine but a new Christian thinks it is wrong, you could cause that person to experience inner turmoil, especially if he tries it himself at your approval.
- Falling into sin – This occurs when you exercising your liberty causes another Christian to think more is acceptable than is actually right, thus he, being blindly led by your example, commits a sin. This is probably the worst way to offend someone.
- Becoming weak – To what does this refer? From what I understand, this seems to be speaking of one's relationship with Christ. If you use your liberty so as to cause someone to stumble or fall into sin, then it will weaken that person's relationship with Jesus. That is the worst thing you can do to another Christian.
Stretching Liberty to Sin
Your liberty can only go so far. While we are free from Mosaic laws and other artificial regulations, some things are still sin. The problem is that oftentimes the boundaries set by artificial regulations are so close to actual sin that one can easily cross the line in exercising his liberty. There are three primary ways to do this.
- Accidentally carrying a liberty too far – In this, I am referring to exercising your liberty to an extent so that you unknowingly cross the line into sin. For example, if you overestimate the amount of alcohol you can handle, you may drink too much in your liberty and get drunk, which is a sin. We should always avoid putting ourselves in compromising situations (1 Cor. 6:18a, 10:14, 1 Tim. 6:5, 10, 11a, 2 Tim. 2:22).
- Allowing your free activities to entice you to sin – This is what happens when you are exercising your liberty to the point that it creates a powerful temptation to a related sin, to which you then succumb. For example, you may go to a bar to build a relationship with a lost coworker, but while there, you may give in to the temptation to drink too much or engage in inappropriate behavior. This is another abuse of liberty. Do not put yourself in a place of temptation, as it can easily lead to sin (Jas. 1:14).
- Using your liberty as an excuse to fill ungodly desires – In this case, I am speaking of when you do something that is technically okay, but you do it so that it satisfies whatever sinful longing would be fulfilled in a related sinful activity. For example, you may use your freedom to watch an R-rated movie with the excuse that you are trying to keep up with the culture to make your witnessing more effective, when in reality you are watching it because it has something you want to see that you know you should not. We should never use our liberty for the gain of the flesh (Gal. 5:13).
To do any of these things is an abuse of your Christian liberty. We are set free to do what is right, not to sin unrestricted.
Damaging Your Witness
This is probably the worst effect that unrestrained liberty can have. As Christians, our primary purpose is to glorify God, and the primary means by which we are to do so is to bring others to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. We are to spread the Gospel and lead people to Him. While our words are the chief method by which we communicate the Gospel, our actions are very important in determining one's reception to the Gospel. We are Christ-ians. The original word literally meant "little Christs." One of most important Christian responsibilities is to act like Jesus.
The reception people have to the Gospel is often largely based on its reflection in our lives. People form their opinions on Christ from the behavior of His followers. Thus, our witness is one of the most valuable assets we have. We need to look like Christ. Our actions need to proclaim Christ. The lives we lead determine the Jesus unbelievers see. That is a heavy concept. If we want people to come to Christ, we need them to see Him for who He truly is.
The main point here is that Christian liberty can often be used in ways that damage our witness, and thus degrade our usefulness in the prime objective of the Christian life: evangelism. If we exercise our liberty incorrectly, people may look at us and say, "I don't understand. Why should I be a Christian? What difference does it make?" Often our efforts to reach the world for Christ can often alienate them if we integrate ourselves too far. Everyone's chief desire is a relationship with God, whether they realize it or not. They know that they need something different: something beyond the standards of this world. When we become so much like the world that we are not recognizably different, our witness is damaged. People want something different, not the ordinary with a different theme. Even if our lifestyle is included in our Christian liberty, we must draw the line if it keeps people from coming to Christ. Our duty to evangelize should always come before our right to be free. Love is laying down your rights for the benefit of someone else.
Conclusion
We see, then, the many ways in which liberty can be abused. You may be feeling now, "What's the point of liberty if it has so many restrictions?" Remember, however, that you are no longer a slave to sin. You now have the freedom not only to do God's will, but the freedom to want God's will. In Christ, we are free to follow Him. While following Him, however, we have to be aware of the limits of our liberty. Our freedom may give us many choices, but we should only choose those that will be profitable for others, safe for ourselves, and glorifying to God.