“Standfast in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be ye not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.” (Galatians 5)

 

Christ-ian liberty allows the Christ-ian freedom in the areas of:
*Obedience To God.
*Freedom to enjoy one’s salvation.
*Freedom to enjoy the Godhead.

Obedience to God:

We learn from Scripture that “…the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.  (Romans 8)  The carnal mind can be defined as the mind belonging to the unredeemed. The carnal mind is the unrenewed mind of the sinner.  The carnal mind is the mind that cannot receive anything spiritual of from the Spirit.  The carnal mind is the mind that is in complete and total bondage to sin.  The carnal mind is free, only in terms, of the natural life. This mind cannot exercise itself in, any way in terms of, the spiritual life.

When the preacher invites the sinner to put his faith in Christ, the preacher is asking the sinner to do the impossible, “And they that heard it said, Who then can be saved? And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.” (Luke 18)  It is absolutely and utterly impossible for a man to be saved without the Spirit of God initiating this salvation by regenerating the dead spirit within man and then converting it to Christ.

What happened, Reader, after Adam fell?  Did not Adam and Eve hide from God when He came calling in the cool of the evening, did they not ignore Him? Did they not, in fact, disobey God’s calling?  Adam avoided God, Adam hid from God, Adam disobeyed and ignored God.  This is the nature of the unsaved.  Adam was hoping that God did not come looking for him that evening.  Adam hid behind the creation from his Creator, Adam depended upon the creation and not the Creator.

Freedon to enjoy one’s Salvation:

One of the saddest things to behold is a Christ-ian not enjoying their salvation.  It sadden’s the heart of God, the Gifter.  How would you feel Reader, if you gave a gift to a loved one and the gift cost you a great deal, only to have the receiver not enjoy it or be thankful for it?  There are a great many that do not enjoy the freedom of their salvation.  These believers are coined legalists.  These focus on the “Shalt nots.”  Not the “shalt nots” of God but the “shalt nots” of man.  These legalsts focus upon the traditions of man and the commandments of man.

A legalistic minister will make a statement or give an opinion.  Those that hear the legalist will then turn the statement or opinion into a Biblical doctrine. The man made doctrine will become equal to Scripture. This type will look upon a young girl in pants as a sinner because she wears pants and if she is seen in short pants it is a greater sin.  there is no “wear” in Scripture that speaks to this man made law other than cross dressing. The legalist will no doubt point to the passage where it is written that women should dress modestly.

Let’s test this. What is modestly?  What is modest to an independent Baptist is whore’s wear to an amish woman. Which standard of modesty should we go with?  One should go with one’s own definition of modesty.  To one woman a pair of jeans is modest, she should wear jeans, to an independent Baptist, a dress or shirt is modest, she should wear the dress or shirt and neither should judge the other. Both will agree that a mini shirt or short pants that bears the buttocks of a person is not modest.  Unfortunately, however, the legalist will judge the one in pants (1). I very much doubt the legalist is enjoying their salvation or the freedom that comes with it.

The Christ-ian that enjoys the freedom of God’s Gift enjoys life to it’s fullest. This Christ-ian enjoys what legalists will not and these Christ-ian’s are the subject of legalistic judgment.  The Christ-ian that enjoys the freedom of Salvation enjoys all things that God has so richly offered.  Augustine summs up Christ-ian liberty in this fashion, “Love God and do what you want.”

Freedom to Enjoy the Godhead:

In most protestant catacysms the very first question asked is, Q 1.”What is the chief end of man?”  A 1. “…Enjoy God.”  Reader, the Christ-ian is to enjoy God and Christ-ian liberty offers him that freedom. The Christ-ian should be enjoying his God above all other things.  “…[S]eek ye first the Kingdom of God, and [H]is righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you”  (Matthew 6).   “He that hath the Son of God hath life…”  (1 John 5).  “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly”  (John 10).  “At [T]hy [R]ight [H]and there are joys for evermore,” (Psalm 16)  Reader, Psalm 16:11 does not have to begin in Heaven.  Joys in Christ can and SHOULD have already begun.  Our abundant life should have already begun.  The believer’s life eternal has already begun.  “…All these things should have already been added.

Imagine a blind man gaining sight.  Imagine a deaf man gaining sound, Imagine a lame man gaining strength in his legs, Imagine a leper gaining feeling and the freedom to enjoy his family again.  Imagine a man who cannot taste, tasting again, Imagine a man gaining the ability to smell again….would this not be joy and freedom?  What if all of these senses were given by One Man, Namely Christ?  Who would not enjoy Christ?  Reader, these spiritual senses have been given you.

In the Name of God,  Enjoy Him.  In the Name of God enjoy your salvation and In the Name of God, enjoy your freedoms to obey God.

Godspeed.