Absolute Freedom in Christ


This is not a political blog and I don't want turn it into one. However, I am a registered Libertarian and a very devout one and one of the reasons for my political ideology is because I believe that we have absolute freedom to live our lives however we choose too, so long as we don't cause injury to other people. However, with freedom comes responsibility. With freedom comes consequences and so I'm reminded of the 1 Corinthians 6: 12: "All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any."


The Bible is seen by many as a book of dos and donts. A book of rules and regulations. But, I prefer to look at it as a book of practicality. You don't sleep around because sleeping around can cause harm to your body and emotions and could cause harm to another individual. You don't do heroin because it could kill you. It could cause you to commit crimes to commit crimes to feed your habit. Sure, there are deeper spiritual issues that go into these actions as well (Many of which as discussed by Paul in this chapter) but, the bottom line is that God doesn't forbid us from certain activities because he wants to steal our joy or wreck our good times-- be puts rules in place because He knows what is good for us. 

But didn't I just say that the Bible isn't a rule book? I certainly did. It's not a rulebook. It's a guide book. We have the freewill to choose how we want to live. We have the freewill to do what we want to do. But we are not free from the potential consequences. Becoming addicted to a drug, contracting an STD, ending up in prison, financial hardships-- these are all potential consequences of making poor choices. What we as Christians need to develop is the sensitivity and wisdom to know what the best course of action is. We do this by digging into the Word, by prayer and fellowship. We do this by desiring to please God. 

God is our Father and He loves us. He wants us to please Him, but He wants us to choose to please Him. Obligatory praise is meaningless. The fact that we can choose to do things that displease Him and and choose to please Him is a fragrant offering to Him.

And, as long as we are in this mortal coil, we will displease Him more than we please Him. Our goal in this life is to strive to please Him more and more as we grow more and more in Him. 

So, while everything is permissible, ask Yourself-- better yet, ask God and Scripture, what things are helpful and lawful and then strive to do those things. 




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