Christian Liberty: What Is It?

 In Corinth there were those who believed they could eat meat offered to idols because an idol really isn’t a god, therefore it isn’t going to do any harm to you to eat meat offered to it.  There were others who were saved out of that environment of idols and eating meat offered to idols bothered their conscience. Paul was telling the Christians at Corinth that it was fine if they ate meat offered to idols, but if they were with someone whose conscience was bothered by it, for the sake of that brother or sister in Christ, it was better to refrain from exercising your freedom and offending them.

Christian liberty means to refrain from exercising my freedom to avoid wounding another Christian’s conscience.  It also means that I don’t force my freedom on another Christian whose conscience is bothered by that activity. In the passage below you will see that the whole purpose is for your fellow Christian’s benefit and good.  It’s thinking about the good of others over your desires.

 "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." For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earthâ€"as indeed there are many "gods" and many "lords"â€" yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist. However, not all possess this knowledge. But some, through former association with idols, eat food as really offered to an idol, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, will he not be encouraged, if his conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols? And so by your knowledge this weak person is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died. Thus, sinning against your brothers and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble."
1 Corinthians8:4-13

"All things are lawful," but not all things are helpful. "All things are lawful," but not all things build up. Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor. Eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of conscience. For "the earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof." If one of the unbelievers invites you to dinner and you are disposed to go, eat whatever is set before you without raising any question on the ground of conscience. But if someone says to you, "This has been offered in sacrifice," then do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for the sake of conscienceâ€" I do not mean your conscience, but his. For why should my liberty be determined by someone else’s conscience? If I partake with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of that for which I give thanks? So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved."
1 Corinthians10:23-33

So, while the Christian is free to partake in "gray" areas, we are to be careful that we do not wound the conscience of those who do not feel free to exercise liberty in those areas.  It all has to do with loving your neighbor as yourself and thinking of their good over your own.

I’m finding that there is a lot of misuse of the term Christian liberty these days.  I have devised a 4 questions quiz to see if you can recognize the proper and improper uses of it.

So here is the test for you on the proper use of Christian liberty:

1.  Your friend takes mental health medications, but you believe those are bad for people and nobody should ever be diagnosed with a mental illness before the age of 30. It is your Christian liberty to tell your friend that he/she should not be taking those medications and that their doctor who prescribed them doesn’t know what he/she is talking about and you encourage them to drop them cold turkey.  Is this proper use of Christian liberty?  Why or why not?

2. You are a member of a church and are concerned, in light of the many sexual predator issues there are in churches these days, that there is nothing posted on the church website or in the constitution about how sexual predator issues will be handled by the church leadership should that issue ever come up. You bring it up to the pastor in hopes that he might bring it to the deacons and maybe even the church as something that should be added in.  Your pastor tells you that Matthew 18 already addresses those kinds of issues and that it is his Christian liberty to not do anything further about it and it’s your Christian liberty to disagree but not make an issue about it.  Is this a proper use of Chrisitan liberty?  Why or why not?

3. Your conscience doesn’t allow you to drink alcohol but your friend sees no problem with it.  You go to your friend’s home for dinner.  They refrain from serving wine with the meal so that you won’t feel uncomfortable.  Is this the proper use of Christian liberty?  Why or why not?

4. Your conscience doesn’t allow you to drink alcohol but your friend sees no problem with it.  You go to your friend’s home for dinner. You proceed to tell them it is wrong for a Christian to drink alcohol and that they are sinning because they do.  Is this the proper use of Christian liberty?  Why or why not?

If you want to answer the quiz questions, please do so in the comments below.  I’d love to hear your views!