Discernment and Freedom

If you were to ask me what is one of the most difficult and yet paradoxically easy questions that Christians get caught up with, it would be this:

"Is it okay to do this? Is that ungodly?"

We get ensnared by this question. Believers of all stripes and sizes break away from other believers over this type of question. This is the question that makes and breaks relationships, that makes war where peace ought to be.

The reason why it is so difficult is that it is a serious question. For the most part I think we ask it because we sincerely want to do what is right before God. We want to serve Him in an honest, responsible way. We want to glorify Him with everything we do, say and think. I think peoples' intentions are good when they ask this question. The problem is our every intention has a natural bent toward sin, and we can corrupt even the most honest desires, and make them into something ugly and horrid.

Whenever you hear about a battle between Christians, I hope it breaks your heart. It happens all too often. You hear about, for instance, Christian feminists who fight tooth and nail against those under the "patriarchal" movement. Each thinks the other is wrong; each thinks the other is doing things that are not okay. Each thinks the other has warped the gospel. This is one example among thousands.

We get caught up in our mental lists of what constitutes a Christian. The problem makes itself known in the fact that our lists are personalized. What I mean by that is we add what we think the Bible says on a subject, when in reality the Bible can be very vague in many things. If our lists were made up of what the Bible strictly says a Christian ought to do, we'd have far less skirmishes regarding what clothing we wear or what movies we watch, or even what books we read.

If you think about it, freedom in Christ means just what it is: we have freedom. We don't have to follow a cookie-cutter formula for Christianity.

"For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. " Galatians 5:13

Here's the freedom and the restriction. The freedom: we are free.

That's it. It's simple, isn't it? We have no restraints on what we eat, no restraints on what we wear, no restraints on what we see or hear. We are free. Completely free. That means we don't have to worry about what others think of us. We don't have to follow a list of dos and don'ts.

But wait a minute; there is a restriction. "Only...through love serve one another."

This means that if we are in the company of someone who thinks it is a sin to eat a certain thing, out of love for him we should avoid it. (1 Corinthians 8:9-13, Romans 14:13)

It means that if we love one another, we will seek to do our best not to lead them to sin. I have freedom to wear what I want to wear, but I see dressing modestly as an opportunity to prevent myself from willingly becoming a stumbling block to sinful young men with wandering eyes.

There is another, greater reminder in this verse:

"Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God." 1 Peter 2:16

Again, we are told we are free. But our sinful hearts can so easily use freedom as an excuse to practice lawlessness. Think of those who believe in "super grace", which in effect enables them to be as filthy and sinful as they choose, and God will save them anyway. It's a load of rubbish. They neither know God nor the Scriptures.

This verse is a guard against such thinking. We are free, but we are servants of God. He is our Master, and we should live like He is. That means we should obey Him, and even emulate Him. We should be holy as He is holy. That leaves no room for evil. It leaves no room for debauchery. It leaves no room for sinfulness.

Do you see there is a balance here?

We are free. Free to the uttermost in Christ. We need not be ashamed, we need not fall into these petty battles with one another over things the Bible doesn't even mention. Do you think that you, as a woman, ought to wear only skirts? More power to you; you have the freedom in Christ so to do. Are you more comfortable in pants? The grace and freedom found in Christ declares with the loudest voice possible that you are free to choose this!

Do you believe it is wrong to drink alcohol? Then don't do it; you are free in Christ. Make this decision regarding yourself and be content. Leave no space in your mind for condemnation toward those who have no issue with the consumption of alcohol. We have freedom. We are free.

On the other side of the balance, we have a responsibility as Christians to live as Christ lived. We have a duty to obey His commands, and strive to be holy. We are to show that we are set apart.

There is the need for discernment here. In everything we do, everything we choose, we must discern whether our decision pleases God. If you use your freedom in Christ to watch a movie that is full of the glorification of sex or murder or what have you, you should be ashamed. We are called to use our minds for the glory of God, and if we fill our minds with sin that leaves no room for righteousness.

We are exhorted to flee from sin. 1 Timothy 6 commands us to pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, and gentleness. We are called to live in a way that is free from reproach.

Too often we use our freedom as a cover-up for evil, thinking up arguments for why we are allowed to do this and that instead of remembering that we represent God on this earth.

(This is becoming rather long, and I'm nowhere near done, so I guess I'll do a part two.)