Freedom in Christ

Part 3 of 4

“If it’s not about Jesus, it’s not about anything.”

(Motto of the Fountain of Life)

Invocation:  Father, in Jesus’ name we pray that this subject be treated faithfully, honestly and respectfully.  We invoke the motto of the Fountain of Life to keep all that follows in this four part series in a proper focus and that the name of Jesus be glorified.   

SPS:  The purpose of this message is to show what our freedom does not look like.

The Freedom which we have in Christ has as its foundation the Incarnation of Christ and its actualization through the vicarious humanity of Jesus.  Exploring this freedom has revealed some beautiful knowledge about Jesus.  We have asked three simple questions.  

 First:  Who is Christ?   
Second:  Who are we?   
Third:  What does freedom in Christ look like? 

In this section we ask, “What does freedom in Christ look like?”  But we start with a misunderstanding of our freedom because it leads to a certain controversy.  Romans 10:9 states:  “That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you shall be saved.”   

The controversy surrounds this guaranty of salvation and our freedom of action.  As our anchoring scripture let’s go to James 2:19:  “You believe that there is one God; you do well. The devils also believe and tremble.”   This scripture confirms that belief about Jesus and our confession of Jesus are not the same.  We begin by looking at what freedom is not.

A tragic shooting occurred on August 4^th 2009.  In Collier Township, Bridgeville, Pennsylvania, at a Fitness Club, in a Shopping Center, a gunman killed three members of the club .  Then he turned a pistol upon himself.  This following statement was reported as taken from the murder’s blog:  “Maybe soon, I will see God and Jesus.  At least that is what I was told.  Eternal life does NOT depend on works.  If it did, we will all be in hell.  Christ paid for EVERY sin, so how can I or you be judged BY GOD for a sin when the penalty was ALREADY paid.”  The gunman, , believed that he was “saved” and indicated that once saved a person ALWAYS goes to heaven no matter what he does afterward.

FOUR QUESTIONS

 Dr. Joseph Tkach

Is this the ultimate meaning of Christian freedom?  The blood of Christ forgives sins, even multiple murders, even a multiple murder.  This is very true.  (1) The question raised by this gunman’s conduct is, can we manipulate God by God own words?  The answer is a resounding NO.  Allow me to paraphrase Hebrews 4:2.  It will be very apparent where the paraphrase occurs.  The verse is addressed to Christians, to us.  It begins, “For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as to the gunman:  but the word preached did not profit him, not being mixed with faith in him that heard it.”   

This verse leads to this very appropriate question.  (2) Can the truth of grace be abused?  Hebrews 4:2 indicates, YES.   Dr. Joseph Tkach, President of Grace Communion  addressed this type of behavior directly and wrote, “Paul did not want the Church to become a haven for blatant, defiant sinners.  The church is a hospital for reform, not a ‘safe zone’ for social parasites to practice.”

Nonetheless, the gunnman's belief gives rise to two additional questions which I as a pastor should not ignore, therefore let’s address them here and now.  (3) Was the gunman’s free action done with or without the sanctification of the Holy Spirit?  We know that the Holy Spirit does not sanctify murder.  But the fourth question is far more difficult to answer.  (4) Is the murder in hell because of his sins or in heaven because of grace?  The answer has to do with the condition of the heart and the level of understanding.  Only God is privileged to that that information.  What do we know?  Are murders in hell?  Yes.  However I don’t have specific names identifying them.  Are murders in heaven?  Yes.  But here we do have specific names.  If you doubt this, consider King David and Uriah the Hittite, or St. Paul and St. Stephen, or Moses and the Egyptian.

Dr. Michael Feazell

Again, what do we know?  We know that Christian salvation is not a matter of keeping laws or following a code of rights and wrongs.  But does that mean that Christian conduct includes the freedom to sin?  Before answering, it may be well to consider what is sin?  Dr. Michale Feazell of Grace Communion  has written that, “First let’s clear some ground.  Sin is a condition of the heart, not merely individual acts of wrongdoing.”  Brethren, in like manner, morality or Christian conduct also is a condition of the heart, not merely a catalog of righteous acts.  

 Consider 1 John 3:4:  “For sin is the transgression of the law.”  The sense in the King James Version is not referring to a specific transgression of a specific law, but an attitude toward law in general.  This is supported by translations of 1 John 3:4 from The New King James, The New International Version, Today’s New International Version and the English Standard Version, which all read, “sin is lawlessness.”  The Grace Communion Statement of Belief’s says:  “Sin is lawlessness; that is a state or condition of rebellion against God.”

Brethren, spiritual freedom under sanctification displays a heart working with the Holy Spirit, not rejecting or ignoring the Spirit; is it a heart reflecting the fruit of the Spirit (James 5:22-25).  Freedom of action without sanctification is not spiritual, it is carnal reflecting the desires and the leading of the flesh.  A free carnal action, by definition, resists the Holy Spirit because it chooses to obey our fleshy human nature.   And here is where confusion arises.   

Some carnal acts are good, but they are not sanctified.  Some carnal acts are altruistic, but they have no spiritual benefit.  Building a super hospital or feeding the poor certainly has physical benefit.  But consider these words of St. Paul in 1 Corinthians 13:3, “And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and through I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profit me nothing.”  So much depends upon the condition of the heart.  What does this different heart look like?  Here are three examples given to get the sense of the different heart.

1.  One couple fed their children because they wanted to, not because they had to, not because they feared punishment from Child Services.  Another couple fed their children because they had to, because they feared punishment from Child Services.  The same good act, the same freedom from punishment, but different hearts.  And both couples believe themselves parents, but only one couple was.        

2.  Another couple wanted to feed their children and did not because they could not.  Child services punished them.  Another couple did not feed their children because they chose not to, they did not fear Child Services.  Child services punished them.  The same act, the same punishment but different hearts.  And both couples believe themselves parents, but only one couple was.

3.  One Christian lies because he is tempted, perhaps because of fear or shame.  He repents of that sin and does not fear punishment because he is justified under the blood of Christ.  One Christian lies pathologically in order to manipulate people and circumstances.  He does not repent or see the need to.  He does not fear punishment because of the saving blood of Christ.  The same act, the same lack of fear, but different hearts.  And both believe themselves Christians, but only one is and shows true repentance and the other shows freedom which did not profit him, not being mixed with faith, charity, or repentance.  In the final analysis freedom without sanctification displays a heart working with the devil.  

Knowing who Jesus is and who we are in Him leads us to know where our freedoms reside.  We find in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 a list of ungodly behaviors.  Does our heart look for freedom to commit these abuses?   What does sanctified freedom in Christ look like?  What does the Apostle John say?

1 John 2:5-6 – "This is how we know we are in Him".  Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did.  We should walk like Jesus.  How do we walk like Jesus?  A starting point is found in Amos 3:3.  “Surely, two cannot walk together unless they be agreed"

1 John 2:3-4 – We know that we have come to know Him if we obey His commands.  The man who says, “I know Him but does not do what He commands is a liar, and the truth is not in Him.”

Dear readers, some godly folk may stop me right now and question the benefit of keeping the commandment under the New Covenant.   They know, as did Peter in Acts 15:10, as does Dr. Joseph Tkach who wrote that, “We cannot be saved by any law, even the commandments of the New Testament.”  But Brethren, Christianity does have standards.  It does involve changes in the way we live.”  That change is a sanctified heart; it is walking in agreement with Jesus. 

Philippians 4:13:  We seek the mind of Christ.  Humanly speaking we want to agree with and please our parents and our friends.  God the Father is our parent and Jesus calls us His friends.  In like manner, spiritually, we want to agree with and please our savior and God.  We seek what pleases God.  What pleases God?

Colossians 3:20:  Children, obey you parents in all things; for this is well pleasing unto the Lord.

1 Tim. 2:1-3:  pray for kings and all in authority for this pleases the Lord.

King David states it in a passive fashion in Psalm 5:4:  For thou are not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness. 

Paul will itemize for us proper Christian conduct or standards of commandments to obey.  We read in I Thessalonians 5:12-22:  “Live in peace with each other; warn those who are idle; help the weak be patient with everyone; make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong; always try to be kind; be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstance; do not put out the spirit’s fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt; test everything; hold on to the good; avoid every kind of evil.”    

Look at these commands.  Live in peace with each other, avoid evil.  Is this obedience a harsh bondage?  Not to a sanctified heart.  Please consider that an unsanctified heart is not free to do these things which please God.  But in fact is hostile to them (Romans 8:7 and Galatians 5:19-21).  The unsanctified heart may strive to live in peace or even to avoid evil, but these acts do not please God because the primary motive is carnal self-interest. 

Keeping commandments or having moral standards or moral codes does not save us.  Yet these commandments or standards have immeasurable great value.  Keeping them pleases God.  Brethren, pleasing God; is that a small thing, an inconsiderate thing?  We have the power to please the Creator God who gave us our life and being.  That power is a blessing given to us and not to the unsanctified of heart. 

God has given us the freedom to disobey the commandments, but He has not given us the permission to disobey them.  God has given us all free will, therefore we are free to disobey even to murder.  But in like manner we are free to disobey the law of gravity.  Yes, we have that freedom, that ability too.  Do we therefore rush out to jump off things?  No, of course not.  Submission to gravity is not slavery.  Submission to gravity enables us to live.  Submission to God is not slavery, it enables us to live; it is freedom.

Reverend Todd Crouch

Reverend Todd Crouch has taught that we respond one of four ways to the Holy Spirit. 

  1.  We are ignorant of what the Spirit is saying.   

2.  We are indifferent to what the Spirit is saying. 

  

3.  We reject what the Spirit is saying.  

 4.  We accept what the Spirit is saying.   Let us add a fifth category. 

 5.  We are deceived about what the Spirit is saying.

Into which of the five categories did the gunman  fall?  At the least, he was deceived about freedom.  God will allow the gunman’s own heart to judge him.  In like manner, God will allow each sinner’s heart to judge them.  Neither you nor I nor anyone else on earth are free to judge in this case.   

What we can point out is that freedom in Christ does not authorize, permit or condone murder or any sin.  We know this because sin does not reflect the mind of Christ.

Saying “once saved I am now free to commit any sin” is an attitude which is counter to what being saved is.  It is the same as saying “Once married I am free for adultery.”  That attitude toward marriage is counter to what marriage is.  Once finding a friend I am free to lie to him and cheat him.  That attitude toward friendship is counter to what friendship is.  Once on the baseball team I am free to go to the golf course on game day.  That attitude is counter to what a team is. 

Dr. Tkach wrote that “Paul’s message is clear:  We are not under the law – but we are not lawless.  We are under the authority of Christ, under his law, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.”  Our lives are based on hope not on desire, motivated by love not lust, characterized by joy and peace and growth, not sorrow, rebellion and stagnation.  

 Since we live by the spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit (Galatians 5:25).  Brethren we do not disobey His commands because we are free.  We obey His commands because the Holy Spirit urges us to conform ourselves to Jesus.  And we find ourselves desiring this change freely.

In closing today, we see that our freedom in Christ is not a freedom to disobey Him.  That view is so short sighted.  Christian freedom is not the freedom to sink alone, at the point of our choosing, beneath the waves of pleasure or despair, but rather; is the freedom to soar above the face of the deep in company with our great brother, Jesus.  It includes the ability to place a loving smile upon God’s own face.  In part 4 of 4, we’ll continue with the question, “What does freedom in Christ look like?”

Benediction:  Dear brothers and sisters, grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  To Him be glory both now and forever.  God bless you all.

Rev. George Relic, Assistant Pastor 9724-583-9217)

Fountain of Life Church

2021 Old National Pike, Washington, Pa 15301

A congregation of Grace Communion International