Freedom in Christ

Living in America we hear a lot about freedom. Being thankful for freedom, fighting for freedom, honoring those who paid the price for our freedom. It's a freedom that sometimes we celebrate while forgetting the price that was paid for it. And one of the ironies of that freedom is how many people take it as license to do many things that run contrary to the freedom they enjoy. They live the freedom but they won't acknowledge the responsibility that comes with it.

Christians too, talk about freedom. Freedom through grace. Freedom from the penalties of sin. Freedom from the law (of the Old Testament). It's a freedom that should be celebrated. Christ's death and resurrection on the cross paid the ultimate price so that we could be free from sin and back in a relationship with the God that created and loves us.

But the price of that freedom isn't simply a license to carry on with no consequences. Paul says in Acts 6:1, "Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?"

My concern sometimes is that we, as Christ followers, forget that we still have the responsibility that comes with freedom. But it's not always black and white. Our behavior, our choices still carry some eternal consequences even though we may have the freedom in Christ to do them. While we have no law that forbids them, they can still be sin. And we have the responsibility of being an example to others even while we live in freedom.

"Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak. For if anyone with a weak conscience sees you who have this knowledge eating in an idol's temple, won't he be emboldened to eat what has been sacrificed to idols?" (1 Corinthians 8:9-10)

Paul is addressing a specific action here but what if we substitute some other choices?

For if anyone sees you _________, won't he be convinced he can __________? (lose your temper, sit in a bar, talk negatively about your pastor, watch an R-rated movie, ...)

Why is this a problem?

"... So this weak brother, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. When you sin against your brothers in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ." (1 Corinthians 8:11-12, emphasis mine)

Ouch.

Let's keep in mind that our freedom in Christ, just like our freedom as citizens of free countries, still carries with it a responsibility to point people to Christ. Let's exercise our freedom accordingly.