Month: June 2017

What Is True Christian Liberty?

By Timothy P. Hadley

What comes to your mind when you hear the word “liberty”? The term has been used a lot in connection with civil liberties and personal rights. In the United States, the Declaration of Independence, Constitution and Pledge of Allegiance all speak of it. The Statue of Liberty stands in New York harbor as a symbol of freedom, while the Liberty Bell is displayed near Philadelphia’s Independence Hall. The inscription on that bell, “Proclaim Liberty Throughout All The Land Unto All The Inhabitants Thereof,” was taken from Leviticus 25:10 (KJV).

But what is true liberty? Once there was some graffiti painted on a wall that read, “Freedom is NO Authority!” But is that really freedom? Some feel that freedom or liberty means people can do anything their hearts desire. Even many Christians have the idea that we are free to do whatever we want, watch whatever we want, and go wherever we want; but is that really what the Bible teaches?

What Is True Freedom?
Spiritually speaking, the Bible tells us that everyone is a slave – no one is free. In our society today slavery is a negative thing that speaks of degradation, hardship and inequality. But the biblical perspective is that true freedom is found in Christ. Paul explained in Romans 6 that we are slaves to either sin or righteousness. Those who are slaves to sin cannot free themselves from it, but once we are freed through the cross from the penalty and power of sin, we become slaves to righteousness. In this second slavery we find complete peace and true freedom.

The only true freedom comes to those of us who recognize that we are not our own. The Lord Jesus said, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (Jn. 8:31-32 NKJV). He continued, “Most assuredly, I say to you whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed” (vv.34-36).

A servant is one who works for wages and, by virtue of his work, is owed something by his master. The believer, on the other hand, has nothing to offer to the Lord in payment for His forgiveness; he is totally owned by the Master who bought him with His shed blood on the cross (see 1 Cor. 6:19-20). These individuals are purchased by His blood and are the possession of their Lord and Savior. Every true Christian can rejoice along with Paul, saying, “The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death” (Rom. 8:2).

Why Do Many Christians Live As If In Bondage?
We often rebel against our Master, refusing to obey Him while clinging to our old lives and holding on to the sins that once bound us to Satan as our master. The Bible tells us that every believer has two natures: the new nature that came as a result of Christ’s work in our lives and the old nature with which we were born. The old nature seeks to draw us to sin. However, we are instructed to “put off” the old self with its deceit and corruption, and “put on” the new self with its righteousness and holiness. Put off lying and put on truthfulness. Put off stealing and put on usefulness and work. Put off bitterness, rage and anger; put on kindness, compassion and forgiveness (Eph. 4:22–32). We have been set free from the bondage of sin, yet we return at times to those chains because part of us loves the old life.

So how do we gain the victory and enter into true Christian liberty? It is through death! We must recognize that we died with Christ and have been crucified with Him (Gal. 2:20), and we have been born again as completely new creatures (2 Cor. 5:17). The Christian life is one of a figurative death to self and rising to “walk in newness of life” (Rom. 6:4).

What Is Christian Liberty?
This word “liberty” appears 11 times in the New Testament and it affects our past, present and future. As we have seen, freedom in Christ is not cheap – it cost Him His life! He has purchased us with His own blood, securing for us our liberty. Christian liberty is freedom from the guilt of sin, freedom from the condemning wrath of God, and freedom from the curse of the moral law (Isa. 53:12; Gal. 3:13, 5:18; Heb. 1:3).

Freedom in Christ also impacts all our present and future liberties, such as freedom from the bondage to Satan (Acts 26:18; Col. 1:13). We are free from the dominion of sin (Rom. 6:14). We enjoy free access to the throne of grace (Heb. 4:14-16), and we are free to serve Christ as His bondservants (Rom. 7:4; Heb. 9:14).

Christian liberty also includes freedom from the sting of death; we are given victory over the grave “through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 15:54-57). He gave Himself on that cruel cross to deliver us from this present evil world (Gal. 1:4), and someday very soon we will be brought out from the presence of sin to dwell in the city illuminated by the glory of God (Rev. 21:23-27)!

What Christian Liberty Is Not
We mentioned earlier that there are Christians who feel that they can do whatever they wish because they “have liberty.” But is true Christian liberty a license to sin or a permission to do want we want? The answer is, “No, of course not!” Paul wrote of this very thing in Romans 6:15-18: “What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not! Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine [teaching] to which you were delivered. And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.” Jude warned of those “who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ” (Jude 4). But Peter instructed us to be “as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God” (1 Pet. 2:16). “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Cor. 10:31). “Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him” (Col. 3:17). Every area of our lives is His, and ought to be lived out for Him.

We have been called to liberty, but the danger is that we might use this liberty as a license to sin. Listen to these words: “For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another! I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

“Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another” (Gal. 5:13-26).

If we are Spirit filled and Spirit led believers walking in the Spirit, we will enjoy the liberty that comes through the Spirit, for “where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty” (2 Cor. 3:17). Romans 14 has much to say about Christian liberty, and throughout the chapter Paul taught that the real purpose of Christian liberty is to live to the Lord and serve one another – never using our liberty in a way that would stumble another brother or sister in Christ.

So Christian liberty is not a matter of being free to do whatever I please, but it is to live in such a way that whatever I do pleases the One to whom I belong – to His praise and for His glory!

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace … to the praise of His glory.” —Ephesians 1:3-7,12

For The Lord’s Joy Or … ?

By Paul Alberts

When the apostle Paul wrote to Timothy, some men were presenting strange teachings in the church at Ephesus. As a result, problems and disputes developed instead of the godly building up of believers and displays of “love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith” (1 Tim. 1:5 NKJV). The situation there was the early stage of what we find today, and the lessons in this book still need to be heeded.

Paul had taken Timothy with him on missionary journeys over the course of several years, and in the process Paul knew Timothy very well. In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul spoke of Timothy as his “beloved and faithful son in the Lord” (4:17). In 1 Thessalonians 3:2, Paul spoke of this servant of the Lord as “our brother and minister of God, and our fellow laborer in the gospel of Christ.”

Paul knew that Timothy, “a true son in the faith” (1 Tim. 1:2), would endeavor to do what Paul instructed, even when Paul was not present with him. What a challenge this presents to us as we may ask ourselves the question, “Is the Lord’s evaluation of us as good?”

Glancing through the few pages of 1 Timothy one might think, “There isn’t much there for me as I am not going to involve myself with problems in the local church or the matters of elders and deacons.” But the book is about much more, for in those things and in other points it shows us what we need to stay away from and the things which we should seek. The Feature articles in this edition address some of these points, but you would do well to read the six short chapters which make up 1 Timothy. By pondering the verses along the way, you will discover that they have much instruction for daily Christian living. Practicing such things will bring honor and glory to the Lord.

Throughout a day we make many decisions as to how to live and act, and whether it will be for the Lord’s joy or our pleasure. I think that question is one of the central focuses of this magazine issue. Maybe you will find something different as you read it from cover to cover.

An Urgent And Personal Appeal

By Alfred Bouter

“But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue • righteousness • godliness • faith • love • patience • gentleness.” —1 Timothy 6:11 NKJV

Our Lord Jesus Christ has been the true “Man of God” on earth and He is so now in heaven. He will always remain the true Man of God because He will never stop being a Man, even though He is also God (Phil. 2:8). While He is absent from this world, all true believers are to represent Him here.

Paul’s instructions were given on behalf of the Lord Jesus and were addressed to Christians – many of whom were literal slaves or bond servants. They knew the master-slave relationship, and therefore Paul applied that association to believers in general: All Christians are bondmen, serving the Lord Jesus Christ. In addition to the prerequisite of being a true, born again believer, we need certain qualities to properly carry out what the Lord wants us to accomplish. These qualities are summarized in the charge Paul gave to Timothy (1 Tim. 6:11).

While the apostle was in prison in Rome for the testimony of our Lord Jesus (Acts 28; Eph. 3:1), he sent his young, timid disciple – but who was devoted to Christ’s interests – as his representative to Ephesus. We don’t know exactly when Paul wrote his first letter to Timothy, but its instructions as to how to behave in the House of God (1 Tim. 3:14-15) are still valid today. Second Timothy suggests to us that, sadly, the majority of Christians in Ephesus did not follow these instructions. However, God’s truths do not change because of failure or rejection. They remain the same, standing fast, firm as a rock in stormy seas.

Even while in a Roman prison, bound 1 to a soldier (Acts 21:33, 28:20; Eph. 6:20), the apostle Paul represented Christ who is in heaven. Paul learned to introduce the Lord Jesus Christ into all the details of his life. Timothy, in a scene of rejection here on earth, needed to do the same. As believers and disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ we are left here to follow Him in all the details of our lives and to represent our Lord in the same world that crucified Him – even among those who profess Christ yet reject His claims. Timothy represented Paul in an area where the apostle had diligently worked several years earlier with remarkable results for the honor of the Lord in heaven (Acts 19-20).

This younger servant of the Lord was devoted to his tutor – learning much and following faithfully just as Paul followed Christ (see 1 Cor. 11:1). Many Christians are not willing to learn from Paul or to follow him in this world, for they find fault with him or criticize his teaching.2 They may not realize this, but by rejecting Paul they also reject the One who sent him – our Lord in the glory.

Challenges Then And Now
Timothy faced many challenges in order to remain a faithful disciple and loyal servant, without compromise, of the Lord Jesus. To stay away from dangers and vices and to pursue what was right, he needed certain positive qualities, as Paul elaborated in detail. Timothy also had to flee from the lust of money.

The apostle mentioned the simplicity of contentment as shown in his own example, which was also valid for slaves (1 Tim. 6:2). This kind of contentment, linked with godliness or piety, was under attack by the enemy (see vv.3-5). By depending on God and introducing Christ into every detail of life, a true man of God or genuine believer will be led into satisfaction and contentment. Those who reject the simplicity of the life of faith and godliness have a different agenda, causing themselves and others to be hurt by lust and the wiles of the enemy, with sad consequences (vv.7-10).

But You … Rely On God
In contrast to the disobedient (4:1-3), Timothy was to face the challenges before him and be different from the people who surrounded him – including the worldly, or carnal, believers and mere professors (1 Tim. 6:11). Likewise, Hebrews 11 lists encouraging examples of believers who truly learned to rely on God. This made them different, for without faith we cannot please God (v.6).

Enoch lived in a godless society that was marked by rebellion, sin and corruption (Gen. 4-6). When he turned 65 he had a son whom he named Methuselah. As far as we know, this son lived to be the oldest man, dying at an age of 969 in the year of Noah’s flood (Gen. 5:27). Scripture specifically says that Enoch – whose name means “instructed” – walked with God day by day until He took him from the earth (vv.22,24). Similarly, the Lord wants to teach us in the school of God to rely on Him until He will come and take us away (1 Th. 4:16-18).

Abraham, although a descendant from the godly Seth (Gen. 11:10-32), was steeped in the idolatry which had started with the Tower of Babel (Gen. 10-11). God called Abraham away from this idol worship (Josh. 24:2-3; Acts 7:2-3) to make him the father of all believers (Rom. 4). This fits with our key verse, “flee these things” (1 Tim. 6:11), in order to be a man3 of God. Despite some failures in Abraham’s life, he was marked by true love of God and therefore was called “the friend of God” (Jas. 2:23). This love motivated Abraham to be different from the people around him, including his nephew Lot who was a believer but fell short in showing his faith. Abraham learned to persistently rely on the God 4 who had called him and promised to give to him a son and heir (Gen. 17, 21). As Abraham and Timothy had to learn to rely on God, so we must learn to rely on Him, for the Lord Jesus said, “Without Me you cannot do anything” (Jn. 15:5).

“Pursue Righteousness”
A man of God must flee certain things: lust, sin and idolatry – a study in itself. He or she is marked by practical righteousness by doing what is right and by being in tune with God, who is just. Such a believer actively pursues a path of what is right and just. Of course God desires every believer to live in this way, but a man of God pursues a path of righteousness in the midst of unrighteousness, even in the presence of believers who fail to do so and do not maintain God’s rights.

God is always characterized by what is right – He never can be “un-right” – just as He is light without the possibility of darkness (Jas. 1:17). We are God’s children (v.18), and it is pretty clear what He expects of us. God cannot compromise His divine standards and features. Consider the Lord Jesus: In order to maintain God’s rights – He “loved righteousness and hated wickedness” (Ps. 45:7) – He gave Himself as a sacrifice to be the Substitute for those who had sinned and would never be able to pay their debt or undo their sins. On the basis of what Christ accomplished once and for all, God desires us, all believers, to follow Christ’s example. We are to do what is right in a world opposed to God’s rights.

In the world to come, under the Lord’s perfect rule, God’s rights will be enforced (Ps. 2). But now we live in the period when “grace reigns through righteousness” (Rom. 5:21). Surrounded by all kinds of unrighteousness, God wants Christ’s disciples to follow closely after righteousness, to pursue what is right in moral and practical agreement with Himself who is light and whose children we are.

Godliness, Faith, Love, Patience, Gentleness
Although separated from Paul who was in prison and rejected by many Christians, Timothy was to do seven things. We need to do these things as well, following Paul’s instructions. The first is to flee from certain things, as we already mentioned. Then there are six5 things to closely follow or pursue with great zeal: righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience and gentleness. Having pondered points as to righteousness we will briefly consider the remaining qualities that are needed to be a faithful disciple.

  • Godliness means the fear of God – the reverential respect because of love. This is “the fear of the Lord” mentioned often in the Old Testament. It implies the quality or ability to introduce God and Christ into the many and varied details of our daily lives, while serving God and others. Contentment is linked to godliness (6:6) and implies that one has learned in daily life that God is sufficient. A believer can rely on Him without fearing defeat or failure because He is faithful (v.8). This is how Paul had learned to rely on the Lord Jesus Christ, who strengthened him in all his circumstances and provided for all his needs – as He does for us (Phil. 4:13,19).
  • Faith implies that one puts his trust in God (see Heb. 11), but it also means to be faithful in the calling, position, relationship or task He has given. Timothy needed this faith and faithfulness in Paul’s days, and we are still in need of them today. We need to have faith in God and be faithful so the Lord can rely on us as we rely on Him.
  • Love is the opposite of the love of money, which makes money its best friend (v.10) and is truly idolatry. Love represents the new nature God gave to us the moment we believed, when His love was poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit whom He has given us (Rom. 5:5). The new nature needs to be nurtured, and our relationship with God and the family of God must be cultivated through prayer, and reading and obeying Scripture. Paul emphasized this point in his counsel to Timothy knowing that faith and love go together with hope (1 Cor. 13:13).
  • Patience literally means the ability to endure, or to go on while being under a burden. For more details, read Romans 5:3-5.
  • Gentleness is another quality6 we learn from the Lord Jesus (Mt. 11:29) and Paul’s example. It implies an attitude of humility, courtesy and meekness (not weakness).

Paul’s urgent and personal appeal to Timothy7 is as urgent today as it was then. May the Lord help us to follow these instructions which He has passed on to us through the apostle Paul, so we will honor His name.

ENDNOTES
1. Probably almost five years later Paul was chained in Rome (2 Tim. 1:16) once again, but under conditions that were much worse than during his first Roman captivity.
2. This is why Paul introduced his instructions with the words “but you,” making a contrast between Timothy and those who opposed Paul’s example and teachings. The same words for the same reason are also found in 2 Timothy 3:10,14, 4:5; and later with respect to Titus (Ti. 2:1), but they are not always translated literally.
3. To avoid misunderstanding, the term “man of God” could be translated “human of God,” and it implies a challenge for all believing men and women, brothers and sisters in Christ, to be exercised and function according to Paul’s instructions. This is never to be done in a boastful way but always as an instrument fit for the Master’s use.
4. Romans 4:16-22 outlines seven points: 1. Abraham believed God, for he put his trust in the One who quickens, or makes alive, the dead (v.17); 2. He did so against hope, facing an impossible situation (v.18); 3. He was not weak in faith, despite his own and Sarah’s physical condition (v.19); 4. He hesitated not at God’s promise (first part of v.20); 5. He was strengthened in his faith (middle of v.20); 6. Abraham gave glory to God, before anything was fulfilled (end of v.20). 7. For he was fully convinced that God was able to fulfill His promises (v.21). How great was Abraham’s faith, and how great is our God!
5. When we list the various instructions Paul gave Timothy in 1 Timothy 6, in addition to his “charge” that we study in this paper, ten points can be counted: the number of responsibility.
6. The root of this word occurs 16 times in the Greek New Testament, found in different words. The word used in 1 Timothy 6:11 is linked to the verb “to suffer,” and it only occurs here. Following Christ’s example of humility implies suffering.
7. His name may be interpreted as “honoring God” or “whom God honors.”