The Idol Of Liberty
we have a little joke that a few of us have been kicking around @calvaryhanford recently:
“my liberty, your problem.”
while the doctrine of Christian liberty is a real topic and a real balance that each child of God has to work out with their Father, for the 21st century american Church the topic of liberty is no longer individual and private unto the Lord, but open, bold and broadcast for all the world to witness.
it is interesting to us when we notice how, not only do some Christians seem to be demanding and defending liberties that have not been historically seen as permissible for God’s people, but more importantly, they are actively evangelizing for their liberties, while ignoring the ill effects that some of them have on other Christians and those outside the family of God.
there seems to be a strong current in the Church today that the more mature you are as a Believer, the more ‘liberties’ you have to indulge in habits, substances, attitudes and activities that are usually not associated with holy living.
…mostly because the idea of ‘holy living’ has been all but forgotten in our current Christian culture.
and where our little joke comes in is when we see Christians, with their liberties (whether real or self-proclaimed) who not only seem unbothered by the stumbling block that they put in front of other people when they openly practice and endorse the habits and choices in question, but in fact scold and mock those other people for BEING stumbled!
my liberty. your problem.
we don’t seem to recognize (or maybe just acknowledge) that our endorsement and participation in certain behaviors might stumble the people around us in serious ways.
the apostle paul talked about those sorts of situations in his epistles.
now, liberty is real. stumbling is real. we have to find a balance and live our lives in the way that the Lord directs us. i understand that there are things that stumble others that folks really have been given a green light on from Jesus.
but that’s not where our joke comes in.
our joke comes in when we see Christians broadcasting these habits and indulgences and substances and activities and then failing to admit that it might adversely impact other Christians.
and, often these days, when you attempt to call a person on that issue, you are mocked and derided for daring to intrude into their private life (after it spilled onto twitter or facebook or face-to-face interaction)!
so here’s the thing…it seems like many of us in the american church have made a statue idol to liberty. it seems like we’re looking more and more like our unbelieving friends and neighbors. it seems like all the things they do, we do. all the places they go, we go. all the words they use, we use.
so the question is this: what does separation from the world mean to you and is it necessary today?
maranatha
bibling, know what you believe, that makes me sad | July 20th, 2009
Wow. Finding that balance with the world is sometimes a tough one. I want to stand up for my rights, but I also want to make sure I’m not stepping on toes. Christian or not. I’m mostly a pacifist.
I think separation from the world can’t happen. We have to be able to go out into the world & spread the Word. We are instructed to do this. I can’t ignore what goes on around & not be affected by what goes on. So many choose battles “in the name of God” but isolate themselves by being looney about it. I think of the LA RAWRS where that group “protested” while people stood in line. Called MM a rock band. Said that Jesus wouldn’t have liked rock. Did they have a letter or a tweet from Jesus that actually states that? I may not like his views, but I also cannot judge this crazy man. (I just did, oops.) Really. That is not part of my job description as a Christian. Does that mean I wanna hold hands with him? Not today. But, I will not yell back. I will not judge.
Today’s “American” church has some broken pieces. Man against Man. Instead of remembering who is at the center of it all. As I was reminded last night. We are only on this Earth so few days. We need to make it count.
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Good question. I think Romans 14 has to be the line that we draw. You talk about the stumble piece of that and that is what Paul was addressing. We have the freedom, but the real mature believer will give up that freedom if it is going to be a problem.
I think an unbeliever should be able to tell by my day-to-day conduct that I’m different. That my life is simply lived differently than theirs. I also think other Christians should easily be able to recognize me as a Christian. If either one can’t distinguish between me and a worldly person – on a very basic level – then I need to adjust some (or many) of my behaviors. If we’re not separate from the world in our conduct, our joy, our peace, then ministering to and evangelizing unbelievers is likely going to be much less effective coming from us.
I agree with Andrew – a mature believer should be living sacrificially for the Lord. I don’t believe Jesus, who was living wholly inside the will of God the Father, would choose Himself or His own rights/liberties if it meant offending or stumbling someone. And if Jesus wouldn’t do it, who do I think I am? What is it to me if I have to give something up in order to love others and protect them from stumbling? Can you imagine looking Jesus in the face and telling Him that your need to [insert liberty verbage here] was THAT important? I’d like to be able to look Jesus in the face and tell Him that my desire was to bring glory to HIS name, and to fully realize that my own name didn’t matter at all.