Christian Liberty – Using It, Not Abusing It
Having clearly seen the liberty that is afforded the children of God, it is now necessary to warn against the danger of abusing this liberty. While the God of heaven has meant for us to use this glorious liberty, He never intended us to abuse it. With liberty comes responsibility. Let us see, from a Biblical perspective, how this liberty may be abused, and let us purpose to only use it and never abuse it.
Using Liberty as a License to Sin
I believe, as much as anyone believes, that the Christian possesses a glorious liberty. Many who are ignorant concerning the Biblical teaching of Christian liberty immediately assume that proponents of Christian liberty are proponents of sin. While I am not authorized to speak on behalf of every proponent of Christian liberty, I will speak for myself. Nothing could be further from the truth! No one preaches Christian liberty with more fervor than I do; and no one preaches concerning the destruction of sin with more urgency than I do. When a believer sins, his fellowship with the Father is severed (I John 1:6); his prayers are hindered (Psalm 66:18; Isaiah 59:1-2); and if the believer does not deal with his sin by judging himself, the Father will chastise him (I Corinthians 11:31-32). And, oh how severe the chastening hand of God can be! Just ask King David as he comes back from his baby’s funeral how severe the chastening hand of God can be! Just ask the nation of Israel, who beheld their children become slaves in Babylon, how high the cost of sin really is!
As stated in the first part of this series, Christian liberty is a freedom from sin, not a freedom to sin. To sin under the guise of Christian liberty is to abuse Christian liberty. And to sin in this fashion is a double-sin. The actual sin is the first sin; using Christian liberty as the justification of the deed is the second sin. Using Christian liberty to commit sin is a sin in itself. Look at the warnings against such behavior:
Galatians 5:13 – “For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.”
I Peter 2:16 – “As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God.”
Causing a Brother to Stumble While Using Christian Liberty
A second way to abuse Christian liberty is by using Christian liberty to cause your brother or sister in Christ to stumble. Three verses in I Corinthians 8 describe this abuse of Christian liberty:
I Corinthians 8:9 – “But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak” (italics mine; added for emphasis).
I Corinthians 8:12 – “But when ye sin so against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, ye sin against Christ” (italics mine; added for emphasis).
I Corinthians 8:13 – “Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend” (italics mine; added for emphasis).
Notice the emphasized words in the above three verses: “stumblingblock” in verse 9; “wound” in verse 12; and “offend” in verse 13.
These verses plainly teach that I should forfeit any liberty I have Christ if that liberty becomes a stumblingblock to my brother in Christ; or wounds my brother’s weak conscience; or offends my brother. Let us look at these words carefully to determine when a Christian should forfeit his liberty in Christ.
The words “stumblingblock” in verse 9 and “offend” in verse 13 are connected. In modern English usage, we often use the word “offend” to mean “to hurt one’s feelings.” When a person says, “I am offended,” what they generally mean is, “My feelings are hurt.” In modern English usage, the word “offend” can mean “to hurt one’s feelings.” As a matter of fact, some teach that, based upon I Corinthians 8:13, a Christian should forfeit his Christian liberty if another Christian simply disagrees with his usage of liberty. Some teachers teach that we should forfeit our liberty in Christ if another Christian is “offended,” which they define as “in disagreement with.” But this is not what the word “offend” means. Think about it. If I can only use my Christian liberty until someone disagrees with my usage of Christian liberty, then technically, Christian liberty is non-existent. It is a myth. If the Lord tells me that I have great liberty, but I can only use it until someone is “offended,” or as some define it, until someone “disagrees with” my usage of such liberty, then really, I have no liberty at all.
For example, consider a necktie. This will shock some readers, but there are places throughout the United States where pastors teach that wearing a necktie is sinful; that wearing a necktie is connected with pride. I am convinced that I have the liberty to either wear a necktie or remove my necktie. I have the understanding that, like the meat sacrificed to idols, wearing a necktie won’t make me any less spiritual, and removing my necktie won’t make me any more spiritual (I Corinthians 8:8). So, if I, while wearing a necktie, find myself among brothers who disagree with the act of wearing a necktie, what should I do? Should I forfeit my Christian liberty and remove my necktie? In the vast majority of cases, ABSOLUTELY NOT! “But your necktie offends those brothers,” you say. Actually, my necktie does NOT offend those brothers. Those brothers disagree with my wearing of a necktie, but “disagreement with” my necktie is not the same as being “offended” because of my necktie. People define the word “offended” in the modern sense, but the word “offended” is not used in the modern sense in scripture.
In our current 1769 edition of the King James Bible, the word “offend” does not mean “to hurt one’s feelings”; and “offended” does not mean “in disagreement with.” In Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary of American English, he gives several definitions of the word “offend.” In one particular definition, Webster defines “offend” as “to be scandalized; to be stumbled.” He then cites I Corinthians 8:13 as an example, which reads, “…if I make my brother to offend.” The definition of “offend” that is associated with I Corinthians 8 is “to be stumbled.” Thus, to “offend” is to “cause to stumble.” James Strong, in his Greek and Hebrew dictionaries, identifies the Greek word translated “offend” as “skandalizo,” which he defines as “to scandalize; to entrap; to trip up; to stumble, or entice to sin.” The word “offend” in the Biblical sense means “to cause to stumble; to cause to sin.”
In I Corinthians 8:13, Paul says that if meat makes his brother to offend, he will eat no meat while the world stands. Paul is clearly stating that if his liberty to eat meat causes his brother to stumble into sin, he will eat no meat while the world stands. The context of this passage bears this out further. Four verses prior, in verse 9, Paul says, “But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak.” A stumblingblock is “that which causes one to stumble.” In order for my Christian liberty to offend someone in the Biblical sense, it must be a stumblingblock to them. It must cause them to stumble into sin.
Let us go back to my “necktie” illustration. I stated earlier that should I, while wearing a necktie, find myself among brothers who disagree with the act of wearing a necktie, I should NOT remove my necktie. Those brothers, though they disagree with my wearing of a necktie, are not Biblically “offended” by it. They disagree with it, but they are not, in the Biblical sense, “offended.” My necktie, though they hate the sight of it, is not causing them to stumble into sin. My necktie is not a stumblingblock. As for those brothers who despise my necktie, their walk with God will not be affected in any way because of my necktie. As soon as I see that my necktie is offensive in the Biblical definition of the word – as soon as I see that my necktie causes a brother to stumble in his walk with God – as soon as I see that my brother stumbles into sin because of my necktie, I will, in the spirit of New Testament brotherly love, make sure that these precious brothers never see me in a necktie again. I will refrain from neckties before the conscience of my weak brother is wounded (I Corinthians 8:12). While my Christian liberty means much, my brother in Christ means more. And if using my Christian liberty may cause my brother to stumble, I will forfeit that liberty in a moment!
Making it Practical
Is there a way to make the teaching of I Corinthians 8 practical for today? Yes, there certainly is, and it would behoove us to do so. In making this doctrine practical, let me first address those who realize their liberty in Christ; then, let me address those who are bothered by those who enjoy their Christian liberty.
TO THOSE WHO REALIZE THEIR CHRISTIAN LIBERTY
As for those of us who realize our Christian liberty, we must remember that Paul gives us a strong warning that we not “wound our brother’s weak conscience” in allowing our freedom to be a “stumblingblock.” Let us remember that if our brother falls into sin because of our liberty, we will be held accountable. Because the privilege of Christian liberty is great, the responsibility that accompanies it is equally great.
If you realize your Christian liberty, I think that is great. But it is your obligation to be mindful of others. Suppose you meet up with a Christian friend whom you have not seen in a great while. Suppose you offer to buy his or her lunch. If you know that your Christian friend does not like to eat at places that serve alcohol, can’t you forfeit your Christian liberty for a meal in order to have fellowship with a Christian brother or sister? Why demand that the two of you eat lunch at Tumbleweed if you know it bothers them? Why not eat somewhere you know they will enjoy? Isn’t that the Christian thing to do? While we value our Christian liberty, we should value our brothers and sisters in Christ far more.
TO THOSE WHO ARE BOTHERED BY US WHO ENJOY OUR CHRISTIAN LIBERTY
Now, I want to give a closing word to those who are bothered by us who enjoy our Christian liberty. I have the liberty to eat at a restaurant that serves alcohol; to wear a necktie; to have a Facebook account; and to access the internet. If you are bothered by any of these, then I am talking to you.
First, if you claim to offended by someone using such liberties as I mentioned, then you should be aware of the Biblical term “offend.” If you claim to be offended by my necktie, then you are claiming that my necktie is causing you to stumble into sin. You should know that, if this is the case, you hold a good deal of responsibility for your stumbling into sin. We should never let anything cause us to sin. “If your right eye offend thee, pluck it out.” We should never let anything come between us and God.
Second, if you are bothered by the above-mentioned liberties of mine, let me say that the Bible says you are weak, and you have an obligation to become strong (Ephesians 6:10). I can be patient with someone who thinks that wearing a necktie is a sin, if they were converted in the last three months. But if you have been saved for over five years, and you still think that taking a necktie off makes a person more spiritual, then you are extremely malnourished. Spiritually speaking, you are “skin and bones.”
Third, let me make a statement that I made in my previous post. If you wish to forfeit your Christian liberty, please note two things. First, be aware that “stricter” does not mean “more spiritual.” As a matter of fact, the Corinthians who could eat meat sacrificed to idols were the strong Christians, while the Corinthians who abstained from meat were the weak ones. Also, keep in mind that no sect anywhere is as strict as the Pharisees of Christ’s day. Yet no sect anywhere is as hell-bound as the Pharisees were (Matthew 23:33). Second, when you forfeit your Christian liberty in order to be stricter, do not become angry with other Christians who choose to enjoy their Christian liberty.
