Our obligation

"Freedom isn't free." I've seen that phrase many times on car bumper stickers and t-shirts and I totally get the meaning behind it. In order for us to fully understand the freedom that we enjoy as American citizens we must also understand the incredible sacrifice given by many men and women over the years to ensure that we keep those freedoms. Whether you are a military buff or a pacifist, you can't ignore the fact that you wouldn't be where you are today without the blood and sweat of our military.

The kingdom of God operates by a similar principle yet the sacrifice given was one that we could never hope to offer for ourselves. When Jesus offered up His life on the cross, His death not only conquered sin and death but it truly set us free to live for God in ways that we could never imagine. If you are a follower of Christ, you now live not by some standard of works that you hope might gain you access to God but rather you live in the reality of God's presence everyday, doing your good works as a response to the righteousness that He has been won for you. You are free indeed from legalism and moralistic religion that demands that you continue to follow some man-made code in order to earn your merit with God.

But this freedom that we have in Christ isn't free either. In fact, with this freedom comes a pretty heavy obligation to our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. Paul addressed this in his letters (Romans 14 and 1 Corinthians 8 are the primary passages) and his point was clear: We do have freedom in Christ but this freedom does not give us carte blanche to live however we desire. Let me explain.

Within the greater body of Christ there are all kinds of people who have come from a plethora of various backgrounds. There are recovering addicts, convicted felons, those who have grown up in the church, and those who have come to Christ later in life just to name a few. With so many differences in play, it only makes sense that not every believer will view the issues the same way. Paul warned the church in Corinth to not "argue about doubtful issues"; in other words, when the issue at hand is a matter of personal preference and conscience, then it should not be something that causes battle lines to be drawn in the body of Christ. He does not write these words in reference to the core doctrines of the faith. Rather, he writes in reference to areas of interpretation and liberty.

Here is a simple (and certainly not an exhaustive) illustration. Let's say that I enjoy going to movies. I realize that there are many movies out there that are not exactly wholesome so I do my homework and choose to only go to those movies that I believe are okay for me to see. I therefore choose to avoid R-rated movies and, unless the previews reveal otherwise, I believe it is within my freedom and conscience to view PG-13 rated movies. Now I have a friend, a fellow believer, whose perspective is very different than mine. His background is such that movies and their content were a great struggle to him. Therefore, his conviction leads him to see nothing above a G rating when it comes to going to the movies. We decide to go out one night and catch a movie and I decide that the movie I want to see is rated PG-13. He then shares with me his convictions about movies and that he does not watch PG-13 movies. What should happen next?

There are several options available to choose from:

• Convince him that it's not that bad and we go see the movie anyways
• Get angry and accuse him of being legalistic
• Tell him to watch whatever he wants to and then go see the PG-13 movie without him
• Respect his conviction as a fellow brother in Christ and go see a movie that both of us can agree upon

In the passages from Romans 14 and 1 Corinthians 8, Paul lays out a groundwork for believers to follow in just such cases. Summing up these passages, when it comes to issues where believers cannot agree on permissibility, here are some questions to ask:

• Am I fully convince this is okay for me to do?
• Can I do as unto the Lord?
• If I engage in this activity, will it put a stumbling block in that path of my brother or sister in Christ?
• Does this activity promote peace between me and my brother?
• Does this activity build up my brother?
• Do I find myself shrouded in doubt when I engage in this activity? (i.e., if there is doubt, then don't)

Maybe all of this sounds too simplistic or you feel that it hints too much at compromise in your faith. The activities that one believer feels free to engage in you may find offensive. But that's exactly why we are given such guidelines to help aid our Christian conduct. We aren't in this for ourselves. Our lives must be lived in conjunction with our fellow believers, and in doing so we must do all that we can to not fall into sin by totally disregarding the rest of the body of Christ with our decisions.

Yet there is still one criterion that I have saved for last, one that overshadows all of the above guidelines. This one principle must be the primary truth that we factor into every single decision that we make when it comes to our behavior and decisions, and it's found in 1 Corinthians 10:31, "Therefore, whether you eat or drink, whatever you do, do everything for God's glory." Our primary obligation is to live lives that glorify God in everything. When we do that, we will not have to worry as often as to whether or not our freedom is offensive or a cause for stumbling to our fellow brothers in Christ.