Thoughts on Freedom in Christ from Romans 14

Freedom in Christ does not allow us to live however we want, but brings us to a place of allowing our freedom to be an expression of our faith in Christ.

*14:1-12—Both “strong” and “weak” Christians need to stop condemning each other because it is the Lord, and he alone, who has the right to access the believer’s status and conduct. (by Douglas Moo)

If our convictions are lead by the Spirit and are a means to our ultimate worship of Christ, that is what matters. In the end I will give an account for my lift not the life of the person next to me (14:12).

Rom 14:6
6 The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God.

*14:13-23—The “strong” Christians must be careful not to cause the “weak” Christians to suffer spiritual harm by their insistence on exercising their liberty on disputed matters. For such instance violates the essence of the kingdom, which is to manifest love and concern for one another. (by Douglas Moo)

We get so caught up on insignificant matters of life that we make ultimate, things that were never intended to be such.

Rom 14:17
For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

We so often fail at walking in the power of the Spirit (Rom 8) that it’s no wonder we pursue and fight for the things that have such little significance. Are these things such idols in our lives that we can’t set them aside for a time? Yet we are driven by the material, rather than by the eternal. We have made the Kingdom to be about food and drink rather than about the gospel. Are we more concerned with fighting for our freedom that we neglect dying to ourselves (Luke 9:23) and “pursuing what makes for peach and for mutual upbuilding” (v.19) for that time. How true is verse 20, that for the sake of “food” we so often destroy the work of God.” The gospel is not a matter of mere behavior modification, but a heart that is changed by the cross, that is filled with the Spirit, and that leads us to live differently in light of those things. Our purpose then becomes Christ and Christ alone. The freedoms that I have don’t govern and drive my life, but it’s Christ that governs and drives my freedoms.

So the gut-checking question comes out of verse 23. Is the exercise of your freedom birthed out of a faith in the gospel, a faith that knows its free acceptance in the cross of Christ alone, not your behavior (for that would be salvation by works)? Or is the exercise of your freedom rooted in simply an attempt to show that you’re free, absent of any expression of faith or life that has been changed by the power of the gospel.

The amazing thing about the gospel is that is totally changes the motivation and purpose of how we live. The gospel say -- I am more sinful and depraved than I ever thought possible, yet I am more accepted and loved than I ever dared believe. And this reality brings us to a place of putting no weight in our spiritual performance (or lack thereof) as a means of being accepted by God. In the same way, there is nothing Mikail (my daughter) can do to gain or lose my love--She will always have my absolute love and affection as my daughter. When we understand the gospel in this way, it will revolutionize our motivation for living. It will change how we view our sin and God’s grace. It will change how we view our freedom. Our response, then, to a cross-centered gospel will be a faith-centered life. As it says in Col 2:6 – “Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him.” I came to Christ by the power of God birthing faith in my heart. I live for Christ, by the power of God continually birthing faith in my heart; and his Spirit living in out through me as I live my life on a mission to show the world the gospel. This will restore and revitalize how we view freedom.

1 Cor 10:31
31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.


Would love to hear your thoughts!!! Please comment! Hopefully more to come from Romans 15.

She's gonna be a runner!

 

Super Summer

For the past 2 weeks, I had the opportunity to be a Team Leader at Super Summer (Summer camp for Baptist kids). It was an incredible time watching the Lord do some amazing things in the lives of students, but also in the lives of leaders. My responsibility was teaching and leadership over the 9th graders (10th if you ask them). I was given 7 college students as small group leaders that I would directly pour into as they built more personal relationships with the students. I love hanging out with college student and pouring the gospel into them. It was awesome to see God work in their lives too. We saw a number of students surrender their lives to Christ and I wanted to share one specific story that I personally was involved in. This student, Jake, attended an evangelism seminar by Bob Caldwell to learn to share his faith. Bob gave an invitation to receive Christ (how ironic is that) and Jake expressed that he had never put his faith in Christ. I talk with him about it over dinner and he had a ton of questions. It was awesome to see his eagerness to get answers. He actually told me, "I don't have enough time to sit around and not find answers to my questions." I thought that we incredible. He told me that at one dark point in his life he tried to commit suicide but looked at himself in the mirror and realize that there was a greater purpose for his life (He didn’t know at the time that it was Jesus :) ). That night during an invitation to receive Christ, Jake stood up and went with the youth pastor he came with and received council. He was still seeking, still with some doubt but another step closer to having his soul saved. The next night he came forward to get prayer and I went off with him and we spend 20 minutes looking at the Scriptures and the meaning of the cross. The whole time he was literally shaking. He told me he had felt weird ever since he came to super summer, just something inside him wasn’t right. I told him it was the Spirit of God drawing Jake to Himself. That night Jake surrendered his life to Jesus. It was amazing! I’m blown away that the Lord allows us to be apart of the power of His gospel bringing a person from death to Life. Later on I received a letter from Jake that I want to share:

Dave, thank you so much for everything. I don’t think I can ever repay you for all you’ve done. Never have I shed so many tears and questioned so much and in the end give all that up. There is a song from Flyleaf called “All Around Me” and it’s about the feelings I was having and before this camp it was just a song and the lyrics were cool, but now that I’ve had that feeling it means so much to me. And every time I hear that song I’ll think of that night when I was standing there at the worship and the power of God called me. It was a rush of indescribable emotions. And I’ll think of sitting in that hallway, crying, shaking, and listening, and giving myself to Him with your help. So I want you to find that song and listen to it. I’ll keep you in my prayers. Thank you! Jake, Finally unleashed and free!

Praise God!!! I am blown away every time I read that! The power of God in a person’s life is unstoppable. John 6:44 says, “Anyone who comes to the Father must first be drawn by Him.” How true is that in Jake’s life!! I immediately purchased the song on iTunes and WOW. What a cool story and words that describe it so well. I never want to stop being around God’s activity in the world. His gospel is supreme and his changing lives. How foolish are we to sit around and not be a part of it. God has called every one of his Children to live lives on mission for his Name and renown. Might in the end our prayer be 2 Cor 4:5, “For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.”