A great post over at The Institute for Faith Work and Economics by Art Lindsley. He begins: The predominant note of the New Testament is not political freedom but freedom in Christ from bondage to sin, the Law, Satan, the old man, and death. It is not that political freedom or freedom from slavery was unimportant, but […]
Understanding Christian Freedom
It is incredibly important for Christians to understand the doctrine of Christian freedom. John Calvin said that if you don’t understand the doctrine of Christian freedom, it shows that you don’t understand the doctrine of justification either. For the doctrine of justification necessarily leads to the doctrine of Christian freedom. Here is a great initial summary […]
The Problem With Making Christianity Be About Rules
There are three problems with seeing Christianity primarily in terms of following rules. First, this notion is just wrong. Second, it obscures the fact that the solution to our problem is not following rules, but forgiveness. Third, it gives the impression, as William Wilberforce said, that Christianity is “a system of prohibitions rather than privileges […]
Christianity is a Religion of Joy, Not Prohibitions
William Wilberforce, in A Practical View of Christianity: My grand objection to the religious system still held by many who declare themselves orthodox Churchmen…is, that it tends to render Christianity so much a system of prohibitions rather than of privilege and hopes, and thus the injunction to rejoice, so strongly enforced in the NT, is […]