Christian Freedom - Conclusion

It is the work of those whom Christ has brought into the enjoyment of this high and glorious privilege to maintain it: 'Stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free' (Gal. 5.1). there are two chief things which Christ has entrusted to us, and we are to preserve them inviolate. The first is Christian faith: 'See that ye earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints' (Jude 3). The second is Christian liberty: 'Stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free'. Every man should be faithful in those things which are entrusted to him, and God has entrusted the Christian man with precious things. Christian faith and Christian liberty are alike precious, and how careful we should be to maintain them! Civil liberties and liberty to go where we will are very precious. How much we engage ourselves just now in defense of our liberties and freedoms against those who would deprive us of them! And indeed they may justly be esteemed men of abject minds who would on any account at all forego their freedoms and liberties. (pg. 218)

...if civil freedom is so precious and is to be maintained, how much more is spiritual freedom, the freedom wherewith Christ makes a man free? A freedom dearly purchased by the blood of Christ! We esteem our civil freedom the better as we remember that it cost so much of the blood of our ancestors to obtain it. It would be baseness in us to be careless of that which cost them their blood. How much more then should we esteem our freedom which was purchased by the precious blood of Christ! You are redeemed, not by silver and gold, but by the blood of Christ, says the apostle. Our freedom is dearly bought, mercifully revealed, freely bestowed, and fully conveyed to us by the Spirit of Christ. We have many and great reasons therefore for maintaining it, and for keeping ourselves clear of the yoke of bondage. (pg. 219)

I am afraid today that there is too much of the baseness and lack of care that Bolton describes, and that men are willing to sell their freedom for a mess of pottage. It appears that neither civil freedom nor spiritual freedom are appreciated, and that the cost in blood, both of our ancestors and that of Christ, is forgotten in our obsession with our present material situation.

May God grant that our vision would be made clear, and that the sacrifices that have been made to make us free would once again be valued.

Christian Freedom - Keeping Eternity in Mind

Would you submit to all God's disposings of your affairs? The considerations of heaven and glory will make the believer submit to any thing here. He can be content to be poor, for he knows he shall be rich; to be reproached, for he knows he shall be honored; to be afflicted, for he knows he shall be comforted; to be imprisoned, for he knows he shall be brought to a large place; to sit at Dive's door, for he knows he shall rest in Abraham's bosom; to lose all, for he knows he shall find all hereafter. God will be all, and more than all, to him. He knows that the trialslast but for a little season, a day, an hour, a moment, a small moment. hereafter there are eternal embraces. He can submit to God to work His own work, and to work it in His own way, and after His own manner, if so be He will bring him to glory at last. And he can say, Wlecome that sorrow that presages joy, that trouble that ends in comfort, those crosses that prepare for crownings, and that death which ushers in eternal life. All all this he can do by the consideration of the great and glorious things which God has reserved for him. Hence we see the necessity of having a respect to heaven and glory in our obedience. - Sameuel Bolton, The True Bounds of Christian Freedom, pg. 204-205)

"Only one life, 'twill soon be past, only what's done for Christ will last." - C.T. Studd

"He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep, to keep what he cannot lose" - Jim Elliot

Christian Freedom - Duty, or Delight?

Do I obey because I desire to be pleasing to the God who has made and redeemed me, or do I obey only because it is some onerous duty?

The freeness of the Christian consists in this, that he obeys the commands of God, not only because God has commanded them, but out of principle of love and delight, and because he has within his heart a nature agreeable to the things commanded. He prays because God commands prayer, but not only so. He prays because there is a suitableness between his heart and the work of prayer, between his soul and the duty. He has desires after God, and his soul delights in his approaches to, and his converse with, God. (pg. 147, The True Bounds of Christian Freedom by Samuel Bolton)

Christian Freedom - The Law Cannot Condemn

Good words from this month's Puritan Reading:

Five reasons why the law cannot condemn the believer

(1) Because that court is itself condemned; its curses, judgments, and sentences are made invalid. As men that are condemned have a tongue but no voice, so the law in this case has still a tongue to accuse, but no power to condemn. It cannot fasten condemnation on the believer.

(2) Because he is not under it as a court. He is not under the law as a covenant of life and death. As he is in Christ, he is under the covenant of grace.

(3) Because he is not subject to its condemnation. He is under its guidance, but not under its curses, under its precepts (though not on the legal condition of 'Do this and live'), but not under its penalties.

(4) Because Christ, in his place and stead, was condemned by it that he might be freed: 'Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us' (Gal 3:13). It may condemn sin in us, but cannot condemn us for sin.

(5) Because he has appealed from it. We see this in the case of the publican, who was arrested, dragged into the court of justice, sentenced, and condemned. But this has no force because he makes his appeal, 'God be merciful to me a sinner' (Luke 18:13). He flies to Christ, and says the text, 'he went down to his house justified'. So the court of the law (provided that your appeal is just) cannot condemn, because you have appealed to the court of mercy. (pgs. 32-33)

Christian Freedom - Introductory Post

A new month, a new Puritan Classic.

This month's book, The True Bounds of Christian Freedom, by Samuel Bolton (1606-1654). Two things stand out in the brief biographical information that I linked above:

"His desire to win souls to Christ by preaching was so great" and "He lived as he preached, taught, and wrote". I can think of no better epitaph for any one of us.

It didn't take many pages reading before I found a couple of items worthy of inclusion in this post.

From the Publisher's Introduction: An unbalanced emphasis on grace has led men to neglect certain of the law's various functions. In its accusing and convicting function, the law is a schoolmaster to lead men to Christ. The absence of this dimension in the preaching of today has resulted in a truncated Gospel, rushed conversion work and a shallow religious experience. the law prepares the way for the Gospel and 'a man can never preach the Gospel that makes not way for the Gospel'. (pg. 10. These words were penned, I assume, in 1964. If they were true then, they are doubly true today.)

Also, in the introduction, but from Bolton: 'The law sends us to the Gospel for our justification; the Gospel sends us to the law to frame our way of life.' (pg. 11.)

Chapter One opens (pg. 17) with John 8:36, 'If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed'. I will truly be surprised if we don't eventually get to "For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another" (Galatians 5:13, ESV. Peeking ahead, I find that Bolton addresses this point on page 20!)