Topical Bible: Christian Liberty is Freedom From: The Law

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Christian liberty, as understood within the framework of the New Testament, signifies the believer's freedom from the Mosaic Law as a means of justification and sanctification. This concept is rooted in the teachings of the Apostle Paul, who emphasized that faith in Jesus Christ liberates believers from the legalistic constraints of the Old Covenant.

Biblical Foundation

The Apostle Paul addresses the concept of Christian liberty extensively in his epistles. In Galatians 5:1, he writes, "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not be encumbered once more by a yoke of slavery." Here, Paul contrasts the freedom found in Christ with the "yoke of slavery," referring to the legalistic adherence to the Mosaic Law.

In Romans 7:6, Paul further explains, "But now, having died to what bound us, we have been released from the law, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code." This passage highlights the transition from the old covenant of the law to the new covenant of the Spirit, underscoring the believer's release from the law's binding authority.

The Role of the Law

While the law served as a guide and tutor leading to Christ (Galatians 3:24), it was never intended to be the means of salvation. Romans 3:20 states, "Therefore no one will be justified in His sight by works of the law. For the law merely brings awareness of sin." The law reveals humanity's sinful nature and the need for a Savior, but it cannot provide the righteousness required for salvation.

Freedom in Christ

Christian liberty is not a license to sin but a call to live by the Spirit. Galatians 5:13 warns, "For you, brothers, were called to freedom; but do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh. Rather, serve one another in love." This freedom empowers believers to live righteously, motivated by love and guided by the Holy Spirit, rather than by the letter of the law.

Paul further elaborates in Romans 8:2, "For in Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set you free from the law of sin and death." This freedom is characterized by a life led by the Spirit, resulting in the fruit of the Spirit as opposed to the works of the flesh (Galatians 5:19-23).

Implications for Believers

The freedom from the law does not negate the moral and ethical teachings of the Old Testament but reinterprets them through the lens of Christ's fulfillment of the law. Jesus Himself stated in Matthew 5:17, "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them." Believers are called to uphold the moral imperatives of the law, not as a means of earning salvation, but as a response to the grace received through faith in Christ.

In summary, Christian liberty as freedom from the law is a foundational aspect of the believer's identity in Christ. It emphasizes the transition from the old covenant of legalism to the new covenant of grace, where believers are empowered by the Holy Spirit to live lives that reflect the character of Christ.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Romans 7:6
But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Romans 8:2
For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

On Christian Liberty
... We circumscribe Christian liberty within four ranks or degrees ... The First degree consists
in a freedom from the guilt ... we could not be absolved by the law of Moses ...
/.../the works of james arminius vol 1/disputation 20 on christian liberty.htm

The Jewish Christian Theology --I. James and the Gospel of Law.
... points to the harmony, the qualifying "perfect" and "liberty" to the ... establishes
the law on the basis of freedom, and sums up the whole Christian life in ...
/.../history of the christian church volume i/section 69 the jewish christian.htm

The Law of Christian Conscience.
... to them as it did, as a law of Christian liberty. ... Thus this liberty became to them
almost all"they ... to extravagance"they rejoiced in their freedom from the ...
/.../robertson/sermons preached at brighton/xvi the law of christian.htm

"For the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus Hath Made Me ...
... the spirit from the law of sin. These jointly help one another. Freedom from death
will raise up a Christian's heart to aspire to a freedom and liberty from sin ...
/.../binning/the works of the rev hugh binning/sermon ix for the law.htm

Twentieth Day. Holiness and Liberty.
... in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin ... the Spirit of the Lord is,
there is liberty.' As the ... of God in Christ, our faith in the freedom from sin ...
/.../murray/holy in christ/twentieth day holiness and liberty.htm

The Two Covenants --In Christian Experience
... to good with a walk in the liberty and the ... for the maintenance and the growth of
their Christian life to ... law, freed from the law"about the freedom with which ...
/.../murray/the two covenants/chapter v the two covenantsin.htm

Freedom in the Truth
... no such liberty. You must be the servant of something. You must be under the authority
of your law, or your superstition, or your God, or yourself. Freedom on ...
/.../peabody/mornings in the college chapel/lxxviii freedom in the truth.htm

Of Christian Liberty.
... for us." "Stand fast, therefore, in the liberty wherewith Christ ... of a higher order
than freedom from ceremonies. ... to bring back into the Christian Church those ...
/.../the institutes of the christian religion/chapter 19 of christian liberty.htm

Concerning Christian Liberty
... from all law, and in perfect freedom does gratuitously ... the law, when He was not under
the law. ... is attained, and thus utterly do away with Christian liberty. ...
/.../luther/concerning christian liberty/concerning christian liberty.htm

Concerning Christian Liberty
... from all law, and in perfect freedom does gratuitously ... the law, when He was not under
the law. ... is attained, and thus utterly do away with Christian liberty. ...
/.../luther/first principles of the reformation/concerning christian liberty.htm