Law and Liberty
There are many reasons people give for not becoming Christians.
Mostly, they all boil down to not wanting to give up freedom and being bound to
the Law of Christ. They see the life of a Christian as a rather restrictive and
therefore unhappy and dull existence.
And they are right, at least a little bit right, but they are much, much more
wrong than right. They are correct that being a Christian restricts one to
living according to the will of Christ. Jesus insisted that His disciples “do
the things that (He) said” and “keep (His) commandments.” But the Bible refers
to His commandments, or law, as the “perfect law of liberty” and “the truth that
makes you free” (James 1:25; John 8:32).
Many of us are accustomed to thinking that the more law there is, the less free
we are. But law and liberty are not necessarily opposed to one another. In fact,
good law enhances and promotes both liberty, happiness and well being. God’s Law
is good! It is only bad laws that deter from freedom. And no law at all breeds
insecurity and anarchy.
Think about it. Would any of us feel freer and happier if we had no law at all?
Would be feel safe driving down the road or walking down the street. Are people
who live in lawless places really happier? Not at all. They are miserable.
Again, good law promotes happiness.
Christ’s law is good! His commandments are not unwise or arbitrary - they are
designed to make life more complete; to give security and to give us the best
possible in the widest set of circumstances that we may face in this life… to
give us an abundant life (John 10:10). As the Bible says; “For this is the love
of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.”
(1 John 5:3).
By Jon W. Quinn
The Final Page 18.5
From Expository Files 18.5; May 2011
