Therefore
submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the
king as supreme, or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the
punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good. For this is
the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of
foolish men— as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as
bondservants of God. Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the
king. – 1 Peter 2.13-17
0nd of the great blessings
we have in Christ is our liberty. No longer bound hungry law we are now free to
serve in liberty. We must live Holy lives and there are several ways we are
instructed to do that in the Bible.
But other than clear Bible
teaching we are free from rules and regulations. If the Bible doesn’t say it or
at least imply it we are free to make our own choices. Paul uses the
illustration of foods sacrificed to idols. He also mentions certain foods or
observing certain days.
In these areas and others we
have the liberty to choose for ourselves what we are going to do.
There is though another
factor to consider. We need to consider how our choices are going to affect
others. We can’t just think about us. My liberty really is not worth causing my
brother to stumble. That doesn’t mean I have to bend to every whim of some
persnickety brother who is looking 6o be offended. It means that I need to be
aware of what truly offends and then choose not to flaunt by liberty.
For example, l like black
pudding. Some brethren thank it is a sin to eat it because it is made from
blood. I have the liberty to eat it, but if I know it offends him and I am
eating breakfast with him I just skip it that morning.
It’s no big deal. If my
choice is going to cause a brother to sin, I avoid it. It is not worth hurting
my brother for a bit of pudding.
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