Freedomism

Self control has to do with the right use of knowledge and our impact on the conscience of others. It is a problem to be confronted by both legalists and freedomists. The legalist must recognize his error of loading the conscience with matters from which the Scripture sets it free. This gets a lot of exposure recently. For the most part I want to address the error of freedomism. That is, lowering the truth of our freedom in Christ to a calling to eat, drink and be merry, and, at the same time, raising it to a worldview which defines the Gospel. From where I sit, freedomism, not legalism, is the unaddressed elephant in the room of twenty-first century, Western Christianity. That is why I suggest the word freedomism.

The term, “Legalism,” enjoys a widespread popularity in the English language. It is in the working vocabulary of both Christian and pagan culture. However, the terms “antinomianism,” and “libertarianism,” and others of that ilk are not readily in the living imagery of the culture. Therefore, I suggest the word freedomism. It pulls us out of the foggy realm of Latin and Greek and gives the man on the street a worldview term with which he can identify.

The seriousness of freedomism has weighed on my thinking as I have remembered a friend’s remark several years back. In a predictably off-handed way I said “good bye” by saying, “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t.” His equally off-handed reply was, “Well, that doesn’t close many doors.”

Honestly, I hope that is not true of me. The reason is, between the errors of legalism and freedomism is the biblical mandate for ... are you ready for this?

Self-denial.

"If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself 

and take up his cross daily and follow me.”

The third in the Withered Grape series: an examination of self control and its place in twenty-first century Christian circles.

Previous articles in this series.

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