Date: 11/20/24
Chapter 20: Christian Freedom and Freedom of Conscience
- I say this all the time, “There’s a vast difference between obeying the law in order to earn God’s love and obeying the law because God loves you.”
- Sproul 437 (all of it)
- We so easily believe that if our conscience is clear, then we have some sort of spiritual enlightenment that others are lacking. Paul says something quite contrary. To the Christians in Corinth he writes, “As for me, it matters very little how I might be evaluated by you or by any human authority. I don’t even trust my own judgment on this point. My conscience is clear, but that doesn’t prove I’m right. It is the Lord himself who will examine me and decide.” – 1 Cor. 4:3-4 NLT
- This goes against the argument commonly put against Reformed theology, which is: If salvation is by grace alone — not earned by our works — then what motivation will people have to fight against sin? Their motivation is that they’ve been saved by grace alone, did not earn it or deserve it, and will respond in obedience to the love that God’s bestowed upon them.
- Sproul 449
- Sproul 451
- Sproul 452 (explaining Romans 14:14-22)
- Sproul 453
- Sproul 454
- This is where things can get messy; especially in a country like the US where we highly value our independence and, on the negative side, have a natural cultural disposition against authority. Yet all authority, according to Scripture, is put in place by God. As long as what the authority asks you to do is not sinful, then we are to obey.
- A hopefully non-controversial example: If the governing authority decided that all speed limits will now be 25 miles per hour — even on I75, Tiffin Avenue, you name the road — 25 miles per hour is the limit — we’re to obey the law. We don’t get to say, “Well that’s an absolutely ridiculous law…I will not obey it.” The authorities are not asking us to sin by driving 25 miles per hour on all roads. Now, in our country, we also have the privilege of voting on our elected officials, which is our way of saying, “We don’t like your laws.” But we must be very careful when we choose to disobey a law of the government; especially if we’re not being asked to sin.”
- Sproul 457