In the past few days, I have had at least four meaningful interactions that have all hit on the same theme: The Liberty of Christ working in our conscience. I did not have a definition for this idea until I opened the famous devotional by Oswald Chambers and read his entry today in My Utmost for His Highest. Here it is:
Liberty and the Standards of JesusStand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free . . . —Galatians 5:1A spiritually-minded person will never come to you with the demand— “Believe this and that”; a spiritually-minded person will demand that you align your life with the standards of Jesus. We are not asked to believe the Bible, but to believe the One whom the Bible reveals (see John 5:39-40). We are called to present liberty for the conscience of others, not to bring them liberty for their thoughts and opinions. And if we ourselves are free with the liberty of Christ, others will be brought into that same liberty— the liberty that comes from realizing the absolute control and authority of Jesus Christ.
Always measure your life solely by the standards of Jesus. Submit yourself to His yoke, and His alone; and always be careful never to place a yoke on others that is not of Jesus Christ. It takes God a long time to get us to stop thinking that unless everyone sees things exactly as we do, they must be wrong. That is never God’s view. There is only one true liberty— the liberty of Jesus at work in our conscience enabling us to do what is right.
Don’t get impatient with others. Remember how God dealt with you— with patience and with gentleness. But never water down the truth of God. Let it have its way and never apologize for it. Jesus said, “Go . . . and make disciples. . .” ( Matthew 28:19 ), not, “Make converts to your own thoughts and opinions.”
Now, as a brief but important disclaimer, I do not like the phrasing “We are not asked to believe the Bible, but to believe the One whom the Bible reveals.” We are, of course, asked to believe the Bible as central to our belief in Christ. There is a unity of the Word of God, the Bible, and the Word of God, Jesus Christ. We see this in John 15:7, where Christ says, “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you” (emphasis added).
But I agree with the larger point Chambers is making. To think rightly, one must “align [one's] life with the standards of Jesus.” This stands in stark contrast to the self-righteousness in us that wants to use isolated Bible passages outside of their redemptive contexts–outside of the love of Christ–to justify one’s own moral regime. Is this not the chief error of fundamentalism, be it Christian, Muslim (when using the Koran), or secular naturalist (when using “science”)? No wonder Chambers supports his position using John 5:39-40:
You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.
When we are wrestling through an issue–and wrestling with another person’s view on an issue–are we primarily looking to advance our opinions, or to advance the Lordship of Christ into every area of our conscience?
For the frontline leader, I believe this means one should be characterized by a liberty of conscience that makes all those around you feel the freedom to walk in the light of this liberty, even through disagreement on particular issues. Consider the patience of Christ with His disciples. Consider His patience with us. May our aim be “Truth with Love.”