Law, Liberty & Love

Bob Loudermilk

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At first glance, law, liberty, and love may sound like three words pulling in different directions.

Law can feel strict, while liberty feels like freedom. And love? Love sounds warm and, well, emotional.

But in Christ, these three do not fight against each other. They harmonize. When we understand how law, liberty, and love fit together, confusion begins to clear, division begins to decrease, and spiritual maturity begins to grow.

In our past two studies, Mike Criswell helped us understand that love is THE pattern. Not just one pattern among many, but the great pattern that must shape everything else. This week’s study builds on that foundation and helps us understand the power of love when sincere Christians within a congregation disagree.

LAW

The New Testament teaches us that we are no longer under the Law of Moses. That law had a purpose, but it was never intended to be the final answer. Paul explained that by the law came the knowledge of sin. In that sense, the law was like a mirror. A mirror can show you dirt on your face, but it cannot wash your face. The Law of Moses exposed sin, diagnosed the problem, and pointed people toward the need for something greater. That “something greater” was Christ.

The law was a tutor, a guardian, leading humanity to Jesus. It prepared the way for the better covenant, built on better promises. The law could reveal sin, but it could not remove it. It could show the need for forgiveness, but it could not provide the full cleansing found in Christ.

This was the great issue in Acts 15. Some wanted to drag Christians back under the Law of Moses, insisting that Gentile believers must be circumcised and keep the law to be saved. But Peter made the matter clear: “Why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?” (Acts 15:10)

Salvation is through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace—not Sinai—saves.

But that raises another question. If we are not under the Law of Moses, does that mean we are lawless? Not at all.

Christ fulfilled and replaced the old covenant, but He did not abolish authority. The New Testament speaks of being under “the law of Christ.” We are called to receive the implanted word, to be doers of the word and not hearers only, and to keep His commandments—not as a crushing burden, but as the natural response of faith and love.

LIBERTY

This is where liberty enters the picture. The gospel frees us from condemnation. It frees us from the Law of Moses as a system of justification. It frees us from the curse of sin and gives us new life in Christ. 

But liberty is not license. Christian freedom does not mean that I can live however I want. It means, rather, that I have been freed from condemnation so that I can now live for Christ.

Freedom is not the removal of authority. It is the removal of condemnation.

Imagine a prisoner who is pardoned. He is not set free so he can go back and commit more crimes. He is set free so he can live a new life. That is the beauty of liberty in Christ. We are not liberated to serve ourselves. We are liberated to serve God.

And that brings us to the highest principle…

LOVE

Love is what ties everything together. Love does not cancel truth, and it does not ignore God’s commands. Love does not pretend doctrine is unimportant. But love governs how we use our knowledge, how we exercise our freedom, and how we treat one another when we differ.

First Corinthians 8 gives us a powerful case study. In Corinth, Christians were struggling over meat offered to idols. Some understood that an idol was nothing. Their knowledge was correct. They knew they had liberty. But others, because of their past association with idolatry, had a weak conscience. To them, eating that meat felt like returning to idol worship.

So what did Paul do? Did he say that truth, the conscience, and liberty are not important. Of course not. Instead, he showed that love must govern them all.

Paul went so far as to say that if food caused his brother to stumble, he would never eat meat again. That is not weakness. That is spiritual strength. The strongest person in the room is not always the one who can defend his liberty the loudest. Sometimes the strongest person in the room is the one who can surrender a liberty for the spiritual good of someone else.

That is the heart of Christian maturity.

In every congregation, there will be moments when brethren disagree. Some disagreements involve matters God has clearly revealed. In those cases, love obeys truth. Other disagreements involve judgment, conscience, tradition, or personal liberty. In those cases, love refuses to divide over what God has not bound.

Law teaches us that God has authority. Liberty reminds us that Christ has set us free. Love shows us how to use that freedom for the good of others.

When law, liberty, and love are held together, the church grows stronger. Truth is honored, and freedom is protected. Consciences are respected, and unity is preserved. And Christ is glorified.

Watch the bible recording online at: biblestudyworldwide.com/study-recordings