“I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive.
As believers, we live in the Church dispensation and we are not under the Law but under grace. Unlike all other religions, including many denominations in Christendom, we do not have to do certain things or abstain from other things in order to please our God. All we have to do to please God is to trust in Jesus as our Savior, by grace, through faith, knowing that He is God and that He rewards all who diligently seek Him. We do not have a series of do’s and don’ts to comply with as believers, but we do have the Word of God that outlines all that He expects from His children. His plan is that the new-life-in-Christ that we received when we were born again, grows in grace and in a knowledge of Jesus. And that the beautiful character of Jesus is formed in us, as we live our lives in spirit and truth by submitting to the leading and guiding of the Holy Spirit within. The liberty that we have in the Church dispensation causes some believers to worry that Christians who do not have a series of do’s and don’ts to comply with in the Christian life, are likely to think that our liberty is a licence to sin. “May it never be!” would be Paul’s vehement reaction, and should be the counteraction of all that are one with Christ. God is holy, and His children should be holy too, set apart to do His bidding. But God desires that we live holy lives in the liberty of our free-will, and not by having to comply with restrictive rules of legalism…and the Word of God is our guide. There is much guidance to believers who live in the Church age on how to conduct our lives in a way that is pleasing to God. A brief look at the gracious life of the Lord Jesus, Whose prayer was always “Thy will not mine be done,” together with a study of the directives of Paul in his Church epistles, tells us very plainly how God expects each of His children to conduct their lives. Believers are one in Christ and should encourage and enlighten each other. The liberty we have should not be a stumbling block to other believers: “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive. Let us live holy lives that are well pleasing to the Lord so that all we say and do is helpful and uplifting to the Body of Christ. And as we walk in newness of life, may we grow more like Jesus, day by day.
Spiritual Steve 