by Elias Aslaksen
Chapter 1
Introduction
Nothing can be more misunderstood than Christian liberty. We have no cause to doubt the fact that we are called to liberty, but what this liberty does and does not consist of is and remains the great question.
Opinions differ vastly on this subject; therefore, it lies heavily upon my heart to write this little pamphlet in order to make quite clear what true Christian liberty is.
In contrast to this true liberty, to which we are called, all else is false liberty or slavery.
Chapter 2
Freedom from committing sin
John 8:31-36
To sin—to commit sin—is to do what we know beforehand to be against God’s Word and will. It is to fall in temptation. It is perfectly clear from these verses in John that Christ will set us free from sinning—entirely! This means that we will always live a victorious life; and we can’t imagine a more glorious liberty than that. Always victorious! Never sinning! The opposite of being free is being enslaved, and Jesus says, “. . . every one who commits sin is a slave to sin.”
Chapter 3
Freedom from the old man, from our self after the flesh
Romans 6:6, Galatians 2:20, 5:24, 6:14
All conscious sin comes from the old man. The usual thing is that believers sin and are forgiven, sin again and are forgiven; and this can go on as long as they live. The old man is alive and well and at work; thus they commit sin upon sin. Many talk about their old man as if it were quite natural that he should still be alive, and as if he will always continue to be so. In other words, they think and speak in pure unbelief of the Word that tells us that our old man was crucified with Christ. By faith in this Word, we can be rid of our old man forever and be rid of his works as well, which the Bible calls the works of the flesh. (Galatians 5:19.) Glorious liberty! Glorious life of victory!
Chapter 4
“You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of men.”
1 Corinthians 7:23
It is completely unworthy of us to be servants of men, to allow ourselves to be dominated by others. Sirach says, “Let neither wife nor child nor brother have power over you as long as you live!”
Glorious liberty! Freedom from letting yourself be dominated by others, freedom from their dictatorship!
This is a vast area. It often happens that one person allows himself to be dominated by another person. One person is usually a strong personality, and the other is weak. The weaker person likes to have help, and the strong one wants to help. However, instead of this being done in a Christian way, it often happens that the stronger person dominates the weaker person to such an extent that it is as though the strong person is the master and the weak person is his dog. I once had occasion to contribute to the liberation of a God-fearing sister from a domineering woman. It was a wonderful, marvelous experience, and the liberated soul has in truth become a precious sister in the Lord.
One of the sinful tendencies of human beings is just this: they allow themselves to be controlled by others. It just seems to make things a little easier if someone else makes all the decisions. Both parties—in this case, the person dominating and the person being dominated—are controlled by sin! Our wonderful calling is to be really free—free from being or ever becoming a slave to any other human being.
This matter of dominating others is not limited to control of just one person. Some people set themselves up as lords and rulers over whole groups. It even happens that a woman, single or married, can be a dictator over an entire church or assembly, or even an entire organization which might include many groups. This is absolutely contrary to the clear teaching of the Scriptures.
A particularly deceitful and sinister method used by some people to control the Lord’s people is the misuse of prophecy, tongues, and interpretations. Instead of bringing a message from God by means of these gifts, they give expression to their own personal wishes and desires. Many people are so naive and so ignorant of the teaching of the Scriptures that they don’t dare to think that there could be anything wrong with a prophecy or tongue in Jesus’ name. Instead of proving what has been said, as the Scriptures plainly exhort, people bow blindly to anything that is uttered, simply because it has been said in the name of Jesus.
In this way, they open themselves to being captured and bound by anything and everything. There’s almost no end to what people will obediently do, even when it is utterly contrary to the Scriptures.
Whatever the situation, people are helpless prey when they don’t have a thorough knowledge of God’s Word.
Chapter 5
“Not as domineering over those in your charge . . .”
1 Peter 5:3
This is indeed a glorious liberty—free from dominating other people! It is just as wicked to dominate others as it is to let yourself be dominated by others. It is good to let the light shine, and it is especially good to exhort people to what is good. However, one must entirely abstain from deciding for them. Every individual must have perfect freedom to decide for himself. Let us have full respect for this liberty!
Chapter 6
Liberty to do as much good as you want
James 1:25 and 2:12
This, too, is a precious and wonderful liberty. Free to really revel in doing good! You are free to serve and to give as much as you like. Just think if this should be prohibited! All those who really love to do good with all their hearts would feel like they were in a straightjacket, yes, in painful slavery. Praise God for this glorious liberty! Sin is the great hindrance. When the hindrance is taken away, things go full-steam ahead!
Chapter 7
Liberty to serve in the meeting
2 Corinthians 3:17, 1 Corinthians 14:26
On this point, practically speaking, every church or assembly in the whole world has failed. It is extremely difficult to find one single assembly on the face of the whole earth where this liberty is given and practiced to the fullest extent. This is a shameful blot on so-called Christendom, and there is no excuse for it whatsoever. The Scriptures are clear enough! In Ephesians 4 we also see that all the saints are to be equipped for the work of ministry, instead of being little more than the pew-fillers they are now. The fact is, that if this liberty were practiced, many errors and mistakes would be made. And then, lacking wisdom, love, patience, and forbearance, the leaders would not be able to bear with all the imperfection and the deviation from the ideal, nor would they be able to help those in error. There would be nothing else to do (if the leader himself did not come into great need over his own lack) than to curtail and forbid the liberty of the entire assembly—which is generally what has been done, completely or almost completely, everywhere.
Consequently, we have organized churches and pastors, instead of members of the body of Christ who serve one another. To curtail or eliminate this wonderful liberty that Christ has given us, and the possibility of growth that it affords, is a scandalous shame.
Chapter 8
Freedom from bondage under the law
Romans 7:6, Galatians 2:4-5, 5:1 and 13
There are several ways of being in bondage under the law. You can be in bondage under the old covenant, in bondage under the laws and rules given by those who are set over you, or in bondage to the laws which you have in your own conscience. Bondage consists of feeling that you must live according to these laws even if you have neither the love nor the power to keep them. If, however, you are zealous in this bondage, the law will be your schoolmaster to lead you to Christ. Christ will then give you both the love and the power to do what you know you should, and so you will be set free from being in bondage under the law. Then the perfect laws of the new covenant will be written in your heart and mind (Hebrews 10:16), and you will come under the law of Christ. (1 Corinthians 9:21.) Then you will be able to rejoice, because you are free from sin and able to do all God’s will.
Chapter 9
Liberty to follow our own conscience at all times
1 Corinthians 10:27
It is a very common fault that a person automatically assumes that if his conscience allows him to do something, then others should be able to do it too. This is a very common phenomenon, but it is quite unfounded. Anyone should be able to figure out that if he has the undisputed right to follow his own conscience, then other people should, of course, be free to follow their own conscience and not be bound by his. Let us always have full respect for one another’s conscience. Others must have full liberty to follow their own conscience. What a wonderful and important liberty! If I want others to follow my conscience when their conscience dictates something else, then I am leading them to commit sin, which will, of course, give them a bad conscience.
Chapter 10
Liberty to choose according to our free will . . .
according to the perfect law of liberty, but after this comes the judgment. (James 1:25, 2:12.) We have liberty, but we are still responsible. When you choose according to your own free will time after time, you have opportunity to see how things go. You get a chance to see how good or how bad your choices were. In this way you can learn lessons from previous experiences and learn to make better and better choices as time goes by. Thus we become individuals instead of just pawns to be moved around by others! Teaching and exhortation are very good, yet each individual must have opportunity to act and choose according to the understanding that he has received from the things he has seen and heard. God wants to train us and make us into unique individuals.
Chapter 11
Freedom from Satan’s harassment and tyranny
Romans 16:20
Freedom from listening to his manifold accusations about all manner of things. He is condemned once and for all. He is never right! We have nothing whatsoever to do with him! He can be considered as done away with! His word has absolutely no validity whatsoever! It is a crime to listen to him! We are traitors if we do so!
However, we are called to suffer injustice in our relationships with other people and in matters concerning earthly things.
But we are called to defend the gospel and to claim our rights in Christ Jesus and to resist our accuser and opposer—Satan—100%, ruthlessly, as firm and as hard as a rock.
If we never listen to him, not even one little sentence, how then will we know what he is saying? And when he, by reason of our faith in the work of Christ, has been crushed under our feet, how can he continue to speak to us and harass us?
He plagues plenty of other people, and that is miserable and wretched enough, but he cannot plague the people under whose feet he is crushed! Glory to God for His blessed, true, and powerfully active Word!
Oh, what glorious LIBERTY!!
Chapter 12
Liberty to cry aloud, “true liberty!”
“. . . saying to the prisoners, ‘Come forth.'” Isaiah 49:9. The leaders in Israel were admonished because they did not cry out: “Liberty!” This is what we now, in the new covenant, must do to the utmost, in spirit and truth. We must cry out “liberty” in the name of the Lord in every place, just as God’s Word teaches us. This is precisely what our task is.
Chapter 13
Liberty to reign over sin and self as kings – as absolute monarchs
Romans 5:17
This is one of the most glorious verses in the whole Bible. What a victory! What a glorious, limitless kingdom!
Just as it is wrong and wicked to dominate over other people and their consciences so that they become slaves of man, so it is good, right, noble, glorious, profitable, and fruitful, by God’s power and working, to reign over all known sin! And that without exception or variation, to the honor and glory of God! Praised be His name!
“For freedom Christ has set us free.” Galatians 5:1. This alone is true liberty.
Chapter 14
Conclusion
Unfortunately, the religious world is full of false and imaginary liberty, as well as a great deal of bondage. Oh, may many souls in these days come to experience true and blessed liberty!
Spiritually speaking, true liberty can also be very aptly described in this way: Liberty for everything short of transgressing the laws of the Spirit of life. (Romans 8:2.)