Christian Liberty #11

Driving home: No summary of gospel teaching ought to admit an explanation of this topic. It is a matter of prime necessity. And without a knowledge of it, consciences dare undertake almost nothing without faltering, often hesitate and…

Martin quotes John Calvin's 'Institutes of the Christian Religion' (from the 1536 edition) on the necessity of understanding Christian freedom, highlighting Calvin's early recognition of the doctrine's importance and its vulnerability to abuse.

A young scholar, age 27, produces what he calls his little book. Its title was the Institutes of the Christian Religion. The name of that young 27-year-old scholar was Jean Calvin, John Calvin. And the institutes that were first produced in that form, which he called his little book in 1536, went through a number of additions and amplifications throughout the life of Calvin until he presented to the Christian world in 1557, I believe it was, or 1559. It was 13 years later. You do the arithmetic. His final edition, which has become the backbone of evangelical and reformed theological thought,

5:31 - 6:34 Read in full sermon

The point: Constantly remind ourselves that our liberty in Christ is never to be a staging area for indulgence of the flesh, never to be made a cover-up for wickedness.

Martin uses the analogy of two lawyers, Mr. Libertine (License) and Mr. Legalism, to represent the two constant dangers to Christian liberty, each pleading a case to lead believers astray from true freedom.

Rather, I have asserted, we must start with the foundational issues of the reality and nature of our bondage and slavery in Adam, and the reality and nature of our freedom and liberty as secured for us in Christ. And then we must secondly have an understanding of the goal of our liberty in Christ, a goal which is beautifully and succinctly summarized in the language of the prophecy of Zechariah, who said in Luke chapter 1, 74 and 75, God delivers us from the hand of our enemies to this end, that we should render worshipful service to him without fear in holiness and righteousness before his fa...

10:32 - 11:55 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: He identifies the first constant problem: Mr. Legalism's attempt to rob liberty by convincing believers to add to the Word of Christ for an adequate standard of holiness. This is…

Martin shares a personal anecdote of plucking and eating raw wheat grains in a field, relating it to the disciples' actions in Mark 2 to help the congregation understand the context of the Pharisees' accusation.

Now there weren't big ears of corn, there were just little ears of grain. I can remember at the Midwestern conference years ago, there were these beautiful grain fields and in July some of them became ripe and I used to go out jogging on the back roads and I said, I want to try to see what that's like. I just plucked off a couple little heads of grain, rubbed them in my hands, and all the husks fell off, and then I put the raw wheat grains in my mouth and I felt very biblical. It wasn't the Sabbath day, but I felt at least I understand what they were doing.

32:28 - 32:59 Read in full sermon

Driving home: What are we doing? We're saying the word of Christ is not sufficient to define a life of holiness. All right?

Martin makes a lighthearted remark about a young man falling asleep during his sermon, using it to momentarily connect with the audience and illustrate a point about attention.

I may have people go to sleep on me when I'm preaching, like one young man is right now. I'm not looking in his direction. I hope this got him awake. We've got to prop it up.

42:49 - 43:02 Read in full sermon

Driving home: You see what he's saying once out of an earnest desire to live a life of universal holiness you let any voice intrude and tell you what's involved in that holiness but the voice of Christ and you are on a slippery slope …

Martin quotes Calvin's humorous yet profound illustration of how binding the conscience to man-made rules leads to an 'inextricable maze' of endless, trivial scruples about everyday items like linen, hemp, food, and water, demonstrating the destructive nature of legalism.

and the knowledge of this freedom is necessary for us for if it is lacking our consciences will have no repose and there will be no end to superstition rarely will you find humor in Calvin but here is some humor here it is today we seem to many to be unreasonable because we stir up discussion over the unrestricted eating of meat the use of holidays and of vestments and similar vain frivolities as it seems to them but these matters are more important than is commonly believed for when consciences have once ensnared themselves in other words he says once you go beyond the word of Christ as the s...

57:45 - 59:13 Read in full sermon

Driving home: You see what he's saying once out of an earnest desire to live a life of universal holiness you let any voice intrude and tell you what's involved in that holiness but the voice of Christ and you are on a slippery slope …

Martin shares a personal story from his youth about struggling with his conscience while eating an expensive steak, illustrating how legalistic scruples can bind a believer's conscience even in indifferent matters, and how understanding Christian liberty brought him freedom.

and tell you what's involved in that holiness but the voice of Christ and you are on a slippery slope into miserable bondage and Christ did not save you for that bondage for freedom did Christ set you free for the day I'll never forget the day I was able with a good conscience now we're going back many many years we're going back to early 60s or late 50s being brought up borderline poor through the depression years through the war years I never ate in a restaurant till I was 19 years old never ate in a restaurant and the first time someone took me out and bought me at that time I think it was ...

60:42 - 62:09 Read in full sermon