"But refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness. For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come." (1 Tim. 4:7-8)

A few years ago the well known Os Guiness wrote a fascinating little book called "Fit Bodies Fat Minds". It quite well sums up what Paul in this passage is writing about and what Christians have faced in all ages. We live in a culture that is obsessed with the body while the mind grows flabby and shrivels. Os Guiness writes about having buttocks of steel and minds of silly putty. This is all too real in evangelical Christianity.

The imperative comes to us as ministers, elders, and members that we do not fall into this disgrace.

Christianity is often mocked for its anti-intellectualism. Bertrand Russell mockingly said "Most Christians would rather die than think-in fact they do". Christianity has been beset especially since the Second Great Awakening in the early 19^th century with flabby, anti-creedal, non-analytical thinking. Dwight L. Moody is reported to have said, "My theology! I didn't know I had any." Another evangelist said, "If I had any creed, I would sell it to a museum." Billy Sunday said, "I do not know any more about theology than a jack rabbit knew about ping-pong." Lewis Sperry Chafer, founder of Dallas Theological Seminary, said, "The very fact that I did not study a prescribed course in theology made it possible for me to approach the subject with an unprejudiced mind and be concerned only with what the Bible actually teaches."

The apostle Paul was aware of such foolishness and did not want young Timothy to fit any of the above descriptions.

Paul has a series of imperatives in this fourth chapter of instruction for preachers and members in the church. And it is summed up in this text in vss. 7 & 8.

The Command to Train

Paul commands Timothy to exercise. Exercise takes self-discipline. Needless to say, our culture is virtually devoid of self-discipline. That is why more and more laws are being passed and more and more prisons are being built. What can stem this tsunami? The church! We have to get back into the gym. Paul is in effect saying just that in this text to us preachers and to our people. Paul was fond of using athletics, or sports, as analogies in his teaching. He also used military figures of speech to teach us, the church, that being Christians takes vigorous activity. Those who are unfit, untrained, are not going to make it. They won't make the team. In military language they will be classified as 4-F. In sports language they will be sitting in the bleachers eating pretzels and drinking beer. If they do get into the military they will be the first to get shot and come home in body bags!

In writing what he did, Paul was profoundly aware of the culture of his day. And he knew the answer and mightily strove for the strengthening of the ministry and the church.

So Paul commands Timothy to get into the gymnasium and do the exercising and training needed for the job of ministry in the church, so the people in the church will not only have fit bodies but fit minds.

Exercise yourself, train. This is the command to the ministers and officers of the church and also to the members of the church. Get into the gym! The word Paul uses here for "exercise", "train", comes from the Greek word from which we get the word "gymnasium". The Lord demands that we get out of the bleachers and onto the field.

What Is the Program?

Since the players on the team (ministers and members) today often look no more fit than those sitting in the bleachers and eating pretzels and drinking beer, we Christians need to get with the program.

The program is remarkably simple. The equipment needed is remarkably simple, especially compared to how the modern physical fitness centers and gymnasiums are outfitted today. Churches often have all kinds of toys and programs but are full of fat minds!

For the spiritual training, for the fitness of the mind, Paul prescribes a very simple program. He identifies it in vs. 5, "the word of God and prayer." Bibles come cheap today. The Gideons organization gives them away free. Prayer costs absolutely nothing but time.

The program is so simple and costs so little it is virtually ignored. In vs. 6, Paul speaks of "good doctrine". That means sound, healthy doctrine that makes for sound, healthy minds. How much of today's church is fed junk food with no nourishment-full of mind-fattening, mind-numbing, and mind-paralyzing calories!

On the other hand, Paul prescribes the healthy diet here-real nourishment, the Word and prayer. On its face this seems silly. How often are there beautiful church buildings with lousy equipment? God gives us His Word, the Bible, the divine Scriptures, and the sacraments of the covenant. Those sacraments are the Lord's Supper where the elements are a thimble full of wine and a tiny cube of bread. In Holy Baptism we have a small dish of water where a drop or so of water is put on our children's heads. But the diligent, faithful use of these things keeps us from brains of silly putty!

The use of these things does not raise a lot of "Oohs and aahs!" But it should raise some hearty "Amens"!

The Word and Sacraments and Prayer are all that Paul recommends to young Timothy entering the ministry. This is all that Paul offered to the churches where he ministered and it yielded people who "turned the world upside down" or rather turned the world right side up once more.

Our culture, our world today, has become upside down, inverted, and perverted. That is what sin does. Our culture does not even know what marriage is anymore. People do not get it that sex is for in the bond of marriage. What about us in the Reformed circles? Is our message getting through to people in the pews? Are we preaching to where the people are?

The Roman world of Paul's day had the sword, the breastplate, shields, helmets, girded loins, and complete body armor. What were Paul's weapons? The Word of God and prayer. David conquered Goliath "in the name of the Lord". These weapons in our world look silly but they save us and our people from brains of silly putty. The gospel of Jesus Christ saves people from sin and from going to hell.

So the program Paul prescribes here is the Word of God and prayer. We all know that already. But we have to get to the gym and do the exercising. God calls us to do the truth and obey Him. It was so hard for the Israelites in the O.T. to learn that. It seems so hard for us to learn that. But learn it we must. There can be no Christian without this.

What Is the Goal of this Training?

The goal of training and exercising in the spiritual gymnasium is godliness. Paul is very clear on this in vs. 7 where he says "train yourself for godliness".

Healthy doctrine and sound Biblical preaching produce sound, healthy people in the pews. The moral, ethical decline in our country can be traced right to the door of the church, more accurately to the pulpit of the church. A recent president of our country made the statement "It depends on what the meaning of the word ‘is' is". Likely that came from the eisegesis that is done in the pulpits of all too many churches. Eisegesis is reading the Bible and preaching it to mean whatever you want it to mean. Such preaching becomes drivel.

When preachers in churches preach drivel the people shrivel. It is very simple. The people in the churches begin to look like the people outside the churches. The church and the world become one. Whereas the Bible makes it emphatically clear that there is an antithesis between the church and the world. Godliness on the other hand is people beginning to look more and more like Jesus. It is becoming conformed to the image of Christ.

What did our Savior pray for in John 17? He prayed, "sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth." (Jn.17:17) He went on in His prayer saying, "As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also who shall believe on me through their word. That they all may be one, as thou Father art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us, that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which you gave me I have given them, that they may be one even as we are one." (Jn. 17:17-22)

Jesus tells us that the sum of his commandments is, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind." (Mt.22:37ff.) Have we not largely forgotten the mind in all this?

Paul says in Rom. 12:2, "be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." For this to happen we must get into the gym and train and exercise both as ministers in the pulpit and members in the pews. So both in the pulpit and in the pew it is a matter of exercising, training in the Word and prayer. This, Paul says, has promise for the life that now is and for that which is to come. Being physically fit is good. Christians are people who above all are in good shape spiritually. Lean bodies, fat minds! Let that not be said of us!

The Apostle Paul addresses issues of Christian liberty (our term) at least four different times in his letters: 1 Corinthians 8-10; Galatians 5; Colossians 2; Romans 14-15:13. That is an impressive amount of space and time devoted to the subject, when you stop to think about it. This array of texts should tell you something about the importance of the subject of Christian liberty for Christians.

In this article I would like to explore some of the themes of Scripture dealing with Christian liberty. In particular, I will look at the foundation of Christian liberty and a definition of it. Then I will explore how Paul applies the issue of Christian liberty to the issues that were dividing the Church of Rome in Chapter 14. My focus on Romans is to show how a proper grasp of Christian liberty should guide the Church when disputable matters over doubtful opinions threaten the peace and liberty of Christians in the context of the Church's fellowship.

The Foundation and Meaning of Christian Liberty

In order to grasp what Christian liberty is, according to Scripture, you must start with Jesus Christ. Jesus said: "If the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed." (John 8:36). In the context of those words Jesus contrasted freedom in Him versus slavery to sin. So Christian liberty is not about political or civil liberty. It is about liberty from sin, and the slavery of sin. What that liberty entails, according to Scripture, is summarized well in the Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter 20:

"The liberty which Christ hath purchased for believers under the gospel consists in their freedom from the guilt of sin, the condemning wrath of God, the curse of the moral law; and, in their being delivered from this present evil world, bondage to Satan, and dominion of sin; from the evil of afflictions, the sting of death, the victory of the grave, and everlasting damnation; as also, in their free access to God, and their unyielding obedience unto him, not of slavish fear, but a childlike love and willing mind."

So Christian liberty is uniquely a Christian inheritance and enjoyment, and flows from the gospel of Jesus Christ. In its broadest sense, it is liberty from the power and corruption and guilt and condemnation due to sin. All Christians have this liberty, by grace alone, through faith alone, on the basis of Christ's work alone. Anyone that tells you your freedom and peace with God rests in faith in Christ plus the keeping the law, or any other works-based efforts, is an enemy of the gospel and your freedom in Christ; following such teaching will rob you of your liberty and lead you to slavery again.

Having said that, we must understand that such liberty is not a license to sin, and to do whatever we feel like doing. We are not free to believe just what we choose to believe from the Bible. God has revealed to us what is right and what is wrong, what is true and what is false. We are free to serve God within the constraints of God's revealed will.

Now, it is at this point, the point of the Christian's freedom to serve the Lord, that we must pay careful attention to the Word of God regarding the implications of Christian liberty. Our Lord Jesus made it clear that with his coming, the believer's relationship to the Old Testament ceremonial and civil law is different than that of the Israelites under the Old Covenant. For instance, in the book of Acts, Chapter 10, our Lord revealed to Peter in a vision, followed by a verbal explanation and command, that the laws forbidding the eating of certain foods are no longer binding on the believer. In that vision, there were "all kinds of four footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air." (Acts 10:12). A voice from heaven told him, "rise, Peter, kill and eat." Peter protested that he had never eaten anything common or unclean. The voice again spoke to Peter: "What God has cleansed you must not call common." (Acts 10:15).

Under the Old Covenant, many aspects of daily life were carefully regulated for believers, things such as what to eat, what to wear, how the use of certain things would render a person "unclean" for worship, how to go about purification in the event one became unclean. While these laws are still the Word of God and are to instruct us and guide us, they must be applied to our new situation under Christ in the New Covenant.

We live in the days when the fullness of God's revelation in Jesus Christ has come, when the Holy Spirit has been abundantly poured out on all believers. In these days, Christians are to learn to eat and drink, and do whatever we do to the glory of God. (1 Cor. 10:31). We need not "abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth, for every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving; for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer." (I Tim. 4:3-5).

Now, as I said, it is just here, in this matter of Christian liberty, particularly in the use of things and a whole range of matters of "opinion," that Christians need to think clearly about the implications of our freedom in Christ. When it comes to daily living, there is a large part of life that is not specifically directed by revelation in God's Word.

Earlier I referred to a number of passages written by the Apostle Paul dealing extensively with matters of Christian liberty. What is striking about these passages, especially in the case of 1 Corinthians 8-10 and Romans 14, is the primary reason Paul has for addressing the churches to whom he wrote: his purpose is pastoral. He is not discussing theoretical issues facing Christians; he is dealing with very specific controversies. And his focus is to teach the Church how to get along in the face of much adversity, differing opinions, different cultural perspectives and practices and influences, different levels of Biblical understanding, of wisdom, or maturity, in the presence of diverse personalities.

You don't have to be in the Church very long to see how great a diversity there is in it. We often think of the cultural diversity we experience. But forget about that for a moment. Look at the personality differences, the maturity differences, and the educational differences. These were present in Paul's day; they are present today in the Church. How is such a diverse group of people ever going to get along?

Consider Romans 14

What threatened the peace of the Roman Church? There were a number of differing views on eating meat or vegetables (verse 2), drinking wine, or not (verse 21), convictions about participation in various holy days (verse 5). Paul calls these "disputes over doubtful things." (Verse 1).

Here is what I find striking about how Paul deals with the situation: He could have given an apostolic proclamation on each of those issues and simply ended the dispute. But he didn't do that. Why? You will never appreciate Romans 14, or the Bible's teaching on Christian liberty, unless you get that point.

Our human nature, even as redeemed, justified, sanctified, Holy Spirit indwelt people of God, is capable of coming up with seemingly endless varieties of convictions about Christian practice due to our responses to historical circumstances. Paul knew this (cf. 1 Cor. 6:12; 10:23). The Holy Spirit knew this. There will always be disputes over doubtful things in the Church!

In the Roman Church it was the use of things like meat and veggies, wine and holy days (see Chapter 14:2, 5, 21). Today the issues might be hair length for men and women, card playing, tobacco use, length of dresses, make up, piercing, tattoos, music (I remember as a teenager, some Baptist friends warning us of the inherent evil of a back beat rhythm), Christmas, Santa Claus, Halloween, Easter bunnies, Christmas trees, trick or treating, etc. Not to mention movies, dancing, internet use, novels, plays, sports, SUVs, dating versus courtship, home schooling versus Christian day schools versus public schools, cosmetic surgery, driving Harleys, cutting down old growth trees, eating white bread...and the newest doubtful issues: global warming and transfats! Makes you want to shout: STOP THE MADNESS!!

So the question that perennially plagues the Church is, how can pastors and elders counsel and instruct and minister to a Church with such a diversity of opinionated Christians? There are a number of options one can think of:

1) don't allow diversity.

2) Let people sort all this out themselves.

3)The "strong" will survive.

4) Or the "weak" will leave, or conform to the "strong."

The Apostle Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, offers us a different option: how to get along in light of our liberty in Christ. You see, Paul was far too wise a pastor to think that answering definitively one or two doubtful things would be adequate for the Church in the long run. As you can see from the list above, there will always be some new issue that will arise. So what Paul teaches in Romans 14 is how the Church can get along together by living out of our liberty in Christ.

The major focus, or strategy, in living out your faith, and out of your liberty in Christ, is to keep certain basic things carefully fixed in our minds and heart, so that they become the controlling principles for your reactions to Christians who have differing opinions. A proper grasp of our liberty in Christ will result in our being bound together by the big things, instead of being torn to pieces by the small things.

The Strong and the Weak

Look again at Romans 14. A disagreement had arisen over the use of "non-essential" matters: whether to eat meat, or not, the observing of certain holy days, or not, the use of wine. Two groups had emerged, the "strong" and the "weak." The strong were able to grasp the significance of Christ's death for daily living, such as receiving and using food, drink, etc. The "weak" were not able to sort out these things as of yet. But the heart of the problem, as Paul identified it, was not that there were differences of views. The problem was that the strong were despising the weak, and the weak were judging the strong (verse 3).

So in the first few verses of Chapter 14, Paul says, in effect, "Knock it off, both of you!" This is no way to act. Why? Of both the weak and the strong, Paul says in verse 3: "God has received him." You are both Christians. So here are the really big things about Christian liberty that will keep the body of Christ from being torn apart over disputable matters. Let's follow Paul's line of thought through the passage.

First, both weak and strong are received by God in Christ. Both are justified. Behavior has nothing to do with acceptance before God. You are accepted because of the Christ's death and righteousness. Therefore, receive the one who is weak in the faith and do not dispute with him or her over these minor differences. Do not despite this weak one, for this is one for whom Christ died; this is one whom Christ loves (see also Chapter 15:1,7).

Second, God is the judge of both the weak and the strong (verse 4). In other words, God is God and you aren't! I'm not perfect and neither are you. God is the judge. In this point Paul is really saying to us: the problem is not someone else; the problem is you! You are judging and despising, and this is not your place.

Third, God knows how to preserve and sanctify His people. Paul says in verse 4: "Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand." God uses His Word and Spirit to sanctify and preserve us. You are neither the Word nor the Spirit. Each one of us is to trust God, through the ministry of His Word and Spirit to make us stand in our faith and make progress in our life of service to God.

These first three principles highlight the essential bond all true believers share with each other in Christ. Because we are received by Christ, and in Christ, we can have differences of opinions; and yet these differences must never lead us to either "despising" or "judging" one another. No one's actions and behavior led to God receiving them. Therefore, these differences over doubtful things (verse 1) must never tear us apart from one another.

Liberty in Service

However, there is more to Christian liberty and getting along than that. Paul teaches us that we are called to serve God out of our liberty (see WCF Chapter 20 cited above). So, the fourth principle Paul gives us is that each one must be fully convinced in his or her own mind about the things they do in service to God (verse 5). This is really quite amazing. Paul is not afraid of Christians having strong convictions about the proper use of things in the Christian life. That's because it is not strong conviction that leads to division and judging and despising. Rather, disputes such as the Romans were embroiled, in arise out of a failure to allow people to live out of their liberty in Christ, as they are fully convinced through study and thought and prayer that they are rightly serving God. Our calling to serve God out of our liberty in Christ means we need not avoid strong convictions out of fear we will disappoint or offend someone else, nor may we be so arrogant in our convictions that we are sure anyone who acts differently than us is an idiot. "Let each be fully convinced in his own mind."

That leads to the fifth, and final principle Paul sets out for us. When it comes to "doubtful things," it is possible for both sides of those who differ to serve God. Remarkably, Paul says this even though he seems to be clearly in agreement with the "strong" about the issue of eating all things (see verse 14). Look at verse 6: "He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it."¹

I hope by this review of Christian liberty and its pastoral implications taught in the Bible, and specifically in Romans 14, that you see how important this teaching of Christian liberty really is. This liberty is God's gracious gift to all of God's people. It flows from the redeeming work of Jesus Christ, who has set us free from sin and its condemnation. In this freedom we are to walk, in happy gratitude to God, in newness of life. In this liberty we will be made to stand, for God is able to make us stand (Rom. 14:4).

So, see yourself and your brothers and sisters in God's capable, upholding hands. And get along together in Christ's Church.

________________

¹Commentators are divided over the question of whether or not this "day" is a reference to the Lord's Day, or to an Old Testament "holy" day or festival, or to some day that we do not know about. I am convinced that this observing of a day is not referring to the Lord's Day or an Old Testament holy day or festival. My primary reason is that in the context Paul is dealing with "doubtful things" (verse 1). Since we are not free to violate God's revealed will, including one of the Ten Commandments, I am convinced that the issue of the fourth Commandment is not in view. I am far from convinced that the two disputing groups are Gentiles and Jewish Christians. The Old Testament law did not forbid drinking wine or eating vegetables, nor did it forbid eating all meats. Therefore, I believe the issues motivating the "weak" in Romans 14 arise from circumstances we simply do not know about, perhaps even cultural influences, largely because Paul did not tell us about those motivations. Similarly, it is possible to eat all foods or only some "to the Lord." Each one eats or does not eat, giving thanks to God. This is not to say that both are equally in the right of it. But the spirit of Christian liberty means not only that I enjoy a certain freedom to make my "wise" choices with regard to a great many tastes, practices, and convictions. I also should happily acknowledge that you are free to make your "ridiculous" choices. But we are not to impose our choices and convictions on each other. Our freedom in Christ allows for these types of differences. Our bond of fellowship in Christ is not substantially altered by these differences. And that is what Paul's very important pastoral instruction is meant to drive home to us.