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“Dear Pastor Bloghardt, would you post a blog on Gospel Freedom and its limits.”
There are no limits on the Gospel. No end to the freedom of the Gospel. No end to the forgiveness. No end to eternal life.
To prescribe an end to Gospel freedom is to put a Law on the Gospel. You don't wanna do that. Why? Well, if there is a limit on the Gospel, then we are lost. For, there would be a limit to Christ's all availing sacrifice FOR ALL men.
I told you that you didn't want to put a limit on the Gospel. Just remember: Jesus died for you and me. That set us free from hell. We can't go to hell in Christ. Not anymore. He went there first. Heaven is ours. His Cross has set us free from hell and death.
“But doesn't that Gospel freedom give us a license to sin?”
St. Paul's answer to shall we sin more that grace may abound is, “Heck No. You have been baptized.” (Rom. 6:2) How have we who have been freed from sin, live in it?
The Gospel isn't the license. We don't need the forgiveness of the sins to give us a license to sin. We do that all by ourselves – daily and much.
The Gospel is the proclamation of Christ crucified FOR YOU. Where there is the Gospel THERE IS NO SIN! In the Gospel there is only freedom from the condemnation of the Law. The Gospel is freedom from sin – the very sin that we think we have license to do. The Gospel is the freedom from having to be slaves to sin anymore.
"But if you tell a kid that, Pastor Bloghardt, won't they just commit adultery?"
As my catechism instructor says, “We didn't need to wait 2000 years for Pastor to preach the Gospel to learn to sin.” Kids don't need me to commit adultery. They don't need my preaching to become slaves to sin.
A slave is someone who is trapped and can't get out of their predicament. They are stuck. They have no freedom.
The truth is... we are slaves to sin already. The question, “Does the Gospel you preach give me license to live like a pig?” is properly answered, “You mean, does it give you license to some how live worse than you are already living? You seem to be doing a great job on your own blazing a trail toward perdition.” (Law answer to a Law question).
The Gospel is the freedom from the very slavery behind the question, “Are you ok-ing my horrific lifestyle?”
Freedom from the Law means the is not only no condemnation in the Gospel, there is no Law in the Gospel too. The Gospel freedom is freedom from sin and from the Law. It means freedom to live in Christ without fear of God's wrath. It is freedom to serve others as He has served us, to live as He lived for us, and freedom to have a blessed end in Him.
Holy Baptism is Baptism into His death – where He died for you and me. It means our sins are left in the tomb, under water, drown in the water flowing from His crucified side. It means having died to sin, we now live to God.
“But, Pastor Bloghardt, how do I live?”
You live free. You live so free that you can pick up the Law and have that Law be what it was always meant to be: A GIFT! Freedom from idolatry, freedom from despising His Name, freedom from despising preaching and His Word, and freedom from the whole second table of the Law. That's freedom from adultery too!
The Gospel is freedom to look at the First Commandment not with horrific fear of condemnation but with hearty thanks and say, “You shall have no other gods? You got it! Thank you, Lord, so much for freeing me from all my idols. You shall not misuse the name of the Lord Your God? Thank God. I can call upon God now with every trouble, pray and praise and give thanks! Oh, and thank God, I can live free from fornication. I don't have to run off into the lusts of the flesh anymore. I'm baptized.”
“How could someone possibly live that way?”
First, die with Christ in Baptism, then be raised again to new life again. You see, there is a difference between freedom to sin and freedom from sin. Freedom to sin is freedom to stay dead and in slavery. No freedom there – only Law and death. Freedom from sin is freedom to live before God in righteousness and purity forever because you've already died to sin.
Freedom to do whatever you want isn't freedom at all. That ends in hell. Freedom from the condemnation of sin and the Law, that's true freedom which lasts unto eternal life.
Here the Gospel lesson for Reformation Day is helpful: "Jesus answered them, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.'" (John 8:34-36)
Edited on: May 31st, 2006 5:17 pm
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