Does The Believer's Total Freedom From The
Law Of God Promote Licentiousness?
Romans 3:8
Legalists in all ages
attempt to cast a slur upon the gospel of God's free and sovereign grace in
Christ, and upon those who preach it, by putting words into our mouths. Their
slanderous charge is virtually the same in every age: "You say, `Let us
sin that grace may abound'." Because they cannot refute our doctrine upon
biblical grounds, they falsely accuse us of teaching obnoxious things which no
devil out of hell ever imagined,except a deluded, self-righteous religionists.
Let us face the charge
squarely. Does the believer's total freedom from the law of God promote
licentiousness? I think not. History, experience, and the Word of God tell us
otherwise. The fact is, the meanest, most vicious, most abominably wicked
people in the world are self-righteous religionists. Who crucified our Lord?
Religious legalists! Who persecuted, imprisoned, tormented, and burned the
martyrs? Self-righteous, religious legalists! Who are the religious leaders of
our day, whose scandalous behavior has been the constant theme for ridicule in
the worldwide press? Religious legalists! Throughout history, in every country
where Romanism (the religion of laws and works) has gained supremacy, the
effect has always been, and still is, moral decadence. Legalists must be
controlled by law, by the fear of punishment and the promise of reward, because
they are lawless rebels, antinomians, at heart. Imagine what they would do if
the law did not restrain them!
The Word of God
constantly uses the assurance of the free, full, irrevocable pardon of sin
through the blood of Christ as the basis and motive of love to Christ, holiness
of life, and consecration to God (Luke 7:47; John 8:11; Rom. 12:1-2; I John
2:1-2; I Cor. 6:20). Law has absolutely no power over the believer. We are free
from the law. God's elect are motivated by gratitude, constrained by love,
moved by faith, and ruled by their heart's desire to bring honor and glory to
the Lord Jesus Christ. More than anything else, our freedom from the law and
assurance of immutable grace causes us to consecrate our lives to Christ.
Don Fortner