What is Christian Liberty?

Christian liberty refers to the freedoms we have, as Christians. The Bible, in spite of its reputation as being a big book of rules, is actually surprisingly libertarian. While it obviously still contains moral laws by which we must abide, Scripture affords us several freedoms in the ways we live our lives, and even in the ways we worship God. We are even able to agree to disagree with each other in many areas while still maintaining fellowship.

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What are doubtful disputations?

As Christians, we are not to quarrel (2 Timothy 2:24), but due to diverse opinions, and weakness in the flesh, we are likely to anyway. A doubtful disputation is a potentially contentious issue that need not be contentious. It is something that really isn't worth arguing with each other about, and especially isn't worth dividing over.

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What is a stronger brother?

A stronger​ brother (or sister) is a Christian who is able to approve of, or even partake in certain liberties without either offending their own conscience, or stumbling into sin. They are fully convinced in their own mind that they are permitted by God to do a certain thing. This is not the same as anarchy or licentiousness. It applies only to areas of liberty, whereas sin is still sin, even if one is convinced in his own mind.

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What is a weaker brother?

A weaker​ brother (or sister) is either a Christian whose conscience is offended, or may be tempted to sin, by an otherwise permissible thing. 

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A Biblical Overview

According to 2 Timothy 3:16-17, Scripture gives us everything we need to be complete people of God, thoroughly equipped for every good work. As Christians, we have no right to actually sin, and indeed, realistically, have more responsibility to avoid sin than an unbeliever. This, the Scriptures adequately equip us for. We know murder is wrong because Scripture plainly tells us murder is wrong. We know stealing is wrong because the Scriptures plainly tell us stealing is wrong. We know blasphemy is wrong because the Bible plainly says blasphemy is wrong. But there are other areas where Scripture is not so clear, whether through complete silence or ambiguity, or through condemning a thing only under specific covenants. These things are called "doubtful disputations", and since Scripture does not specifically condemn them, they are implicitly permissible. This uses simple logic: Scripture thoroughly equips to be complete people of God, Scripture does not thoroughly equip us in this area, therefore this area has no specific Godly implications.

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There are a few caveats, first for ourselves, and second for our peers. The caveats for ourselves is that just because a thing is objectively permissible does not necessarily mean it is permissible to us as people. Hebrews 11:6 tells us that without faith, it is impossible to please God, and Romans 14:23 tells us that whatever does not come from faith is sin. Therefore, even in doubtful areas, it becomes necessary to remove all doubt in order to abstain from sin. Those who cannot maintain good conscience while making use of a Christian liberty are called "weaker brethren", and they would be sinning if they partook, even where other Christians would not be, simply because their consciences cannot sustain the liberty in question. Weaker brethren also have a tendency to believe their doubts, and seek to impose them on others.

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This brings us to the second caveat. Whereas a stronger brother/sister may be safe to personally make use of Christian liberties, there are scenarios in which it is far more noble to forego them. Weaker brethren are utterly forbidden from condemning stronger brethren (see Romans 14), but Scripture does tell us that, for sake of peace, and more importantly for sake of love, it is more noble to forego our liberties, at least in the presence of the weaker brethren. For example, in 1 Corinthians 8:13, Paul states that if his food causes offense to the weaker brethren, he would rather never eat meat again than go on offending them.

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Offense has a double meaning in that not only is it possible to simply offend the conscience of a weaker brother, but it is also possible to tempt them into actual sin. There can be a number of reasons for this, ranging from a personally licentious attitude to residual temptations from a former religion.

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There is one further lesson, for which I would like to credit Mike Winger. The weaker brother has an advantage in this: They will be far less prone to excess. That is, they cannot abuse a liberty they don't use. It is entirely possible to either have too much of a good thing, or even turn a good thing into a bad thing. Let us therefore beware, lest even stronger brethren fall into sin.

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Ultimately, as Christians, everything we do should be done as if unto God. We are granted liberties, but with them, responsibilities. We are not permitted to judge or offend each other, but to unite, even in spite of our differences, in love, and in fellowship, for the glory of God. In the end, He, and He alone, will judge us for our conduct. Let us therefore be mindful of our liberties, considering, with prayer and with wisdom, what we may and may not do.

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Note: Translation preferences, while they would typically fall under the Christian Liberty category, will instead be dealt with in the KJV Onlyism section.