Sunday, February 09, 2014

Leon Morris on The Atonement: Freedom

“It is one of the curious things in life that Christians have all too often neglected [freedom]. Purchased at such great cost, they have promptly looked for some new servitude. Even in the early church it was not long before some people began to speak of Christianity as ‘the new law’ and to subject themselves to a legalism every bit as trying as that of which the New Testament writers complained in Judaism. And this has continued in the history of the church. Again and again it is not liberty in Christ which has characterized believers, but strict conformity to some new rule they have made or found. This may involve a rigorous asceticism or the firm conviction that the way forward is by observance of some sacramental discipline or the like.  At the other extreme it may be  by conformity to a new license, so that all who prefer an ordered way are held to be false to true Christianity. Mankind has a fiendish ingenuity in discovering ways of bringing itself into bondage. Paul’s words are far from being out of date.” (Leon Morris, The Atonement: Its Meaning & Significance, IVP Academic, Downer’s Grove, IL, 1983, p126)



Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...