Living Faith in Christ and Freedom from Idolatry

Christian liberty, a central theme in the New Testament, refers to the freedom believers experience through Christ, particularly freedom from the law, sin, and the fear of death ^[5]. This freedom is not a license for evil but a call to live as servants of God ^[2]. The Apostle Paul emphasizes this liberty, stating in Galatians 5:1, "In the freedom, then, with which Christ did make you free—stand ye, and be not held fast again by a yoke of servitude" ^[1]. John Calvin notes that the entire Epistle to the Galatians hinges on this concept, demonstrating that Christ alone is to be held forth for righteousness, surpassing the perfection of the law ^[10].

This Christian liberty is conferred by God, through Christ, and by the Holy Spirit, and is proclaimed through the Gospel ^[5]. It frees believers from the curse of the law, the bondage of humanity, and Jewish ordinances ^[5]. However, this freedom must be exercised responsibly. As 1 Peter 2:16 states, believers are to "Live in freedom, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God" ^[2]. Charles Hodge explains that while the Bible may not condemn certain actions, circumstances can make them wrong for a believer. He cites Paul's example of circumcising Timothy, yet telling the Galatians that circumcision would render Christ unprofitable to them, and the issue of eating meat offered to idols as matters of indifference that could become wrong depending on the context ^[8].

The concept of Christian liberty is closely tied to the rejection of idolatry. The Bible consistently forbids idolatry, defining it as bowing down to images, worshipping images, sacrificing to images, or worshipping other gods ^[4]. The command to "flee from idolatry" is explicit in 1 Corinthians 10:14 ^[3]. Early Christian writers, such as Tertullian, argued that idolatry is fundamentally opposed to the Christian faith. He stated that renouncing the devil and his angels at baptism implies a complete separation from anything related to idol-making or worship ^[15]. Tertullian further explained that while "an idol is nothing," the homage rendered to idols is directed towards demons who are believed to inhabit these images ^[9]. Hippolytus and Cyprian similarly emphasized that idols are not gods but human creations that cannot protect or preserve anyone ^[11].

Idolatry is not merely the worship of physical images but can also encompass the worship of the true God through an image ^[4]. Calvin argued that when people imagine they see God in images, they begin to worship Him as being present there, leading to a brutish state where their minds become engrossed by the images ^[14]. John Gill, commenting on 1 John 5:21, suggests that the warning to "keep yourselves from idols" extends beyond Heathen idolatry to include images introduced by those who claimed to be Christians, such as the Gnostics who worshipped images of Simon and Helena, and serves as an antidote against the later introduction of image worship ^[12].

Living faith in Christ involves a continuous process of renewal and self-denial, which stands in contrast to idolatry. Believers are called to be "renewed in the spirit of your minds" and to "put ye on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness" ^[13]. This renewal is a result of Christ's blessing and regeneration ^[13]. Self-denial, exemplified by Christ himself, is a test of devotion and necessary for following Christ, engaging in spiritual warfare, and achieving triumph ^[6]. It involves denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, controlling appetites, abstaining from fleshly lusts, and mortifying sinful desires ^[6]. This commitment to Christ and rejection of idolatry allows believers to live "honestly" or "becomingly," not bringing discredit upon their Christian profession in the eyes of the world ^[7].

Sources

Galatians “Galatians 5:1 (YLT) — In the freedom, then, with which Christ did make you free--stand ye, and be not held fast again by a yoke of servitude;”
I Peter “I Peter 2:16 (BSB) — Live in freedom, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God.”
1 Corinthians “Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. -- 1 Corinthians 10:14”
Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Idolatry — Forbidden -- Ex 20:2,3; De 5:7. Consists in Bowing down to images. -- Ex 20:5; De 5:9. Worshipping images. -- Isa 44:17; Da 3:5,10,15. Sacrificing to images. -- Ps 106:38; Ac 7:41. Worshipping other gods. -- De 30:17; Ps 81:9. Swearing by other gods. -- Ex 23:13; Jos 23:7. Walking after other gods. -- De 8:19. Speaking in the name of other gods. -- De 18:20. Looking to other gods. -- Ho 3:1. Serving other gods. -- De 7:4; Jer 5:19. Fearing other gods. -- 2Ki 17:35. Sacrificing to other gods. -- Ex 22:20. Worshipping the true God by an image, & c. -- Ex 32:”
Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Liberty, Christian — Foretold -- Isa 42:7; 61:1. Conferred By God. -- Col 1:13. By Christ. -- Ga 4:3-5; 5:1. By the Holy Spirit. -- Ro 8:15; 2Co 3:17. Through the gospel. -- Joh 8:32. Confirmed by Christ -- Joh 8:36. Proclaimed by Christ -- Isa 61:1; Lu 4:18. The service of Christ is -- 1Co 7:22. Is freedom from The law. -- Ro 7:6; 8:2. The curse of the law. -- Ga 3:13. The fear of death. -- Heb 2:15. Sin. -- Ro 6:7,18. Corruption. -- Ro 8:21. Bondage of man. -- 1Co 9:19. Jewish ordinances. -- Ga 4:3; Col 2:20. Called the glorious liberty of the children of God -- Ro”
Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Self-Denial — Christ set an example of -- Mt 4:8-10; 8:20; Joh 6:38; Ro 15:3; Php 2:6-8. A test of devotedness to Christ -- Mt 10:37,38; Lu 9:23,24. Necessary In following Christ. -- Lu 14:27-33. In the warfare of saints. -- 2Ti 2:4. To the triumph of saints. -- 1Co 9:25-27. Ministers especially called to exercise -- 2Co 6:4,5. Should be exercised in Denying ungodliness and worldly lusts. -- Ro 6:12; Tit 2:12. Controlling the appetite. -- Pr 23:2. Abstaining from fleshly lusts. -- 1Pe 2:11. No longer living to lusts of men. -- 1Pe 4:2. Mortifying sinful lusts. -- Mr ”
1 Thessalonians (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on 1 Thessalonians 4:12: honestly--in the Old English sense, "becomingly," as becomes your Christian profession; not bringing discredit on it in the eyes of the outer world, as if Christianity led to sloth and poverty (Rom 13:13; Pe1 2:12). them . . . without--outside the Christian Church (Mar 4:11). have lack of nothing--not have to beg from others for the supply of your wants (compare Eph 4:28). So far from needing to beg from others, we ought to work and get the means of supplying the need of others. Freedom from pecuniary embarrassment is to be desired by the ”
CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 39: Christian Liberty in Matters of Indifference. It is perfectly consistent with the principle above stated, that a thing may be right or wrong according to circumstances, and, therefore, it may often be wrong for a man to do what the Bible does not condemn. Paul himself circumcised Timothy; yet he told the Galatians that if they allowed themselves to be circumcised, Christ would profit them nothing. Eating meat offered in sacrifice to idols was a matter of indifference. Yet the Apostle said, “If meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no”
Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “ANF Vol 3: Tertullian — CHAP. XIII.: We have, I think, faithfully carried out our plan of showing in how many different ways the sin of idolatry clings to the shows, in respect of their origins, their titles, their equipments, their places of celebration, their arts; and we may hold it as a thing beyond all doubt, that for us who have twice(4) renounced all idols, they are utterly unsuitable. "Not that an idol is anything,"(5) as the apostle says, but that the homage they render is to demons, who are the real occupants of these consecrated images, whether of dead men or (as they think) of gods”
CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 74: but Christ, who surpasses all the perfection of the law, is alone to be held forth for righteousness. 3. On this almost the whole subject of the Epistle to the Galatians hinges; for it can be proved from express passages that those are absurd interpreters who teach that Paul there contends only for freedom from ceremonies. Of such passages are the following: “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us.” “Stand fast, therefore, in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free, and be not entangled ag”
Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “ANF Vol 5: Hippolytus, Cyprian, Caius, Novatian — HEADS OF THE FOLLOWING BOOK. (part 1): 1. Therefore, in exhorting and preparing our brethren, and in arming them with firmness of virtue and faith for the heralding forth of the confession of the Lord, and for the battle of persecution and suffering, we must declare, in the first place, that the idols which man makes for himself are not gods. For things which are made are not greater than their maker and fashioner; nor can these things protect and preserve anybody, which themselves perish out of their temples, unless they are preserved by man. ”
1 John (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on 1 John 5:21: Little children, keep yourselves from idols, Amen. From Heathen idols and idolatry, into which the saints in those times might be liable to be drawn, by reason of their dwelling among Heathen idolaters, and being related to them, and by the too great freedom used in eating things sacrificed to idols in their temples; and from all other idols that might be introduced by some who went by the name of Christians, as the Gnostics, who worshipped the images of Simon and Helena; and the passage may be an antidote against the worshipping of images, afterwards introduced by th”
CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 58: the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, as by the Spirit of the Lord.” Again, “Be renewed in the spirit of your minds” and “put ye on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” Again, “Put ye on 516 the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him.” 310 310 2 Cor. 3:18 ; Eph. 4:23, 24 ; Col. 3:10 ; 2 Cor. 4:16 . Accordingly through the blessing of Christ we are renewed by that regeneration into the righteousness of God from which we had falle”
CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 27: God was visibly depicted to their eyes. 9. After such a figment is formed, adoration forthwith ensues: for when once men imagined that they beheld God in images, they also worshipped him as being there. At length their eyes and minds becoming wholly engrossed by them, they began to grow more and 98 more brutish, gazing and wondering as if some divinity were actually before them. It hence appears that men do not fall away to the worship of images until they have imbibed some idea of a grosser description: not that they actually beli”
Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “ANF Vol 3: Tertullian — CHAP. VI.--IDOLATRY CONDEMNED BY BAPTISM. TO MAKE AN IDOL IS, IN FACT, TO WORSHIP IT.: If no law of God had prohibited idols to be made by us; if no voice of the Holy Spirit uttered general menace no less against the makers than the worshippers of idols; from our sacrament itself we would draw our interpretation that arts of that kind are opposed to the faith. For how have we renounced the devil and his angels, if we make them? What divorce have we declared from them, I say not with whom, but dependent on whom, we live? What discord have we entered into with those to wh”

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