Glorifying God Through Obedience
Commentary
When fellow believers talk of Christian liberty, it is usually in response to their feeling obligated to obey something. In other words, “I’m a Christian, I no longer have to do that” or “don’t tell me what to do, that’s legalism.” We focus on what we want to do and cling to liberty as though it’s a free pass to do as we please. Bolton’s work serves as a warning to believers that our focus should not be on how free we can live now that we are Christians but on what specifically we are free from and the change of motivation for why we continue to obey the moral aspects of the law.
When reading this book, it is important to remember the historical context (1640s) including two of the biggest debates raging in England and Massachusetts (America) at the time of writing. The first was the movement of the “Free Grace” advocates or Antinomianism (such as Anne Hutchinson) and the second were the teachings of Roger Williams on the biblical role of the government vs the church in upholding the word of God (Both Hutchinson and Williams were banished from the Massachusetts colony for their beliefs).
Bolton is unambiguous in his stance that “no errors are more dangerous and destructive than those which reach men as the teachings of free grace.” Once again, the Puritans put forth the concept of lordship salvation! His quote is an assault on antinomianism but he doesn’t stop there. He argues strongly that we do possess a Christian freedom. However, it is not the freedom to do as we please. Instead, it is a freedom from the dominion and power of sin. Sin previously held the power to condemn us but we are now free from this and should live accordingly. We maintain this liberty “by refusing to look any more to the law for justification, and by refusing to fear its words of condemnation. You are to live, in respect of your practice and obedience, as men who can neither be condemned by the law nor justified by it.”
The question however, and the real focus of this book, is what we are to do with the moral aspects of the law as Christians. Bolton argues that we still carry a duty of obedience in this regard but that it is for different motivations. “The ends before were for justification and life; now they are for other ends – to glorify God” Nonbelievers necessarily approach the law with a legal spirit hoping to gain a reward from obedience. However, we as Christians, approach it with a spirit that obeys “for the sake of obtaining communion with God. The one man does these things as his delight, the other as his burden.” We obey because we crave communion and peace with God. This is part of the five-fold peace Bolton talks of that is broken by sin. We’ve all felt the deafening silence sin causes in our relationship with God. When we void the moral law entirely and live as we please, we abuse true Christian liberty.
In the end, this is primarily a book about antinomianism and it constitutes a solid read on Christian freedom and it’s relationship with the law and grace. We would do good to remember the exhortation Bolton offers that “Christian liberty is a precious thing; and the more precious, the more care is needed not to abuse it.” My partner here at Read the Puritans summed up this book with the following quote which I believe encapsulates the argument quite well: ““We cry down the law in respect of justification, but we set it up as a rule of sanctification. The law sends us to the Gospel that we may be justified; and the Gospel sends us to the law again to inquire what is our duty as those who are justified.”
Structure of the Book
The book is broken down into 9 chapters:
True Christian Freedom (defining terms)
The Moral Law: Are Christians freed from the moral law as a rule of obedience?
Law and Grace (the law is not incompatible with grace)
Chastisements for Sin: Are Christians freed from all punishments for sin?
Performance of Duty: If a believer is under the moral law as a duty, is his liberty in Christ infringed upon?
Partial Bondage: Can Christians sin themselves into bondage again?
Obedience for the Sake of Reward: May Christians perform duties for the sake of rewards?
Obedience to Men: Are Christians freed from obedience to men?
Application for Believers and Unbelievers
Five Key Quotes
“Let not Moses (law) take the place of Christ; but, at the same time, make a right use of Moses.”
“They (every other religion) preach obedience as a means to justification; we preach justification as a means to obedience.”
“He that thinks not service to be his freedom thinks not sin to be his bondage, and therefore he is in bondage.”
“Live as though there was no Gospel; die as though there were no law.”
“Christ has not redeemed us from the matter of service, but from the manner of service.”
Recommended Complementary Reading
Glorious Freedom by Richard Sibbes
The Great Gain of Godliness by Thomas Watson
The Whole Christ by Sinclair Ferguson
