Tozer on Christian Liberty

Christian liberty is freedom to live in the Spirit, unhindered by externals. Christian liberty is freedom from the fear of government, freedom from the fear of your sins, freedom from the fear of the devil, freedom from black cats and birds and amulets and spells and charms and wizardry, freedom from religious bondage of every kind, and freedom from the iron yoke of traditions. Christian liberty is freedom to live in the Spirit and worship God in spirit and in truth. When it becomes freedom to commit sins so that “grace may abound,” Paul cried out against it and shouted, “God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?” (Rom. 6:1-2).

We have freedom to love, so our conduct springs out of love and the freedom not to hate. It is wonderful to be free from hate. Hate is a moral cancer and eats on the soul until it kills the victim. To get free from hatred is like being healed of cancer. Freedom from hatred, from envy, from unholy ambition, from wanting your own way, and the freedom to do the will of God is Christian freedom; that is truth Christian liberty. Christian liberty is never about the freedom to commit any sort of sin. The child of God who lives from within and whose heart is a fountain of affection and love for God will not sin; but if he does, he will confess it with sorrow and be forgiven and cleansed from it and determine not to go back to that wallow anymore.

-A.W. Tozer in The Dangers of a Shallow Faith (pg 109)