The house in which we now reside, our second house and second mortgage, was built in the 70′s. In a big city, new homes are cramped with tiny yards and state of the art stoves, lighting and bathtubs in “garden spot” bathrooms. All of the money is in the “extras.” Here, the money is in the solid oak paneling, the square feet and the fenced in yard.

The bathtub is “Harvest Gold.” I thought there was a law against that color now, but either there is no law or we are in secret violation of it. The bathroom linoleum is original as well. Yikes. On the other hand, the previous owner had been updating quite a bit. The kitchen has beautiful tile floor and tile backsplash. New roof. New, white carpet.

New white carpet on which all of our boxes sit. I think that one of our first purchases will have to be a professional steam cleaning machine. New rules for this house include no shoes on the carpet and no food or drinks out of the kitchen – even for me.

I wish I had something as effective as the blood of Christ with which to cleanse this white carpet. Powerful, sufficient, given in love, free and setting me free to live without the need for perfection. I never have to be rewashed, but need to be sanctified by the minute, if not the second. I guess it becomes clear that carpets and Christians are so different, that cleaning them can’t even relate well, because the redemption of my soul is so far beyond the most eloquent of words that my carpet becomes an afterthought if not an insult.

Carpets get lived on, dirty and replaced. Christ has set me free. I am not set free to be a libertine. However, I will not, having been set free, be drawn back into the law from which I have been released. It is an insult to Christ Himself and his death on the Cross to become a legalist or to judge others from a legalistic standpoint.

For days now, I have been ignoring an article by Dr. Paige Patterson on the alcohol issue. I read it thoroughly and appreciated everything he said concerning the word study and history of the day. In such things, he is far more brilliant than I. It was his conclusion that violated my senses, though. When a few of my church members brought me the article, I knew I needed to address it. Not everything – just the conclusion.

In Dr. Patterson’s summary paragraph, he states, in the form of a question, that anything less than tee totaling – which is equated with a striving to honor God in response to His grace – is sinful for all Christians. Specifically, he says, “Can it be anything less than sin for a believer who is genuinely grateful for the atoning power of Christ in his life to pursue anything other than the highest — God’s ideal — the best that he can be for Christ?” The fault, of course, is in the premise that Dr. Patterson’s opinion is equatable to God’s ideal for every Christian. We can certainly conclude that Dr. Patterson doesn’t lack confidence in hi own opinion.

How can a man so luminous reach such a false conclusion? I can only surmise that his predisposition on the subject had such a conclusion in mind before the article began.

To say it is no less than a sin for any Christian to sip alcohol is to ignore the full witness of the inerrant Word of God. For a man who fought so hard for the Word, it is ironic for him to take such position. Had he simply concluded with a statement that his argument led him, and hopefully others, to recognize the power and benefit of abstaining from alcohol, I would have endorsed it to you. I was about to do so, until I read the last paragraph.

I am no libertine, nor do I drink alcohol, but I will not go back into the shackles from which I have been set free. This is not insisting on my freedom in Christ ahead of the good of others, either. I am His servant. He may command from me what He wishes. You may not. I will insist on my liberty in Christ whenever anyone of any stature insists that I follow their legalistic interpretation of Scripture – especially when it so strongly defies the full Biblical witness.

It’s enough to drive a man to drink.

Not me, though. ;)

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