There
are four laws of Christian behaviour
1. The law of liberty, always directed toward self
and your rights as a Christian. Biblically you have the right to do certain
things that will not cause you to sin and lose fellowship with the Lord. That is
your freedom, your law of liberty, expressed in 1 Corinthians 8:4,9.
2. The law of love, directed toward God and others.
Gate 5, motivational virtue: personal love for God; Gate six, functional
virtue: impersonal love directed toward all. In essence, this law avoids
offending the weaker brethren and becoming a distraction to their spiritual
growth. This law is expressed in 1 Corinthians 8:13.
3. The law of expediency, directed primarily toward
the unbeliever. Expediency deals with evangelism and the individual’s testimony
toward the unbeliever. The unbeliever often superimposes certain standards on
the believer, standards which are nonsensical. He expects the believer to
comply and exemplify these standards regardless of their spiritual connotation.
Therefore the Christian must often refrain from doing certain things not
because they are wrong but because they prevent the unbeliever from seeing the
true issue of salvation, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. This law is expressed
in 1 Corinthians 9:16-23; 10:23.
4. The law of supreme sacrifice, always directed
toward God. This is the highest law of Christian behaviour. It requires the
believer to often forsake normal living and legitimate function in life in
order to serve the Lord in a specialised capacity or in an historical
emergency. This law is stated in 1 Corinthians 9:1-15.