- 1Spring Scriptural approach.
- 2Fall Law and liberty.
Law sits in the most foundational place: God as law, God as eternal love.
In the Old Testament God gave the law to the people; in the New Testament, the love of God. The purpose of the law is people back to God — union and true fellowship.
Liberty is relational; it begins with our relationship with God. In Genesis, God repeatedly calls His creation “good” — exactly as He intended it. Jesus came not to abolish the law but to fulfill it, restoring what was broken across three dimensions.
- 1God – Man Walking with God, face to face.
- 2Man – Man Eve from Adam: “bone of my bones, flesh of my flesh.”
- 3Man – Creation Adam as co-ruler and co-servant, naming all things.
Because of the rebellion, all three unions break:
- 1Adam and Eve hide from God.
- 2They blame each other.
- 3The earth is cursed — thorns and thistles.
In Matthew 5, on adultery: not only the act, but the lustful intent of the heart. The law points beyond the rule to God's purpose — how we should treat all people, not only our spouse.
Our reaction is that this is too demanding — a yoke. But the good news is that Jesus carried the burden, not us, and invites us into union with Him.
Liberty (in Greek) means belonging to a clan. Through Christ we call God “Abba, Father.” And as promised, the Holy Spirit is sent — interceding for us and dwelling within us.
The focus turns to the legal and political sense of liberty, through two theologians:
- 1Augustine of Hippo
- 2Martin Luther
Humanity and the created world: the God–human relationship; human beings as God’s delegate agents, ruling with God-given authority. When God said creation was good, and very good, that is what was meant. Human beings cannot restore this by our own power — only God’s grace. The purpose of the law is meant to be fulfilled in Jesus Christ. The restored relationship is the God–child relationship that is given to us.
The prevailing political view is philosophical liberalism, standing for liberty, with the individual as another point of view — individual freedom. What is the connection between liberty and being an individual? It runs through the Protestant Reformation. Without Luther we would not understand it fully. In the packet, p. 1 is introduction; the Luther quotation is at the bottom of p. 8.
Justification is not a human work. Reading Augustine helped Luther see this light, and it opened a gate for him. Pelagius holds the opposite view.
A very important thinker — probably the most influential mind of the Christian church throughout its long history. We are made toward God; we can never rest when we turn away.
- 1Church and sacraments from Donatism.
- 2Doctrine of grace.
- 3Doctrine of the Trinity.
Christian doctrine on grace and on the Trinity are central in theology; Augustine had his own views. When we try to understand a Christian way of liberty and law, some of the questions are raised in theological terms.
Original sin. Another difficulty for the modern mind is imputation: “I didn’t do it” — Adam’s fault, why am I responsible for that? Adam took the fruit; but if God is omnipotent, why did this happen? Maybe Adam was programmed to do this. If so, why should he be responsible, even if it is not his will? The answer is not provided. Pelagianism is not accepted in the church. This is familiar because of Augustine.
- 1Fatalism Human beings are determined — complete fatalism; no real freedom.
- 2Pelagius Total freedom of the will, moral perfection by our own power. Human nature is capable of the law of God, so we have to do it.
“Pelagianism upheld the total freedom of the human will while denying the sovereignty of God.”
Primal state: yes. We still have freedom of will. Not determinism — we have choices; we call them free choices.
Human free will has been weakened and incapacitated — but not eliminated or destroyed — through sin. Our free will is distorted. Even when we exercise it we cannot do good unless something comes from God and fixes the problem.
Humanity possessed total freedom of the will, and was totally responsible for its own sins. The human free will was like a pair of balance pans in perfect equilibrium, not subject to any bias whatsoever. There was no need for divine grace. Sin is using that free will wrongly.
God gave us choice: be free, united with God in fellowship — or stand by your own standard of right and wrong. That remaining state of liberty is real. Adam and Eve chose the other way: rebellion. If the pans were in perfect equilibrium, that would be perfection; but original sin already places weight on the evil side.
You cannot have both ways. Either be Pelagius — say you have freedom of will and the capacity to be perfect, and try to be perfect — or accept that you need God.
The simple fact that we are sinners means that we are seriously ill, and unable to diagnose our own illness adequately, let alone cure it. It is through the grace of God alone that our illness is diagnosed (sin), and a cure made available (grace). The condition of humanity is about our relationship with God; it is about human nature. The condition of human nature is utterly changed.
Augustine develops this with three analogies: original sin as a “disease,” as a “power,” and as “guilt.”
- 1Disease
- 2Power
- 3Guilt
Grace, according to Augustine, is God’s generous and quite unmerited attention to humanity, by which this process of healing may begin. Human nature requires transformation through the grace of God, so generously given.
Augustine so influenced Martin Luther that it changed the way of speaking about freedom and liberty.
- 1How does Augustine’s theological perspective on free will, original sin, and divine grace help us understand the scriptural account of freedom better?
- 2What insight on law and liberty do we gain from studying the Pelagian controversy of early 4th century?
- 3How did Augustine’s thoughts influence the Reformation-era thinkers, especially Martin Luther?
As the discussion of law and liberty transitions from the scriptural and theological to the legal and political, this week considers how the idea of religious liberty emerged, and — when it is understood in its historical and conceptual senses — why freedom of religion can be regarded as the most foundational of all civil and political liberties.
Week 8 considers John Stuart Mill (1806–1873) on the limits of state power and public opinion over the individual. Assigned readings will be provided in advance on the LMS.
Faculty Talk: Christianity and Public International Law, given by H. Lee. The syllabus lists this as a talk week; no further lecture notes are in the syllabus.
These weeks consider how liberty in relation to law has been understood through major schools of thought, both liberal and republican, or modern and ancient. Week 10 names the contrast as modern liberalism and contractarianism versus republicanism (or liberty before liberalism).
Week 11 takes up two concepts of liberty: negative liberty versus positive liberty. Assigned readings will be provided in advance on the LMS.
Faculty Panel Discussion on Law & Liberty. Panelists: H. Lee, Y. Lee, Paik. After this panel, Week 13 finishes the year-long consideration of the theme.
After the faculty panel in Week 12, Week 13 finishes the year-long consideration of the theme, law and liberty, with concluding reflections.
There will be an hour-long final exam using Exam4, administered in the final week of classes — Friday, December 4, Week 14. Students will be asked to write an essay answering one question based on the entire course material for the semester. This exam assesses the lecture portion (pass/fail).