Thanks for your patience as I am getting a late start today. Galatians 5:13-18 is our main text this morning. You might want to take a moment and read it. (I've reproduced it later in the post.)
What does "freedom" mean, as Paul defines it, in the context of the Christian life?
It might be helpful to first notice/define what it is not.
1. First of all, it is not being harnessed to a set of rituals, traditions and schemes.
I am emphatic about this. The moment any one of you submits to circumcision or any other rule-keeping system, at that same moment Christ’s hard-won gift of freedom is squandered.
(5:2-3)
Here's a modern-day example: The Bible commands us to gather together as local bodies of Christ-followers, for worship, encouragement, discipleship, service. That means we should attend our local church faithfully. However, some interpret this to mean that they should never miss church! Their relative is sick, but they can't go visit him/her in the hometown because .... "can't miss church, not even a couple times a year!". Their mother is having a birthday - - - can't miss church! Etc. This is legalism, and a distortion of Scripture. Personally, I had to deal with this this week; so, I'm "preaching to the choir". Christian, if your "church work" keeps you from loving others, you are missing the point. I could give many more examples of "pious but legalistic" behavior, but will spare you. I'm sure you get the idea. 2. Second of all, it is not living exactly as one pleases, serving our own selfish desires as a pattern of living.
Just make sure that you don’t use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and destroy your freedom. {Don't} feed the compulsions of selfishness.
(5:13, 17)
Even though this is not the Galatians' issue, Paul does touch on this kind of behavior in the verses above. Some of the other "baby churches" in that day had a worse problem with this (See the Corinthians, for instance.) This is very sad to say, but unfortunately, in the Protestant church, this is happening. I can talk about Protestants because I am one, a Baptist, to be exact. There are some whose testimony is this: "Well, I said the prayer. I asked Jesus into my heart. I am 'under grace'. He will forgive me, whatever I do. So, I can live just as I please now." This is a perversion of gospel of Jesus; it is the very self-centered life walk Paul warned the Galatians (and others) about. It is an indication that this person needs to examine him/herself, to see if he/she is really, truly His. As James says in his book, "Faith without works is useless." (James 2:20).3. Third, freedom is not a license to excuse sin in the name of "love". This, too, is very prevalent today. Since the unbelieving world accuses us of being "unloving" because we hold to the teachings of Jesus and the prophets and the disciples, as revealed in the Holy Bible, we react to that accusation by watering down our message and lowering our convictions. Listen, the most loving thing we can do for people is to present to them the gospel the Bible teaches, which includes repentance from sin. How can you repent from something, if you don't know that it IS sin? The answer is, "You can't." That does not mean we should picket funerals or sling hate-filled messages at unbelievers, as some who claim the name of Christ (falsely, in my opinion) do. But, neither should we excuse anything that sets itself up in opposition to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
4. Fourth, in keeping with #3 above, we are not free to tear one another apart in the name of holiness. We should exhort one another in the most loving way possible, without compromising the truth. This applies to holding ourselves accountable ourselves first, then our brothers and sisters in the faith and also those unbelievers the Lord brings to our circle of influence in this world. Look at Paul's warning about how NOT to do this:
If you bite and ravage each other, watch out—in no time at all you will be annihilating each other, and where will your precious freedom be then?
(5:15)
This brings us to the definition of The Free Life in Jesus Christ. Paul defines it for us in verses 13-18 (The Message):
13-15 It is absolutely clear that God has called you to a free life. Just make sure that you don’t use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and destroy your freedom. Rather, use your freedom to serve one another in love; that’s how freedom grows. For everything we know about God’s Word is summed up in a single sentence: Love others as you love yourself. That’s an act of true freedom. If you bite and ravage each other, watch out—in no time at all you will be annihilating each other, and where will your precious freedom be then?
16-18 My counsel is this: Live freely, animated and motivated by God’s Spirit. Then you won’t feed the compulsions of selfishness. For there is a root of sinful self-interest in us that is at odds with a free spirit, just as the free spirit is incompatible with selfishness. These two ways of life are antithetical, so that you cannot live at times one way and at times another way according to how you feel on any given day. Why don’t you choose to be led by the Spirit and so escape the erratic compulsions of a law-dominated existence?
I absolutely LOVE how Paul agrees with James here. Do you see it? What is a Christian walk that expresses true faith through good works? Look at the underlined phrases above:
a. "Freedom to serve one another, in love"
b. "Love others as you love yourself."
c. Choose to be "animated and motivated by God's Spirit", "led by the Spirit".
Inherent in these commands of Paul's is ACTION...service, love-in-action. Paul will go on to more fully describe the characteristics of someone who is led by the Spirit in the next few verses. We will look at them later this week.
So, if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed!
John 8:36
Father, thank you for setting us free from the sin curse, through the magnificent, unbelievable sacrifice of Your Son. Teach us believers, by Your Holy Spirit, to walk soberly, joyfully, in that freedom today, so that our lives may usher in Your Kingdom on earth, so that Your will may be done, so that You may get all the glory! In Jesus' name, amen.
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