Freedom
Freedom - Galatians 5
“So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law.” - Galatians 5:1 NLT
Christ has broken the chains of bondage and set us free from the law. Unpacking this a little, this morning, Paul is driving home the reality that the law can not justify us. The law can not provide us freedom, and we can not earn our way to heaven, work our way into a relationship with God, or check off a list of laws and get an attaboy from God. These legalistic actions will only produce bondage. But we have a real enemy who likes to deceive us. This was a good read in a commentary I read this morning:
The great evangelist D. L. Moody illustrated this point by quoting an old former slave woman in the South following the Civil War. Being a former slave, she was confused about her status and asked: Now is I free, or been I not? When I go to my old master, he says I ain’t free, and when I go to my own people, they say I is, and I don’t know whether I’m free or not. Some people told me that Abraham Lincoln signed a proclamation, but master says he didn’t; he didn’t have any right to. Many Christians are confused on the same point. Jesus Christ has given them an “Emancipation Proclamation,” but their “old master” tells them they are still slaves to a legal relationship with God. They live in bondage because their “old master” has deceived them.
The old master is gone, and Jesus Christ is our new master. The things of the law have no place in this new covenant.
“For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.” - Galatians 5:6 NIV
The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love! I liked how the Message version says this.
“I suspect you would never intend this, but this is what happens. When you attempt to live by your religious plans and projects, you are cut off from Christ, you fall out of grace. Meanwhile we expectantly wait for a satisfying relationship with the Spirit. For in Christ, neither our most conscientious religion nor disregard of religion amounts to anything. What matters is something far more interior: faith expressed in love.” - Galatians 5:4-6 MSG
What matters is something far more interior: faith expressed in love. Interior work, not exterior. This hit me this morning reading that. How common it is for us to be focused on exterior things, not the interior. Thinking of food and diets, for the most part, people focus on food and nutrition for the exterior reasons, not as much for internal purposes. Growth and development typically are concentrated in exterior things, not interior things. Paul here is driving home the critical value of inner work, and this inner work produces love. I would imagine it to be true that no amount of exterior work or exterior things can produce love.
“You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh...” - Galatians 5:13a NIV
Here Paul sets the guidelines around our freedom and what we should do with it. We are free, and have freedom from our bondage! But this freedom should not lead us back into the things of this world, and exterior focused. Just because we can, doesn’t mean we should.
“You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” - Galatians 5:13-14 NIV
We can over-complicate things so quickly. It boils down to loving God and loving others. A key reason this is permanently tattooed on my body. And this leads us to the final thought, and the “how-to” for us.
“So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit, what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other so that you are not to do whatever you want.” - Galatians 5:16-17 NIV
Walk by the Spirit. Be led by the Spirit. Give way to the Spirit. We are walking in true fellowship with God. We will not always get this right, and we will slip up and allow the flesh to rise. It happens. Let me leave you with this from Chuck Smith, and he unpacks this walking in the Spirit and the lapses we have.
"Hey, that old nature, that old Chuck is dead. Let him alone. Don't revive him. Crucified with Christ. Reckon that to be. That's just my old flesh that's upset. That's my old prideful nature. That's the old nature that wants its way, that wants to insist on its own way and all. That's the old nature, reckon that to be dead. That died with Christ. It doesn't really matter, I'm going to walk after the Spirit, and I'm going to please God in this. I'm going to walk in love." And so, I have to reckon the old man to be dead each day, and oftentimes, many times through the day.
The flesh is lusting against the Spirit. The Spirit against the flesh. They're contrary, and I do not always walk after the Spirit. There are times when I lapse into the flesh. I get an attitude that is not of the Lord. I say something that is not of the Lord. Do you know what happens? Immediately the Spirit speaks to me and says, "That was wrong." "Yeah, but I had the right to do it." And I'll argue with Him for a while. "You don't know how long I've been taking it, Lord. I tried." And you keep dealing with me until I'll finally say, "Oh, God, I'm sorry. I was wrong. Forgive me, Lord. Help me, Lord. Thank You, Jesus, for Your forgiveness and for Your love and for Your grace to me."
Lord guide us as we go into this new day. Draw us to you, and help us walk in the Spirit and be led by the Spirit. Lord, may we lay down the things of this world, our flesh, and be reminded they have been crucified in Christ Jesus, and we need not resurrect them.