DO NOT USE YOUR FREEDOM WRONGLY

 

Galatians 5:1, 13-16

"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...13 For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love. 14 For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”[c] 15 But if you are always biting and devouring one another, watch out! Beware of destroying one another.

Paul lets us know that Jesus died so that we could be made free, free from the list of laws and regulations.  Not just to do whatever they wanted to do. They were discussing whether circumcision was still necessary to be a believer.  Circumcision profited them nothing after Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection.  To be circumcised would require them to keep the whole law.  Jesus died so that we could be free from the law and accept grace.  

Freedom means quality or state of being free; absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice or action; the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint. Jesus came so that we can have the freedom of following Him and to live free from the weight of sin and the slavery to sin.  As we accept Him and follow Him, the Holy Spirit will lead and guide us.  We are to live holy and acceptable to Him but we are not under the law.  We are living with grace.  We have freedom to serve the Lord, not freedom to sin. Sin makes you a slave to Satan. 

We have liberty but Paul admonishes us not to use that liberty unwisely or an opportunity to the flesh.  He tells them that they are to love one another.  We do not want to think that we are made free to sin because that is not true.  We want to bring God glory by loving and serving one another.

We are to love one another as ourselves. In order to do that you have to have Jesus as your Savior, accept His love for you, and love yourself.  You cannot give love to others if you do not love yourself.  That does not mean to have an inflated opinion of yourself or be selfish.  It is a healthy love for yourself.  Caring for and taking care of yourself, then you can love others.    You can't give what you don't have. 

We must ask God to help us love Him, love ourselves, and love others.  If not, we won't be able to accomplish this commandment.  The Holy Spirit will help you with all of these things.  Without the help of the Lord, we will become bitter and critical of each other.  We will "bite and devour one another" as the Bible says.  We will talk about each other, be critical, not helpful, and not see the good in our sisters and brothers.  Paul tells us not to do these things because this is Jesus' command to us.  We are to love one another.  Bickering and talking about each other is not love. Causing confusion and division is not love.  Backbiting and lying on others is not love.  Let's not just say we love each other, but really love each other with actions.  

When problems arise, address them in love instead of gossiping.  When you feel critical, make a list of positive attributes of the individual.  Make a conscious effort to Philippian 4:8 your thoughts, "8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise."  Stop those thoughts and bring them captive to what Jesus has commanded us to do, love one another. 

Don't use your freedom to sin or to cause havoc in the Kingdom of God.  You have been made free to live for free from sin and to love one another.  Be blessed.