Called to freedom...Live and Walk by the Spirit.

Galatians 5:13-26 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. ¹⁴ For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” ¹⁵ But if you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another.

¹⁶ But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. ¹⁷ For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. ¹⁸ But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. ¹⁹ Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, ²⁰ idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, ²¹ envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. ²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. ²⁴ Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

²⁵ If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. ²⁶ Let us not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another.

I think we always need to remind ourselves that Paul is writing to the church, to believers. Many times we think that the modern church struggles with new problems, that we have fallen into new false teachings, that division among the church is a new thing caused by our many denominations and doctrines. The reality is that while many things in the world have changed tremendously, the heart of people, the struggle between the Spirit and the flesh really has changed very little. Jesus Himself says:  This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. (John 3:19) That is the struggle that has not changed. God created every person with a free will. Each one must choose light or darkness. Each one, even every believer, must choose whether to live according to the flesh and its selfish desires or to live and walk according to God’s will, in the light, by the Spirit.

Paul says:    For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.  For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”   But if you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another.       We are called to freedom, both from sin and from the law. 1 Peter 3:18 says:    Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit.       The finished work of the cross has paid the price for every sin, past, present and future. We are though, free from sin, not free to sin. Because we are body, soul and spirit, we must choose whether to live according to the Spirit or to satisfy our own desires.

The first thing Paul points to as an indication of a Spirit led life is that through love we serve one another. Again we need to remember that Paul is writing to the church. When he quotes scripture saying: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” the neighbor he is speaking of here is your fellow believer. Jesus Himself says: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.  By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”(John 13:34-35)  The commandment to love others is an Old Covenant commandment. It is still valid. We are called to love others, even sinners, those who are different than us, even those who persecute us. As Jesus says in Matthew 5:44:   “I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.”    As both Paul and Jesus say though, as believers we must first and foremost love fellow believers. Jesus says that is how the world will know we are His disciples, not by our acts of service, not by our love and acceptance of them, but “that we love one another.” If we love the world without loving our fellow believers, the world may love us in return, but they will not know that we are Jesus disciples. If they follow us then, whose disciples are they?   

Paul continues to tell the church what a Spirit led life looks like. He says:   But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law.     So again we have been freed from the law, freed from sin. We are however not free to sin. Paul continues:      Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality,  idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions,  envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.     Before we continue to look at how this applies to ourselves, in order to make sure that we know that this truly is God’s will and God’s word, not simply Paul’s doctrine; Jesus Himself says:   “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.  For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.  “For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:17-20)

There are two important elements to what Paul says. The first is:   those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.       Again, Jesus also says: they shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven…will not enter the kingdom of heaven. In Revelation 21:8 it says:  the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.     We all struggle with sin from at times. So then, is there no hope for us? Will we be excluded from the kingdom of heaven because we sin? Jesus paid for all sin on the cross. Our righteousness, the righteousness that exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, is in Him.

The second element of what Paul says is:  that those who practice such things… Jesus says “whoever annuls and teaches others…”     So, if we practice, if we continually choose to follow the desires of the flesh, if we teach others to practice sin, if we love darkness rather than light we may receive the judgment Jesus speaks of. In Isaiah 5:20, God says:    “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!”  

What is the answer then? How do we live rightly that we would inherit the kingdom? First it is only by grace, through Christ. Then Paul says:   But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.  If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Let us not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another.

Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ; precious Holy Spirit, thank You for the finished work of the cross, You grace for all who believe. I choose to follow You, Lord Jesus, to be Your disciple. So I choose to love my neighbor. Because You first loved me, I choose to love other believers. I choose also to love, bless and pray even for those who persecute me. I choose:  love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. I choose to live and walk by the Spirit.      Amen