Freedom From Sin or Freedom to Serve
Passage for Today
Galatians 5:2-15
2 Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. 3 I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. 4 You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace. 5 For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.
7 You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? 8 This persuasion is not from him who calls you. 9 A little leaven leavens the whole lump. 10 I have confidence in the Lord that you will take no other view, and the one who is troubling you will bear the penalty, whoever he is. 11 But if I, brothers, still preach circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been removed. 12 I wish those who unsettle you would emasculate themselves!
13 For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.
2 Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. 3 I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. 4 You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace. 5 For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.
7 You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? 8 This persuasion is not from him who calls you. 9 A little leaven leavens the whole lump. 10 I have confidence in the Lord that you will take no other view, and the one who is troubling you will bear the penalty, whoever he is. 11 But if I, brothers, still preach circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been removed. 12 I wish those who unsettle you would emasculate themselves!
13 For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.
Questions
- DIG: Are you living in the true liberty Jesus called you to? Does it reveal itself in serving others?
- DISCOVER: How would others describe your love for people? Jesus said in John 13:35 (NKJV), “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
- DO: The Holy Spirit gives you the power to love. Ask Him to fill you. Look for evidence of the fruit mentioned in Galatians 5:22-23.
Devotion
By Jeff Seward
In 1941, President Roosevelt envisioned four basic freedoms for Americans to enjoy: freedom of speech, freedom to worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear. Pastor Warren Wiersbe said, “But our world needs a fifth freedom. Man needs to be free from himself and the tyranny of his sinful nature.”
Freedom is the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint. The Lord has put within all of us a desire to be free. Wiersbe says, “We are called to liberty. Christians are free. What Christ did frees us from guilt, frees us from the penalty of sin, and frees us from the power of sin every day.”
However, the freedom to sin is not freedom; it enslaves us to the devil, to others, and to the consequences of one’s own evil desires. Paul cautions that we should not allow our liberty to degenerate into license. We should not use our liberty for evil. The flesh or carnal nature is all the sinful inclinations of fallen man.
In the Greek, liberty means living as we should, not as we please. This leads us to the commandment in today’s verse: “through love serve one another.”
The formula looks like this:
Liberty + Love = Service to People
Liberty – Love = Slavery to Sin
James 2:8 (NKJV) says, “If you really fulfill the royal law according to scripture, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself,’ you do well.” If we choose to disregard this beautiful command, Paul paints the imagery of wild animals savagely attacking and killing each other. It is a graphic picture to show what it looks like when we don’t love and serve others.
I have personally experienced a dog attack. I interrupted the family pet hunting in the back yard. Even though the dog was familiar with me, as I approached him, he turned on me and viciously bit me multiple times reacting to natural instincts.
We, too, often react to our natural human instincts and can be cruel with our words. Unless the Holy Spirit is reigning and filling our hearts with His love, ugly selfishness will reign.
Christ-like love is the ruling principle of Christian freedom. Love fulfills all the laws God gave. It is the key to solving problems in human relationships (Romans 13:8-14). Freedom is found when we are in the Word and when we pray, filled and yielded to the Spirit. Then we are truly free, we enjoy liberty, and we help others.
* This devotion was found at Bible.com titled “Live Free: the book of Galatians” by Calvary Chapel Ft. Lauderdale.
In 1941, President Roosevelt envisioned four basic freedoms for Americans to enjoy: freedom of speech, freedom to worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear. Pastor Warren Wiersbe said, “But our world needs a fifth freedom. Man needs to be free from himself and the tyranny of his sinful nature.”
Freedom is the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint. The Lord has put within all of us a desire to be free. Wiersbe says, “We are called to liberty. Christians are free. What Christ did frees us from guilt, frees us from the penalty of sin, and frees us from the power of sin every day.”
However, the freedom to sin is not freedom; it enslaves us to the devil, to others, and to the consequences of one’s own evil desires. Paul cautions that we should not allow our liberty to degenerate into license. We should not use our liberty for evil. The flesh or carnal nature is all the sinful inclinations of fallen man.
In the Greek, liberty means living as we should, not as we please. This leads us to the commandment in today’s verse: “through love serve one another.”
The formula looks like this:
Liberty + Love = Service to People
Liberty – Love = Slavery to Sin
James 2:8 (NKJV) says, “If you really fulfill the royal law according to scripture, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself,’ you do well.” If we choose to disregard this beautiful command, Paul paints the imagery of wild animals savagely attacking and killing each other. It is a graphic picture to show what it looks like when we don’t love and serve others.
I have personally experienced a dog attack. I interrupted the family pet hunting in the back yard. Even though the dog was familiar with me, as I approached him, he turned on me and viciously bit me multiple times reacting to natural instincts.
We, too, often react to our natural human instincts and can be cruel with our words. Unless the Holy Spirit is reigning and filling our hearts with His love, ugly selfishness will reign.
Christ-like love is the ruling principle of Christian freedom. Love fulfills all the laws God gave. It is the key to solving problems in human relationships (Romans 13:8-14). Freedom is found when we are in the Word and when we pray, filled and yielded to the Spirit. Then we are truly free, we enjoy liberty, and we help others.
* This devotion was found at Bible.com titled “Live Free: the book of Galatians” by Calvary Chapel Ft. Lauderdale.
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