Galatians 5:13-26
"For you were called the freedom, brothers and sisters;
only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through
love become slaves to one another. For
the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, "You shall love your
neighbor as yourself."
Freedom! The word is
on everyone's lips. Home of the free! Trouble is, for too many of us freedom means
you can do anything you darn well please.
Paul is telling the Galatians, and us, we've got it all wrong. And then shockingly he tells us freedom means
becoming slaves!
That didn't sit well in ancient Galatia, and it sure doesn't
fly today! Anyway, we say. Yeah.
Freedom. The law will take care
of bad guys who overstep the bounds. Paul is saying the law isn't what one can or
should rely on. verse 18: But if you are
led by the Spirit, you are not subject to the law.
Huh??? Of course Paul
means the law of Torah, which was spelled out in great detail, and known by the
Jews of his time. What to eat and not eat. What to wear, etc. Even circumcism! However, Paul's words are a great teaching
for us today. Those many centuries ago
Paul spelled out the evils of the day, which still speak loudly and clearly to
our society today. Fornication,
impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger,
quarrels dissensions, factions. Sound familiar?
He goes on. verse 22. "By contrast, the fruit of the
Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness,
gentleness, and self control." Paul
has told us here what it is to be led by and to live by the Spirit- to be truly
human joining ourselves to God's will for us.
Now, on this Memorial Day we honor our Service men and
women. In defending our Freedom they have had to do horrific things they never
would have done in private life. I'm
thinking now of the many who are today returning from battle to depression, anxiety
and stress disorder, suicide. We are not
as people, as a society, doing enough to help these wounded warriors. As Christians we have faith in God's abiding
Spirit, in God's prevenient Grace. God
alone reads the very wounded hearts of those returning from the horror of
war. Paul has lived both sides of
persecutor and persecuted. Paul the
cruel persecutor has come to Christ. He
knows and affirms to the Galatians and to us today the abiding love of
God. We can do no less but pass on the Spirit
this Memorial Day! Let us honor those
who have given their lives for our Freedom.
Let us do whatever it takes to support the men and women returning from
battle, and their families. Let us
demonstrate in our support our faith that a greater Freedom than we ever
imagined is offered to all in Christ Jesus.
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