Galatians 5:13-15 ESV
“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. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.”
The freedom that we are all called to, as believers in Jesus
Christ, is not just freedom from the punishment of sin, but it is freedom from slavery
to sin. As those who have died with Christ to sin, and who have been raised
with him to walk in newness of life in him, we are no longer to walk as slaves
to sin, but we are now to live as slaves to God and to his righteousness.
But, in context, I believe Paul was addressing the subject
of their freedom from the Old Covenant liturgical, ceremonial, and dietary laws
and restrictions. He was letting them know that freedom from those liturgical
and ceremonial laws was not freedom to now live however they wanted, and it was
definitely not freedom to sin against one another, which verses 16-21 describe
in detail. And there he let them know that if they practiced such sins as what
are listed there, they would not inherit the kingdom of God.
**
But what I want to focus my attention on today is this
matter of serving one another, through love. And this word “love” is “agape,”
and it means “love which centers in moral preference,” and it “typically refers
to divine love (=what God prefers)” (source: biblehub.com). So, when we love
others with this love we will not deliberately and habitually sin against them.
Instead, our actions should convey the moral character of God, which is righteous,
holy, honest, faithful, morally pure, and upright.
And this word “serve” means to be devoted. So we, as followers
of Christ, are to be devoted to one another in love (agape). But this devotion
is not fleshly and worldly, for it is based in this agape love. So this is a
spiritual serving of one another. So we are to do for one another what the
Scriptures teach that we are to do for each other. And they teach not only that
we are to help meet one another’s physical needs, but that we are to be
concerned about and we should help to meet one another’s spiritual needs.
We are to be those who encourage one another. And this
encouragement is not to be faked. It has to be sincere. And this is not fleshly
or worldly encouragement, but this is of the Spirit of God. We should treat one
another with a godly affection, and we are not to be selfish, but we are to be
humble, caring about one another’s legitimate needs. And those needs can be physical,
emotional and spiritual. But they should be met in a godly manner, according to
the Scriptures, and not according to the flesh.
**
As followers of Christ we are all part of one body, the body
of Christ, but we all have different giftings and different roles within the
body of Christ, which are assigned by God. So we don’t all have the same
functions. But we are to use these gifts of the Spirit for the mutual
encouragement of one another. And these are not just “feel good” kinds of
things that everyone will like and will praise our names for. But these include
prophecy (preaching, proclaiming the Word) and teaching and exhorting (holy
urging) others in faith.
But all of us are to speak the truth in love, one to the
other, so that we are no longer the immature being tossed back and forth by
various doctrines being taught by people who use cunning, craftiness, and
deceitful scheming in what they are teaching. So when we hear false teaching,
and we realize that our brothers and sisters in Christ are entertaining and
believing this false teaching, we have an obligation to them to show them the
truth of the Scriptures and to show them the lies for what they are. This is
LOVE!!
For we are to be helping one another to spiritual maturity
when we speak the truth of God’s Word to one another in love, and when we
expose the lies for what they are. But sadly, not too many people who profess
faith in Jesus Christ are accepting that as love. Many are being taught to
reject that, and to ignore or criticize or demonize those who are speaking the
truth in love, and who are pointing out the lies, and who are sharing with
others what the truth is in contrast to the lies. For culturally that is not
acceptable.
Still, that is what we are to do. Why? Because we are not to
be selfish, but humble, and we are called to serve one another in love. And we
care enough about others to tell them the truth, in love, even if they hate and
reject and misjudge us in return. For so many Christians have no problems
warning others about certain stores or restaurants or products or people they
don’t like, but they consider it rude and unkind to warn other Christians
against false teaching and false gospels which are likely to send them to hell.
**
Also, we are to address one another in psalms, hymns, and
spiritual songs. And this means that if I have a song to share with you, I
share it with you for your encouragement, and you should receive it as such,
even if it is not professionally recorded by human standards. This isn’t about
having a cool sound to it with a great rhythm and great vocals and
instrumentation. This is about one believer, from his or her heart, sharing
with other believers a song he or she received from the Lord to encourage his
or her fellow Christians.
And we, as the body of Christ, are also to teach and to
admonish (advise, urge, caution, and warn) one another in all wisdom, which is
the wisdom of God and of the Scriptures. And we don’t have to be official
preachers and teachers in order to do this. We are all to do this with the
wisdom of God and not with our own fleshly wisdom. But in today’s Christian
culture here in America that is not usually accepted. Too many people feel that
those types of things are only to come from the official preacher, but that’s
not true!
And we are to exhort (encourage, urge, spur, insist, prod)
one another daily so that none of us may be hardened by the deceitfulness of
sin. But, again, this must be biblical encouragement and not of the flesh. And
we are to provoke one another to love (of God) and to good deeds (of God), and
we are to encourage (support and cheer and/or urge and exhort) one another so
that we don’t get discouraged or disheartened, and so that we will be
strengthened in our walks of faith and obedience.
All of this is the purpose of the body of Christ (the
church). And we all need this. This is why we are to meet together, not just so
we can say we met together. And if none of this is happening when we meet
together, then that needs to change. But this happens as every part is working
properly. This is not ever to be about just one man doing it all while we sit
and listen to him. God has called us to be a family, his body, and for all of
us to do what he has called us all to do, for the mutual encouragement of one
another.
[Romans 12:1-8; 1
Corinthians 12:1-31; Galatians 6:1; Ephesians 4:1-16; Ephesians 5:17-21;
Philippians 2:1-8; Colossians 3:16; Hebrews 3:13; Hebrews 10:23-25; James
5:19-20]
Hear my Voice
An Original Work /
July 9, 2012
Based off Psalm 27
The Lord is my great
salvation.
He’s the stronghold
of my life.
When my enemies
attack me,
My heart will not
fear at all.
Though a war break
out against me,
Confident in Christ I’ll
be.
Of the Lord, I ask
that I may
Live with Him
eternally.
Hear my voice, Lord,
when I call you.
Merciful to me
You’ll be.
Though my relatives
forsake me,
My Lord God will
receive me.
Teach me Your way, O
my Jesus.
Lead me in Your
righteousness.
I will sacrifice to
my Lord.
I will sing with
joyfulness.
I am confident that
I will
See the goodness of
the Lord.
All the richness of
His blessings,
My Lord has for me
in store.
He asks me to be of
courage;
To be strong and to
take heart,
Patiently as I wait
for Him,
And from Him to
ne’er depart.
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