Chapter 21
THE PROPER USE OF FREEDOM
(Galatians 5:13-25)
Before we begin our study let us pray,
Dear Heavenly Father,
Holy Father we come before You in the Name of Your only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Father please bless our time of study in Your Word. Please open our eyes to see the manner in which You would have us live our lives. Please open our ears to hear Your instruction. Father, please grant us the Grace to follow You and Your ways.
Amen
INTRODUCTION
We are now at the point in our study where we can begin to see and understand the great spiritual power and blessings the Holy Spirit makes available to the born again believer in Jesus Christ.
With this thought in mind, let us read the Scriptures from which we take our study.
Galatians 5:13-25
"[13] You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature ; rather, serve one another in love. [14] The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself." [15] If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other. [16] So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. [17] For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. [18] But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law. [19] The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; [20] idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions [21] and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. [22] But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, [23] gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. [24] Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. [25] Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit."
In our study of the above Scriptures we will find that:
1. We are to serve one another in love.
2. We are to live by and walk in the Holy Spirit.
With this short introduction we begin our study by exploring the command that as born again believers,
WE ARE TO SERVE ONE ANOTHER IN LOVE
To see this we will,
1. Find that our freedom in Christ Jesus is not a license to sin.
2. Reaffirm that love fulfills the requirements of the law.
Then we will,
3. Summarize this portion of our study.
And so let us begin by seeing that,
OUR FREEDOM IN CHRIST JESUS IS NOT A LICENSE TO SIN
We find this principle in the first portion of the following verse,
Galatians 5:13(a)
"[13] You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; ..."
Another way to see this is by reading from,
Romans 6:15
"[15] What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means!"
In considering the above Scriptures we clearly discover that when the Bible teaches that the born again believers are under Grace and not Law, it is not suggesting it is alright for them to sin. No, in fact the Bible teaches the opposite. To see this let us now read the entire verse of the following Scripture,
Galatians 5:13
"[13] You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love."
In other words, the Bible teaches us that we should love one another. But this does leave us with the question of; “How does this prevent us from sinning?” To find out let us explore the fact that:
LOVE FULFILLS THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE LAW
To see this let us read from,
Galatians 5:14
"[14] The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself."
Thus, we discover that when we walk or live our life in the newness of the Spirit, which is love, we are in fact fulfilling the demands of the Law. Hence, we are not sinning.
Since this principle is so crucial to the life of the born again believer, let us explore this principle a bit more depth.
A FURTHER EXPLANATION
We begin by bringing to mind that one of the things Jesus said was that He did not come to abolish the Law but to fulfill it. To refresh our memories let us read from,
Matthew 5:17
""[17] Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them."
First of all, as we read the New Testament, we discover that Jesus was talking about Himself. To refresh our memory let us recall that,
A. Jesus lived a sinless life. Thus, He fulfilled the demands of the Moral Law.
B. His sacrifice for the forgiveness of our sins was the fulfillment of the Ceremonial Law.
Secondly, Jesus taught us the means by which we too can fulfill the Law. To see this, let us read what Jesus said when He was asked as to which of the commandments was the greatest. His answer is recorded for us in,
Matthew 22:34-40
"[34] Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. [35] One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: [36] "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" [37] Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' [38] This is the first and greatest commandment. [39] And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' [40] All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.""
Not only does Jesus teach us that love fulfills the Law and all that the prophets proclaimed, but He also made it a command for us to love one another. He further teaches us that it will be by our love for one another that we will be recognized as His disciples. To see this let us read from,
John 13:34-35
""[34] A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. [35] By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.""
Thus we find that our Christian life or walk is not one of laws, rules, regulations, traditions and rituals but one of love. In fact, this is exactly one of the major doctrines of the Christian faith. To see this let us read from,
Romans 7:6
"[6] But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code."
Now some may ask; “How can this be?” “How does love fulfill the Law?” To find out let us read and consider the type of love the Holy Spirit can and will bring forth from within the true born again believer in Jesus Christ. To see this we go to,
1 Corinthians 13:4-8
"[4] Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. [5] It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. [6] Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. [7] It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. [8] Love never fails..."
If we live our lives in accordance with the above attitude or motivation, there is no way we would sin against our fellow man. Hence, with this kind of love flowing from within us we can now better appreciate and understand the truth of the following Scripture,
Galatians 5:14
"[14] The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself.""
Since love fulfills the Law, then if we do not walk in love, the consequences will be quite devastating. To see this let us read from,
Galatians 5:15
"[15] If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other."
CONCLUSION
We now have before us two great spiritual laws:
1. If, by faith, we considered ourselves crucified with Christ and walk or live our lives by trusting that the Holy Spirit's love will flow from within us, we fulfill the law and receive God's blessings (see Galatians 2:19-21).
But,
2. If we try to obey the Law in our own strength and willpower, then we are under a curse. To see this let us read from,
Galatians 3:9-10
"[9] So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith. [10] All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.""
This now brings us to the question of; “How is the born again believer to live a life of love?”
As was noted earlier, we must yield our lives to God the Holy Spirit, who lives within the born again believer. Let us recall that one of the attributes of God is love. To see this let us read the following excerpt from,
1 John 4:8
"… God is love."
Thus, by faith in Jesus Christ, that is give Him control over our lives, He, by God the Holy Spirit, will then bring forth from within us the love we desperately need.
This brings us to the second major topic for this study. Specifically,
WE ARE TO LIVE AND WALK IN THE SPIRIT
To see this we will,
1. Explore the Christian conflict.
2. Examine how we can determine or test whether or not we are living by and walking in the Holy Spirit.
To learn how we can better live a life of love under the power of the Holy Spirit, it is very important for us to have an understanding of,
THE CHRISTIAN CONFLICT
To do this we begin by reading from,
Galatians 5: 16-17
"[16] So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. [17] For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want."
Let us notice the following verses,
16 … If, by faith, we give God the Holy Spirit control of our lives His love will flow from within us. This will prevent us from gratifying our sinful nature.
17 … Our sinful nature wants to do things that are contrary to the desires of the Holy Spirit, that is gratify self. Whereas, the Holy Spirit wants to do things that are contrary to the desires of our sinful nature. This is the Christian conflict.
In other words, the above Scriptures reveal to us that in every born again believer's life there are two powerful influences acting within them: (1) self or the sinful nature and (2) God the Holy Spirit. To better understand these influences we begin by seeing what the Bible has to say about:
THE FLESH WHICH IS COMMONLY CALLED SELF OR THE SINFUL NATURE
To see how this sinful nature operates let us read from,
James 1:13-15
"[13] When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; [14] but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. [15] Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death."
We also find that it is this sinful nature the evil one attempts to activate or entice. His obvious method of enticement is by placing in front of us a situation or circumstance to tempt us to sin. However, one of the more subtle methods used by the evil one is to try and activate our sinful nature by enticing us to try and follow or comply with the demands of the Law.
Once our sinful nature is activated it causes us to do things that we really do not want to do. This is what was stated in Galatians 5:17 above. However, a more graphic depiction of this phenomenon is provided for us in,
Romans 7:8-23
"[8] But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of covetous desire. For apart from law, sin is dead. [9] Once I was alive apart from law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died. [10] I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death. [11] For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through the commandment put me to death. [12] So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good. [13] Did that which is good, then, become death to me? By no means! But in order that sin might be recognized as sin, it produced death in me through what was good, so that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful. [14] We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. [15] I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. [16] And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. [17] As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. [18] I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. [19] For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do--this I keep on doing. [20] Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. [21] So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. [22] For in my inner being I delight in God's law; [23] but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members."
But, there is good news. It was for this very reason Jesus came to earth and offered Himself as a sacrifice for our sins. Not only did He offer Himself for the forgiveness of our sins but also to redeem us from the power of our sinful nature. To see this, let us continue reading His letter to the Romans from,
Romans 7:24-25
"[24] What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? [25] Thanks be to God--through Jesus Christ our Lord! ..."
This now brings us to the other side of the Christian conflict. That is:
GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT
As we study the New Testament we find that living within the born again believer is a second major influence over our lives, who is God the Holy Spirit. To see this let us read from,
1 Corinthians 6:19
"[19] Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? …"
In contrast to our sinful nature, which pulls us away from God and His ways, the Holy Spirit draws us to Him and helps us to live a life pleasing to God. To see this let us quickly review some of the things that God the Holy Spirit will do for us.
He will guide us to where or where not to go
To see this let us read how the Holy Spirit would not allow Paul and his companions to go to Asia or Bithynia.
Acts 16:6-7
"[6] Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. [7] When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to."
In addition to leading and guiding us as to where or where not to go,
He also intercedes for us in our prayer life
This is revealed to us in Paul's letter to the Romans. In this letter Paul teaches us, that in our natural self, we really do not know how to pray.
Romans 8:26
"[26] In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express."
We also find that,
He teaches us about God and His Kingdom
To see this let us consider what the Apostle John wrote in his first letter.
1 John 2:27
"[27] As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit--just as it has taught you, remain in him."
And finally, for this study, let us recall that,
He gives us power over sin
To see this let us read from,
Romans 6:14
"[14] For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace."
Now that we see that the born again believer has two natures, the question becomes: "How do I know whether or not I am living my life in the Holy Spirit?" In other words, how does a person know if they are living under the control and direction of the Holy Spirit? This brings us to,
THE TEST
So that we would not be deceived by our sinful nature or the evil one, Jesus gave us a test to determine whether or not we are living our lives under the control of the Holy Spirit. This test was also given to help us discern between the false and true prophet of God. Its principle also applies to all those who claim to be born again believers in Jesus Christ. To read it let us go to,
Matthew 7:15-23
""[15] Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. [16] By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? [17] Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. [18] A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. [19] Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. [20] Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. [21] "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. [22] Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' [23] Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'"
Let us notice the following verses,
20 … It is by the fruit of their lives by which you are to determine whether or not a person is under the influence of the Holy Spirit.
21- It is not only that we profess Jesus Christ as Lord that makes us a born again believer. We must also do His will, that is follow or obey His commands. Let us recall that earlier we found where Jesus commanded us to walk in love. Hence, if we do walk in love we are doing God's will. Conversely, if we do not walk in love we are not doing God's will.
22 … It is not the power gifts of the Holy Spirit that assures us we are living under the control of the Holy Spirit. As we saw above it is the fruits of the Holy Spirit that determine whether or not He is truly living through us.
To help determine when or when we are not walking or living by the Spirit, our God provided us with some examples of the various kinds of fruits. Thus, when we examine the fruit coming from our lives we will be able to determine when we are yielding to our sinful nature and when we are yielding to the Holy Spirit.
First, there are the fruits of our sinful nature. These are described in part in,
Galatians 5:19-21
"[19] The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; [20] idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions [21] and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God."
Let us pay particular attention to the stern warning in verse 21. Specifically, if a person continues to live their life under the control of their sinful nature, they will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
In contrast to the sinful nature, let us now read about of the fruits of the Holy Spirit. Some of His fruits are provided for us in,
Galatians 5:22-23
"[22] But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, [23] gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law."
Let us notice that in verse 23 we again discover that if a person lives their life under the control of the Holy Spirit, they will be fulfilling God's righteous laws. Just as Jesus said, He did not come to abolish the Law but to fulfill it. In our case He is fulfilling it for us through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
Hence when we yield our lives to the Holy Spirit we will find the following to be true,
Galatians 5:24
"[24] Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires."
Hence, we should mimic the Apostle Paul and live out our Christian lives as he described his in,
Galatians 2:20
"[20] I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."
Before we close this study let us address one more question. Specifically; “What should I do if and when I discover there are some fruits from my sinful nature coming from within me?” As we found in previous studies the answer to this question is to repent and confess them to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To see this let us read from,
1 John 1:9
[9] If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
CLOSING
Let us close this study by reading the following exhortation from,
Galatians 5:25
"[25] Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit."
To expand upon this point let us now read from,
Romans 8:12-17
"[12] Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation--but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. [13] For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, [14] because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. [15] For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." [16] The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. [17] Now if we are children, then we are heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory."
Amen and Amen