by Lisa Thayer
“It is for freedom that
Christ has set us free. Stand firm,
then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” v. 1
Can
you get past this verse? I have read it
over and over. What more do you need to
hear?
Here
in the West, freedom is the highest virtue and it is sought after by anyone who
considers themselves oppressed. Our
freedom in Christ does not give us a license to do whatever we want
however. Romans 6 tells us that no one
is free. We are either slaves to sin or
slaves to righteousness. Those who are
slaves to sin cannot free themselves from it, but once we are freed from the
penalty and power of sin through the cross, we become a different kind of
slave, and in that slavery we find complete peace and true freedom.
Jesus
said in Luke 7:47, “Therefore I tell you,
her many sins have been forgiven – as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves
little.”
Overflowing
love is the natural response to forgiveness and the appropriate result of
faith. But only those who realize the
depths of their sin can appreciate the complete forgiveness that God offers
them. Why would anyone return to the
bondage of the law? Well, we are rebellious. We refuse to obey God and cling to our old
selves. We hold on to the sins that once
bound us to Satan. Because our new
nature still lives in the old fleshly nature, we are still drawn to sin. It may be harsh when Paul swears at the
people preaching circumcision, but sometimes we have to take a stand for the
truth. Jesus told us in John 15:18-19 that
the world may hate you for faithfully proclaiming the message – in spite of the
obstacles others may put in our way.
Paul
reminds us in verses 13-14 that we are called to be free! By serving
one another, humbly in love. For the
entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command. “Love your neighbor as yourself.” When we lose our motivation to love, we
become critical of others. We stop
looking for the good in them and only see their faults. And soon, we lose our unity.
We
all have evil desires. I know I’d rather
not have them, but I can’t ignore them.
In order for us to follow the Holy Spirit, we have to deal with these
destructive desires. We must crucify
them. Some of these desires are obvious
sins such as sexual immorality and witchcraft.
But they also include less obvious sins such as selfish ambition, hatred
and jealousy. Those of us who refuse to
deal with such sins, reveal we have not received the gift of the Spirit that
leads to a transformed life.
Do
you desire to have the qualities listed in verses 22-23? If you do, then you know the Holy Spirit is
leading you. Being led by the Spirit
involves the desire to hear, the readiness to obey God’s Word, and the
sensitivity to discern between your feelings and His promptings. The Spirit produces these character traits
that are found in the nature of Christ.
They are the by-products of Christ’s control. We cannot obtain them by trying to get them without
His help.
God is interested in every part of our lives,
not just the spiritual part. As we live
by the Holy Spirit’s power, we need to submit every aspect of our lives to God –
emotional, physical, social, intellectual and vocational. Paul says that because we are saved, we
should live like it! The Holy Spirit is
the source of your new life, so keep in step with his leading. Don’t let anything or anyone else determine
your values and standards in any area of your life. I heard it described like the two rails on railroad
track. The train cannot move properly
unless both rails are in use. You are on
one side and the Holy Spirit is on the other moving your life forward. And when you are concentrating on keeping
your train on both tracks, you won’t need the approval of others. We are heirs to the King of Kings and we have
the Holy Spirit as the loving guarantee of God’s approval. Seek to please God and the approval of others
won’t seem so important.
Live
each day controlled and guided by the Holy Spirit. Then the words of Christ will be in your
mind, the love of Christ will be behind your actions, and the power of Christ
will help you control your selfish desires.