Rev. Stephen Hammond, Bethel Community Church
“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. The entire law is summed up in a single command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other,” Galatians 5:13-15.
Last week we celebrated our nation’s freedom. The word freedom has lost much of its meaning in recent years. Up until two or three generations ago, the term meant that we were all free to make something out of our lives, to become something more than we were before.
Now, people use their freedom to harm others, destroy property and demand things that they didn’t earn.
The Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Galatia that we were called to be free. In other words, God does not want us to live in the bondage of fear, poverty, abuse, anxiety, sin or anything else we struggle with.
This freedom from God elevates us to become something more than we ever could without Him. It makes us better, stronger, wiser and more mature. This is the freedom that God has called us to.
Paul then warns us not to use our freedom to indulge in our sinful nature. People try to justify sin all the time, but God has freed us from sin instead of freeing us to sin.
This indulgence takes many forms. For instance, when we use our positions of power to denigrate or harm people, when we put ourselves above other people out of pride, when we profit off the needs of the poor, or when we harbor prejudice or hatred of any kind.
We are to serve one another in love instead of giving into the sinful nature. The world would be a much better place if we would all take the position of a servant and act out of love toward one another instead of trying to berate and tear down each other.
This is the key to pleasing God while we are here on earth, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” The key is love. Speak out of love, act out of love, live out of love.
Love gives life and builds people up, hatred destroys by biting and devouring one another. We are called to more. We are called to be free.
