Galatians 5 (4)

Pray Psalm 105.1, 2, 8-11.
Oh, give thanks to the LORD!
Call upon His name;
Make known His deeds among the peoples!
Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him;
Talk of all His wondrous works...
He remembers His covenant forever,
The word which He commanded, for a thousand generations,
The covenant which He made with Abraham,
And His oath to Isaac,
And confirmed it to Jacob for a statute,
To Israel as an everlasting covenant,
Saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan
As the allotment of your inheritance…”

Sing Psalm 105.1, 2, 8-11.
(Warrington: Give to Our God Immortal Praise)
Give thanks unto the LORD Most High; call on His Name, before Him cry!
Make known His deeds in every land; sing praise for all the works of His hand.

He will His covenant faithfully guard—His oath, the promise of His Word.
That which He to our fathers swore, He will perform forevermore!

Read Galatians 5.1-15; meditate on verses 13-15.

Preparation
1. How must we not use our freedom in Jesus?

2. How should we use it?

Meditation
Jesus said that, as we abide in Him, we will know the truth, and the truth will make us free (Jn. 8.31, 32). Free from mere self-interest. Free from grudges and resentments. Free from cold indifference to the needs of others. Free in the truth of God’s Word to know what love requires.

Paul explained that our freedom consists not in being slaves to the flesh and its selfish desires, but in the Law of liberty (vv. 13, 14), to love God and our neighbors by works of loving service. We serve God by worship and devotion, and we serve our neighbors by good works of love. And we do this not to be saved but because we are saved. Denying self and serving others is what saved people do (Eph. 2.8-10).

We are truly free when we deny ourselves and follow Jesus in laying down our lives for our neighbors. This sounds completely contrary to the way of things in our wrong-believing age, where people think they must do everything they can for themselves if they would be happy. So why are so few truly happy?

Because they have it backwards. True joy comes in knowing Jesus at work in and through us, making Himself known and spreading grace to others through our self-denying and loving service. It’s a simple formula: The more we empty ourselves in love for others, the more Jesus fills us with Himself. And, since Jesus is the locus of all joy, we will know joy in loving and serving. For this is the true freedom all believers know in Jesus.

Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
God has more respect for us human beings than we have for ourselves.

Since the beginning He has trusted us with freedom.
He created the perfect garden and gave it all to Adam and Eve to tend and live in with vigor and joy.
He just offered one caveat: “but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die” (Gen. 2.17). Now that is freedom! Do whatever, just don’t eat that.

God offers us the gift of salvation. Free and clear. Do nothing, just believe that “by grace you have been saved through faith”—not because of anything you did or didn’t do, or what bits of flesh you may or may not have removed from your person—so that you know, beyond a shadow of a doubt that redemption is not by your good works. Therefore, boasting is not allowed nor necessary; and we are wholeheartedly appreciative of this gracious, unearned gift.

But here’s where it gets grisly and gross. Somewhere along the line someone thought it would be a great and freeing idea that all behaviors are relatively acceptable because of this liberty, free to be you and me! Or so we think. But Paul clearly states: Do not use this liberty as an opportunity for the flesh. There really aren’t any gray areas there. Places where we might scratch our heads and query: “Wonder what he means?”

He means we have been saved by grace, we are freed from bondage to sin and death, so don’t misuse your freedom as a coupon to sin. “Yep, just clipped this coupon out of the newspaper for one free day of lying.”

Our freedom now frees us up to serve and love one another. For all the law, that needs to be kept, is summed up in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Gal. 5.14). And the best way to do that is by keeping the Ten Commandments (Ex. 20.1-17). There is no way around it. It is just the way things are in the Kingdom of goodness, mercy, grace, love, and light.

We’ve a story to tell to the nations
That shall turn their hearts to the right,
A story of truth and mercy,
A story of peace and light,
A story of peace and light.

For the darkness shall turn to dawning,
And the dawning to noonday bright,
And Christ’s great kingdom
Shall come to earth,
The Kingdom of love and light.
(H. Ernest Nichol, 1896)

Reflection
1. Why do we say that we are “free” in Jesus Christ?

2. To what does that freedom lead us?

3. Whom will you encourage today in the freedom we have in Jesus?

Nothing is so sure a proof that a sinner has passed into a state of justification, as Christ being formed in him by the renewal of the Holy Spirit; but this cannot be hoped for, while men depend on the law for acceptance with God. Matthew Henry (1662-1714), Commentary on Galatians 4.19, 20

Pray Psalm 105.3-7, 45.
Seek the Presence and strength of the Lord to serve others in love today. Pray for specific people, situations, and opportunities, that the love of Jesus may overflow from you.

Sing Psalm 105.3-7, 45.
(Warrington: Give to Our God Immortal Praise)
Glory in God, rejoice in heart, all you who seek His holy part.
Him and His strength and Presence seek; His works proclaim, His judgments speak.

You holy children of Abraham, you chosen ones of Jacob, stand!
He is our LORD, of wondrous worth; His judgments are in all the earth.

So let us all in our Savior confide, and in His holy Law abide.
Let us observe His glorious Word, and praise our sovereign, faithful LORD!

T. M. and Susie Moore

If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).

To learn more about the salvation into which we have been delivered, order the book, Such a Great Salvation, by clicking here. Or order a free copy in PDF by clicking here.

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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.