Galatians 5:1,13-25.         Freedom in Christ to live by the Spirit      26/6/16

1 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. 

13 You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. 

14 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbour as yourself.”

15 If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other. 

16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 

17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. 

18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

19 The acts of the flesh 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. 

22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, 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 flesh with its passions and desires. 

25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 

As we continue our series in Galatians we along with the people that Paul was addressing are encouraged to live in light of the Gospel, rather than in ways that bind and destroy us. We are reminded here that the Christian Faith makes a huge difference to life for those who take it seriously. There is a whole different focus, motivation and lifestyle for those who are in a real relationship with Jesus Christ.

This morning as we baptize another young person into the Christian Faith, we are reminded that this connects us to that which is radically different to the world around us. Here we become part of a life that frees us up to be able to truly live in a way that is good and positive. This Christian Faith truly makes a difference.

For Oliver, as for the rest of us, as God’s Spirit reigns in us we have a freedom that transforms our lives and gives us a whole new hope and way of living. So Baptism is not just a matter of having our sins washed clean, joining us into God’s family and assuring us of eternal life in heaven; but it also changes life for us in this world, here and now. We are freed from sin and its consequences; not to now live as we please, but to live by the Spirit of God.

This message is important for us all to hear and take on board as we are being encouraged to more and more soften our approach to many lifestyle choices which are clearly against what God tells us in his Word is good for us. It is important because we have so many saying that they are baptized and believe, but who make no effort to live in accord with what God would have for us.

There are many who think freedom means to be able to do as we please. As long as I think something is okay that is all that matters. As long as we are loving according to our own understanding of what love is, we are doing a good thing. But is it really loving to encourage people to do that which is harmful to them – in fact deadly – in hell deadly.

There are many serious questions and issues that we are challenged with here this morning through this reading. Paul is at great pains, encouraging us to understand the gravity of what this is all about and why it is so important. There are only two choices – either we take Christ seriously and we live under the guidance of his Spirit, or we indulge the sinful nature and destroy ourselves in the process.

Here he describes the fruits of these two ways of thinking and living and in so doing helps us to see the significance and relevance of what he is saying.  The first is the natural fruits that come from our lives. The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 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. 

Now we don’t need to look around very far and think very hard, to see that these fruits are very much present in our world around us today. In fact, they are there in our own lives as well. As we today seek to indulge our every whim, with total disregard for God and what he has to say, we are biting and devouring each other – we are again burdened by a yoke of slavery. We are further and further from finding the peace and fulfilment that we long for.

These fruits all are clear indications of a life that is turned in on itself. Even though we are living in denial of the fact that this is destroying us, this is the reality. The more self-centred we become the more we find the opposite to what we are longing for. It is readily seen there in the world around us, and in our own lives. But particularly, God’s Word over and over again reminds us of how destructive this really is – for this life and especially the next.

However here again Paul reminds us that it doesn’t have to be this way. Because of Jesus Christ there is now a whole new and truly better life here for us. It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Through his death on the cross we have forgiveness of sins, life and salvation. He has freed us from this slavery of sin that burdens us. We are free to be new and better people.

His challenge now is for us to seek to live this new life. Since God has done such a great thing for us through Jesus Christ and his death on the cross, we can turn away from being so inward looking. We are freed now so that we do not use our freedom to indulge the flesh. We don’t need to or surely want to continually have the ‘I wants’, because in connection with Christ we have everything we need for this life and the next.

So, being guaranteed God’s goodness and blessing, we can now turn toward responding positively to God. We can and will want to now seek his help to live and be the people he would have us be. Now we will seek to serve one another humbly in love. 

How do we do this? What is it that is truly the loving thing to do? Here surely we will look to God and his Spirit to guide us, instead of looking to our world around us and our whole selfish approach to life. God’s Spirit will lead us to take seriously what the Bible says with regard to how we should live and act. God’s Law, beginning with the Ten Commandments, but extended throughout the Bible has much to say on all kinds of subjects, such has homosexuality and marriage, our roles in the church, and much more.

Here Paul sums it all up by saying: For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbour as yourself.” And how do we know what is the loving thing to do? We go back then to all these other laws. Not now as ‘must do’s’ but now as a grateful and loving response to what God has done for us. These laws will be used now as our guide as to what is the best way to act toward those around about us.

Here please remember that the word love that is used here is different from our worldly use of that word today. This love is one that is totally focussed on the welfare of the other person. We do what is best for them according to what God tells us is good. Now our whole aim is to serve one another humbly in love. 

So instead of all of the negative attributes that were mentioned before, now the Spirit works a whole new set of fruits that are good and up-building for all. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

These are attributes that build people and relationships up, rather than use and abuse them for our own ends. These fruits are commendable rather than that which brings destruction and condemnation. They are that which God Spirit longs to work in our lives if only we would allow him.

Let us remember Pauls final words here: Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Because of all that Jesus Christ has done for us now we will aim to rid ourselves of those negative attributes and then seek the Spirits help us live these new fruits in our lives daily.

So, since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Since we have been baptised into God’s family and been given a new and hope-filled life, let us keep in step with what we are and claim to be. We have been extended freedom in Christ to live by the Spirit. And as we live by the Spirit we are enabled to live in a way that is good and positive for all.

Sure we will never fully achieve this in our lives here on this earth, because here we still have a sinful human nature that clings to our lives, as long as we live on this earth. However, as we look to Christ and what he has done for us on the cross, we are freed to allow his Spirit to lead us more and more into this new and better life.

So let us ever seek to live by the Spirit, so that we turn our backs on the fruits of the flesh. Then also may he guide us, so that his fruits may predominate more and more in our lives. Then may all glory go to where it truly belongs; to our great God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. After all, he alone is the one to whom it belongs. AMEN.

Pastor Roger Atze

Glandore/Underdale Lutheran Parish