Love God Greatly - Made for CommunitySample

Paul writes to the churches in the region of Galatia and urges them to use the freedom that they have in Jesus Christ to serve others. There were false prophets and teachers within those churches who began to demand circumcision to all of those who desired salvation in Jesus Christ. Paul stressed that Jesus set all believers free not only from their sin, but He also fulfilled the Law. Therefore, belief and surrender to Jesus as Lord is and will always be enough. There is no need to add additional rules or requirements to come to the faith or remain within the faith. Paul does stress that this liberty that Christians have been given should not be used simply as an opportunity to indulge in self-centered acts.

Christian liberty can mean that Christians are freed in respect to such activity that is not expressly forbidden in the Bible. Therefore one can feel free to engage in such activity as long as it doesn't "stumble" or "offend" another Christian. The focus always should be on how your actions affect others. In today’s society piercings, tattoos, makeup, smoking, social drinking, certain clothing, recreational gambling can be considered areas of liberty. These things may not be strictly prohibited by God's Word, but in certain cases, they may hinder one's spiritual growth or can cause other Christians to stumble. In that case, believers are asked to think about the effect of their actions on the other believer, although they have the liberty to press forward.

There is a fine line between vigorously promoting such liberties and legalistically restricting those liberties. Paul states that by doing either of these, we may initiate the biting, devouring, and consumption of one another. To prevent this, he stresses that believers walk in the ways of the Holy Spirit, who will provide wisdom and discernment on what actions are appropriate in what setting. This requires an active prayer life to determine how the activity reflects on our reputation as Christians. The ultimate goal for the Christian should be to glorify God, edify fellow believers, and have a good reputation before unbelievers.

PRAYER: Father God, You set us free from the slavery of sin when we surrendered our lives to your Son, Jesus Christ. Prevent us, Lord, from distorting Your grace and taking advantage of the freedom that You have granted. Remind us of the responsibility and privilege that we have as Your daughters. Help us, Lord, to reflect You honorably. Convict us quickly when our behavior may cause someone else to stumble. Thank You for freedom and rest that comes with following You. In Jesus’ name. Amen.