It’s a Free Country!
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. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.
- Galatians 5:13-15
“I can do whatever I want—it’s a free country!”
Remember hearing that? Or, maybe, do you remember saying that? I certainly used it as a kid a time or two. Most often, it’s a tactic on the playground for getting away with being annoying. You can’t stop me from repeating you, from following you, from pestering you, because it’s a free country. I can do whatever I want.
To be honest, I’ve heard this sentiment repeated quite frequently in recent months.
After all, freedom is a wonderful thing, isn’t it? It is one of the main themes throughout the story arc of scripture. Israel freed from slavery, delivered from oppression, freed from exile; when Jesus came, he brought freedom from the chains of sin and of death. Our Christian freedom is a wonderful thing! In this chapter from Galatians, Paul wrote to the church regarding their own freedom in Christ. There were Judaizers in Galatia who demanded that new believers must be circumcised in order to be saved. Paul needed to address this issue—Gentiles were free from the requirement to be circumcised. Instead, their salvation was found in Jesus Christ alone. “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love” (verse 6).
But freedom in Christ is not open-ended. It has a direction and a purpose. It is not to do whatever you want.
You are not free to look down on others.
You are not free to make fun of others for their differing perspective.You are not free to speak condescendingly to others.
You are not free to indulge your every desire.
You are not free to take your anger out on people.
You are not free to gossip or to slander.
Perhaps American freedom will allow you to do such things (although, I don’t believe that is its intent), but real freedom—Christian freedom—certainly does not. You are not free to do whatever you want (verse 17).
Instead, we are freed to serve one another humbly in love (verse 13). There is good reason for this, and Paul knew it. If we are to truly enjoy and experience freedom, we must live in peace and love with one another. “If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other” (verse 15). There’s no freedom in that. A community that bites, slanders, and attacks one another is one that experiences no true freedom at all. It’s no community at all—it will simply destroy itself.
But it is for freedom you have been set free (verse 1). So may we live into that freedom with the deepest love and care for each other. When tempted to speak ill of someone, instead offer a prayer on their behalf. When you want to release your burning anger against someone, instead extend the grace of Christ by committing one simple act of kindness toward them. When your pride convinces you of the ridiculousness of someone’s differing perspective, instead let humility reign by committing to consider (and maybe even ask them) the reasons for their position.
In this country, we often talk about how freedom isn’t free—lives have been given to secure this freedom. The same is true of our real freedom. The perfect life of Christ was given over to the horrific death of the cross to secure your eternal freedom. Let us not squander that perfect gift.
~ Pastor Tim