Week of November 8

“Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6). Paul refers to the Galatian church members as “sons” of God through faith in Jesus Christ, so he viewed them as family members (Galatians 3:26). They were being disciplined, like children, for wandering off the path of true faith, but they also were being trained in how to practice that faith. How timely Paul’s words are for all of God’s children! I have selected our focal passage from within the practical ethical section in the letter because it helps us to apply what we believe about Jesus Christ to our daily lives (5:1-6:10).

Paul has spoken about freedom several times in this letter, so we will view the epistle through that lens today (2:4; 4:26, 31; 5:1; EBC). I have researched “liberty” extensively in my academic life, but I will simplify the point here by stating that there is a distinction to be made between our cultural understanding of freedom and a biblical one. It stems from who ultimately is in charge. Paul defines freedom in Christ from both a negative and positive angle: it is not a license to do whatever we want but rather service to both God and man (5:1, 13-18, ESV). Preachers are fond of saying, “We are free to serve,” which captures the sense of what Paul says, but it does not convince many people to do those things! This last statement begs the question: “What does Paul teach Christians to do?”

Commit to the foundational obligation to love. If I may use a metaphor, we ought to hang Paul’s understanding of Christian liberty onto the nail of our “love God/love neighbor as yourself” broader ethical lifestyle approach. The outgrowth of this moral way of living is evident in the great Christian virtues—for example, the fruit of the Spirit. Paul has helped us to sum up a wonderful way to live freely as servants of Christ and through service to others. Jesus also taught us this love through service ethic when He exhorted His disciples with “you ought [ethical obligation] to wash” each other’s feet (cf. John 13:12-14).

Use Christian freedom to love others. Paul also teaches us how our faith in Christ expresses itself in love (cf. 5:6). This was powerfully useful in countering the divisiveness in the churches of Galatia and will do the same in ours (5:15). When we use our freedom to love others we will avoid “backbiting,” “devouring,” and “destroying” one another. Paul is certainly taking the pruning shears to the church grapevine, isn’t he?! The Christian lifestyle enables the use of freedom in order to lead holy lives responsibly. The life of legalism, as Paul addresses in the letter, requires people to carry a heavy yoke upon their moral shoulders. Instead, Christ places a new yoke of love upon our shoulders, and it dictates how we treat one another. Simple enough!

Make loving others your lifestyle. Therefore, we will choose to do a couple of things now that we are living in love. First, we will avoid using our new freedom improperly—i.e. sinful self-indulgence. We are to guard against giving the “armies of indulgence” a beachhead, or starting point, to operate in our lives (5:13, GK, aphorme; EBC). Some of these areas are listed in verses 19-21. Many of us are long-term believers, and we immediately dismiss such lists because we gave up long ago such “evil” in our lives. Hang on, though, there is also what we may term the “inoffensive sin” that we all too often discount as being unimportant. Overall, the “opportunity for the flesh” includes all that we can do apart from the control of the Spirit in our lives. Our deeper commitment to the Spirit life will help us to rein in many other hurtful attitudes and harmful behaviors. 

Secondly, we are to engage the service of others in love. Paul uses a word meaning “to be enslaved,” which in the Christian sense of the word carries the sense of voluntary sacrifice that yields deep joy. We will discover that the Spirit will guide our service along the avenues of service to God and then others however and to whomever He desires. The vehicle is love and the fuel for such journeys will be supplied by the fruit of the Spirit. How wonderful it is to be free in Christ!

I stood outside our Baptist Center for Global Concerns office building this morning and looked at the wonderful trees that provide a partial ring around the property. I pondered how they serve us in so many “good” ways. Their roots prevent soil erosion, their leaves provide shade, and they offer extraordinary beauty. They did not get that way without the Creator’s handiwork, some support from us to grow correctly, and pruning to maintain their usefulness and beauty. 

Here is the spiritual point. Paul has provided us with some added structure and pruning to help us mature in Christ. Allow me to paraphrase Paul’s point: Train up a “church” in the way it should “grow,” even when it is mature it will not depart from it.

1. Paul has called all of us to a freedom check-up. Are we growing in Christian love and service? Check regularly the fruit of the Spirit in your life to see if you are healthy.

2. For Families: Your older teens will benefit from this passage when they realize that it opens up a passageway for their future. When our teens come to the place where they use their freedom to be responsible, honorable, truth-tellers, and trustworthy, then you, their parents, can release more and more freedom to them.

This passage teaches us that with freedom comes weighty obligations to do the right thing at the right time with the right motive. When we act with justness, our joy bubbles up as we sense God’s pleasure in our service to others.

Parents, we know that training our children from babyhood with consistent faithfulness, and an intentional love ethic, requires constant attention. It is hard work, and we often feel we may be failing. Yet when we provide opportunities to serve others, and model this kind of freedom-based loving, we are teaching them the true way to live in the joy of Christ.

May your paths be straight,
Larry C. Ashlock