Year 2, Week 42, Day 3 Bible Reading Observations

Year 2, Week 42, Day 3

I have a brief observation for today’s reading of Galatian 4-5.

Today’s reading continues the Book of Galatians. Galatians, which is most likely the first of the Apostle Paul’s Books to become a part of the New Testament Scriptures, was written to address false teachers. The issues addressed at the Jerusalem council (see Acts 15), are the subject matter of Paul’s letter to the churches in the region of Galatia. Galatians 4 expresses a sharp contrast between the enslavement that comes through law keeping and the freedom as sons that comes through faith in Christ: “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God” (Galatians 4:4-7). Turning away from Christ and attempting to earn a right standing before God by law keeping is a return to bondage: “But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more?” (Galatians 4:9). Galatians 5 explores the proper use of freedom: “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery…For you were called to freedom, brothers” (Galatians 5:1,13a).

One of the things that struck me from today’s reading was Paul’s emphasis upon God’s design for the freedom that believers have in Christ: “Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Galatians 5:13b-14). Paul clarifies some very important things about the freedom that Christ has called believers to experience. Christian freedom is certainly freedom from the enslavement of seeking to earn a righteousness before God. However, Christian freedom is not intended as an excuse for sinful behavior. Instead, believers are to serve (or perhaps even we might say be a slave to) one another in love. Paul presents a startling paradox: freedom is given to Christians so that they may be slaves to each other. In Christ, believers are free to love others well. In fact, Paul states that what is essentially vital to the Christian life is a faith in Jesus that is evidenced by love for others: "For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love” (Galatians 5:7). The crucial transformation of a believer stems around the love that is genuinely shown toward others: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35). A life that trusts in Christ has been freed to love like Christ.

Paul’s emphasis upon a life freed to love others well takes him to explore the importance of the Holy Spirit’s indwelling: “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh…If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit” (Galatians 5:16,25). These two verse, which frame Paul’s explanation of the competing work of the Holy Spirit and the flesh, are themselves framed by words directing how believers are to properly relate to each other: “But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another…Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another” (Galatians 5:15,26). Believers are to serve one another in love. Therefore, believers must refrain from biting and devouring words or actions, for these are not expressions of love. Furthermore, to genuinely love others, believers must resist the heart postures that give rise to desires of conceit and envy, for these are not loving dispositions. Living in submission to and dependence upon the indwelling Holy Spirit is the only means in which our freedom to love others well is lived out. 

Paul directs us to monitor what is going on inside of us as we grapple with the calling to love others well: “For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do” (Galatians 5:17). The flesh is the remaining vestiges of our former nature of sin. While our resident remains of sin are no longer master over us, they are still as sinful as ever: “We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin…For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification” (Romans 6:6,19). We now have freedom—the choice—to follow after the desires and deeds of the flesh; or following after the influence and direction of the Holy Spirit. To express our freedom to love others well, the controlling operations of the Spirit is a must: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23a). This ability to live in rejection of the flesh and thus, in submission to the Spirit, has been provided through our union Christ: “And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” (Galatians 5:24). We who trust in Christ have died with Christ and are now raised to walk in the life of the Spirit.

What struck you in today’s reading? What questions were prompted from today’s reading?

Pastor Joe