Called to Walk in the Law of Love

We have not been called into lawlessness. We are called to fulfill the law of love.

"For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another." (Galatians 5:13)

Paul has made a very clear and pointed thesis up to this point: In Jesus Christ, we are completely free from the law (v. 13a). He has spent five chapters of this six chapter epistle teaching us this very thing. There is nothing left for us "to do", nothing left "undone", and nothing to "complete" to make us acceptable to God. We have been radically purchased from the claims of sin, death, and hell by the decree of the Father, blood of the Son, and efficacy of the Spirit. In our sin God loved us; In our sin God saved us; In our sin we will continue to be saved. Our salvation is based purely on God's grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone. We indeed have a great liberty given unto us!

Now, some have concluded that Paul's extreme emphasis of grace means that we can live anyway we want. Some have even concluded that it's better to live a life of exceeding sin as a Christian because God is glorified more and more by pouring on us more and more grace. But this is not Paul's conclusion: "Use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh" (v. 13b).

We are not to be brazen sinners, unashamedly flaunting our freedom as if we have no self-control. Rather, our lives are to be ordered by the law of love, serving each other (v. 13c). This quite literally means to put aside selfishness and esteem each other better than our own selves.

"For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." (v. 14)

You see, we have never been free to live in love, serving one another. We have always been enslaved to the law of sin in our flesh. No matter how much good we wanted to do in our previous life, it was always tainted with wickedness. But now we are free! We are free at last to truly love! And love is demonstrated most powerfully by self-less service and sacrifice.

God is saving us, not to be free agents of wickedness, but to be transformed into a new creature; changed into what he originally intended us to be. He is saving us and freeing us to be agents of mercy, stewards of grace, and ministers of love. In reality, we are not free, but bound to the eternal law of love in Christ Jesus.

"Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness." (Romans 6:18)

So now, being free to love each other, let us do so more and more in this life. It's easy to become blind to the law of love. The Scripture reminds us constantly of it. But if we ignore this truth and follow lawlessness we will be consumed in wickedness, sold under the law of the flesh. 

"But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another." (Galatians 5:15)

Do not use your freedom in Christ as an excuse to sin without restraint, but be brazenly bold in your service of love!

With love for you all,

Jay Silvas