And I, brethren, if I
still preach circumcision,
why do I still suffer
persecution?
Then the offense of a
cross has ceased.
I could wish that
those who trouble you
would even cut
themselves off!
For you, brethren,
have been called
to liberty; only do
not use liberty
as an opportunity for
the flesh,
but through love serve one another.
For all the law is
fulfilled in one word,
even in this: "You shall love your neighbor
as your self" (Leviticus: 18).
But if you bite and
devour one another,
beware lest you be
consumed by another.
Galatians 5:11 -- 15
Liberty, oh
how we want to have liberty, oh how I hate anything or anyone who steps upon my
liberty. Am I not a man, and am I not a
woman, an adult? Cannot I make my own
decisions on how I wished to live my life?
Yes! Oh how we hate to live
under legalism. And yet often the very
churches we attend preach and teach legalism and we do not leave that
church. Have we not been called to
liberty? Yes! Now comes the problem, the liberty that we have been called to
is misused, more than just not understanding it, a simple desire to have your
own liberty so you make excuses for the liberty that God called you to let what you are now misusing. The Galatians were
told they had to be circumcised if they want to true Christians. Some churches today say you must speak in
tongues, and have all these special revelatory visions and dreams and if you
don't have them somehow you don't have enough faith and your Christianity is in
question. It seems that there are the
haves and have-nots. We see the liberty
that we can use whether it be right or wrong in the way we approach our worship
the Lord Jesus Christ and our God. We
attend church on Sunday dressed as though we were getting ready to go to the
park or some playground (where is respect for God in that?). Some are
watching their watches and hoping that the pastor does not go over time for they
have a timeslot to go boating or skiing or some other event. They feel godly, fulfilling what is required because they did
attend church as if all they needed was to have their ticket stamped. Many, rush to church then rush out and
never taking time to show love for one of your eternal brother and sister. In fact, it is well known, that in churches
there is a lot of backbiting and gossip against one another. This is a black mark upon Christianity. Have we not been called to serve one another
and to love one another? You know the
answer! John writes: "and This Commandment We Have from
Him: that he who loves god must love his brother also. By this we know that we love the children of
God, when we love God and keep His commandments" (1 John 4: 21; 5: 2). How happy would a Christian be instead of
biting and devouring one another on account of different opinions, I'm not
speaking of false teaching or heresy, rather simple opinions which are only
matters of indifference and yet those indifference are made to be doctrinally
the only way a person is to worship God.
How wrong is that? How often do
people set themselves against others rather than setting themself against sin
for above all else we should oppose sin.
We must hold in priority of those things of God, those things that would
corrupt the flesh, that carnal part of us, those struggles that so
often we follow with our own strength and vigor and this against the spirit of
God leading us to a place where we resist anything that is spiritual. Have you not been reborn? Are you not a new person a new creation in
Jesus Christ? Do you not have a home in
heaven and you are just passing through this world? If this is true of you then why are you allowing anything to
disrupt your worship for the Lord Jesus Christ our God? Even though we've been renewed by the Holy
Spirit it is still unfortunate that there is a part of man that strives against the
flesh and opposes the will of the Holy Spirit and wishes desire to
have that liberty to do what ever they so desire? The fact is that as a Christian we cannot do the things that we
used to do. It is natural for people to
be convicted in their conscience when they do things wrong for man knows what
is right and wrong, and yet they would suppress that, those convictions of a heart, and strive
with another person. There is a
struggle, we cannot deny that for this is a fact, and yet with our new nature those
remainders of sin in us and with the beginning of grace in us, Christians
are expected to exercise his/her faith as long as they continue in the world. This is our duty! This is our responsibility!
We are the ambassadors of Jesus Christ and His witness to this world
seeking out those who are of the elect of God in bringing to them the word of
God so that the faith given to them now may be exercised according to the will
of God. This so that not according to
some liberty that they feel that they have in the liberty of Christ that they
are misusing, rather that they will begin exercising true liberty and become
a true disciple and ambassador for the Savior who saved them. What a wonderful work we have been given and
furthermore what faith we can show to our brothers and sisters and to the
world at large that this Christianity is more than just a simple religion. Here's a question: if you didn't tell anyone
what they know you are a Christian?
Only you can answer that question.
The Redeemer will come to Zion
and to
those who turn
from transgression in Jacob,
says the
LORD.
Isaiah 59:
30
Praise God! We have
liberty in Him
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