13 For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14 For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 But if you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another.
In 1832, Samuel F. Smith borrowed a tune from a German hymnal and rewriting the patriotic words, published what became a famous American patriotic song, “My Country, ‘Tis of Thee.” The last line of the first stanza continues to stir the human heart, “Let freedom ring.” While there seems to be something innate in the desire for living free in a free country, the heart yearns for a greater freedom. Not just a freedom from tyranny and bondage, but freedom to live out the purpose for which we were created.
Paul appeals to the Galatians (and to us) that being unshackled from the tyranny of the Law, frees us up to love and serve others. That is what we were made for, and that is the only thing that satisfies the redeemed soul’s yearnings. This is the new law written in our hearts (Jer 31:33). It is the fulfillment, the ultimate objective of the Law of Moses in terms of our relationships. Paul quotes Lev 19:18 to demonstrate his point, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus Himself listed that as the second greatest commandment, the first being to love the Lord God with your whole being (Matt 22:39). Jesus gave it a heightened emphasis, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another” (John 13:34). Redemption by the grace of God implants this commandment in the soul of each believer. No, it instills the desire for this, and we need to fan it into flames.
Grace is immensely practical. This new commandment is not just a reimaged version of the typical religious approach to God, a kind of Christian-flavored law system. No, it is a transformation—and our responsibility as believers in Christ, who have been set free by His grace, is to cooperate with that grace working in our lives.
The implications are practical, not judicial. Taking our freedom for granted, for selfish purposes, does not put our justification in question. Rather the consequences are a continuation of the very kind of life we have been saved from, namely, the life of the flesh that is characterized by personal conflict and bondage to self-centered desires. We have been saved for something much better than that!
Lord, I do want to cooperate with Your grace in my life. Help me focus on serving others in love, and not live for myself.
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