Liberty and the Pursuit of the Spirit

“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.” (Galatians 5:13, NKJV)

Thank the Lord that He freed us from the bondage of the law! No person was perfect enough to obey the entirety of the law and obtain salvation. But, because of Jesus Christ, we are now free to become children of God. However, let us not use the freedom that Christ has given us to sin. We need to walk in the Spirit, not in the flesh.

In his letter to the Galatians, Paul advises against seeking salvation by their works through the law, but he does not mean that we should live lawlessly. Instead, we should live by the Spirit, which works against the desires of the flesh. Here are some examples of fleshly works:

Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like. (Galatians 5:19-21)

If we continue living in sin, we cannot enter the kingdom of God! Jesus already freed us from our sinful pasts, but we need to be careful not to turn back into the bondage of sin. 

Let us use our freedom to build up and encourage one another. We are free to proclaim the goodness of God joyfully. We are free to live without worry and to comfort those that do. We are free to help those who struggle, both physically and spiritually. Christ’s liberty is the opportunity to see the fruit of the Spirit grow in our lives (Galatians 5:22-23). It is the opportunity to help others see how graceful and merciful our Lord is! Let us trust in the Holy Spirit to guide us and make the most out of this tremendous freedom.

Liberty can be refreshing, but we should not fall so easily into temptations. God freed us so that we may partake in the promises that He has in store for us. Remember, we are the children of God. Let us choose not to be bound in the flesh but to be free in the Spirit.

– Contributed by Bro Neil Elijah Crisostomo