Paul the apostle has spent
much time directing the church members in Galatia toward how they
should respond to the false teaching Judaizers. These promoters of
false doctrine were teaching the idea that they must follow the law
of Moses including circumcision in addition to believing in the
finished work of Jesus Christ to be saved. Because of the liberty
that comes from the doctrine of grace, Paul guided them away from
using this liberty to indulge the fleshly desires, but rather that
they should use it by love to serve others. In chapter five and verse
fourteen Paul expounds upon this idea. He wrote:
For all the law is
fulfilled in one word, [even] in this; You shall love your neighbor
as yourself.
The
question might be asked, “Why should we use our liberty by love to
serve others?” Paul says, “For” which means, “Because
of”, “The reason is” or “Here is the conclusion why”, and
then goes on to repeat words that Jesus used, “...all the law is
fulfilled in one word, even in this;” In the gospel of Matthew
in chapter twenty-two and verses thirty-four through forty we read an
account of Jesus being asked a question:
But when the Pharisees
had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were
gathered together. Then one of them, [which was] a lawyer, asked [him
a question], tempting him, and saying, Master, which [is] the great
commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, You shall love the Lord
your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all
your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second
[is] like unto it, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these
two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
Paul
recalls these words to relay to the Galatian church members the
importance of using their liberty for others. There are no words as
important as Jesus', and when Paul employs them, he gives the
greatest reason for obedience.
He
continues, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Although this phrase is easy to mouth, it is not quite as easy to
follow. Yet, it is Jesus' command, and Paul knows the church members
will be challenged when they remember these words. When the Judaizers
promoted following intricate details of the law, Paul sums up their
entire work by telling them to simply love others as themselves. When
the church members realize their liberty in the grace of God, they
are to use it to love others, and there is no other law that is
required to fulfill the law of God.
Do we
love others as we love ourselves? Do we pick and choose our times to
love them such as: when they do what we like we can love them, but
when they don't do what we like we don't? Do we struggle with
attempting to keep facets of the law rather than obey Jesus' and
Paul's words to love our neighbors as ourselves? Perhaps these
questions should be our meditation and prayer today as we sit in Paul
the apostle's classroom and learn from him what we should be doing
with our liberty in Jesus Christ's grace, and may the Lord Jesus help
us to be conscious of and to keep His command.
Next time we will see tell the Galatians the result of biting and
devouring one another, so read ahead, and let us join together then.
Until
tomorrow...there is more...
Look for
the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation
to Generation” in all major
bookstore
sites, www.amazon.com ; www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to
e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore
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