Laws, Freedom, Love, And Grace
Did you know that by sending His Son, Jesus Christ, and through our faith in Him, that we are full heirs to the kingdom of God. It’s that simple. It’s not by our acts, or by anything that we do on earth. It is through God’s grace, and by our faith. It’s that simple. How awesome is this to know that it’s not that complicated. And we shouldn’t try to over-complicate it. All we need to do is point people to Jesus and the Word of God, and let people know that our God is a loving God who loves all of His children. In today’s scripture, Paul is emphasizing this to the Galatians because there are some who are teaching otherwise.
Scripture:
“to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. Because you are His sons, God sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, ‘Abba, Father’. So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are His child, God has made you also an heir.” – Galatians 4:5-7
Observation/Application:
When we turn to Jesus, there is tremendous freedom. We are no longer slaves under the law. Paul tells us that, “All things are lawful, not all things are profitable (1 Cor 10:23), and “Where the spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” – (2 Corinthians 3:17). Now that doesn’t mean that we can go around breaking the law. The Bible specifically tells us that we are to obey the laws of man. But our supreme duty is to obey God, and where these come into conflict with the Word of God, we are to obey God. God’s Word reigns supreme. But that gives us enormous freedom.
In the midst of all of these laws, and all of this freedom, our primary guideposts for law and life are found in Matthew 22:36-40. When Jesus was asked what is the greatest commandment, he tells us to (1) Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind, and (2) Love your neighbor as yourself. These two laws are the laws that bind us to to God, and bind us all together. In these words, Jesus is telling us that our number law and priority is love.
So while we have tremendous freedom, we are to not break the law of love. Everything we do we should do for the glory of God, and for the benefit of the body of Christ. For we are now living under grace, and since there is no condemnation for those in Christ, we can indeed say that all things are lawful—but not those things that violate the law of love. We are all members of one body of Christ. Let us walk in love, in support of each other.
#Where-The-Spirit-Of-The-Lord-Is-There-Is-Freedom!
Prayer:
Dear heavenly Father, we give all honor and glory to You. Thank you for Your Word. Let it fill and grow and multiply in our hearts and minds, that your goodness will overflow in us. Use us Lord. Let your good work be done in us. We love you Lord. We praise your Holy Name. Help us to nurture your Spirit inside our hearts through your loving Word. Fill us with more of your goodness. Make us new. Let your Spirit overflow in us. We receive your heavenly Promise, and declare all of the blessings in your Word over our lives. We give you all the honor and glory and praise, in Jesus mighty name. Amen.
Today’s full reading: Deuteronomy 22-24; Galatians 4
Scripture References:
- “All things are lawful, not all things are profitable.” (1 Cor 10:23)
- “Where the spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” – (2 Corinthians 3:17)
- “But Peter and the apostles answered and said, We must obey God rather than men.” – (Acts 5:29)
- “Let every person be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.” – (Romans 13:1)
- “Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority,” – (1 Peter 2:13)
- “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” – (Matthew 22:36-40)
- “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” – (1 Corinthians 10:31)
- “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” – (Colossians 3:17)
- “For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.” – (Romans 6:14)
- “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,” – (Romans 8:1)
- “But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.” – (1 Corinthians 12:24-27.)
Image courtesy of: Josef Grunig