Galatians 5-6: "I Walk Free" (Friday's Reading - Got Behind!)

One of the formative experiences of my understanding of Paul was my summer tour with the Continental Singers in 1973 at the age of 16 (throughout the US and Spain, Switzerland, Germany and the Netherlands). We sang 125 times with one day off in 82 days. Our musical for the second half was “The Apostle” by Bill Tewson and Cam Floria. When you sing the life and teachings of Paul 125 times, it starts to stick. The highlight of the musical was the triumphant song, “I Walk Free”, based on Galatians 5. I still can hear the words, "It is by faith we know his freedom, freedom to live in the morning, run where the sun shines bright...the day shines new, and I walk free, a child of the light."

The Problem of Religious Legalism

Part of our USAmerican heritage is the powerful influence of the Puritans, highly committed to education and strict moral observance. Legalism is attractive for some because it offers a measurable way to monitor spiritual growth. Did you keep the standards? Were you here for these services and classes? The problem is that faith becomes limited to what we say and do, and the unpredictable and expansive work of the Holy Spirit becomes stifled.

Religious legalism is very much behind the fundamentalist forms of religion that are at the center of our present world conflicts: radical Shi’ite Muslims, radical Hindus, and radical fundamentalist Christians. The energy in those movements comes from the ability to carve out absolutes in a rapidly changing world. The Judaizers were trying to do the same in the rapidly emerging Christian community in Galatians. But the end result of religious legalism is generally the same, emphasis on the “do nots” and short shrift for the positive aspects of the faith.

In verse 6, Paul offers a clear direction, “The only things that counts is faith expressing itself through love.” Certainly that could be taken to extremes. Faith can be sincere and wrong at the same time. Paul is not saying “anything goes” as long as faith and love are there. But faith in God through Christ by the power of the Spirit expressed in love is a powerful combination.

Paul reminds the Galatians that the freedom we have is not the freedom to do as we please, but is rather a freedom to serve. The word “serve” is literally means to take the role of a slave. Christians were primarily a slave people forced to serve. Now they could choose to serve, to prefer one another over themselves.

God’s Character Building Process

It is important to remember that Paul is writing to Christians, and that they still struggle with their sinful natures (we’re not alone). For an expanded treatment of this read Romans 6-8. While the freedom of life in the Spirit is what we are to enjoy, we have to moment-by-moment choose whether we fill feed our life in the Spirit or our selfish sinful nature. Paul gives vivid results of feeding the sinful nature in verses 19-21. We are at our most dangerous when we don’t think we’re capable or that we are above any of those things (sexual immorality, idolatry, hatred, discord, etc). But we don’t just resist the negative, we feed a positive agenda, which is our growth in the Spirit. We can be filled with the Spirit and receive the gifts and power to do ministry in a moment, but the fruits of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, etc) are cultivated and developed in us over time. For me the fruits of the Spirit are a wonderful description of what happens in us through the sanctifying grace of God. As you look at your last week, celebrate the times when you grew in the Spirit and ask forgiveness for when the sinful nature raised its ugly head.

Competitive Christianity (6:1-10)

We live in a competitive society in constant comparison with each other to see who is better and who is winning. Legalistic religion feeds that competitiveness, but serving in love counters it. But what if as human beings we are naturally competitive? Then, I want to suggest there are plenty of worthy opponents to tangle with: sin, corruption, forces that strip the sense of value and dignity of people, poverty, empty materialism, etc. We check our motivations to be sure that we are truly sharing of ourselves in love. In choosing to serve others first, we are planting seeds for a great harvest that benefits everybody and spreads God’s kingdom. Sometimes that is easy and sometimes it isn’t. Paul encourages us to “stay at it.”

A Final Word from Paul

I love Galatians 6:14, “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” We cannot boast in ourselves and be drawn into divisiveness and competitiveness. Instead we boast in the cross of Christ. Charles Wesley writes in the classic hymn, “And Are We Yet Alive,” “Then let us make our boast of his redeeming power that saves us to the uttermost till we can sin no more.” “Just say no” to legalistic religion and “just say yes” to liberating life in the Spirit.