BY LOVE SERVE ONE ANOTHER

Gal 5:13-15 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.

In the latter part of the previous chapter of this epistle to the churches of Galatia, we learned that the promise of the hope of eternal salvation was made to all nations of the earth through Jesus Christ, who was the promised Seed of Abraham and the free woman, Sarah. Therefore Christians are not the children of the bond woman (Hagar), but of the free (woman, Sarah) (Vs. 31). Christians are not held in the bondage of the Law of Moses or the Patriarchal Law. Both became null and void with the establishment of the Christian dispensation that began on the Day of Pentecost after the sacrificial death of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Those on that day heard, believed, and obeyed God's invitation though the inspired preaching of the apostles of Christ. After repenting of their past, and being baptized for the remission of their sins, God added them to His church - the church of Christ. All that obeyed His will became the adopted children of God, and they were made free from all past covenants between God and mankind. By becoming newborn Christians they were made partakers of His New Covenant, which also freed them from the bondage of sin. Paul confirmed this New Testament fact in his letter to the Christians of Rome. He told those obedient children of God that,being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness (Rom. 6:18).

The advent of the New Testament church of Christ ushered in, and fulfilled, the Old Testament prophecy of Jesus. As He spoke to the Jews gathered in the temple, some believed Him to be the Messiah, the Savior, and Son of God. To those that believed He said, ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free (John 8:32). Christian men and women, that have become followers of Christ, enjoy a freedom unknown to all other people of the world, who have not obeyed God's will. However, the lesson text warns Christians not to misuse this freedom. Paul warned the Christians of Galatia that the freedom they enjoyed, as God's children, is not to be abused. He said to them, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh. The freedom that Christians enjoy does not make void God's commandments that prohibit worldly sins. Christians are not at liberty to engage in all (sinfulness) that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (1 John 2:16).

Christian freedom is not a license to sin against God or against fellow human beings. Contrary to this, by becoming a child of God, one assumes the obligation that by love, (we are to) serve one another. This is the very foundation of Christianity. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. This has been God's will from the beginning of time. Although it was ignored and not practiced by them, it was a direct commandment to the Jewish nation: Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself: I am the Lord (Lev. 19:18). Along with the first commandment to love God, Jesus recited this as the second commandment: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself (See Mark 12:30-31).

As Christians, we are made free from the bondage of previous covenants between God and mankind, and we are also made free from the bondage of sin. In order to obtain this freedom, we must submit to God's two laws of love. First we must love Him, not merely in word, but also in deeds of obedience to His will. Secondly, we must love our fellow human beings - our neighbors - as ourselves, unconditionally and completely. Paul spells out, in his letter to the churches of Rome, how Christian love for one another must be carried out in our lives. He wrote, Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbor: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law (Rom. 13:8-10).

We are to serve one another in love. Where obedience to this law of God is absent, it will be replaced with sinful actions that stem from lust, anger, and hatred. When this occurs, the spirituality, influence, and godly service of the church will be destroyed, and we will devour, and consume one of another.