Galatians 5:13 (KJV) - “For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.”
In the book of Galatians, Paul reminds us that we have been set free from the weight of our sin and liberated from the burden of the Law through the blood of Christ. We have been called by Him to walk in this liberty. Walking in a new life, our path is marked by the love and sacrifice of Christ. Our hearts rejoice in this freedom, a gift that we didn’t deserve but Christ still gave to us anyway.
As we walk through our new life set apart by Christ's freedom, however, does it mean that our freedom is a means to do whatever we wish with no consequences? As Galatians 5:13 continues, our liberty should not be used as an occasion for the flesh, but it should be an opportunity to serve one another in love. If our freedom is set through Christ (Galatians 5:1), we should use every opportunity to be guided by the Holy Spirit to share that freedom with the ends of the earth just as the early followers of Christ were called to do at Pentecost (Acts 1).
As we utilize our freedom, we should be mindful of how our actions affect the world around us. Our witness can either harm the way the outside world perceives God and hurt a fellow believer, or it can draw the world towards Christ and edify the church. Through living by the blood of Christ, we demonstrate to the world the power of the gospel, further sharing it.
While it's true that we have freedom in Christ, our focus should be our freedom for Christ. In this journey, are our actions reflecting the freedom we have through Christ or are we using the freedom as an excuse to chase our desires? We should be chasing every opportunity in our community, schools, and workplace to share what Christ has done for us. During the moments of wanting things our way, we should instead be showing compassion to the hurting, seeking every opportunity to share Christ, and letting our light shine.