Title: Liberty not License

Text: Gal 5:13-21

I’ve used the expression liberty is not license several times as we have been going through Galatians referring to what Paul says in this passage we are looking at now in Gal 5. In verse 13 Paul wrote: “For you were called to freedom, brethren; only {do} not {turn} your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.” (NAS)

License is the opposite end of the spectrum from legalism. Paul contended that the Christian life was a life of faith in Christ and that life was characterized by freedom. Freedom from the law, he described as a yoke of slavery and freedom from a works based righteousness. Paul also explained we are free from the guilt of sin because of God’s forgiveness; we are free from the penalty of sin because of Christ’s atonement, and free from the domination of sin because of the Holy Spirit’s presence in our lives.

However, Pal warned that we must never allow the freedom of grace to degenerate into moral license. Part of the argument of the legalists was that if you do away with the law with it’s rules and regulations that’s exactly what happens. Perhaps, and this is only speculation, there were those in the Galatian church who had such a misunderstanding of grace. Jude 1:4 warns of this danger talking about, “ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness.” (NAS) We know that Paul dealt with this kind of problem in the Corinthian church (1 Cor 5). And there seems to be some concern about this in the Roman church because we read beginning at the end of chapter five.

Rom 5:20-21

20 “And the Law came in that the transgression might increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, 21 that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. “

Having written that, he clarified the issue in 6:1- 2 where he asked and answered a rhetorical question, “. . .Are we to continue in sin that grace might increase? 2 May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?” (NAS)

He wants to clarify that issue now to the Galatian church, and those who would claim that was what grace was about.

First freedom is not to be used to indulge the flesh, or the sinful nature. TEV says, “. . . do not let this freedom become an excuse for letting your physical desires control you.” (TEV)

Paul uses the term “flesh” in this passage referring to the physical desires of our sinful nature. If you look back at Romans 6 and 7, Paul talks about that struggle believers have with the sinful nature. In verses 19-21 Paul illustrates what he means by an opportunity for the flesh with what he calls the works of the flesh. These are the works and desires of the sinful nature that battles within the heart and minds of believers for allegiance. He divides these works into four categories. The first relates to sins that are sexual in nature, immorality, impurity, and sensuality. The second are religious in nature idolatry and sorcery. The third can be thought of as social in nature they include jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, and envying. The final group might be defined as sins of the appetite or sins of indulgence including drunkenness, carousing, which is also described as wild parties or orgies and other things like these. Paul doesn’t intended this to be a comprehensive list, rather it is representative of the desires of the sinful nature. As we look at this list remember all sin is relational because it affects our relationship to God and to humanity.

Paul reminds us in verse 21 the danger of sin when he wrote, “I have forewarned you that those who practice such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.” I’ll come back and look closer at this verse a little later.

Current cultural events and activities reveal there is clearly confusion between liberty and license. While it is obviously problematic within society it is also problematic in the church. We understand when we say church we’re talking about the visible church made up of many local churches and many denominations, and that not everyone who has his/her name on the role of these local churches is in fact a believer. It is still, however, evident that in the church many believers also confuse grace and freedom with license.

Research shows that within the church there is an increasing frequency of sexual sin, not only among the membership but among the clergy as well. I was talking to a friend this week who is a DOM in a large association in another state who right now he is dealing with that issue in 4 different churches just in his association. While that seems to be a major issue in the church it’s obviously not the only issue. He went on to share how relational sin is active within the church and how many churches he is dealing with that are involved in strife and divisions and such things with a couple of them to the point where there may be lawsuits involved.

The current issue of On Mission magazine from the North American Mission Board includes several articles that deal with sins that are religious in nation where basic doctrines of faith have been and are being eroded. What I see as an alarming trend in church growth is that we are making the church appealing for lost people. By that I don’t mean that we shouldn’t desire to attract lost persons and bring them into the church, certainly that what evangelism is about, but what we seem to be doing is making the church comfortable for lost persons without being convicting. There has to be a balance. What we have done is what the Bible warns against , allowing the world to influence and impact the church, rather than the church influencing and impacting the world. We want the lost to come into the church, but we don’t want the church to live like the lost. That’s what Paul’s talking about understanding that freedom is restrained. It’s restrained by love.

Paul explains that liberty without love equals license, liberty plus love equals service. Dr Warren Wiesbe says the amazing thing about love is that it takes the place of all the laws God ever gave. In Matt 22 Jesus was being questioned by the Scribes and Pharisees when a lawyer asked Him what was the greatest of all commands. We read Jesus’ answer in verses 37-39:

37     And He said to him,"' You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.'

38     "This is the great and foremost commandment.

39     "The second is like it, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' (NAS)

Love in the heart is God’s substitute for law and threats. Jesus said if you love me you will do the things that I command (Jn 14:15) . You will do them not because of threat not because or force or fear but because love desires and seeks to serve.

In the same way love for people birthed from a love of Christ solves all the problems of human relationships. In Rom 13:9-10 Paul wrote:

9       For this, "You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not covet," and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, "you shall love your neighbor as yourself."

10     Love does no wrong to a neighbor; love therefore is the fulfillment of {the} law. (NAS)

How do we exercise this kind of life. How do we live a life characterized by this kind of love? Paul said in verse 16 we do it by walking by the Spirit rather than the flesh. In other words we live this kind of life by yielding to the Spirit of God within us. As long as we are in this present life we will never escape the spiritual conflict Paul talks about. There is no spiritual exercise or second blessing that will lift us to a level where this conflict isn’t fought. No Christian is so spiritually mature they have no need to heed Paul’s warning against living in the flesh. Verse 17 seems to parallel Rom &:15-16 so that this spiritual inner warfare keeps us from doing what we know we should do and causes us to do that which we know we shouldn’t do.

However, the good news is this spiritual inner warfare is one of the ways we know we belong to Him. Looking back at Paul’s list in verses 19-21, Paul’s warning is that the person whose lifestyle is characterized by licence rather than love who habitually or continually practices these kinds of things where there is no conflict within their soul or their conscience, no remorse, no repentance a lifestyle characterized these person’s have not experienced salvation have not been justified by faith and when God’s kingdom comes into completion they will have no part in it.

The lives of redeemed, regenerate, justified believers should not be characterized by the deeds of the flesh. Grace does not mean we have license to do so as a mater of fact grace means we have been freed from surrendering to the sinful nature and can walk in the Spirit.

Have you mistaken liberty for license so that you live as you please without regard to God’s commands. The Bible says if you are His you must never live in such a way, but should serve God out of love living a life that is pleasing to our Lord honoring Him in everything you do in every area of your life. Are you living for Jesus this morning, or are you living for you? We invite you and challenge you to live for Him.