Young People's Group

USING OUR CHRISTIAN LIBERTY RESPONSIBLY

by Pastor Mitch
October 23, 2005

Being Called To Christian Liberty

There is nothing more joyous than experiencing the spiritual freedom we have in Christ. Young people, we have been called to great liberty as Paul wrote in his epistle to the Galatians.

“For you, brethren, have been called to liberty” 
Galatians 5:13

Paul was combating false teachers who advocated the keeping of the Old Testament laws of Moses. He explained that Christians were no longer bound by these old laws. Christ’s death had annulled the Old Covenant and instituted the New Covenant. In the New Covenant, we have freedom in the Lord Jesus over these laws, sin, and the fear of death. We are to enjoy and to stand fast in this liberty in Christ.

The Conflict Between The Flesh And The Spirit Of God

“For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.”
Galations 5:17

Amidst our spiritual freedom, there is an entity that can still create problems in our life. That entity is the “flesh” or our human nature. There is a perpetual conflict between the flesh and the Spirit of God who dwells in us. These two contrasting entities will constantly fight for our heart, mind and soul. We will be drawn in opposing directions. Very often, we will end up doing that which we do not wish. The challenge is for us to be led by the Spirit of God.

Giving No Opportunity For The Flesh

“Only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh”
Galations 5:13

With this spiritual freedom in Christ, we must be responsible in how we use it. Yes, we have been saved from our sin and “positionally”, the Lord has blotted out our sins. However, this must not be taken advantage of or abused. Spiritual freedom does not mean that we take the opportunity to sin all we want. Since God will not judge us for our sin, we must not callously consider that it will do us no harm to do the works of the flesh. We must remember that if we sow to the flesh, we will reap corruption. Let us then choose not to use spiritual liberty as an opportunity to sin.

Choosing To Walk In The Spirit

“Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.”
Galations 5:16

Let’s choose to walk in the Spirit of God. Let’s learn to relate to Him and be led by Him instead of being led by the lust of our flesh. When we walk in the Spirit, we will develop spiritual fruits.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.”
Galations 5:22-23

Love will be manifested in our lives. We will learn how to love one another. There will be a great sense of joy and peace. The Spirit of God will teach us to be longsuffering and kind. When we choose to walk in the Spirit, we will experience everlasting life.

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