The Mirror of the Word and other works by C.E. White can be purchased on her website, cewhitebooks.com or on Amazon

“For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but serve one another through love.”

—Galatians 5:13

We often take freedom to mean we get to do whatever we want—no constraints, no responsibilities, and no one telling us what to do—and we frequently speak of freedom in Christ in order to staunchly defend a behavior other Christians may not agree with. While Paul certainly makes it clear that there are different convictions, and that some may not be necessary (1 Corinthians 8), he primarily speaks of freedom in the sense of not being controlled by our flesh.

Christ’s freedom gives us the ability to lay down our own selfishness, worldly desires, fear of man’s opinion, (John 5:41), and the cares of this world and deceitfulness of riches (Matthew 13:22).

His freedom is not so we can do anything we like regardless of what people think, but so we can live in loving service of others.

Only after the Spirit rules the flesh (Galatians 5:16) are we willing, prepared, and even happy to pour out our lives in the service of others. The freedom is from our own slavery to sin, ourselves, and the trappings of this world.

It isn’t given so we can indulge our earthly, fleshly desires, but so we have the power to overcome them. 

Are we using our freedom in Christ to give ourselves allowances to do certain things or for the purpose of serving and loving those around us?

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