Galatians 5:13
“For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love.”
The positive emphasis of this verse was addressed a week or so ago. There is also the negative part. That is to use our freedom for selfishness and sin. Those are the choices of the free. It wouldn't be freedom if the abuse thereof wasn't present.
I can remember the first time hearing a pastor utter Paul's sentence, "All things are lawful, but not all things edify", (I Corinthians 10:23a). It almost didn't sound possible. My religous upbringing didn't leave room for that. It's focus was on self denial. So much freedom; "All things?"
As grace began to sink in I'm sure I went through stages in which I over did it. That's what is involved in learning freedom. I think the Trinity looks at us with amusement. I'm sure a captive goes through similar stages. We think we are going to get in trouble. Then we realize, no. It's ok. This wasn't within a matter of days. It was more like months and years.
Once we are walking steadily in grace and freedom, we learn responsibility. What we weren't aware of is how our freedom affects others. Those who don't know freedom or the extent of ours. They see us doing things which they think are wrong. They participate as well and then feel guilty for doing so. Paul says this in I Corinthians 8:12, "And so, by sinning against the brothers and sisters and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ." Careless use of freedom can hurt those weak in the faith.
This is part of what Paul is saying in today's verse. This is using freedom for ourselves. By not paying attention to who might be watching can become harmful. The other form of abuse is when we are using our freedom in a way that's unbalanced for ourselves. While Paul says "All things are lawful", the second half was "not all things are profitable". This fits in this application.
He says, "Don't use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature". Like was said earlier, part of this is getting used to freedom. As we walk in Christ and cross these lines, our spirits are quenched, because His Spirit is quenched. Not in a satisfying way, but as in dousing a fire that should remain lit. We don't want to disappoint the Lord. So we back off.
To continue on in abuse is to ignore the Lord. This isn't fearing God. What He thinks should be important to us. To do this is hardening our hearts. Other passages call it being dull of hearing. We are taking our godly senses and ignoring them. "of whom we have much to say, and hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food", (Hebrews 5:11,12).
Those addressed in the Hebrews passage had stunted their growth by ignoring their spiritual senses. In the natural world we see it as tragic when when doesn't grow up. Some with special needs can't grow up. That understandable, but wasteful when one chooses that.
Lord, thank You for freedom. Help us to honor You, respect others and be responsible to ourselves as we properly use it.