“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.” Gal 5:13
This scripture should hit home for a lot of christians. It certainly does for me. Many, many christians use freedom as an excuse to please the flesh. At least I know that it is true for me. I think this is especially true in the area of food. “I’m free to eat what I want.” Yeah, but don’t use that freedom for an occasion to the flesh. Yeah, you are free to eat, but not if it you are doing it to please the flesh.
Wow, I’ve never looked at it this way before.
So if your freedom isn’t about freedom to do what your flesh wants to do, then what is that freedom for? What is the freedom for? Freedom from the law is not freedom to fulfill the lusts of the flesh. Paul said the rules and regulations have no value against the indulgence of the flesh (although they would appear to).
The next passage reminds us of the law of Love. “Love your neighbor as yourself.” This fulfills all the law and the prophets. Thats the one that we are required to obey. Thats the law that is a blanket covering for all of those terrible sins such as murder, adultery, theft, and so on. You never have the freedom to commit such sins. They break the law of Love.
But there are many more laws in the old testament. Laws such as not eating certain foods or doing work on certain days, or celebrating certain holy days. We have been set free from these rules and regulations. The Bible tells us that they were shadows of what was to come, but the substance is Christ. We are not required the obey these laws. Nor should we. We should walk in the spirit.
So we are free to do such things as eat pork or shellfish, or whatever. But we need to examine whatever we do and be sure that we do not do it simply because our flesh cries for it.
Hal Chaffee 