Don't Use Your Freedom as a Weapon!
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SCRIPTURE:
“For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.”
Galatians 5:13-15, ESV[1]
OBSERVATIONS:
The Apostle Paul in this section of Scripture is driving home the point that grace is the pathway to freedom not practicing the law. Because the debate among the Galatians has become contentious, he is now helping to set some boundaries for this newfound freedom in Christ that it is not to be weaponized by the flesh towards others. Throughout the epistle Paul is both directly and indirectly guiding the Galatians to think ethically not based on what they think is right or wrong but rather how the Spirit would direct them to live out their freedom for the purpose of Christ. Paul understood that even freedom that is a result of grace if given opportunity by the flesh will be weaponized and used to hurt others rather than to build them up in love. Once a person has become hurt and that hurt becomes an offense or they simply objectify another person as to know longer treat them with dignity and respect the opportunity exists for them to consume another person which then goes viral with people consuming one another. The Greek word in Galatians 5:15 is ἀναλωθῆτε (analoōthete), which is a passive infinitive verb meaning to use up, destroy or consume. The root of this word comes from a word that means to intentionally conquer. The infinitive verb is used to describe an ongoing action. You could say that they Galatians were using their freedom in a “Passive-Aggressive” way towards one another.
To highlight what their freedom is for Paul quotes how the whole law (v.14), is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” He follows this up with the thought if you bite and devour one another (vs.15). The word bite is "daknete" (δάκνετε), which means to back bite meaning that you are eliciting others to go behind someone’s back and to speak of them in a way that that tears at their character rather than to be helpful and make them better. The word for devour is "katesthiete" (κατεσθίετε), to eat up until finished. It has the sense that one acts out on another not in truth but out of hurt and pure emotional reaction.[2] Paul’s words at the end of these verses is a warning that they can consume one another which means they are using their freedom to abuse rather than to build up one another in love.
APPLICATION:
We have all seen in the church how people through hurt or offense simply begin to devour one another. In our current cultural context, we see believers dividing over political ideology and social media has become the platform by which consume one another. The more relationally distant we become with the use of technology the more we dehumanize one another and choose not to love. The Holy Spirit is speaking to me that I can never be a weapon formed against someone else regardless of how right I am. The most chronically anxious person in every group that is dealing with allot of emotional stuff becomes the most reactive. My freedom in Christ is not permission to act out harmfully to myself or others in the flesh. I am called to serve others in love. Pastor Jack Hayford years ago was teaching a group of Pastors (I was one of them), and he declared this: “No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment
You shall condemn” (Isa. 54:17). He paused and then said: “You do not become a weapon against somebody else and do not use your tongue to be a weapon formed against anyone else or you won’t prosper.” Today the use of my tongue can be understood as phone calls, text messages, emails or any other way that I am not building another one up in love. Jesus Help me to be an instrument of your Peace.
PRAYER:
“Lord, I am praying the same words of St. Francis of Assisi who prayed “Make me an instrument of your peace … to be understood as to understand … to be loved as to love. Help me not make my freedom in you become an opportunity for the flesh and that I will always choose to engage others even those who have hurt me with an open hand and not a closed fist. Lord may my own need to be right surrender to your righteousness. Help me to be the best tool in your hands. I pray this in the name of Jesus, Amen!”
Footnotes:
[1] Hebrew - Greek Key Word Study Bible English Standard Version, ed. ThD. and General Editor Spiros Zodhiares, ESV edition Warren Baker, D.R.E. (Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 1984, 1990, 1991, 1996 and 2013 by AMG International Inc.). p 1352.
[2] Alfred Marshall: The Nestle Greerk Text With a Literal English Translation, The NASB Interlinear Greek English New Testament (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing Company, 1984). Note: Paul is dealing with a situation that is ongoing and is probably a result of the factions that formed around the false teachers who were negating the work of grace as well as those opposed who were striking back. For the Apostle two ways that grace could be abused was not living out the ethical and moral commands of Christ and claiming ones behavior to be free because of grace or to use one’s freedom to hurt another.
References:
Hebrew - Greek Key Word Study Bible English Standard Version. Edited by ThD. and General Editor Spiros Zodhiares, ESV edition Warren Baker, D.R.E. Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 1984, 1990, 1991, 1996 and 2013 by AMG International Inc.
Translation, Alfred Marshall: The Nestle Greerk Text With a Literal English. The Nasb Interlinear Greek English New Testament. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing Company, 1984.