This week we celebrate Independence Day, the day that our nation commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain.(1)
We must not forget that our country’s drive for independence began with a quest for religious freedom. Under the new king, Charles I, the situation in England was bad for the religious group called the Puritans.
They had hoped to “purify” the Church of England. But the king wouldn’t let them. So between 1630 and 1640, 20,000 Puritans sailed for New England. They wanted to practice their religion in peace. They wanted to build a holy community where people would live by the rules of the Bible. They expected their Massachusetts Bay Colony to be an example for all the world. One of the colony’s governors, John Winthrop, explained: “We must consider that we shall be as a city upon a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us.”(2)
Our country was founded on a strong value for religious freedom and biblical values. Our freedom, however, is slowly being lost as people devalue Christian morals and principles more and more. As biblical morality gradually fades away, immorality and moral decay are taking its place; and moral decay will eventually lead to the collapse of a society if we fail to change our ways.
In our passage today, we will see how the apostle Paul spoke of spiritual and moral decay and how it can lead to the forfeiture of one’s spiritual freedom in Christ. I will bring out the spiritual application as we go along; but I wish to primarily apply this passage to how we can lose societal freedom, and even our country’s freedom, by tossing aside our Christian values.
Stand Firm in Your Freedom (v. 1)
1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.
Paul stated here how you need to be certain to maintain your freedom. Spiritually speaking, you fought hard to get where you are. You may have sacrificed friends and family to follow Christ. Perhaps you endured criticism for your faith. You spent hours of devotion in learning the Bible and the ways of God. You have attained an understanding of God’s love, mercy and grace which sets you free from the slavery of sin. Make sure you do not allow yourself to become all tied up again in the chains of spiritual bondage.
Physically speaking, a lot of soldiers have fought hard and lost their lives for our country’s freedom. Remember that “freedom isn’t really free.” This expression means that freedom actually costs something. Many brave military men and women have given their all for the freedom we experience here in America; and to maintain freedom requires responsibility, and sacrificing ourselves and some of our own desires. Therefore, the cost of freedom for us as civilians might be to let go of some of our own personal wants for the greater good of other individuals and the nation as a whole; and the “personal wants” to which I am referring are sinful lusts and desires.
Be Careful You Are Not Hindered (vv. 7-10a)
7 You ran well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? 8 This persuasion does not come from Him who calls you. 9 A little leaven leavens the whole lump. 10a I have confidence in you, in the Lord, that you will have no other mind.
Paul said, “You ran well” (v. 7). Your faith was founded on the truth of Jesus Christ; or when applied to our nation, this country was founded on the truth of biblical morality. Paul meant to say, “You started off right.”
He then asked, “Who hindered you from obeying the truth?” (v. 7), and he called this spiritual hindrance “this persuasion” (v. 8). The definition of “persuasion” in this context is, “an established creed or belief, especially a religious one” and “a sect, party, or faction.”(3) Paul was asking, “Who tempted you, and with what sinful or wrong information? What morally corrupt message or values have you received and believed?” Perhaps some of us should ask ourselves this morning, “What immoral persuasions are being taught in America, and have I subscribed to any of them?”
Paul then stated, “A little leaven leavens the whole lump” (v. 9). A little misinformation can contaminate one’s mind, or perhaps even an entire society. If you take one step away from the light the room actually begins to darken, but it’s such a small increment that you don’t even notice that it’s happening.
In the song “Slow Fade” by Casting Crowns, it is accurately stated, “It’s a slow fade when you give yourself away. It’s a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray. Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid when you give yourself away. People never crumble in a day.” And I wish to add that “countries never crumble in a day.” It is a slow fade as a country falls from grace to moral compromise, and eventually self-destruction.
When applying this passage spiritually, Paul provides the solution to moral compromise by stating, “You will have no other mind” (v. 10a). No other mind than what? The mind of Christ. In 1 Corinthians 2:15-16, Paul said that those who are spiritual will have the mind of Christ. He was referring to thinking and making decision from the perspective of Jesus.
In Romans 12:2 Paul admonished, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” We must be intentional in seeking to have our minds influenced by the Bible, reading about Jesus Christ and how He lived and treated others, so that we can better know how to make wise spiritual decisions pleasing to God, glorifying the Lord, and honoring our fellow man.
If we wish to maintain a free country in the future, we would do well to learn the ways of God and the moral standards of the Bible.
Freedom Is Not a License to Sin (vv. 13-15)
13 For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another!
When Paul spoke to the Galatian believers about being “called to liberty” (v. 13), he meant that they were presently walking in freedom. He then cautioned, “Do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh” (v. 13). When we are walking in freedom we can take it for granted, failing to remember our past. We can forget how we were once held in bondage - whether spiritually, or as a people - and forget the great price that was paid for our freedom.
We can also forget our original or founding values, and fail to remember our moral boundaries. At this point we will begin walking in the flesh, serving its passions and desires, and stepping on people who get in our way and doing only what we want to do, not caring what other people think, or how they feel, or who we hurt. To this Paul answered, “Through love serve one another” (v. 13).
Love is just the opposite of serving oneself; and one major key in sustaining a country is serving others before self. I wish to share some snippets from President John F. Kennedy’s inaugural address from January 20, 1961:
Let . . . [us] unite to heed in all corners of the earth the command of Isaiah - to “undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free” . . . In your hands, my fellow citizens, more than in mine, will rest the final success or failure of our course. Since this country was founded, each generation of Americans has been summoned to give testimony to its national loyalty. The graves of young Americans who answered the call to service surround the globe. Now the trumpet summons us again . . .
And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country . . . With a good conscience our only sure reward, with history the final judge of our deeds, let us go forth to lead the land we love, asking His blessing and His help, but knowing that here on earth God’s work must truly be our own.(4)
According to Kennedy, God’s work is to “undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free,” which takes loving and serving others. And we must ask not what our country can do for us, but ask what we can do for our country, which is also about serving others before self.
In verse 14 Paul said the entire law is fulfilled in love. In Matthew 22:37-40, Jesus said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” If you love then there will be less chance of breaking any laws, and less chance that you will harm or trespass against another human being.
In verse 15 Paul said, “If you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another.” Without love the law will break down, and when the law breaks down then society, relationships, trust, and freedom all go out the window. Thus, a country that fails to uphold the biblical principles of love and respect for fellow human beings, is a country that will self-destruct. Keep in mind that love and respect does not equal “tolerance” for sin.
Selfish Lusts Lead to Bondage (vv. 16, 19-21)
16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh . . . 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
In verse 16, Paul said, “Walk in the Spirit.” Walking in the Spirit is what leads to true freedom. In Romans 8:1 Paul declared, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” Condemnation leads to being held in the chains of spiritual bondage, but Paul said that when we walk in the Spirit we are no longer held in bondage. I wish to add that if more citizens of our country would walk according to the ways of the Lord, then we would experience more freedom as a nation.
The opposite of walking in the Spirit is walking in the flesh, and Paul provided some examples of what he called the “works of the flesh” (v. 19). Take a look at that list again in verses 19-21. Do we see this kind of behavior demonstrated in America today? Well guess what? When you exercise your personal freedom to serve carnal passions and desires in order to act like an animal, then watch out. When you bite at others and trample whoever gets in your way, then what you sow is what you reap. You will soon wind up with a lawless society; and when you get in someone else’s way then they’ll trample on you.
If everyone does what they want, and everyone acts on what they feel, then you will eventually have complete and utter chaos! Do you know what happens when chaos ensues? More laws are imposed, leading to further loss of personal freedom; or in the worst case scenario, martial law is proclaimed and all freedom is entirely stripped away.
Paul said, “Those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God” (v. 21). Spiritually speaking, people who walk according to the flesh will forfeit much of their spiritual freedom; or for the lost, they will forfeit salvation and eternal life in the kingdom of heaven. Physically speaking, people can forfeit their physical liberty and never inherit a free earthly kingdom, meaning they will never inherit a free land in which to live, or a free country.
Freedom in the Fruit of the Spirit (vv. 22-25)
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 24 And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
The opposite of walking in the flesh is walking in the Spirit. When we walk in the Spirit we exercise the fruit of the Spirit (v 22). Paul listed them here as love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (vv. 22-23). How often do we see these qualities demonstrated in America today? It’s a rare thing. Paul said, “Against such there is no law” (v. 23). Just as with love, the fruit of the Spirit won’t compromise any law or moral structure. They can be beneficial to society.
Paul said that those who demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit have “crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” (v. 24). What does it mean to crucify the flesh? In Romans chapter 6, Paul said, “Our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin . . . Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts” (vv. 6, 12). Crucifying the flesh is laying aside our sinful desires to serve the Lord instead of ourselves.
As believers, we must lay aside many of our own desires, especially lusts and passions, and begin walking in the Spirit in order to experience true spiritual freedom. And as a nation, we must lay aside many of our own wants and desires and begin walking according to biblical principles and morality in order to experience true physical, personal and national freedom. Certain individual freedoms (which are often selfish desires) must at times be sacrificed for the greater good and the nation. Be certain to live in such a way that you do not forfeit true freedom.
Time of Reflection
Christians, I fear the Lord is looking at some of us today saying, “You started off right. Who hindered you from obeying the truth?” As Christ-followers, we must take a bold stand in upholding the moral standards set forth in the Bible and be careful not to allow ourselves to be persuaded by the world’s way of thinking; for when we begin believing and acting like the world then our light will diminish and fade, and then it’s all downhill from there. If we wish to see our country remain a Christian nation, and a free nation, then we must set the standard by letting go of the lusts and passions of the world, and by pursuing hard after Christ.
If you are here this morning not knowing Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and Lord then you too must let go of the world in order to experience freedom – that is, spiritual freedom. Jesus once asked, “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matthew 16:26). If you are willing to let go of the world and surrender your heart to Jesus Christ, then what you need to do is confess your faith in Him this morning (Romans 10:9-10). If you will repent of your sins, believe that Jesus died for your sins on the cross and rose again from the grave victorious over sin and death, and confess your belief before men, then you will be saved.
NOTES
(1) “Independence Day,” Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independence_Day_(United_States).
(2) “Religious Tolerance: Segment 2,” Freedom: A History of US: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/historyofus/web03/segment2.html.
(3) “Persuasion,” World English Dictionary: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/persuasion.
(4) “The Ask Not What Your Country Can Do for You Speech by John F. Kennedy,” Famous Quotes: http://www.famousquotes.me.uk/speeches/John_F_Kennedy/5.htm.
