Galatians 5:13 teaches that we should use our liberty in Christ as a means of serving others and not as an excuse to indulge evil desires. The Westminster Confession of Faith expounds on this truth in XX, iii.
When we think about a summary of the law in Galatians 5:14, we must look to the Lord Jesus Christ himself, because his life is THE perfect exposition of God's moral law, as illustrated in the second chapter of Philippians.
Adam reached out to become equal with God (Genesis 3:4-6). The Lord Jesus Christ has always been God, equal to God the Father and the Holy Spirit.
Adam reached out to grasp something he did not have and to which he was not entitled; the Lord Jesus let go of what he had always had, full equality with God.
But because he put you ahead of himself (Philippians 2:3-4), the Lord Jesus gave up his prerogatives, honor, and comfort by leaving heaven and becoming a servant for us (Philippians 2:5-9). That was the path to his exaltation as the God-man (Philippians 2:10-11).
His slavery purchased our liberty. We are free people, the sons and daughters of the King. Our citizenship is in heaven (Philippians 3:20), and we enjoy exemption from the rules and regulations of this world and its fading order.
This is profoundly illustrated in Jesus' reaction to the temple maintenance tax built on Exodus 30:11-16. We are exempt because we are children of the King (Matthew 17:25-26), but we must not put a stumbling block before others, and so we pay it (Matthew 17:27). Nothing is more important than reaching the lost with the gospel.
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After serving Grace Presbyterian Church in Alexandria, Louisiana, Bob was honorably retired on Sunday, September 27, 2015, and given the title "Pastor Emeritus." This was forty years to the day after he became their pastor.
He now works for the Presbytery of the Gulf South as...
