Sunday, April 19, 2009
Sunday Reflection: Called to Freedom, brothers and sisters!
In Sunday School this morning we moved on to the surprising and revolutionary words of Paul in Galatians 5. There, he takes a stand: The law can be the enemy of the spirit. That is, our adherence to a canon can rob us of the freedom Christ offers. It is a specific freedom-- the freedom of the intellect-- that he is talking about. Moreover, the argues it is a freedom that comes with a responsibility, and not the responsibility preachers often go to, the responsibility to, er, follow rules. Instead, Paul asserts that our intellectual freedom from the law should lead us to serve one another:
"For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become slaves to one another." Gal. 5:13.
Wow. It is an entire world view in a sentence-- that Christ offers us freedom of the mind, with the commandment we use it to serve one another. There is great beauty and challenge in that idea, and a real threat to the idea that faith is defined by adherence to any one set of rules.
"For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become slaves to one another." Gal. 5:13.
Wow. It is an entire world view in a sentence-- that Christ offers us freedom of the mind, with the commandment we use it to serve one another. There is great beauty and challenge in that idea, and a real threat to the idea that faith is defined by adherence to any one set of rules.
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I feel like some non-Christians might be turned off by the use of the term "slave," which implies mandatory service with no choice in the matter.
I hear you, Justin - that word kinda rubs me the wrong way too. But I think "mandatory service with no choice in the matter" is exactly what the passage is talking about. Like... if you're down here doing your thing the way you're supposed to - you're not able to just refuse to serve others, it's just part of the program.
I was really startled by "slave," too. It seems to me Paul may have used "slave" to imply the kind of utter selflessness we're called to show to each other.
# posted by 
: 10:28 PM
: 10:28 PM
Wouldn't it be wonderful to live in a world in which we were all dedicated to serving each other? There would be no poor, no hungry, no naked, no lonely, and no one sorrowing who did not have someone to turn to. It would be Heaven on Earth.
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