1Stand firm therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and don’t be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.
2Behold, I, Paul, tell you that if you receive circumcision, Christ will profit you nothing. 3Yes, I testify again to every man who receives circumcision that he is a debtor to do the whole law. 4You are alienated from Christ, you who desire to be justified by the law. You have fallen away from grace. 5For we through the Spirit, by faith wait for the hope of righteousness. 6For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision amounts to anything, but faith working through love.
7You were running well! Who interfered with you that you should not obey the truth? 8This persuasion is not from him who calls you. 9A little yeast grows through the whole lump. 10I have confidence toward you in the Lord that you will think no other way. But he who troubles you will bear his judgment, whoever he is.
11But I, brothers, if I still preach circumcision, why am I still persecuted? Then the stumbling block of the cross has been removed. 12I wish that those who disturb you would cut themselves off.
13For you, brothers, were called for freedom. Only don’t use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love be servants to one another. 14For the whole law is fulfilled in one word, in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 15But if you bite and devour one another, be careful that you don’t consume one another.
16But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you won’t fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, that you may not do the things that you desire. 18But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19Now the deeds of the flesh are obvious, which are: adultery, sexual immorality, uncleanness, lustfulness, 20idolatry, sorcery, hatred, strife, jealousies, outbursts of anger, rivalries, divisions, heresies, 21envy, murders, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these; of which I forewarn you, even as I also forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit God’s Kingdom.
22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, 23gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24Those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and lusts.
25If we live by the Spirit, let’s also walk by the Spirit. 26Let’s not become conceited, provoking one another, and envying one another.
Exercising Our Civil Rights
Paul Bound for Scourging
God knows the time and the place where you were born. If you are a believer living in a Middle Eastern Arab country, you might have few rights. If you are a believer living in North Korea, you might have no rights. If you are a believer living in the United States, you might have many rights. Paul shows us here that as a Roman citizen, he had certain rights, and he exercised them. It doesn’t always mean that it will turn out well. In God’s sovereignty, He knew that as Paul proclaimed his rights as a Roman Citizen, it would lead to the sharing of the gospel to the Emperor in Rome, who was the top man in the world at that time. This was all in God’s plan. But, Paul did what he could to preserve his life in the moment. He knew the Jewish authorities had a target on his back, so he exercised his rights to protect his own life. I suppose one could argue that Paul should have just stayed quiet about his rights, and he might have escaped the fate that awaited him.
This leads me to think of my rights as a follower of Jesus in modern-day America. Our Christian beliefs are challenged more and more each day by others and by our government. God is a God of order and not chaos. As we take a stand (our Constitutional right) against the rampant godlessness and chaos in our society, it may cost us emotionally, spiritually, and cost us in other ways to appeal to our rights as American citizens. But we must do so. We must not remain silent in the hopes of saving our own temporary skin. Much is at stake. I am thinking of Jack Phillips, the owner of Masterpiece Cakeshop in Colorado, who politely declined the opportunity to cook and sell a wedding cake for the wedding of a gay couple.
Phillips took a stand and declined to participate in a celebration that went against his religious beliefs. It cost him dearly. There were tremendous court costs and personal anguish incurred as the case progressed. Eventually, the Supreme Court heard the case and gave Mr. Phillips a narrow victory. They ruled that the Civil Rights Commission had not acted properly, as they had shown hostility to Mr. Phillips because of his religious beliefs; hence, their decision was vacated. This decision leaves the question open as to what would have happened if the commission hadn’t been hostile to Mr. Phillips’ religious beliefs. Regardless of the outcome, like the Apostle Paul, we must work within whatever system God has sovereignly placed us. It may cost us, but we must speak up. When we do speak up, we should do so with courtesy, and we must exhibit all of the fruit of the Spirit as outlined in Galatians 5:22. We are to be the salt and the light in the world. Be that, but as best as you are able, be at peace with all men.