Part CXIV on Galatians Study

Galatians 5:13
"For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another."
Now we want to remember that Paul is writing to the Galatian believers who were in various congregations, and amongst themselves believer with believers, they were to serve one another through love. Now we need to come back to our definition of Biblical love, or the Agape Love as we saw it in John's gospel when Jesus said to Peter, "Peter loveth thou me?" Do you remember those accounts (found in John chapter 21 verse 15 through 17)? And Peter never did really get the full impact of Agape Love (of the heart), because Peter came back and said, "I Phileo you," Meaning I'm fond of you (or of the head). It is a lesser term then agape. This by the way is the love which most express in the church when they say, "I love (phileo) with the love (phileo) of the Lord." There is no Agape Love unless one first dies to self and the spirit of the world.

Our best definition for us in the English speaking world of Agape Love is, "Seeking that other persons highest good." That is true Agape Love in practice, when in every circumstance we seek that other person's highest good or is to be self-sacrificial. Now that means many times we will even sell ourselves short in order to accomplish that which is the highest good for the other person. So this is what the Apostle Paul is talking about in verse 13. Rather than use our liberty for an occasion to satisfy the lust of the flesh, rather we are to let that God-given Agape Love, the Love that always seeks the other persons highest good. Now verse 14.
 

Galatians 5:14
"For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shall love thy neighbor as thyself."
This love is agapao: a moral or social love of even greater degree then phileo. Now let's go back and compare what Paul wrote in Romans chapter 13. And again we need to compare Scripture with Scripture so that we don't say, "Well that doesn't really mean what it says." A lot of people will say that when we confront them about something. But it does mean what it says, and if we don't believe what it says in this one then find another place where it collaborates it and it all fits, we find ourselves falling short of the glory (the illumination) of God.

Romans 13:8b
"...for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law."
This is the agapao love as seen above. Every part of it, because love is always the answer for what the Law demands, and we've gone over all of this more than once. Can we steal from someone that we really love? Why no way! Can we go out and bear false witness about someone we really love and are seeking their highest good? No. And it's the same way with sexual immorality of the day. If true Agape Love is functioning, the present day surge of immorality and adultery would die on the vine. Because there is no true love in that kind of sexual satisfaction. It always leaves people miserable, we all know that. Triangles do nothing but cause unhappiness and grief and sorrow, and why? Because there is no true love involved in something like that. 
 
Coveting is another one, we don't wish we had something that someone has that we love. So love is the fulfilling of the whole Law, and then Paul goes on to repeat them in verse 9. So when we say that Paul teaches that we're not under Law but rather Grace, that doesn't mean that Paul says we're free to steal, bear false witness and covet. No way but all he means is that the Law doesn't hang over us as a threatening punishment, that if you break it the hand of God is going to come down on you. That's not what he's saying. He's saying, "That once we've come into Salvation through faith and under the Grace of God our whole system of want to changes." We no longer want to do those things that are contrary to the Law. So it isn't a matter of having to have the Law in order to maintain Christian discipline. We're going to see when we get down a couple of verses later that it's the indwelling Holy Spirit that takes the place of the Law. And that's what we have to constantly emphasize. Now if we can come back to Galatians chapter 5, and for repetition let's read verse 14 again.


Galatians 5:14
"For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this. Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." Now that takes care of everything. Now verse 15 is just an admonition.


Galatians 5:15a
"But if ye bite and devour one another,..."
Now that will take in the bearing of false witness commandment. We can destroy a persons character in 5 minutes, and this is what is so sad about our political system. We love our freedoms and liberties, but we know all to well that all someone has to do is by innuendo make something of a derogatory comment and immediately that person is put on a defense, but what has happened in the eyes of the public? He's guilty. Whether he is or not just by virtue of implication he is now guilty until he can prove himself innocent. Well Paul is telling believers that this is the same thing that they are doing to each other. Every time we say something nasty about one of your fellow believers we are by implication putting them in a place of defending their character or what ever. And so Paul is saying, "You had better be careful, because it will eat you alive."