That's Scary

For you have been called to live in freedom--not freedom to satisfy your sinful nature, but freedom to serve one another in love. For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: "Love your neighbor as yourself." But if instead of showing love among yourselves you are always biting and devouring one another, watch out! Beware of destroying one another. So I advise you to live according to your new life in the Holy Spirit. Then you won't be doing what your sinful nature craves. The old sinful nature loves to do evil, which is just opposite from what the Holy Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are opposite from what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, and your choices are never free from this conflict. But when you are directed by the Holy Spirit, you are no longer subject to the law. When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, your lives will produce these evil results: sexual immorality, impure thoughts, eagerness for lustful pleasure, idolatry, participation in demonic activities, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, divisions, the feeling that everyone is wrong except those in your own little group, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other kinds of sin. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Here there is no conflict with the law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. If we are living now by the Holy Spirit, let us follow the Holy Spirit's leading in every part of our lives. Let us not become conceited, or irritate one another, or be jealous of one another. (Galatians 5:13-26; NLV).

One of the scariest things about Halloween is the amount of money Americans will spend on it this year-more than $1 billion in candy, another $200 million on pumpkins, and tens of millions more on decorations, costumes, and party favors. Halloween is one of those days that has changed so much over the centuries it's hard to know exactly when and why it began. Some historians trace it to ancient Celtic customs. Others have pointed to the 9th-century Christian church's All Saints' Day on November 1st and the night before as All Hallow's Eve. I think it is safe to say that no church father from centuries past would recognize All Hallow's Eve if he saw it today.

The tendency to lose the original design isn't confined to society's corruption of ancient holy days. It has also happened to biblical truths. For instance, in our verses this morning Paul warned us against turning our freedom in Christ into a license to sin: For you have been called to live in freedom--not freedom to satisfy your sinful nature, but freedom to serve one another in love. For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: "Love your neighbor as yourself." Christ died to set us free. But if we let that liberty degenerate into license, we distort God's original design and become unrecognizable as His creation. That's really scary!

So, how can we stay on track? In any questionable matter, we can ask, "Will doing this enable me to serve other people and demonstrate the love of Jesus Christ?" License is an abuse of liberty. It lets me take what I want. Love is a celebration of freedom that gives what others need. Freedom and love, that's the only way to preserve God's original design.