0617 LEARNING THE DANCE

LEARNING THE DANCE

Here in chapter 5, Paul strings together some really powerful, challenging and encouraging words for us. Let’s delve into each of them and then try to tie it together.

You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. 

In the battle of strong and weak faith, you remember how essential it was that those who are weak not judge those who are stronger, and that the stronger ones yield to defer to the consciences of the weaker. So Paul is basically summarizing that controversy. God is allowing us to be strong by removing the strict rules and permitting us to be free, without the burden of the law and the guilt that came with it. Freedom means that we are all on the “stronger” side again. But . . . 

But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh ; rather, serve one another humbly in love.

The freedom of being a person of “stronger” faith does not yield so much freedom that God doesn’t continue to care about what we do. It’s like having been an heir who is still an underage child really having no true rights. But now Paul is saying even when you are grown up, you are still not really free to simply do what you want. Life is funny that way, ain’t it? You spend your childhood longing to be an adult, and by the time you get there you realize that the life of freedom you imagined is actually a life of adult responsibilities, not simply of freedom. You got a car, thinking you would use it to drive and get donuts every morning and have freedom to drive wherever you want whenever you want. But you discover that you have to pay for the gas and the insurance, and they require money for the donuts, and all of that freedom simply took you full circle back to having to do things you don’t want to do in order to gain this small measure of freedom. And you end up buying a dozen donuts and only eating one of them because you have other people that you are responsible for. Sigh. I guess that’s why mom and dad didn’t gush all over about how great adulthood is and how much fun you’re going to have when you turn 18.

So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 

It’s simple, really. Paul has said it before to the Corinthians. The Holy Spirit will always guide you to holiness, not to selfish choices and sinful actions. So we can try following a massive set of rules that will make us good people. Or we can simply follow the maxim, “Love God, and do as you please.” Notice how Paul words it, however: “you will not” gratify “the desires” of the flesh. Your flesh is still a part of your life, and the desires of this baser part of you do not go away. Paul elaborates further:

For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.

The flesh and the Spirit are opposite poles in your life. And your calling is not to walk down the equator between them. No. You “do not do as you want.” That thing your flesh wants to do? You say no. The desire is still screaming. But you have your fingers in your ears and you are talking to yourself, drowning out the sound of your flesh’s voice by quoting Scripture you have memorized. And you discover, once again, that growing up into freedom is not a walk in the park, it’s more like running a gauntlet.

Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

In conclusion, Paul summarizes our relationship with the Holy Spirit. We live by the Spirit, you know. The flesh did nothing to bring us life. It only brought guilt and shame and followed the road to death. But the Spirit gave us life and led us into the light, stirred our faith to believe and our wills to choose holiness. And when we keep in step with the Spirit, day by day, hour by hour, we find ourselves matching the Spirit’s stride, breathing in synch with the Spirit, speaking the words that the Spirit prompts us to say. It is a beautiful dance of discipleship, the wedding dance of the Bride with her Groom. 

May you hear the Spirit’s invitation this day, asking, “May I have this dance?” And may you join in while the angels play your favorite song. Amen.