The Boundless Freedom of Being Led by the Spirit

To the untrained eye, life right now bears some similarities to house arrest. Do your emotions resonate? Do you feel trapped in your own walls, perhaps chaffing at the "cell mates" who are always right beside you? Or maybe there is no one else there with you, and the silence itself feels oppressive.

In Bible study, we've been marinating in Galatians 5 and 6, and the gospel gong that resounds here is "freedom."

For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. (Galatians 5:1)

For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. (Galatians 5:13)

But this morning, what landed on me in a fresh way was this:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control; against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23)

I've wondered in the past, why this curious phrasing? Why is Paul bringing up how no law restricts the Spirit, rather than pointing to the positive "filling up" of the law, like he does in other places:

The whole law is fulfilled in one word: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." (Galatians 5:14)

Or

Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ (Galatians 6:2)?

I can't give a full answer, but one aspect that struck me this morning is this:

No external constraints steal our freedom to walk in the Spirit.

Right now, our movements are limited, our employment may be terminated or paused, our in-person fellowship in the body of Christ isn't possible in the traditional format, and we aren't really sure when any of that will change.

But none of that restricts the boundless freedom we have of being led by the Spirit of God and bearing the beautiful, life-giving fruit of communion with Jesus.

Paul himself knew something of house arrest and chains.

As we look back on that long, painful experience in his life, we can see what God produced through it ... countless disciples of Christ, large and priceless portions of the Scripture, and an example for us to emulate in our own walk of faith.

And maybe we can envision how our walking in the Spirit in these days of physical constraint might be used by God for eternal fruit "beyond all we ask or imagine."

May He grant us eyes of faith to see our true freedom and express it in love to others, whether we can reach out and touch them personally or whether we are asking God Himself to do so.