Gal.5:13 For, Brethren, you have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by Love serve one another.
14. For all the Law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; You shall love your neighbour as yourself.
15. But if you bite and devour one another, take heed that you be not consumed one of another.
16. This I say then Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
ACCEPTABLE UNTO THE LORD
It is important to love your neighbor; this is obvious.
When verse 16 says, this I say then Walk in the Spirit; it is referring back to verses 13-15. It is very obvious that if you are walking in the flesh, you will not be able to be serving one another in Love. The only way to serve one another in Love is to walk in Liberty. And the only way to walk in Liberty is to understand that Christ paid the entire price for our Liberty at the Cross.
When Christ died on the Cross, He did numerous things for all who will believe. One of those things He did was to remove the bindings which tied us to the Law. Now, the Law has no more hold over the believer. Thus, you have been called unto Liberty.
1 Cor. 13:4-7 (Gives us the Characteristics of Charity [Love])
4. Charity suffers long, and is kind; charity envies not; vaunts not itself (does not brag), is not puffed up (prideful)
5. Does not behave itself unseemly (thinks of others even at the expense of forgetting ones self), seeks not her own, is not easily provoked (exacerbation does not result from being treated rudely or wrongly), thinks no evil (does not dwell on or use his imagination on evil)
6. Rejoices not in iniquity (doesn’t converse about what others may have done wrong [Gossip etc.]), but rejoices in the Truth.(Jesus said, “I am the Way the Truth and the Life, John 14:6)
7. Bears all things (not a complainer), believes all things (maintains a favorable aspect of everyone), hopes all things (expects the best), endures all things (tolerates whatever comes).
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO LOVE ONE ANOTHER?
I believe that many people think that if they are nice to people, try to help out when they can, and maybe give when there is a need, that they are walking in love.
Well, that is a good start. However, it is not the complete picture of Love which is given by Apostle Paul in 1 Cor. 13.
Let me ask you this in order to clarify what I am bringing to point here. If someone is nice to their neighbor (in whatever particular way; perhaps he mows his yard and stops to have a cup of coffee with him and a friendly talk), then after coming home he tells his wife what a wonderful thing he has just done, is he walking in Love? (is he not behaving himself unseemly? Is he not seeking his own [credit for his own self])? Is he not puffed up and being a braggart? These things are not signs of Charity (Love)!
Let me state it very plainly here: This man is not really walking in Love. Love has ALL of these Characteristics listed in 1 Cor. 13. So this man is neither walking in Love or in the Spirit(At least not as this particular occasion is concerned). However, God judges the hearts of men and only He will know what it is which is motivating this man.
Now we could look at this and try to put a bandaid or two on what we been calling Love, in hopes of fulfilling what the Apostle Paul said must be done in order to Love your neighbor. But this is really the reverse order of which we should approach such a problem.
THE ANSWER
Gal.5:16 Tells us, “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
The above attempt at walking in Love toward ones neighbor is an example of walking in the flesh, not walking in the Spirit. True, this man may have actually been trying to do a good thing (actually he did do a good thing but it was more a work of the flesh than a work of the Spirit) and to walk in Love toward his neighbor. However, if he does not CONTINUALLY, take up his Cross (Gal.2:20,the Cross of Christ) daily, and keep his eyes ALWAYS on what Christ accomplished thereon, then the Holy Spirit will not work in his Life on a continual basis. Without the Holy Spirit working in our live on a continual basis we will not know when we are failing God.
The answer is actually in clinging to The Cross of Christ and what He accomplished thereon, CONSTANTLY, CONTINUALLY, INVARIABLY, PERPETUALLY, and ALWAYS. By doing this, the Holy Spirit will not only reveal what is lacking in our Love toward our neighbor but whatever else he desires for us to do.
