Pastor Dan Duncan of Believer’s Chapel illustrates that there are three ways to live in relation to the law of God: under the law, without the law, or the Apostle Paul’s way. He explains this using three kinds of dogs.
One dog lives on a leash. Whenever it goes out, it must be on the leash. As the dog goes out, it pulls against the leash, resists it, and doesn’t like it. That is a picture of a person who lives under the Law.
The second dog lives without the leash. It wanders freely in the neighborhood without a master, without guidance, getting into trash, getting into fights, and ending up in the pound or run over by a car. That is a picture of a person who lives without recognition of the law.
The third is the ideal dog. It comes out of his house with its master but without a leash strapped on. It goes about freely, but returns whenever its master calls. It is without leash but bounded by love to its master; thus, it obeys. That is the person who walks by the Spirit, he or she obeys the law not because they are bound to it, but because they love the One who gave it. Paul wanted to emphasize this position of every true follower of Christ. He goes where the master goes. He lives with complete trust in his master.
The Christians in Galatia thought that they should follow the law to fully activate their salvation in Christ. This upsets Paul because it distorts the work of Christ as though it is lacking. It’s not. It is perfect and absolute. However, many Galatian believers attacked others who were not keeping up with the law.
In some way, you have experienced this kind of accusation. People think that since you are a Christian, you shouldn’t be doing this or that. Some expect you to live as though your feet do not touch the ground. While this may have some merit, the true follower of Christ understands that there is nothing that he or she can add to the finish work of Christ. What is expected from every believer is to trust and obey Christ, not to earn points for salvation, but because they already have it.
Christians are no longer slaves to the work of the law but are free. However, Paul knew that it will be abused and could be used as a license to attack one another, as there would be no fence or guide to which they will submit to.
Paul offered a solution that we ourselves should also remember. He wrote in Galatians 5:16 “But I say, live by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desires of the flesh.”
The message that we need to remember is that by living by the Spirit of God bears uninterrupted freedom in the Christian’s life of spiritual growth. This will be our focus for the coming weeks. What is true freedom for somehow who is truly in Christ?
