Together in Christ: 'Biting, Devouring, Destroying?' — Galatians 5:15

Wow! Notice the strong words Paul uses to describe the disagreements between brothers and sisters going on in Galatia — biting, devouring, and destroying! We might be tempted to think of this as exaggerated preacher talk, except Paul uses stronger language directed at those causing the problems and pain. ^[1]

If Jesus' night with His disciples before His crucifixion teaches us anything, it's that our deepest wounds can be caused by those closest to us in God's family. Jesus' apostles betrayed, ^[2] denied, ^[3] and forsook ^[4] Jesus in His hour of deepest need. They couldn't even stay awake to pray with Him for an hour! ^[5] Paul had openly persecuted disciples before His conversion experience in Damascus. ^[6] He knew the determination and vitriol of well-intentioned heretic hunters gone bad! Paul wanted to show these warring Christian believers that freedom in Christ means freedom to serve and bless — not bite, devour, and destroy. Paul knew Jesus wanted His followers to be identified by their love for each other ^[7] so the world could see God had sent Jesus to save and bless all people.

Let's be extra careful in how we talk about each other in Christ. Let's ensure the mountain we are making isn't just a minor issue that is important only to us. Let's "watch out" and not let our traditions, strong wills, and familiar ways of doing things create walls between each other that Jesus didn't want to be built. If we are not careful, we will cause lasting damage to each other, our fellowship, and our influence on our communities!