"All of Christian morality [as well as the moral system of the Old Testament] finds its fulfillment in a single word — love.
"Paul reveals the connection between freedom and love. 'You, my brothers, were called to be free,' he writes. Therefore 'serve one another in love' (Gal. 5:13). …
"There is a danger [of] misunderstanding what 'freedom from the law' means. Paul warns against using our freedom to indulge in sin — that is the opposite of true freedom. A person dominated by lust cannot be free. … He cannot be a true gift to another — he can only reduce the body to a sex object.
"Among the 'acts of the flesh,' Paul lists 'sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery.' He contrasts these with self-control, one of the fruits of the Spirit. Self-control is inseparable from purity of heart.
"… Paul places purity of heart within the context of a Spirit-driven life – a heart given over to Christ that expresses itself outwardly through self-control and acts of love."
An der Grabstätte von Kronprinzessin Cecilie
1 week ago
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