ガラテヤの信徒への手紙5:13-15 Galatians 5:13-15,
兄弟たち、あなたがたは、自由を得るために召し出されたのです。ただ、この自由を、肉に罪を犯させる機会とせずに、愛によって互いに仕えなさい。 （ガラテヤ5:13）
この箇所でパウロが「愛によって互いに仕えなさい」と勧めるときに、パウロは、一般的な「仕える」という意味のディアコネオーではなく、「奴隷として仕える」という意味のドゥーレウオーという言葉を用いています。ですから、そのニュアンスを生かすと「愛によって互いに奴隷として仕えなさい」という翻訳になります。多くの日本語の聖書は、最近の新しい翻訳を含めて「奴隷として」というニュアンスを翻訳していません。また、英語の聖書も多くは「奴隷として」というニュアンスを翻訳しません。ただし、私が知っている中では、New Revised Standard Version という英語の聖書だけが、「愛によって互いに奴隷となりなさい」（through love become slaves to one another）と翻訳しています。
ガラテヤの信徒への手紙は「まことの自由とは何か」ということを教えています。そして、キリストを信じる人は罪の奴隷状態から解放されるということを示しています。その手紙の中で、あえてパウロが「奴隷として仕える」という意味の言葉を用いているのは、注目すべきことです。しかも、この手紙の5章1節でパウロは「この自由を得させるために、キリストはわたしたちを自由の身にしてくださったのです。だから、しっかりしなさい。奴隷の軛に二度とつながれてはなりません」と書いています。これほどまでに、奴隷の状態に戻ってはならない、ということを強調していたパウロが、「愛によって互いに奴隷として仕えなさい」という意味のことを勧めていたのは、なぜでしょうか？
その疑問に答えることは決して簡単ではありません。（中略）わたくしは、「愛によって互いに奴隷として仕える」ということは、「主張することのできる権利があっても、愛によってそれをあえて主張しないで仕える」という意味であると解釈しています。たとえば、パウロはコリントの教会から報酬を受ける権利があったにもかかわらず、あえて報酬を受けないで伝道と牧会をしました。そして、コリントの教会の信徒たちの中で財産をめぐる争いがあって、この世の裁判所に訴えがなされていたときには、「そもそも、あなたがたの間に裁判ざたがあること自体、既にあなたがたの負けです。なぜ、むしろ不義を甘んじて受けないのです。なぜ、むしろ奪われるままでいないのです」（一コリント6:7）という驚くべき教えをしています。これは常識に反する教えです。常識には反しますが、終わりの日に永遠の命の体に復活することを目指して、十字架のキリストに従って生きることを勧める教えです。そして、そのような生き方が可能になるのは、聖霊の導きによって生きるときです（ガラテヤ5:22-23参照）。（6月2日の説教より）
We human beings form societies and live in communities. And a person belongs to various communities. For example, a person who is a citizen of Japan, a citizen of Saitama Prefecture and a citizen of Shiki City can be said to belong to the community of Japan, the community of Saitama Prefecture and the community of Shiki City. And as a citizen of Japan, a citizen of Saitama Prefecture and a citizen of Shiki City, he/she has various rights and obligations. Also, belonging to a certain workplace to earn an income or to a certain school to receive an education means that a person is a member of the community of the workplace or school. If we take a broader view, we can also say that everyone is a member of the global community. The term “global community” may give the impression that it only concerns politicians and academics who attend international conferences. However, everyone living on the earth is a member of a large global community, buying and selling goods and sharing information in a single connected global environment.
Today, the global community is in great danger. The war between Russia and Ukraine, with no end in sight, and Israel’s ongoing attacks on the Gaza Strip have claimed many lives and threaten to lead to even greater wars. Terrorism and persecution are also taking place in other parts of the world. Wars, conflicts, terrorism and persecution in different parts of the world may have many complex causes. However, it is undeniable that one cause is the problem of the human mind, because it is human beings who are doing those tragic things.
But isn’t it also the case in nature that living creatures kill their fellow creatures? According to the website of National Geographic, the boss chimpanzee, who once led the pack, may have been killed by his fellow chimpanzees because he sought a mating partner after losing power. I mention this not to suggest that it is natural and inevitable for human beings to kill each other because chimpanzees kill each other. Rather, it is to consider how human beings, unlike chimpanzees, can live in a way that is worthy of human beings. The Bible tells us how to live a life worthy of a human being. And today’s passage answers that question quite succinctly. In the verse 13 of today’s passage we read: “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.”
When I began my sermon of the letter to the Galatians, I mentioned that it is a letter that tells us what true freedom is. It is not the superficial freedom to do what one wants to do, but the question of what is true freedom as a human being. True freedom as a human being has two aspects: to be free from the things that bind a human being, and to live in a way that is appropriate for a liberated human being. The letter to the Galatians clearly states these two things.
First, with regard to freedom from the things that bind a human being, In Galatians 4:4-5 Paul says: “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.” Human beings are given the law by God to keep. This is the Old Testament law, represented by the Ten Commandments, which are read out in our worship service. However, having been given this law, it became clear that, on the contrary, a human being is incapable of keeping it. Paul tells us in Romans 3:20 that “through the law comes knowledge of sin.” And in Romans 7:7-8 he teaches as follows: “If it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, ‘You shall not covet.’ But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness.” A human being is “incapable of not sinning” by nature. This becomes clear when we try to keep the God-given law of “do〜” and “shall not〜.” The law given by God can only reveal, on its own, that a human being is in a state of slavery to sin, i.e., “incapable of not sinning.” It is Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who frees us from that slavery and makes us free children of God.
And secondly, today’s passage teaches about the freedom to live in a way that is appropriate for a liberated human being. In Galatians 5:13 Paul says: “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.” How should a human being, freed from the slavery of sin, live? Since he/she has been forgiven of his/her sins through the sacrifice of Christ’s cross, should he/she just go on living, doing what he/she wants to do? No, that would give the old ego that remains within him/her an opportunity to sin. And he/she will fall back into the slavery of sin. The freedom given to us by Jesus Christ has not only an aspect of freedom from bondage, “freedom from the slavery of sin,” but also an aspect of freedom to live according to human purpose, “freedom to do what is pleasing to God.” It is the freedom to live in love of God and neighbour. Therefore, Paul teaches, “Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.” Moreover, this freedom does not come by saying to ourselves, “Live loving God and neighbour!” In Galatians 5:16 Paul says: “Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.” By yielding yourself to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, you will begin to live a life of love for God and neighbour.
“Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh” would mean, “never let it be an opportunity for the old ego to do what it wants to do.” Here, “the flesh” refers to the old ego, the sin-driven ego with which man is born. What man’s old ego does is described in detail a little later, in verses 19-21, as follows.
Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these.
When reading this list of “the works of the flesh,” it is noticeable that there are many references to conflict in human relationships. As in the words “enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy,” eight of the fifteen “works of the flesh” are words that describe the mind and actions of strife between human beings. In other words, if human beings live according to the old ego, the result is that they live in strife with each other. And the end result is that both of the contending parties will be hurt and destroyed, as verse 15 says, “But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.”
To prevent this from happening, Paul teaches, “through love serve one another.” This teaching is first and foremost a teaching on how Christians are to live in the Christian community. And no Christian would deny this teaching. It is such a natural teaching, but when we read it in the original Greek, we realise something interesting. The word translated “serve” in the Greek means “to serve as a slave.”
There are two words for “serve” in the Greek of the New Testament. One is the word diakoneō (διακονέω), which means “to serve” in a general sense. The word is used in the Gospels in Christ’s teaching on his mission and the life of his disciples. For example, Christ foretold the meaning of his death on the cross and said, “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). The word used in that saying is diakoneō. He also once taught his disciples to be prepared, saying, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all” (Mark 9:35). The word diakonos (διάκονος), the noun form of diakoneō, is also used in that teaching.
However, when Paul exhorts us in today’s passage to “serve one another” he uses the word dūleuō (δουλεύω), which means “to serve as slaves,” rather than diakoneō, which means “to serve” in general. Therefore, if we make use of this nuance, the translation would be “serve one another as slaves through love.” Many Japanese Bibles do not translate the nuance “as slaves,” including newer recent translations. Many English Bibles also do not translate the nuance “as slaves.” However, I know only one English Bible, the New Revised Standard Version, which translates the phrase “through love become slaves to one another.”
As I mentioned earlier, the letter to Galatians teaches what true freedom is. And it shows that those who believe in Christ are freed from slavery to sin. It is remarkable that in that letter Paul dares to use a word that means “to serve as a slave.” Moreover, in 5:1 of this letter, Paul says: “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” Why did Paul, who had been so emphatic about not returning to slavery, exhort to the believers using the word which means “to serve one another as slaves through love”?
Answering that question is by no means easy. The teaching “serve one another as slaves through love” is also a dangerous teaching. Certainly, when “to serve one another as slaves” is achieved, it is a relationship of equality and not one of dominator and dominated. However, if someone in a community teaches another to “serve as a slave” and that person himself does not “serve as a slave,” then there will be he who dominates and those who are dominated. An extreme example of such a dominator and dominated is the relationships in so-called cults.
I interpret “serving one another as slaves through love” as meaning that a person serves one another without daring to claim rights through love even when a person has rights that he/she can claim. For example, Paul had the right to receive reward from the church in Corinth, but he dared to evangelise and pastor without receiving reward. And when there was a dispute over property among the believers in the Corinthian church and an appeal was made to the courts of this world, he said, “To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded?” (1 Corinthians 6:7) This is a teaching that goes against common sense, but encourages us to live following Christ of the cross with a view to resurrection to a body of eternal life on the Last Day. And such a way of life is possible when we live under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. As we read in verses 22 and 23: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control,” when we live under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, a community of peaceful fellowship that transcends common sense is formed.
In our global community, where wars, conflicts, terrorism and persecution continue, we should first of all form a peaceful community close to home. The starting point is the church. In the church, we should learn to “serve one another through love” and patiently practise this way of life in society through the power of the Holy Spirit. We should not fall into the trap of thinking that it is natural for human beings to kill each other because we are living creatures, but rather we should testify that God has given us a way of life in Christ that is appropriate for human beings.