For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love. For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself. (Galatians 5:13-14, NLT)
Some people would say that those who follow the ways of Christ must passively accept the forces that oppose them in the name of love. In an increasingly hostile culture that celebrates revenge, promotes self-interest, terrorizes the innocent, and mocks the love of God, we must still choose to love. Radical love. Love as resistance.
In the face of hatred, oppression, and prejudice, the simple act of loving becomes a radical statement. I am not speaking of the passive, sentimental love found in Hallmark cards, or the passionate erotic love sold in the media. I am speaking of love as resistance against the powers that would have us build walls, turn inward, and view others with suspicion. The powers who seek to erase the history of certain groups of people and devalue their humanity. When we choose to serve one another in love, we resist those who would have us to believe our worth is measured by wealth or status. We resist the lie that some people are more deserving of being treated with dignity than others.
When communities come together to protect and care for the most vulnerable among them and defy xenophobia in the face of systemic pressures, love becomes a radical statement. Like underground networks sheltering refugees, mutual aid groups ensuring everyone has food or neighbors keeping watch over each other’s children. Love becomes revolutionary. Love is resistance through collective care and solidarity.
Consider how this can play out in our communities. When we share meals with those who can’t repay us, we resist economic segregation. When we listen to the voices that society marginalizes, we resist the social order that determines human value. When we stand with the vulnerable, even at personal cost, we resist the impulse to protect only our own interests.
The command to "love your neighbor as yourself" requires us to look beyond our own family and friends but compels us to look ever outward. It asks us to recognize that our own wellbeing is intricately linked to the wellbeing of others. Serving one another through love doesn’t diminish our freedom, instead it fulfills it.
However, the text also carries a warning. When we abuse freedom, it is just another form of bondage. We often call it “freedom” when we want to justify denying healthcare to the poor, giving aid to refugees, or turning away from our neighbors in need. That isn’t the freedom Christ calls us to. Freedom, in its truest sense, brings us together to mutually care for one another.
This kind of love is profoundly countercultural. It does not allow us to devalue human relationships or bamboozle us into believing we have achieved success by our own efforts. Radical love forces us to find freedom by connecting ourselves to one another in service.
As we come face-to-face with mounting social challenges, from political polarization to climate crisis, what we need most is the ancient wisdom demonstrated by Christ; that love expressed through humble service isn't weakness – it is resistance. Resistance against everything that would divide us, degrade us, and diminish our shared humanity.
It turns out that our personal freedom is inextricably linked to others. By serving one another in love, we do not just resist the darkness – we become the light that helps bring about a more just and compassionate world. This is love in its purest form – a revolutionary love.
What would our communities look like if we practiced revolutionary love? No warm fuzzies needed, just a commitment to love mercy, do justly, and walk humbly with God. How might the world be transformed by understanding that freedom is not independence, but serving others in love? I don’t know about you, but I am praying that in these dark and chaotic times, our love and service to others will be our torch light of resistance.
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