Galatians 5:1
For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
You can do it! You got this! Try again! Don’t give up!
We all like to be encouraged, especially when we are struggling with our confidence and/or self-esteem. Certainly, it can make a difference. But when it comes to the Christian life, like the Galatians did, we wander into dangerous territory when we seek improvement via our own efforts rather than relying more fully on the power of the Holy Spirit as well as the motivation of God’s Grace. Paul is urging his readers to embrace that right doctrine…leads to right living.
From Dr. Jack Arnold’s Introduction:
“Anybody who knows anything about the American Revolution knows the famous words of Patrick Henry: ‘Give me liberty or give me death!’ Patrick Henry would have rather died than give up his civil liberties. He took a stand for liberty, believing with all his heart that death would be better than living under the bondage of British rule. Yet there is a liberty far more important than political liberty and that is the liberty of the soul. Liberty of the heart, mind, conscience, spirit and will from the bondage of law, works, sin, death and hell, and this is what the Apostle Paul is talking about in this section of scripture.”
It must have been rather strange for the British colonists to start living life without the overbearing presence of the British army and monarchy. No more Red Coats. No more King George III. No more fear. No more oppression. The same could be said for many if not most Christians. It’s hard to fathom living completely under grace where all of your transgressions—past, present, and future—have been bought and paid for. Having full possession of God’s love and forgiveness you no longer have to worry about earning anything…not do you have to worry about losing anything. What have you chosen to do with such FREEDOM?
This is Paul’s point.
John Stott writes, “Our former state is portrayed as a slavery, Jesus Christ as a liberator, conversion as an act of emancipation and the Christian life as a life of freedom.” How would you describe your life today? Are you truly living in the freedom found only in Christ Jesus? Are you living as a prisoner who suddenly finds himself outside the prison walls with his future before him? Paul is writing to tell you that YOU CAN because the Son has set you free, so you are free indeed! Free from legalism. Free from condemnation. Free from the power of sin’s enslavement. Free to obey God and do his will joyfully.
YOU HAVE BEEN SET FREE…TO LIVE IN FREEDOM!
