“It is for freedom that Christ has set us
free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke
of slavery.” (Galatians 5:1)
Everyone seeks freedom.
Especially in the West, freedom is the highest virtue, and it is sought
after by all who are, or consider themselves to be, oppressed. We are blessed to live in a free nation! We should never forget the price that others
paid for the freedoms we enjoy. It’s
tragic that so many today live in a free nation and, yet, are not free. They
are bound by hurts, habits, and hang-ups that enslave them. Others, such as the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints and the Jehovah's Witnesses are bound by legalism, trying to
earn God’s favor through their achievements.
The verse today was written to a people who didn’t have
the privilege of living in such a free nation as ours. Many to whom this letter was written were
slaves at worst and politically oppressed at best. They were hoping for a Messiah to come that would
be a military king and liberate them from Roman oppression and restoring the
glory days when King David ruled Israel. That’s the Good News of the Gospel, Christ made us free! “So if
the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” (John 8:36)
The shackles of the past have been broken! You are free
in Christ! How is that possible? He set you free by breaking the power of sin
that enslaved you and condemned you! The
power of the cross sets the captives free! For the Christian, the cross is our Statue of
Liberty! It was there that our souls
were set free! But, freedom must be
maintained!
This is the snare of religion! Having been set free by
grace through faith, somehow, we begin to act as if we have to maintain that
freedom through our human effort. Soon,
we fall from grace and we are continually thinking about ourselves and
indulging the flesh in sins we have been freed from, we are essentially
carrying around a corpse, full of rottenness and death. The only way to bury it
fully is by the power of the Holy Spirit who is the only source of
strength. We strengthen the new nature
by continually feeding on the Word of God, and through prayer we obtain the
power we need to escape the desire to return to the old life of sin.
The Bible says, “Are you so foolish? After beginning with
the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?” (Galatians
3:3)
If you find yourself slipping back into a works-based
religion, shake off the shackles and stand strong in the freedom by which
Christ has made you free! And then share
that hope and freedom with all whom you care about. Rejoice in the
freedom you have in Christ, live in that freedom and do all you can to help share
it! Celebrate it! It’s yours by the blood of Jesus Christ!
Read Galatians this week. It’s the Magna Carta of
Christian liberty!
Can God change your life?
God has made it possible for you
to know Him, and experience an amazing
change in your own life.
change in your own life.
Discover how you can find peace
with God.
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