FREED TO BE FREE
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· 2 viewsChristian freedom means to live by faith through the Spirit in hope with love.
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FREED BY CHRIST TO BE FREE
September 22, 1862 our sixteenth president Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation abolishing slavery in the United States. However, it wasn’t until December 18, 1865, some 8 months after his death, that this proclamation was realized.
FREED BY CHRIST TO BE FREE
Even though slavery came to end a great majority of those same slaves became sharecroppers. According to many historians, though they were free they did not enjoy their freedom and in some cases they were worse off than before.
FREED BY CHRIST TO BE FREE
Such a statement sounds redundant at first reading, but it is not, for it serves as a necessary reminder to all believers, because our mortal bodies still harbor the fallen flesh, that indwelling power which continually tries to deceive us into believing that we can live the "Christ life" in our own strength by keeping certain rules!
FREED BY CHRIST TO BE FREE
I've got news -- we cannot live the life of freedom in Christ in dependence on ourselves but ONLY in continual, daily, moment by moment utter and total dependence on the supernatural enabling power of the indwelling Spirit of Jesus
FREED BY CHRIST TO BE FREE
In Galatians 5 Paul begins to use familiar imagery to illustrate the effect of justification. Paul prefers athletic imagery or military imagery to describe the Christians life. He never uses this type imagery to describe how one is justified only what happens when one is justified.
FREED BY CHRIST TO BE FREE
Paul wants us to know that the free gift of salvation does not equate in an easy life. Imagery such as a race, a war, a marathon do not promote ease but exertion. We are free and yet that freedom requires fight.
FREED BY CHRIST TO BE FREE
In previous sermons I have referenced how many of us have participated in this fight with the wrong perspective. Many fight for victory while Scripture teaches we fight from victory.
FREED BY CHRIST TO BE FREE
Today’s text reveals to us why Christ has set us free. Read the text.
For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
FREED BY CHRIST TO BE FREE
Paul now applies that doctrine to practical Christian living (chaps. 5-6), emphasizing that right doctrine should result in right living. His subject is the sanctification that should result from justification.
FREED BY CHRIST TO BE FREE
Justification is by faith; sanctification is by the Spirit of God. The life of genuine faith is more than the belief in divine truth; it is also the bearing of divine fruit.
What is Christian freedom?
The Greek word for freedom was a technical phrase from a legal document in Paul's day for freeing a slave and thus Paul continues his illustration of being purchased from the slave market and then being given complete freedom in Roman society.
FREED BY CHRIST TO BE FREE
When Christ purchased us from spiritual slavery, He did not do it in order to bring us into another form of bondage. It was for freedom that He purchased us and set us free!
For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
Indicative ("It was for freedom that Christ set us free") is followed by an imperative, Stand firm. The imperative, what we must do, is always based upon the indicative, what God has already done.
What God has done gives us the opportunity and power to do what we must do.
This is a command in the present imperative calling for the Galatian believers to make this their lifestyle, their daily, habitual practice.
FREED BY CHRIST TO BE FREE
Yoke in our text is used in a negative sense. However, Jesus used this same word in Matthew 11 positively.
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
What is Jesus yoke?
It is His teaching. To “take a yoke” in Jesus' day meant to become a disciple. When we submit ourselves voluntarily, willingly and wholly to Jesus Christ, we are yoked to Him. His yoke is easy and His burden "light". While the yoke of the Law enslaves us, the yoke of Christ frees us to fulfill His will and please His Father.
So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples,
and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?”
Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.
The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever.
So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.
Two Enemies of Christian Freedom …
Paul helps us to understand true freedom by showing us the two enemies of freedom.
Legalism
The first enemy to Christian freedom is legalism. Working to earn the favor of God. Whether according to our own rules or according to God’s rules.
Legalism is treating that which is good as though it were essential.
The example of legalism is circumcision.
Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you.
I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law.
You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace.
The example of legalism is circumcision.
Let me reiterate that Paul was not against circumcision. He encouraged Titus earlier in Galatians not do it because it sent the wrong message, circumcision must be added to salvation. However, in Acts 16:3
Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him, and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those places, for they all knew that his father was a Greek.
The example of legalism is circumcision.
Paul encourages Timothy (Jewish mother/Greek father) to such action so that he might advanced the Gospel of grace to the Jews. Paul actions with Timothy is the impetus for their accusation in Galatians 5:11
But if I, brothers, still preach circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been removed.
The example of legalism is circumcision.
Here’s the deal: No matter how small or big, if we put anything that we do, as the means by which favor before God is earned, then we’re undercutting the gospel. It’s legalism, no matter how small or big, we’re undercutting.The example here is circumcision.
The effect of legalism is contamination.
Paul says in verse Galatians 5:9
A little leaven leavens the whole lump.
What Paul is saying is, “Legalism spreads.” Just a little bit spreads violently. It’s like Paul’s saying one drop of poison…just one small drop…can destroy the whole body.
The effect of legalism is contamination.
We have a responsibility to vehemently oppose anything…any teaching in any small group, any large group gathering, that is not gospel-centered, gospel-saturated.
The effect of legalism is contamination.
We’ve got to be careful to guard the gospel in the church because the effect is contamination, and the end of it is condemnation.
The end of it is condemnation.
This is when Paul gets really serious. He says in Galatians 5:10
I have confidence in the Lord that you will take no other view, and the one who is troubling you will bear the penalty, whoever he is.
You promote legalism in the church, you will pay a price, Paul says.Then, he gets down to Galatians 5:12
I wish those who unsettle you would emasculate themselves!
So, this is the first enemy of Christian freedom: legalism.
Second enemy of Christian freedom is license.
Now, license is the opposite of legalism. Legalism says, “Obey the law and earn favor before God.” License says, “Forget about the law altogether.” Paul says,
Gospel truth is never intended only to be believed.
Gospel truth is always intended to be obeyed.
This is the language Paul uses when he brings in this imagery in Galatians 5:7
You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth?
Obedience is still a fundamental part of the Christian life, but it’s no longer a means of earning favor before God; it’s something very different, which Paul’s going to show us what it is.
Gospel truth is never intended to be accepted in our heads.
It’s always intended to be applied in our lives.
Four Essentials of Christian Freedom …
So, how is the gospel applied in our lives? That’s what leads us to Paul’s description of Christian freedom. You’ve got legalism over here, license over here, and then you’ve got liberty; you have Christian freedom.
Four Essentials of Christian Freedom …
So, how do you avoid legalism and license? You bring them together in liberty…Christian freedom, and Paul gives us a description of what that is, and it is a beautiful description.
We live by faith.
So, what I want us to do is I want us to take verses 5 & 6, and I want us to see what Christian freedom is all about. Essential number one… We live by faith.
For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness.
We are not working for God.
Christian life is not an employee/employer relationship with God. That’s not Christianity. That’s how we often think about Christianity.
Paul addresses this, in Romans 4:4
Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due.
Paul is saying those who employee workers are obligated to pay them for their services. Look at verse 5
And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness,
So, righteousness is not an obligation. Favor before God is not an obligation that God gives to us because of what we do. Instead, it’s something we’re given by faith. We’re not working for God.
Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you.
If Christianity is about working for God then . . .
We will lose the benefits of Christ.
Paul says, “You depend on your work, then you don’t need Christ’s work anymore. Apparently, you can do what it takes to earn favor before God, and therefore, the work of Christ is not necessary for you anymore. Either you need Christ for everything, or you will have Christ for nothing.” You lose the benefits of Christ whenever you add the smallest work.
We gain the burden of the law.
Paul says in Galatians 5:3
I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law.
We gain the burden of the law.
“You pick up this one small part of the law, you’re picking up the whole deal with it. As soon as you say, ‘I’m going to do this in order to earn favor before God,’ then you’ve got to do everything to earn favor before God.
We gain the burden of the law.
You’ve taken the law, and you’ve put that burden on your shoulders. You didn’t intend to, but when you try to obey the law in this area to try to earn favor before God, then you’ve got to do it in every single area.”
So, we lose the benefits of Christ, we gain the burden of the law, and ultimately,
We miss the grace of God.
He says in Galatians 5:4
You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace.
We miss the grace of God.
Is Paul saying we can lose our salvation? No. He refers to them as brothers and no where does Paul ever speak of being unjustified.
We miss the grace of God.
The word "fallen" means "to lose one's hold on" which indicates that these saved people had lost their hold upon grace for daily living by the power of the Holy Spirit.
We miss the grace of God.
Just because the Galatians lost hold of Christ in sanctifying grace does not mean that Christ lost hold of them for salvation. A Christian can fall from grace by going into any form of legalism, but he cannot fall from salvation, for Christ died for any and all sins of the Christian.
We miss the grace of God.
A more common form of legalism in some Christian circles is to think that some man-made taboos are necessary for spirituality, such as style of hair, length of skirts, types of dress, involvement in certain amusements, being seen in certain places and so on. This, too, is a form of legalism and is falling from grace.
We miss the grace of God.
Galatians is written to believers who have lost that sense of blessing. They never rejected Christ as the means of their salvation. But what they did was reject Christ as the means of their sanctification.
If we are not working for God. Then, what are we doing? What is Christianity about?
We are trusting in God.
We are not working for God because God is working for us. Remember, God’s pleasure in us is not based on our performance for Him. Instead, God’s pleasure in us is based on Christ’s performance for us.
We are trusting in God.
Everything we do that we would label working for God…praying, studying the Word, working in the church, doing all of these things…even those things are God working in us for us. There’s nothing we can do for God that He is not doing for us, in us.
We are trusting in God.
Even our gifts to God are gifts from God. He is doing it all in us because He gets the glory for everything that’s going on in us. That’s the picture.
We are trusting in God.
So, we’re not working for God; we’re trusting in God. We live by faith and we live through the Spirit.
We live through the Spirit.
For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness.
We live through the Spirit.
Christian freedom happens through the Spirit. Galatians 5 and 6 are just a portrait of the Spirit-filled life and the role of the Holy Spirit, the transformation the Holy Spirit brings in our lives. So, Christian freedom is dependent on living through the Spirit. So, what does the Spirit do in us? Well, first of all,
The Spirit enables us to experience the presence of Christ.
We’ve seen this already in Galatians 2:20, 3:5. “I’ve been crucified with Christ. I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.”Christ lives in you through the Spirit. This is huge for Christian freedom, because
We are not free from Christ; we are free to Christ.
You’re free from yourselves and free from your sin. You’re free to live however Christ wants. You weren’t before, but by the grace of God in your life, through faith in Christ, now you’re free to live the way you were created to live, in Christ.
We are not free from Christ; we are free to Christ.
That’s what you’re free to. Not free from Christ to yourselves to do whatever you want. You’re free from yourselves to Christ to do whatever He wants, and the beauty of it is, now, He begins to transform your wants and begins to transform your desires, so that what you want is what Christ wants.
We are not free from Christ; we are free to Christ.
The Spirit enables us to experience the presence of Christ and the Spirit enables us to enjoy the commands of Christ.
The Spirit enables us to enjoy the commands of Christ.
We’re free to obey the law of Christ and the commands of Christ and the words of Christ. Jesus says, John 14:15
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.
So, not only will you obey them, but you’ll enjoy them. “You’ll want them; you’ll desire them, because you’re in a love relationship with me.” This is why you get to 1 John 5:3
For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.
Obedience, is how we tell God we love him. Not how we get God to love us. Obedience is burden when done in effort of love. Obedience in not burdensome when done in the energy of love. As a result,
We’re not free to sin; we are free from sin.
We’re not free to indulge in sin, as Paul talks about later in verse 13. Galatians 5:13
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.
Paul warns his readers against giving our flesh—our natural tendency toward sin—an "opportunity" by abusing our freedom. Do not make license out of your liberty. Remember that liberty from sin is not liberty to sin.
Liberty should result in love, not legalism or license.
We live in hope.
For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness.
So, Paul here describes the Christian life as waiting. So, what are we waiting for? What are we wanting that’s out there in the future? What he says is,
We long for the guarantee of His righteousness.
Paul says, “I can’t wait for the Day of Judgment. I cannot wait to stand before God and to experience the fullness of the righteousness of Christ applied to my life.” What a great picture!
We long for the guarantee of His righteousness.
Let me ask you a question. Do you long with eager anticipation for the day when you’ll stand before God, that Day of Judgment? This is not how we think about the Day of Judgment.
We long for the guarantee of His righteousness.
Most people don’t think, “I look forward to what happens when I die and I stand before God to give an account for my life.” As long as we’re living in legalism, then we should not look forward to that day, because there’s more work to do; there’s more boxes to check off. “
We long for the guarantee of His righteousness.
If we’re living in license, then we’re not looking forward to the day. We show it by the way we’re living. We’re enjoying today. All the stuff that this world has to offer us. Our thoughts are not on that world.
We long for the guarantee of His righteousness.
However, freedom is living with eager anticipation for the day when the full realization of the righteousness of Christ is applied in our lives and our salvation is complete, but we’re not there yet.
O that day when freed from sinning, I shall see Thy lovely face; Clothèd then in blood washed linen How I’ll sing Thy sovereign grace; Come, my Lord, no longer tarry, Take my ransomed soul away; Send thine angels now to carry Me to realms of endless day.
We’re not there yet, so we long for the guarantee of His righteousness, and
We live to grow into His righteousness.
When you know whose you are then you can know who you are and that leads to a holy discontentment with what you are. A Christian lives under the constant realization that what we are - falls short of who we are to be. And this drives us to depend on the Spirit living inside of us to develop Christ within us.
Growing in righteousness understands what it is free to do and free not to do.
We live with love.
The last component of Christian freedom....by faith, through the Spirit, in hope with love. We live with love.
For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.
Paul is not saying, “We are justified by faith and love.” He’s saying that faith expresses itself through love. This explains John’s words in 1 John 4:8
Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.
Saved by faith alone which is expressed through love. Love is not a way to earn salvation but it is essential in our assurance of salvation.
By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Is Christ in you? If Christ is in you, then ask Him to produce this kind of love through you. Trust Him to do it. Say to Him, “I need you to do this.” This is the picture. Faith expressed…it’s what Paul says in verse 13:
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.
The word serve is actually the Greek word for slavery. Isn't it ironic that, having urged his readers not to become slaves to the Law or to the sinful nature, Paul should now encourage them to become slaves of one another. This a valuable paradox which teaches ...
Slavery to the sinful nature is self-destructive but slavery to one another is a deep source of joy.
We are free from slavery to the law.
This doesn’t mean the law is bad, and we just leave it behind, especially New Testament law, law of Christ. In fact, we’ll see later in Galatians 6:2 when we carry each other’s burdens, when we love one another, we fulfill the law. The law is apparently good. Words of Christ are good, commands of Christ are good.
We are free to the slavery of love.
We are free to be slaves to one another in love. Don’t miss the difference: slavery to the law, involuntary, burden walking under it, trying to earn favor before God. Slavery to love is joyfully living for the sake of other people out of love for them. We’re free to the slavery of love. So,
We no longer indulge ourselves in selfish sin.
That’s verse 13: “Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh…” The picture is, we are free not to indulge ourselves in selfish sin. Not to indulge ourselves in all this stuff we want.
We are free now to serve each other with selfless love.
For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
We are free now to serve each other with selfless love.
If you want to know how you ought to love your neighbor, ask yourself how much you love yourself. You do not need any book of instructions to teach you how to love your neighbor. All you have to do is to look into your own heart, and it will tell you how you ought to love your neighbor as yourself.