Galatians 5:1–6 (NKJV)
We’re talking about freedom today. The freedom we have in Christ. But many misunderstand that freedom.
Galatians 5:1 (NKJV) Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.
When I study a Bible passage, I often will read the passage from several different translations including the original languages (Greek/Hebrew) to get the feel for what the passage is trying to say. This opening verse is probably better understood in the NIV
Galatians 5:1 (NIV84) 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.
It was for freedom. Freedom from what. Freedom for what? Freedom, we all want that. In America we say it is the land of the free. But freedom comes with consequences and responsibilities.
One particularly telling example of this comes from fourteenth century Belgium. Let me tell you the true story of a Duke Raynald III. Raynald lived a life of indulgence and was obese. His Latin nickname was Crassus, which means, “fat.” One day Raynald and his younger brother, Edward, got into a vicious fight and Edward planned and executed a triumphant revolt against Raynald. Edward took his older brother into custody but did not take his life. Edward decided to construct a room around Raynald in the Nieuwkerk Castle and promised his brother that he would enjoy freedom once again when he was able to leave the room. Now for the average Joe this wouldn’t have been much of a challenge, because the room Edward built had a number of windows and a door of near-normal size. Neither the door nor the windows were locked - - they weren’t barricaded. So you’re getting the picture by now: In order to experience his freedom again Raynald needed to loose weight. But his brother Edward was no dummy, because he knew just how to keep Raynald imprisoned. Every day he would send Raynald an assortment of tasty foods. And what took place is just sad: Instead of dieting his way to freedom, Raynald grew more overweight and he stayed in that room for ten years until his brother died. But by that time his health was so awful that he also died within a year. We can say that Raynald III was a prisoner of his own appetite for food.
I ask you. Was Raynald free? He did what he wanted to do. When given the choice, he chose to indulge his appetite at the cost of greater freedom. I think that we can agree that he was enslaved. To whom was he enslaved? – His lesser but larger self. (1) Many people think that freedom is the license to do whatever a person wants, but true freedom is the ability to do what is right. It takes obedience in order to have true freedom.
I can sit at a piano and be at liberty to play any keys that I want, but I don’t have freedom, because I can’t play anything but noise. I have no freedom to play Bach, or even “Chopsticks.” Why? Because it takes years of practice and obedience to lesson plans to be truly free at the piano. Then, and only then, does one have the freedom to play any piece of music. The same is true of freedom in living. To be truly free, we must have the power and ability to be obedient. (2) We are free to be obedient. Free to do the will of God. Prior to being set free, we were unable to do that. We were powerless and slave to sin.
Galatians 5:1 is a summation of Galatians Chapter 4. Paul used the example from Genesis about the Isaac born to Sarah the free woman and Ismael born to Hagar the slave or bondwoman.
Galatians 4:31 (NKJV) So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman but of the free.
We were once a slave, but now we are adopted into God family.
Galatians 4:7 (NKJV) Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.
Being born again under Christ we are born under those that are free
Galatians 5:1 (NIV84) 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.
Being free, why would anyone go back to slavery? The command is to stand firm in the freedom we would have in Christ. If we have freedom, freedom from sin, why do we want that yoke again? The use of the word “yoke” is scripture represents bondage, a life that is controlled by someone else. The yoke Jesus offers is different:
Matthew 11:28–30 (NKJV) Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 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. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
Jesus yoke is light and easy. But only Jesus can set us free from the heavy yoke imposed by sin. Jesus said about sin:
John 8:34–36 (NKJV) Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. 35 And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. 36 Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.
Jesus has freed us to do His will. But now we are turning our attention to our motivation. Paul is dealing with those who want to subject these new Gentile believers to the burdens of the Law. They were called Judaizers.
Galatians 5:2 (NKJV) Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing.
There were Judaizers who wanted to add to the grace of God. Add to what must be done to be saved. The rite of circumcision. Well Pastor, you may say, we don’t have that problem today. The fact is we very much have that problem in more diverse ways today than just conforming to Jewish laws and customs.
Many look to the great scoreboard in the sky. When asked why one believes they are going to heaven, they figure if they have more good deeds than bad they’re saved. However, they are faced with not ever knowing if they have ever done enough good. The question for these people I’ll ask, “what can you ever do to earn a favor or place a debt on God so that He will owe you anything?” What a burden to bear.
Then there are the church legalist. They hit you over the head with their big black Bible, condemn ladies to hell if they wear pants to church, Condemn people going to movies, dancing, playing cards, and the list goes on. They have a long list of do’s and mostly “thou shall not’s.” Either way is earning a way to heaven and that is a terrible burden to bear. These have no assurance of heaven. They have no assurance of salvation.
For these, Paul says: "Christ will profit you nothing." Jesus is of no use to them.
Galatians 5:3 (NKJV) And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law.
Those who live by the scoreboard in the Sky, or a legalist view of do’s and especially of “Thou shalt not’s” or the follow the Jewish law for that matter, must live a perfect, sin free life. There are folks who tried. That’s why there were monasteries, many attempted to live apart from the temptations of the world. How many here live a perfect and sinless life? Martin Luther, who 500 years ago nailed his 95 theses to the doors of the churches in Wittenberg, Germany, tried to live a holy life. It was the book of Galatians that turned him to grace from legalism. But the world thinks it knows better than God, and ever since the tower of Babel, man has been trying to work their way to heaven on their own merits, by their own hands, by pulling themselves up by their own bootstraps.
Galatians 5:4 (NKJV) You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.
God calls all men to Himself. However, few answer the call. God does not separate Himself from men, men separate themselves from God. Most are not willing to be freed by Christ, and they estrange themselves.
"you have fallen from grace"
In context, this does not mean the saved loses their salvation. This is the unsaved that fell from the means of salvation, the only thing that can save us, the grace of God through Jesus Christ. Many of the saved have been lead away from the grace that saved them by the drudgery of following a list of do’s and “Thou Shall Not’s.” and live powerless lives in their own strength. The grace of God relieves us from all that burden. This is a theme throughout the Bible.
Leviticus 26:13 (NKJV) I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that you should not be their slaves; I have broken the bands of your yoke and made you walk upright.
It is all about God breaking the yokes that tie us down and freeing us to serve Him. If we keep our eyes on Jesus, there is never a reason to worry about the “Thou shall Not’s!”
Ephesians 2:10 (NKJV) For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
We were created to serve and have fellowship with God, but slavery to sin and the things of this world has kept us from doing so. By the grace of God, by Jesus paying our ransom that freed us from slavery, we are now free to do what God created us for.
Galatians 5:5 (NKJV) For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.
The scoreboard watchers and legalist never know if they have done enough, if indeed doing enough was even possible. Whereas the true believer has rested all his faith in hope in Jesus and the very promises of God. The true believer eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. That one word in the Greek for “eagerly wait” is found only 7 times in the NT, each time it is used only for the return of Jesus Christ. We eagerly wait in faith, by the Spirit, for the return of Jesus, who is our hope and our righteousness. We have assurance that Jesus paid it all. It is by God’s grace through Jesus we are saved. Nothing we could ever do would earn us that. Remember earlier I said we will turn to our motivation? The very grace of God that motivates us:
Galatians 5:6 (NKJV) For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love.
It is not the square filling we do. It is all about our faith in the one who met all of the requirements for us.
"faith working through love"
The efforts of the flesh can never accomplish what faith, through the Spirit can accomplish. And it is all done in love. Those legalist and scoreboard watchers do things because of feel they have to do things. What is our motivation? Look at what we do out of love and joy. Look at these shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child (part of Samaritians Purse). Each one was put together in love and with joy of being part of the will of God. Look at what we do because of the love of Christ flowing through us. Cancer awareness conferences, jail and prison ministries, Kids mentoring progam, Haiti mission trips, and the list goes on.
How many of these would we do if we were working our way to heaven. We would either do them poorly or never led to do them at all. What about our fellowship? I preached on this last week, (and if don’t remember, go back and listen to it again online!) We are free to love and “put up with one another” because of love. (if we don’t put up with one another can we honestly say the love of Christ is flowing through us?) If it wasn’t for the grace of God freeing us to live for Him, we would have had a church split a long time ago. Rather we are free to love one another because we are free to walk with Jesus. Look at the benefits of being free to walk with Jesus:
1 John 1:7 (NKJV) But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
Are we living a life of true freedom in Christ Jesus? Are we free of living with the burden of sin or legalism?
But we each must come to Christ. We each must lay at the cross our burdens and those things that enslave us. We cannot clean up our act to before coming, because we will never be able to clean ourselves to God’s standards. We come, just as I am. We let Jesus clean us. Yes Jesus does love us just the way we are, but He loves us way too much to leave us that way. We let Jesus set us free. Would you be set free today?
(1) https://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/freedom-of-obedience-tim-zukas-sermon-on-faith-90586?ref=SermonSerps and https://bible.org/illustration/prisoner-his-appetite
(2) Michael P. Green, 1500 Illustrations for Biblical Preaching (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2000), 156.
