“Liberty: Our Precious Possession”
(Galatians 5:1-15)
As we celebrate the 4th, let us remember liberty is the most precious possession God gives the world. He gives us a free will to choose this day whom we will serve. And through His Son, Jesus Christ, God offers us freedom from the bondage, guilt and penalty of sin. Jesus assured us: “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” (Jn. 8:36) Therefore, July 4th in America is an important reminder of what we have in Christ because often liberty is not fully appreciated until it’s taken away.
Many of us are blind to the fact that Christians are experiencing an unprecedented level of persecution around the world, which is encroaching upon our own precious liberty. One need only read the newspaper or listen to friends to know just how bad things are getting in the world. This should be a “wake up call” to Christians everywhere, my friends. In the face of persecution around the world, we need to know what God would have us do to preserve our religious liberty. But the cost of religious liberty does not come or remain without a price.
There is a saying that America will be “The Land of the Free” only as long as it is “The Home of the Brave.” Our freedom in Christ cost God the Father His only Son, it cost God the Son the Cross of Calvary and it cost many faithful followers of Christ through the centuries the ultimate sacrifice. A review of Hebrews chapter 11, the great faith chapter, would quickly remind us of this truth.
In Galatians 5, Paul was writing this passage of Scripture to a group of Christians who were experiencing their own persecution and loss of liberty. In verse one, Paul admonishes them to: “… keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.” As he speaks to them, he brings out four realities in which we must stand firm to preserve our precious possession of liberty:
FIRST, WE MUST STAND FIRM IN FAITH. Paul writes in Galatians 5:2-4, “Behold I, Paul, say to you that if you receive circumcision, Christ will be of no benefit to you. And I testify again to every man who receives circumcision, that he is under obligation to keep the whole Law. You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.” Here Paul reminds the Galatian Christians of what they face if they turn back from their confidence in the completeness of Jesus’ sacrifice. He says, “Christ will be of no benefit to you.” This is not about the loss of salvation. The Bible makes clear that salvation, once obtained, is permanent. What Paul is talking about here is that those who turn back to the law for justification have placed themselves under obligation “to keep the whole law.” They have resumed a burden of perfection that is impossible to achieve. They are saying in their heart that Jesus is not enough and His grace is not sufficient.
You cannot mix works with grace, otherwise, it is not grace—God’s grace is sufficient. The result of such a mix is a life of frustration over spiritual failure, something from which many turn to Christ to be freed. It is inconceivable that anyone would consider slipping his soul back into that shackle. Consider then, what this means for Christians under persecution. They are under tremendous pressure to deny their faith, yet to do so severs them from Christ (vs. 4). To be severed from Christ means to make Him “inactive or idle” in your life and it robs you of one of the great gifts of salvation—freedom from the shackles of manmade religion and all its emptiness. For them, as well as us, this is an unthinkable option if we are going to preserve religious liberty. We must stand firm in faith!
Second, to preserve religious liberty, WE MUST STAND FIRM AGAINST FOES. Listen to Paul’s words in verse 10: “I have confidence in you in the Lord that you will adopt no other view; but the one who is disturbing you will bear his judgment, whoever he is.” Jesus said not to be surprised if the world hates you, because it hated him. (Jn. 15:18-19) But, God takes note of the persecution of Christians, and He will hold the persecutor accountable for every act. This is true whether that persecution comes from within the church or from forces outside. Paul turns this “one” over to the Lord. He has confidence the Lord will handle him. Remember, if Christ does not bear a person’s judgment, the person does. It doesn’t matter how religious, how important or how influential the person is—without the blood of Jesus covering the person’s sins, he has no influence with God and bears his own judgment.
To those who experience persecution, it is a tremendous encouragement to keep standing when you know Jesus, the Righteous Judge, will one day balance the scales. It reminds them that God has not abandoned them. He is watching and He is taking notice—He will never leave us or forsake us. Second Corinthians 4:9 says we will be “persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;” Perhaps the most graphic depiction of this great truth is found at the stoning of Stephen.
In Acts 6 and 7 we find Stephen proclaiming his faith in Jesus and facing the wrath of the unbelieving Jews. As the Jewish leaders ridicule Stephen for his message, he looks up toward heaven and sees Jesus “standing on the right hand of God” (Acts 7:56). Why does Jesus stand? Dr. H. Leo Eddleman comments, “When one of His loyal ones is under great pressure and in serious jeopardy for His sake, the Great Intercessor leaps to His feet, as it were, to plead the cause of that loyal one before the bar of justice in heaven” (An Exegetical and Practical Commentary on Acts, p. 89). Jesus has seen what is about to happen to Stephen and stands in honor of Stephen and in objection to the coming murder. God will vindicate every believer who stands faithful in the face of foes.
Third, to preserve religious liberty, WE MUST STAND FIRM IN THE FIRE. Paul outlines the cause of persecution for us in verse 11: “But I, brethren, if I still preach circumcision, why am I still persecuted? Then the stumbling block of the cross has been abolished.” The Bible affirms: “Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” (2 Tim. 3:12) The unbelieving world will seek to persecute those who proclaim the cross of Christ, as the way of salvation for the cross is a stumbling block to all that man prides himself in. Some will persecute Christians because the message of the cross means that their own religion is not valid.
One cannot embrace the cross of Christ and cling to manmade religions. It is opposed to them. Others will persecute Christians because the message of the cross confronts them with their own sinfulness. The cross of Christ declares that mankind is alienated from God and that he must turn from his sin and accept the sacrifice of Jesus for forgiveness of sins. There are those who would deny this sinful condition, and some of them will lash out at any mention of it. No doubt, there are countless other reasons as well. But what this reality points out to us is that by the very message that Christians share the fires of persecution are likely to follow. The gospel by itself is not acceptable to the natural man. Paul certainly experienced it and Christians around the world experience it even to this day as they strive to preserve our precious possession of liberty in spite of obstacles others may put in the way.
Finally, WE MUST STAND FIRM IN THE FAMILY. Listen to verses 14 and 15: “For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF." But if you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another.” Paul reminds Christians that their only defense in preserving religious liberty is unity. Together they must hold to the truth of the gospel and not allow anyone or anything to divide them. Today, Paul’s admonition is just as applicable, and what is more, it applies to us on a worldwide scale. When any brother or sister in Christ is persecuted for his or her faith, the entire church is affected. Religious liberty is not freedom to disregard the need of others. The Apostle Paul says in 1 Cor. 12:25-26: “That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another. And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honored, all the members rejoice with it.” When the church is so fragmented that it cannot or will not stand up for its own and seek to protect its own, then the entire body is going to suffer.
We must wonder if the church is weak today partly because its members do not stand up for each other. Since we know that Christians have no choice but to remain steadfast in faith, against foes and the fires of persecution, we must ask ourselves why we have done so little to protect those who have been persecuted, millions even murdered, because of their faith in Jesus. Are we guilty of failing to “stand in the gap” because other Christians are not Americans, or not apart of our denomination, or don’t practice their faith exactly like we do?
Prayer partners, it is time that Christians everywhere become more aware of the suffering of their brothers and sisters in every place. It is time that we commit ourselves to standing by our brothers and sisters in Christ and working for their protection. I believe the words of Mordecai to Esther in Esther 4:13-14 apply to us in this situation: “Then Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, “Do not imagine that you in the king’s palace can escape any more than all the Jews. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place and you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have attained royalty for such a time as this.”
There are ways we can commit to help our fellow brothers and sisters around the world. First, we could call our state and federal legislators and tell them to pass legislation that requires countries who do business with us either in the state of Florida or nationally to protect the religious freedom of their people if they want to do business here. Second, we could find out about religious persecution around the world, contact people who are helping those who are persecuted, and offer to help. Third, we could search our own heart about our attitude toward those of other denominations who are genuine Christians. If we treat them differently, we can ask God to help us see them as fellow believers, just like God sees them. Finally, WE CAN PRAY God will bring an end to persecution. That is how God would have us preserve our precious possession of liberty here and abroad.
May we by the grace of God stand: firm in faith, firm against foes, firm in fires of persecution and firm in our care for the family of God. Remember, walk so close to God that nothing can come between. Jesus paid it all, all to Him we owe,
“Give Him the Glory!
