For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. Galatians 5:1

Have you ever been running happily along in your Christian life only to be suddenly tripped up by some new teaching? That’s what happened to the Galatians. Paul says they had been “running superbly” (Galatians 5:7, The MSG), but then a false teacher came along and insisted they needed to be circumcised like God’s people, the Jews, in order to be real Christians.

Paul says, “Just say ‘no’ to such gospel insanity.” Why? To put it more simply, the false teachers proclaim that salvation comes by Jesus plus circumcision, Jesus plus some outward work. I’ll illustrate how this works with an example from my own life.

When I was fifteen, I finally grasped the good news of the gospel I had been hearing about in Young Life talks for the past six months. I trusted that Jesus had saved me from my sin and had made me right with God (justified me). I was running along superbly, hanging out with other Christians, reading the Bible, growing in prayer, generally enjoying my newfound freedom in Christ. But somewhere along the way, some more “advanced” Christians led me to believe that I wasn’t a “good-enough” Christian. I needed to do more to please God—pray more, memorize more verses, make more disciples. There’s nothing wrong with doing these things, except when there is. When does a good thing become a bad thing? When we think that our doing it earns our favor with God. That’s what the false teachers told the Galatians—get circumcised and obey the law perfectly, and God will love you. That’s what the false teachers told me, “Do more spiritual things, and God will love you more.” What terrible news. As my pastor said about Abraham, “He did not become blessed because he was a good man; he became a good man because he was blessed” (See Galatians 3:5-8; “Blessings, Curses, and Hope”).

As Pastor Tim Keller explains, in order to live in the freedom for which Christ set us free, we must do two things:

First, recognize the truth about ourselves: we are too sinful to save ourselves.

Second, recognize the truth about Christ: he has borne all of our sins; he has taken all of the punishment due to us on himself (See Isaiah 53:6; Tim Keller, Galatians for You (affiliate link) .

When we recognize these truths, we will run in freedom, freed from enslavement to an ineffectual savior, freed for the purpose of enjoying and glorifying God as we were designed to do.

Let’s consider what this freedom might look like:

In Christ, we are freed from…

Working obsessively.

Performing perfectly.

Seeking approval relentlessly.

Building God’s kingdom laboriously.

Doing good works guiltily.

In Christ, we are freed for…

Enjoying God and enjoying others.

Resting in Christ’s saving work for us.

Trusting that God will build his kingdom, even through our imperfect service to him.

Loving our neighbors and ourselves as much as God does.

Inviting people to run in this freedom with us. 

Dear friends, be not persuaded by a false gospel. Jesus has saved you. It comes by grace, as a free gift. It comes through faith, through believing in his work for us. If we trust this truth, we are free.  We have much to celebrate. Let’s rest and run in this good news.

Prayer

Gracious Jesus,

Thank you for the freedom we have in you. We believe, but we struggle to believe this incomprehensibly good news! Help us to respond to your freeing grace with gratitude that invites our family, friends, neighbors, and even enemies into this glorious freedom.

In your freeing name. Amen.

Further Encouragement

Read Galatians 5:1-18.

Listen to Living Hope by Phil Wickham.

For Reflection

Have you ever gotten the impression that you needed to do more to be a better Christian? 

What would it look like for you to truly embrace the freedom you have in Christ?