Message

---

FREEDOM IN CHRIST

Galatians 5:1-15

Key Verse: 5:1 “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.”

  We live in the land of freedom, America. We have freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, freedom of the press, and so on. In this land of freedom we enjoy all kinds of benefits. When I came to America around 30 years ago, I was impressed by the freedom which young college students enjoy. At that time I took a class at the community college in LA. During the class one student leaned back in his seat, put his two legs up on the seat in front of him, and talked freely with his professor. To my eyes, this was a disrespectful attitude toward his teacher. This would not have happened in my former country. But the professor didn’t mind how the student was sitting, but seemed to enjoy talking with the student. To my eyes all the students on campus enjoyed unlimited freedom; dressed freely, talked freely, and lived freely. Such an impression about American freedom has changed since I came to study the Bible with them. The more I came to know them, the more I came to realize that they need real freedom, freedom for their souls. They were seeking inner freedom, freedom from the slavery of sin.

  Today we will talk about freedom in Christ. What is freedom? What is the difference between freedom which comes from Christ and freedom which the world provides? How does God want us to use our freedom?

   Look at verse 1. “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.” In the previous chapter, especially in 4:31, Paul said that we are not children of the slave woman, but of the free woman. Here, the free woman indicates Sarah, who is the mother of Isaac, the man of God’s covenant. (4:26,28) What Paul wanted to say here is that those who live by faith in Christ are free from the slavery of observing the law. (4:5) Once Patrick Henry, one of the American founding fathers, said, “Give me liberty (freedom), or give me death!” Martin Luther King Jr. said in his speech, “I have a dream”, “Free at last, Free at last, Thank God Almighty, we are free at last.”  Then, what is freedom? According to the Google dictionary the first definition of freedom is the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint. People think freedom is the right to do whatever they like. But, freedom which Christ gives is a ‘gift’ rather than a ‘right’.

  In the beginning God gave man freedom as a gift. After God created the Garden of Eden, he put the man into it and said, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will surely die.” (Ge 2:15,16)  God gave man freedom to choose and freedom to eat. This freedom was endowed as a gift by God, not earned by man. This freedom is the expression of God’s divine love for man. When man uses this gift of freedom properly, he is truly happy and satisfied. The value of freedom is properly appreciated when man uses it in a right relationship with God, especially by keeping the order of creation. We can drive freely anywhere and anytime. We enjoy this freedom when we keep order by obeying the speed limit and other traffic rules. When we abuse our freedom, we are restricted or arrested as a law breaker. Freedom requires responsibility.

  What is the freedom which Christ gives us? By God’s grace we received freedom from sin. In Acts 13:39 Paul said, “Through him everyone who believes is set free from every sin, a justification you were not able to obtain under the law of Moses.” Jesus said, “Everyone who sins is a slave to sin…So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” (Jn 8:34,36) Jesus said this just after he set an adulterous woman free from condemnation. This woman was a slave to sin, the sin of lust. She thought that she was free, free to think, free to meet, free to have a relationship with any man, and so on. She thought that she was a free woman. But she was not. She was a slave to her lust. She committed adultery in a dark place and was caught by the religious police. She was brought to Jesus. The people who brought the woman expected Jesus to condemn her according to Moses’ law. What did Jesus say to her? “Neither do I condemn you. Go now and leave your life of sin.” (Jn 8:11) Jesus set her free from her sin, the condemnation of sin. Instead of condemning her, Jesus forgave her. By forgiving her Jesus set her free from the curse of sin. Jesus has power to set us free from sin. He has authority to forgive our sins and set us free from all condemnations which come as the penalty of sin. (Mk 2:10, Ro 8:1)  

  Jesus sets us free from the fear of death. Death is the wage of sin. (Ro 6:23) Death has power to make us a slave to fear. But Christ Jesus set us free from the fear of death. Jesus died for our sins on the cross and rose again from the dead. His resurrection conquered the power of death and gave us a living hope for our own resurrection. We will live also as he lives. So to Christians, death is the beginning of new life in God’s kingdom.  To Christians, death is not a dreadful thing, but meaningful for our glorious future. There have been numerous heroes and heroines of faith who overcame death through faith in Jesus, such as James, Stephen, Paul, Peter, Polycarp, and many martyrs who confronted fire, lions, and dangers. Paul described those who overcame death as more than conquerors (Ro 8:37), and Peter did as those who have genuineness of their faith. (1Pe 1:7)

  Jesus sets us free from all life questions and problems.  Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples, then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (Jn 8:31,32) When I was young, I didn’t think about my life seriously. I just enjoyed food, activities, family and relationships. But when I began to think about my life seriously, I was troubled. No one and nothing in this world gave me a clear answer about the meaning and purpose of my life. But Jesus gave me a clear answer. He set me free from my life questions. Jesus taught me that my life came from God and is going back to Him. Jesus himself is the way to God, and he is the meaning and purpose of my life. Once, I read a book about Hinduism. Its spiritual exploration is deep, but it never provided me an answer. Meditation of the Buddha did the same. Only Jesus, who was incarnated from the Word, gave me an answer. He taught me that life on this earth is a pilgrimage on the way to the eternal kingdom of God.

  In verse 1, Paul said that Christ set us free from the slavery of the law. Christ Jesus set us free from the curse which came from the demand of the law. Paul urged the believers in the Galatian church to stand firm. What did he mean when he said, “Stand firm!” He meant, “Stand firm on the gospel faith.” “Let nothing move you.” “Don’t go back to your old life.” If they followed the Judaizers and were circumcised, what was wrong with them? First of all, Christ will be of no value to them at all (2) If they became justified by observing the law, Christ did not need to die on the cross. If they became justified by observing the law, they were obligated to obey the whole law, not only circumcision. (3) If they were justified by the law, they were alienated from Christ and fell away from God’s grace (4)

  Indeed, freedom comes from God’s grace. Law demands obedience. Disobedience results in condemnation. But grace is different. Grace is given to those who don’t deserve it. Grace bears mistakes, weak points, and short-comings. So we enjoy periods of grace in the middle of fulfilling our duty. Grace provides freedom for those who are in Christ. By God’s grace we are saved. We are saved, not because what we have done, but because of what Christ had done. We received grace through faith in Jesus. The Holy Spirit approves of our freedom and grace when we believe in Jesus. (5,6) Our faith is expressed through love. (6) In verses 7-12, Paul condemned the Judaizers as bad influencers, like yeast which works through the whole batch. (9)  He also believed that they would pay the penalty of what they were doing to the believers. (10)

  Thus far, we have learned that God gave us freedom as gift and that Christ sets us free from sin and death. How then should we use our freedom? Let us read verses 13,14 all together. “You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”  As I mentioned before, freedom is not the right to do whatever we desire. When people do whatever they want to do, they abuse their freedom. This is like giving all authority to Adolf Hitler during World War II. Freedom is not a license for sin. Rather, freedom is an opportunity to serve the Lord and others in love. We like freedom and enjoy free time. After you come home from work, after you come back from school, after you finish a certain duty or task, you have a chance to use your free time. How do you use your free time? For indulging your sinful nature?, or serving the Lord and others in love? You are free to use your free time however you wish. You have the right to use your freedom freely. Ben West goes to Wash U for fishing after his work. He uses his freedom to serve the Lord and to invite students for Bible study. It is not easy for him to sacrifice his free time to contact students who mostly responded negatively to his invitation. Using freedom for God and for others does not always give us joy, but often pain. Nevertheless, when we use our freedom for the Lord and for others, our freedom becomes highly valuable. Moses had the freedom to choose between becoming a prince of Egypt and becoming a Hebrew slave. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. (Heb 11:24, 25) Moses chose God and his people rather than a sinful life in Egypt. This is why Moses’ faith is highly valued. Eric Liddell, the Olympic winner, could have lived a comfortable life with wealth and fame in England. But he chose to go to China as a missionary, until he died in China. There are many men and women of faith who used their freedom to serve the Lord and love other people sacrificially.

  God gave us freewill as a gift. You are free to do whatever you live for in your life on this earth. But the day will come when our life on this earth will be judged. God will judge how you lived on this earth. You are free to use God’s gift for whatever you want. This is like using a credit card which provides us with an unlimited amount of money. You can use the credit card for whatever you want. But, all what you used with the card will be evaluated and be judged, and the statement of items you used will be revealed.  In 1 Peter 2:16 Peter said, “Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God.”  We are free to stay and free to go. But our choice will determine our future with responsibility. Your future may be determined by how you use your free time. The difference between an A student and a C student depends on how they use their free time after school. Students who use their free time for study will be rewarded. Students who use their free time for nothing will be punished. Amen? Spiritually it is the same. May God help us to use our freedom to serve you and as an opportunity to grow as men and women of God. May God make America a kingdom of priests and holy nation.  Amen.

---

Attachment

• FREEDOM IN CHRIST-message-edited.doc

---