You Were Called to Freedom

Galatians 5:1-12

Freedom is one of the grand themes in Galatians. In chapter 5, Paul responds to two extreme alternatives to Christian freedom.

1. The first alternative was legalism. The Bible doesn't use the term legalism, but it does deal with the concept. One way of describing legalism is to characterize it as a fleshly attitude which seeks to conform to law for the purpose of exalting self. Legalism surfaced in the Galatian churches in the form of Judaism. Certain Christian teachers with a strong commitment to Mosaic law attempted to bind selective portions of the law of Moses on newly baptized Galatians.
2. The second alternative was license (antinomianism is the technical term). The Greek word for law is nomos. Antinomianism means "against law." It is at the opposite extreme from legalism. The legalist says "Obey the law (and the law is always what he says it is) and you will please God. The libertine (antinomian) says "I'll do things my way and take my chances with God."

Both philosophies run contrary to the Christian faith. Justification, before God, takes place solely on the merit of Christ's blood and that leaves no room either for legalism or antinomianism.

The first twelve verses of Galatians 5 is a rebuttal to the claims of legalism and the remaining part of the chapter is a warning against falling into the trap of license while attempting to escape legalism. This segment of our study will focus on verses 1-12.

THE FACT OF CHRISTIAN FREEDOM

What is Freedom?

In verse 1, the apostle wrote, "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."

At this point, it is important to define freedom. Freedom is not the privilege to indulge our sensual appetites. It is not a license to sin. It is having the liberty to do God's will. That doesn't make a great deal of sense if you think of God's will in restrictive terms - multiple prohibitions against things we really want to do. But there is a totally different way to look at doing God's will.

In John 6:38, Jesus said "For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me." That one verse describes the mission of Jesus on this earth in the broadest possible terms.

As the Son of God, he had total freedom to pursue that mission. Even so, he encountered a number of people who sought to deter him from pursuing that mission. They had their own agendas and their goals got in the way of his purpose. This conflict can be illustrated by the skirmish with the scribes and Pharisees that Luke wrote about in Luke 5:30-31.

But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples, "Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and 'sinners'?" Jesus answered them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick."

Jesus was saying to them, in effect, "I am free to do the will of my father, which involved forming relationships with people who aren't living right, because they need what my Father has to offer. The social rules, which are yours and not God's get in the way of doing his will. I'm free from those kinds of restrictions."

Freedom Has to Be Maintained

How do you handle freedom once you get it? Like your car, it has to be maintained. You've got to fight for it. So he said, "Stand firm and do not let yourselves be burdened again by the yoke of slavery." Once you acquire freedom, someone's going to say, "Look at that maverick. We need to put a rope on him before he gets out of hand." That's why you've got to fight.

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