For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not be subject again to the yoke of slavery.
Galatians 5:1 NET
If, like me, you are an American, the idea of freedom may be deeply ingrained. We are free and don’t like other people, institutions, or our government to tell us what we can and can’t do.
So, reading “For freedom Christ has set us free” can resonate with us. Our freedom is a God-given right. Except, that is not what Paul is saying here.
There are two aspects to this freedom that I have in Christ. The first, which Paul directly refers to here, is freedom from the Law. Specifically, freedom from having to follow the Old Testament law to be saved. Christ’s death on the cross has set me free from the “yoke of slavery” to the law.
Set Free
I have been saved by God’s grace through faith, apart from works, including the legalistic requirements of the law. And, once saved, there is no list of things I need to do to maintain my salvation.
So, it might be tempting to think that I can do whatever I want since I am free from the law. But that is dealt with in the second aspect of this freedom we have in Christ. In Galatians 5:13, Paul tells us not to use our freedom to indulge the flesh but to serve one another in love.
This is the opposite of what we generally think of as freedom, the ability to do whatever I want. That type of freedom is essentially “indulging the flesh.” Instead, I have been freed from slavery to my old selfish nature so I can serve others in love. I have been set free to be a new creation, walking with the Spirit (Gal. 5:16) and experiencing the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23).
Christ has set me free. Free from legalistic requirements to obtain and maintain my salvation. Freedom from my flesh and its desires. And freedom to serve others in love. Stand firm in that freedom.
