Free to be Free
Galatians 5:1-6 (NIV)
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.
Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.
In this passage, Paul is emphasizing that Christ set us free from the law, and that freedom is central to the gospel. Some Jewish Christians in Galatia were pressuring the Gentile believers to be circumcised, but Paul makes it clear that submitting to the law – whether through circumcision or any other requirement – undoes the freedom Christ offers. Legalism has no place in the Christian life. Jesus came to set us free for the sake of freedom.
Today, legalism can sneak into the church in unexpected ways. We can find ourselves driven by checklists – unspoken rules that make us feel like we’re earning favor with God. We often don’t even realize it’s happening. Even good things like serving others can turn into burdens if we approach them as obligations rather than expressions of love.
If you ever catch yourself thinking, “I know I should do this, but I don’t want to,” ask yourself: “Do I feel free to make this choice?” If you don’t feel free, then you might be under some form of legalistic slavery.
At the core of the Christian faith is free will. True faith is lived out when we express it through love, not obligation.
My daily prayer is that God would fill me with the fruit of the Spirit, so that in every action, I might express my faith through love, freely and joyfully.
Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV)
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
As we close out 2024 and move into 2025, I am taking a moment to reflect on where I have been serving out of obligation versus where I’ve been serving out of love. Some tasks feel life-giving, while others drain me. And I’ve realized that when I rely only on my own strength, I’m missing the point.
The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead lives in me. By His death, I am set free – not just from sin, but from the weight of legalism.
