FREED BY CHRIST TO BE FREE

“Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage” (Gal. 5:1 NKJV).

The liberty (freedom) mentioned here by the apostle Paul is freedom from Jewish rites and ceremonies, properly called the “yoke of bondage;” and also liberty from the power and guilt of sin, which nothing but the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ can take away. So, he gave them two commands – be faithful and be free

Be faithful – “Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free.” The idea here is to be consistent, do not backtrack or withdraw, and try to make law keeping, especially circumcision, a part of salvation. The Gospel has freed people from this sort of law keeping.

Be free – “And do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.” To avoid the bondage of law keeping, one must be careful not to be ensnared by the arguments of the legalists. The opposite of freedom is to be ensnared, be bound, be tied up and restricted. To avoid this, one must not tolerate the least argument for mixing law with grace. The Lord Jesus’s death, burial, and resurrection set those who believe in Him free: free from the law and free from being a slave to the flesh. Therefore, being faithful, and being free does not mean to live a lawless life as some falsely propose. Genuine spiritual freedom in the Lord Jesus Christ is not the ability to do what we please, but the power to do what we ought and in so doing to please God!

(Adapted from Butler’s Analytical Bible Expositor)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“Christian freedom does not mean being free to do as we like; it means being free to do as we ought!”

William Barclay (1907 – 1978)

Scottish Minister, Author, and Professor of Divinity and Biblical Criticism

Word Study

Freedom (liberty)

In Gal. 5:1 we read, “Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage” (NKJV).

“Freedom (liberty)” is the Greek word eleuthería (ἐλευθερία = el-yoo-ther-ee'-ah). It means that which is capable of movement, freedom to go wherever one likes, unfettered; it describes the state of being free and stands in opposition to slavery or bondage. Further, eleuthería was used especially in the apostle Paul’s days to describe the literal freeing of slaves. Spiritually speaking, every human being ever born is born a slave to sin, death and the devil (cf. Rom. 5:12, 19; Heb. 2:14). Here in Gal. 5:1, the apostle Paul’s primary focus is freedom from the law: freedom from the false idea that the law is a way of salvation, freedom from the law’s condemnation and freedom from the law as a rule of life. Thus, this freedom in Christ includes freedom from sin’s power and sin’s penalty. The deceiving false teacher promised their listeners the freedom to live as they please. To the contrary, true freedom (liberty) is living as we should, not as we please. It is living in the power of the power of the Holy Spirit regardless of the circumstances.

Did You Know…

Moses prayed and fasted for 40 days and nights that God would not destroy the Israelites for making the golden calf idol (Deut. 9:13-19).

Bible Quiz

Whom did the apostle Peter raise from the dead in the City of Joppa?

**Answer to last week’s Bible Quiz

How did the spies describe themselves when compared to the inhabitants of the land God promised them? “Like grasshoppers” (Num. 13:33).

Prophecies Fulfilled by the Lord Jesus Christ

They took counsel to put Him to death (Psalm 31:13; cf.  Matt. 27:1; John 11:53)

"For I hear the slander of many; fear is on every side; while they take counsel together against me, they scheme to take away my life” (Psalm 31:13 NJKV).

In context, the enemies of David were plotting his death. Realizing that his life was in danger, he, his servants, and his family fled Jerusalem (cf. 2 Sam. 15:13-16). In a similar manner, the Jewish Council conspired to kill the Lord Jesus. Nothing could allay their malice. The Sanhedrin had begun their proceedings the previous evening (cf. Matt. 26:59). But as it was illegal to all forms of law to proceed against a person’s life by night, they separated for a few hours. Then as soon as it was morning, they came together again, pretending to conduct the business according to the forms of law. But they had already determined His death and pronounced the sentence of death on Him (cf. Matt. 26:66). And now they re-assembled under the pretense of reconsidering the evidence, and deliberating on it, to give the appearance of justice to their conduct. Basically, they did not want folks to say that their hastily called night meeting was unlawful. And while David escaped Jerusalem, the Lord Jesus went to Calvary. The apostle Paul was correct when, under inspiration of the Holy Spirit, wrote, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8).

Did You Know – Christian History

Roger Williams, a Square Peg in a Round Hole

Roger Williams was born December 21, 1603, in London, England. He was a Puritan minister, an early proponent of religious freedom, and founder of Rhode Island.

Like many of his classmates, Williams studied for a career in the church. A brilliant scholar, Williams was ordained in the Church of England in 1629. He later accepted the post of chaplain to Sir William Masham. It was there that Williams came to know such prominent and respected Puritans as John Cotton, Thomas Hooker, and Oliver Cromwell, who further influenced his religious views. Williams soon experienced a spiritual call to join the Puritan migration to the Massachusetts Bay Colony in North America. Williams arrived in New England on February 5, 1631, a day remembered by many as “Freedom’s Cause Day.”

Williams was given an offer to the congregation at Boston but turned it down, because the people had not broken with the Church of England. The “godly” must separate from the “ungodly” if they were to stay pure, he said. Salem and Plymouth, his next stops, were also tired of Williams. He was like a square peg in a round hole, for he told them that it was wrong for them to take Indian land without paying for it. He also insisted that the government of the colony had no right to set up a “civil power and officers to judge the convictions of men’s souls...” This was too much for New England’s Puritans. They believed government was required to enforce godliness and protect true religion as they defined it. The government expelled Williams from Massachusetts. After wandering for fourteen weeks in the bitter cold of winter, he settled at Narragansett Bay, in territory that would become the colony of Rhode Island. Putting into practice his beliefs, he purchased his land from the Indians and founded a town which he named Providence, believing the endeavor was a sign from God. Among those who found a haven in the religious and political refuge of the Rhode Island Colony were Anne Hutchinson, who, like Williams, was exiled from Massachusetts for religious reasons; some of the first Jews to settle in North America; and the Quakers. Williams also founded the first Baptist church in America. He learned the Indians’ language, wrote a key to it, and edited the first dictionary of Native American languages.

In 1644 he wrote a defense of religious freedom. That same year he secured a charter for his new colony, Rhode Island. This small region became a haven for those whose beliefs differed from the majority and was a model of toleration and of the separation of church and state. If Roger Williams had not been willing to suffer for his beliefs, we might not now enjoy the liberties we do. Willams died on April 19, 1684; he was 80 years of age.

A Little Humor

During the Easter church service, a little girl shouted, “HE’S ALIVE!” Everyone turned and smiled. The mom whispered, “We usually wait until the pastor says it.” The girl shrugged. “I was just excited.”

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“Plan ahead. Jesus didn´t stay dead, neither will you!”