Uncommen: Live FreeChikamu

Live Free

In Galatians 5, we find Paul encouraging his readers to live in freedom because of the truth that has been revealed to them.

"For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery." -Galatians 5:1


There are several things to consider from this passage concerning freedom, liberty, and bondage. And yes, surprisingly, we'll be talking about freedom and liberty, and it has nothing to do with the United States :)

Paul makes his case in the first verse of the chapter. "Stand fast...in liberty by which Christ...made us free." 

If we have believed, Christ has made us free. He paid the price for our sin thousands of years ago. Furthermore, He chose us before the foundation of the world for salvation. You were no mere coincidence or random choice. God selected you for salvation. Your freedom was on purpose.


What does that mean? It means we have liberty and freedom from bondage (sin). We aren't slaves to sin. The Holy Spirit living inside us is the reason why we aren't living in bondage. We went from a heart of flesh to a new heart filled with the Spirit. This is crucial because we don't need more of ourselves to achieve freedom. In fact, the more we're involved, the worst things get. Thankfully, we were completely unnecessary to our salvation. It was all God.


We see Paul's passage starts with "stand fast," however. If God already achieved our freedom for us, why do we need to stand fast? This follows an ongoing theme of Galatians 5 that we'll explore later. The gist is that the story isn't over when you believe. 


The Christian life is marked by standing fast and being obedient to God's Word. Certainly, we will never do either of those perfectly. Thank God for His grace and forgiveness. Nevertheless, we are called to do those things.

While the Christian is not a slave to sin, he certainly still will sin. Therefore, we must be continually reminded by standing fast in the truth and obedience that we have a new heart filled with the spirit that desires to glorify God.


UNCOMMEN Question: How can we stand fast in the Lord?


UNCOMMEN Challenge: Be consistent in your time in the Word.