Live Free - November 13

Read Galatians 5:1-4 

For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace. 

Reflect 

Is there anything in your life that is causing you to live more like a child of slavery rather than a child of God? 

Imagine if a US soldier got caught behind enemy lines and captured as a prison of war. The brass decided to call in a SEAL team for a risky and daring rescue mission. The SEALs laid their very lives on the line, reached the POW, and made a way for him to go free. Shockingly, the POW expressed his gratitude for their work on his behalf but decided not to go free. He wanted to attempt to escape on his own. The SEALs warned him that attempting to escape on his own was a suicide mission and that they had already done all of the work to secure his exit but he still declined to walk free. 

Can you even imagine? Why would anyone do that? The SEALs had already sacrificed everything to set him free but he chose slavery instead! It’s nuts! And yet, that is what the Judaizers were suggesting to the Galatian believers—a return to spiritual slavery.  

In today’s passage, Paul urged the Galatians to stand firm and reject the teaching of the Judaizers. Christ set us free because He wants us to be…free! He laid down His life for us. He redeemed us by His blood. His life paid the ransom price to free us from slavery. Now, all we have to do is walk free. 

The Judaizers were teaching that faith in Christ wasn’t enough. To them, faith in God’s grace was just one component of salvation and following Jewish laws, including circumcision were other necessary components. They taught that it was up to each individual to fully achieve their own salvation with their own works. They were proponents of “works-based righteousness.” 

But Paul refuted this false teaching. He said that if they receive circumcision they’d have no advantage in Christ. It’s important to note that Paul was not opposed to the practice of circumcision in and of itself. He was born a Jew and was circumcised as a baby. Paul’s issue with circumcision was that many misunderstood the purpose of it. They put their faith in the act of circumcision itself rather than what it represented.  

God only intended circumcision to be an outward sign of His covenant with the Jews. It wasn’t the basis of the covenant itself. The basis of His covenant with His people is and always has been based upon His grace. When Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins, He completely satisfied the demands of the law. His work on our behalf is totally sufficient for our salvation. Attempting to add to Christ’s work on the cross is an exercise in futility.  

All our hypothetical POW had to do was trust the SEALs and walk out in freedom. But by trying to add his own efforts to his escape, he actually counteracted the work of the SEAL team and placed himself back in bondage. Even though he was set free, he had no advantage over any other prisoner of war.  

Friends, Christ conquered sin and death to set us free. All we have to do is trust in His grace on our behalf and walk free. But if we trust in anything else for our salvation, then Christ is of no benefit to us. If we trust in our own efforts or anything other than Christ alone, we are effectively saying that we do not believe Christ's work was actually sufficient for our salvation and we return to the slavery of works-based righteousness. But, if we are free in Christ, we are free indeed (John 8:36). So walk out of that prison cell and live free. 

Respond  

Lord, I confess that at times, I struggle to accept Your gift of grace and attempt to earn favor with You based on my own works or merit. But that is an exercise in futility and only keeps me trapped. Please forgive me. Help me to fully comprehend the gift of Your grace so that I will completely accept it and walk free. Amen. 

Reveal  

Think of one area in your life where you feel like you constantly have to prove yourself—to your boss, your family, or even to yourself. This week, take a small but deliberate step to release that pressure. Maybe that means choosing to rest instead of overworking, admitting to a friend that you don’t have it all together, or celebrating someone else’s success without comparing it to your own. As you practice letting go of the need to earn approval, you’ll not only experience a deeper sense of freedom yourself—you’ll show others that real peace comes not from striving, but from living as someone already accepted and loved.