Galatians 5:1 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.

I can't think of a better time to contemplate this section of God's Word than now. I say that because we here in America are in the midst of celebrating our independence, celebrating the freedom we won to govern ourselves and to become an independent nation. And while I love our nation and what it stands for, sometimes we Americans get a little carried away with our freedom ideas. We think no one should tell us what to do. But is that true?
Does our freedom mean there is no government or there aren't any rules that we are supposed to follow? Back in the days of the colonies no one thought they were fighting so they could do whatever, whenever, however they wanted. They understood the battle was for the right of self-rule as a separate nation. That's why, if you look at history you will find that many Americans were very torn about the fight, very torn about what side to be on. For that matter I have even seen papers where the historian clearly showed that the revolutionary side was a decided minority of the people. And the truth is that in many ways it didn't really make a difference. Why do I say that? What is the difference between England and America today? They hold many of the same ideas, share many of the same freedoms and have increasingly common societal practices. The only difference is that we won the right to govern ourselves. We got to determine the structure and type of government we wanted and today that type and structure imposes on us taxes and burdens that back then people fought to get free of. Independence day is about political freedom not absolute freedom.
That's because there really is no such thing as absolute freedom! People hype it and push it but there is no such thing as absolute freedom. No one has the right to do whatever they want anytime they want. Freedom is always limited by the rights of those around you. I never got that concept until a practical application of that truth was learned. Take a group of people and put them in their own ten foot circles. Tell them to swing their arms and kick their feet in whatever manner they want in their ten foot circle. That's what each individual in their circles can do. Now put all the people in the same ten foot circle, a rather crowed circle. Ask the question, "Who wants to swing and kick now?" If you have twenty people, one might raise his hands but the rest of the people will realize that to swing and kick means that those around you would be harmed. The majority of the group understands the limits of freedom and that it is the people around you that cause those limits.
By the way, the one who raised his hand might say he was willing to swing and kick even though others would get hurt because they just figured that since they were bigger than most they could. Or you might hear that they felt swinging and kicking was their right basically because they had arms and legs. Either way, both of these reasons are motivated by pure selfishness, a selfishness that doesn't care about those around. What is most interesting to contemplate here is that if that group was a government it would first have to pass laws about swinging and kicking in order to protect the majority of people from those who didn't care. It was such an interesting application to consider.
Understanding freedom is exactly what the lesson of our text is pointing out. Only it is not in a political context but rather in a spiritual context. Our theme for today will be: OUR FREEDOM IN CHRIST. 1st. Freedom to be God's. 2nd. Freedom to love. 3rd. Freedom to live.
Again a reminder of the historical context in which these words were written. Paul was writing against the false teaching "Judaizers", those who proclaimed Jesus was all about obeying the law and living the right way. Paul emphasizes again and again that salvation is the gracious act of God. It is by grace we are saved, not of works. Salvation is won and given in Jesus and in what he has done and accomplished on the cross and through his resurrection from the grave. Just as the law was not able to save before Jesus came so the law was not able to save once Jesus came. Salvation is not of and from the law and obedience but rather through the grace of Jesus. That's the whole point and meaning behind the first verse that stands before us. "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."
It is for freedom, spiritual and moral freedom that Jesus set us free. He set us free in the sense that we no longer have to be controlled by the sinful nature. As human beings, our very nature is to be an enemy of God, to hate and despise those things that are of God. We by nature are slaves to sin and servants of the Devil. We by nature like sin and what sin brings. Even when sin brings misery we tend to cling to it and blame other things for our misery. It is our nature.
But Jesus has set us free. The eternal curse of sin is lifted and we have been freed from its destruction and terror. Freed in Jesus. Freed to be the children of God. What does the Spirit write through Paul? He says, "A man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ...I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me...You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus." Here is what it first means to be free. We are freed from sin and its curse. We are freed to once again belong to the family of God. We are freed to be God's children and heirs of eternal life by grace through faith in Jesus. It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.
But notice what else he says. He says, "Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." The yoke of slavery is the burden of work righteousness. Don't let anyone pull you from Christ and his freedom by thinking that the law saves. The law is a burden. The law cannot save. The law can only do what God has given it to do. The law was given to expose sin. Yet people ignore what God says and try to promote salvation by the law. Paul says, "Don't give in to that burden and that yoke."
However, don't think that we don't have responsibility in Christ. It is true, we are no longer condemned by the law. It is true that our obedience or lack thereof is not the measure of our salvation. However note that our freedom does not grant us right to sin or the right to hurt others. What we find is that our freedom in Christ motivates us to the positive side of things. Consider verses 13-15, "You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroying each other."
The lesson of these words is so simple. What Christ wants us to do is what He has done for us, namely, He loved us and only did what was the best for us. As God's children that's how we should conduct ourselves, only doing what is best for those around us, "Love your neighbor as yourself." If I steal, I hurt my neighbor. If I lie, I hurt my neighbor. If I commit adultery, I hurt my neighbor. We are motivated by the love Jesus showed for us to show that same love to those around us. Let's put that into practical use.
Take the issue of stealing. I may take something and determine that no one gets hurt but the big stores and they make enough money anyway. Yet the truth is that every pays. It is estimated that some 5% or better of the cost of things is just to cover what people steal. Or think of the impact on those around you. The children around you think it's okay and begin to lose a part of the moral base that God wants for us. Others around you may be motivated to lie or cover up for you and again God's moral foundation is undermined. In other words, indulging the sinful nature does have an impact on those around us. This passage emphasizes that with the words, "If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroying each other." In other words keep chasing sin and sin will destroy.
That's why the Lord makes the appeal "love your neighbor as yourself." Do you want your stuff stolen? Do you want those around you to be totally selfish and have no regard for you? Since we have this wonderful gift of freedom, God urges us not to use it for sinful purposes but rather to serve one another in love. To be loving, caring and godly in what we do. Not because we want to earn heaven, but because we understand that Jesus has won heaven for us in the first place.
Then note how the lesson continues. The Holy Spirit in verses 19-25 speaks of those things which are of the sinful nature and those things which are not. Clearly the emphasis is to do what is right, to live in a godly and loving way. Again listen to how this section concludes, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit." The encouragement is to live like Jesus.
That's the most wonderful thing we could hear. We aren't given the gift of salvation, we aren't given freedom from damnation and hell so we can do whatever we want. Our nature is to be selfish and sinful, but in Christ we can be different. We can live. We can live by the Spirit. We live like God's children and do those things that are good and right.
Now if you are like me, there is a portion of this last section that really sticks out. It's that little line that says, "Against such things there is no law." No one is going to tell you to stop being loving. No one is going to tell you that joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness and the like is harmful and destructive to the soul. Here are a whole bunch of things that are so good and right that you will not find a law against them. For that matter, these things are so good and right that you basically won't even find a law commanding them. That's because such things as this can't be commanded. These things must come from our hearts. These things are things borne of God, things that serve God and our fellow man. It's true, you can imitate these things. You can for selfish reasons do some of these things but in the long run most people will see through that. God always sees through it. God in Christ, fills us with the desire to live like Jesus did, to live a god pleasing, moral and loving life of freedom.
Well, I hope I have given you some things to think about because our Lord and Savior has given us this great and wonderful gift of freedom. Isn't it great to know that our sins are forgiven? Isn't it wonderful to realize that in Jesus we have been changed and made different from the rest of the world? Isn't it an awesome thing to see in our lives how Jesus moves and motivates to godliness? I pray that we grasp the true nature of our freedom in Jesus, our freedom to be his children in all that we do. Amen.