March 23 - Galatians 5:1

March 23 - 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.

Throughout the centuries theologians have tried to understand this freedom.  Avoiding freedom that leads to anarchy was of great concern.  They were afraid that, left to their own devices, people would choose to do anything and everything in the name of freedom, assuming Christ would bail them out in the end.  After all, that’s why He died for us, right?  To set us free.

We still don’t understand freedom in Christ.  I don’t believe we fully understand true freedom at all.  Philosophers and sociologists, great thinkers and politicians, theologians and great statesmen have tried to explain and understand freedom.  The only man that ever got it right was Jesus Christ. 

Humanity needs boundaries.  We need rules.  If we don’t have them, we create them.  If we can’t create them, we go looking for them.  Jesus gave us two laws to abide by and if we can find ourselves content within those boundaries, we can find freedom in Him.

Love the Lord your God with all your heard, mind, soul and strength.  Love your neighbor as yourself.

In great love is freedom.  Within the will of God, freedom is discovered.  Not in the rules of mankind, though we’re called to live within the society.  But, that isn’t what defines our true freedom. 

Love does that.  When we love … radically love, we bring freedom to ourselves and those around us. 

Anger, bitterness, jealousy, envy, lies, gossip, discord, hatred, selfish ambition, (we’re going to look at these later in Galatians).  All of these things bind us.  We find ourselves slaves to the world and to sin when we allow them to trump love.

We must learn to love with no boundaries, love with no exception, love with no expectation.  We must love God with all that we have and express that same love to everyone around us.  We will find our freedom there.