Galatians 2:4
“But it was because of the false brethren secretly brought in, who had sneaked in to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, in order to bring us into bondage.”
Paul was the champion of the concept of liberty in Christ. This message was uncomfortable to some in his day. They had just come out of hundreds of years of the law. Here comes Paul bringing something new.
The religions of the world adhere to their own set of rules. It’s about our responsibilities. Yes, we still keep the ten commandments, but christianity is about a relationship, not rules. Jesus said, “follow me.” That’s it.
This is incredibly freeing. Especially because we follow a loving God who is very pleased with us because of Christ’s sacrifice. We didn’t make ourselves worthy, so a bad day doesn’t make us unworthy. It’s constant grace and acceptance.
When we wake up, we don’t have to worry about a religious “to do” list. It’s good morning, Lord. Lead me as You please. What an adventure. We aren’t haunted with guilt, but completely accepted.
How are we to fill our days? A local church has as its motto, “Love God, Love people, Have a blast.” That’s it. If we are doing those two things we are doing what Jesus said.
A relationship involves communication. We speak to God in prayer and the listening part comes from reading the bible. It’s His Word to us. We are also to join His friend group by going to church. Our heart yearns to do this.
We stay in this liberty by staying close to Him and abiding by His Word. Some may say, that sounds restrictive. A little. We aren’t free to break the commandments. But this freedom comes by aligning ourselves with Him. While it’s not 100% freedom, it’s what’s good for us. The things we are to avoid would bring captivity and would grieve us.
Lord, thank You for the liberty You provide. Help us to follow You. Thus to remain in that freedom.