F is for Freedom-John 8:36

John 8:36; Galatians 5:1

“Therefore, if the Son sets you free, you really will be free” (HCSB). “So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law” (NLT).

Freedom, along with grace and rest, are among my favorite words. I absolutely cannot live without freedom, without grace and without rest. Without freedom I am enslaved, without grace I must prove myself, and without rest I will feel tired and burdened even after much sleep and Bible study. But with freedom I can fly, with grace I have nothing to prove (how liberating!), and with rest I am never tired, lethargic or lacking in passion, zeal and enthusiasm.

Theme: Galatians teachesChristians how easily they can enslave others and become enslaved themselves (usually to their church and for their own glory) just like non-Christians. For the church can so easily keep Christians in bondage to the church, rather than to Christ. What is so easily added to the gospel are often very good things: mission, social justice and obedience to particular traditional church practices and teachings to name a few. So are you living in freedom or fear, in liberation or legalism?

Experiencing freedom twice. I became a Christian in 1980. It was a mystical conversion. I experienced freedom from sin only because of the marvelous grace of Jesus. After a quarter of a century I was surprised to find myself enslaved again–not to Christ but to my church, her practices and her expectations. Only by God’s grace I experienced freedom again in mid-2000. It felt like a second conversion–like meeting Christ again, tasting his unconditional love and grace newly, and experiencing liberation, as I did during my initial conversion. I wrote about this in Have you lost your freedom and Galatians set me free from legalism.

In our sermon series on Practical Christian Living–the ABCs, the themes covered have been A is for Accountability, B is for Beauty, C is for Community, D is for Delight, E is for Experience and F is for Father. In this sermon, consider what you are free from and what you are free for.

1. What hinders freedom.
2. How real freedom is attained.

Fear of freedom. Some well meaning Christians, perhaps among pastors and leaders, seem to dislike teaching about freedom. Or they hold back from declaring the Christian doctrine of freedom. They might say something like, “You are free in Christ, but you are not free to sin” (basing it on verses like Gal 5:13, Jn 8:34, Rom 6:1-2, 12, 14-15; 1 Pet 2:16; 1 Cor 8:9). Of course, their statement is biblically true. But it doesn’t sound like freedom. It sounds like, “You are free, but seriously folks, you are really NOT free.” It takes the exhilaration and the liberation out of freedom. It’s like going to an all you can eat buffet and hearing someone say, “Eat as much as you like, you pig!”

“Freedom fearing Christians” are understandably afraid that Christians who are taught freedom in church or Bible study will abuse their freedom. This is why, over the centuries, churches have felt the need to tone down the radical claims of the gospel, trading gospel freedom for a “gospel” which aims to stop people from “living any way I want.” They come across as being super-cautious and very hesitant about Christian freedom by over emphasizing responsibility and the consequences of abusing freedom, rather than fearlessly declaring the true freedom that is found only in Christ. They justify their reluctance and fear in proclaiming and declaring unmitigated freedom as a Christian by convincing themselves that “people will mainly sin if they are free.” But by doing so they invariably put a major damper on Christian freedom. It is like living with the fear of falling into sin rather than living in the liberation of freedom.

Exhilaration and liberation. In sharp contrast to such “fear of freedom Christians,” Jesus said, “Therefore, if the Son sets you free, you really will be free” (Jn 8:36, HCSB). “So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free” (Jn 8:36, NLT). Paul said, “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” (2 Cor 3:17). He also said, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free” (Gal 5:1). Jesus and Paul sound quite excited and pumped up about freedom. It sounds truly exhilarating and liberating. It’s like a guilty condemned prisoner being unconditionally freed from prison, or like an eagle soaring high in the sky, free to roam the whole world.

Galatians is the best book of the Bible about freedom–the theme of this sermon. Why was Paul so angry? It was because the gospel that gives us freedom was being compromised. The following points below express Paul’s palpable anger and exasperation. They explain why a Christian–whether the Galatian Christians or any Christian–would be in grave danger of losing their freedom by “turning to a different gospel–which is no gospel at all” (Gal 1:6-7):

1. Anger. Paul was very angry and polemic (Gal 1:6; 3:1; 5:12).
2. No thanksgiving. Paul does not give his customary thanksgiving for them as he normally did in his other eleven epistles after his introductory remarks (Gal 1:1-5). Galatians is his only epistle without a section on thanksgiving.
3. Two curses. Paul pronounced God’s eternal curse twice in two consecutive verses (Gal 1:8-9)…just in case the Galatians missed it or if they wondered whether or not Paul was really cursing anyone eternally for preaching a different gospel.
4. No other gospel. Paul’s palpable anger, charge, contention and very serious allegation was that the Galatians were “turning to a different gospel–which is really no gospel at all” (Gal 1:6-7).
5. Publicly rebuking the top leader of the church. Paul was so angry that he publicly rebuked Peter to his face for “not acting in line with the truth of the gospel” (Gal 2:14), even if Peter was the top leader of the church (Gal 2:11-14). This would be akin to sending a mass email to everyone in the church about a terrible mistake that the top leader had made.
6. False Bible teachers. Paul was angry not only with the Christians at Galatia. He was especially angry with the false teachers who were distorting the gospel and teaching a different gospel (Gal 1:7, 9; 2:4; 5:10, 12). In doing so, they wanted to impress people in the church and boast about their success (Gal 6:12-13).
7. Adding to the gospel. Paul was angry that the false Bible teachers (Jewish “Christians”) were adding to the gospel (making it a “different gospel–which is no gospel at all”) by teaching that the Galatians (Gentile Christians) had to be circumcised (Gal 5:2-3), not eat unclean food (Gal 2:12), and keep some special “holy” days (Gal 4:10). This added works and the law to the gospel. By adding to Christ, they subtracted Christ. By adding to the gospel, they distorted and perverted it (Gal 1:7).
8. What the gospel is. Paul expresses the gospel as grace, peace, the Father and Son rescuing us though the Son who gave himself for our sins (Gal 1:3-4a; 2:20). This was the Father’s plan and will (Gal 1:4b). This is to the glory of God (Gal 1:5). Adding anything at all to the gospel–such as circumcision (Gal 5:6; 6:15)–would not be the gospel.
9. Justification. Paul states clearly–in three different statements in a single verse–that no man can ever be justified by observing the law, but only through faith in Jesus (Gal 2:16).
10. Human effort gets you nowhere. Through asking rhetorical questions Paul says that the Spirit came to them not through observing the law nor by human effort, but only through Christ crucified (Gal 3:1-3), i.e., through beleiving the gospel that Paul preached (Gal 3:2, 5).
11. Immorality and morality are both idolatry and slavery. Paul stressed that living under the slavery of pagan idolatry (which the Galatian Christians formerly were) and biblical moralism (keeping the laws of the Bible) were basically the same thing. Paul referred to them as “the elemental spiritual forces of the world” (Gal 4:3) or “those weak and miserable forces” (Gal 4:8-9). Though the Galatians had been amoral liberals, they were about to become moral conservatives. Liberalism and legalism are the two sides of liberty.
12. The evidence of freedom. To Paul legalism obscures liberty. It is not keeping in step and “acting in line with the truth of the gospel” (Gal 2:14). Those who are truly free do not impose themselves, their preferences and their expectations on others, which is akin to enslaving them to your agenda and your rules. One who is truly free communicates faith and love (Gal 5:6), a changed life as a new creation (Gal 6:15) and the fruit of the Spirit which is love, joy and peace (Gal 5:22).

“Studying the Bible is not better, not studying the Bible is not worse.” We Christians are notorious for communicating dichotomies, just like the Judaizers (Jewish “Christians”) who say, “Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved” (Ac 15:1), or “The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to keep the law of Moses” (Ac 15:5). But Paul says the exact opposite, “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love” (Gal 5:6), and “Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is the new creation” (Gal 6:15). Today, circumcision is often not the culturally divisive issue. Instead, it might be whether a Christian:

• Studies the Bible or not. Studies the Bible in a one on one basis or not, in a small group or not, according to a particular doctrinal bent or not, etc.
• Goes to church or not. Goes to a particular church or a different church.
• Attends church meetings or not. Shares reflections or testimonies or not.
• Evangelizes or not. Invites people to church and Bible study or not.
• Discipling, mentoring others or not.
• Attends Bible conferences or not.

Personally, I love Bible study, going to church, sharing reflections, evangelizing, discipling and mentoring others and attending certain Bible conferences. But communicating them–either explicity or implicitly–as a law, or rule, or preference, or expectation, or requirement, or elevated value distorts the gospel (Dt 1:6-7) and brings forth an eternal curse (Dt 1:8-9).

If legalism were easily solved then any church or Christian could read and study Galatians and eliminate legalism. I read Galatians at least once a year for over two decades since 1980 when I became a Christian, but was still legalistic in that I imposed on those I discipled certain practices in the church: marrying by faith, no dating without permission, writing out answers to Bible study questions, preparing Bible study binders, writing testimonies each week, going fishing, feeding sheep 1:1, never ever missing any church meetings (don’t you dare!), always wearing a tie in church on Sunday, addressing other Christians with titles, etc. None of these “additions” were necessarily bad or wrong. In many ways we could even say that they were good practices. But in such ways and others, I added to the gospel by communicating that there were better Christians if they obeyed such practices. To the Christians in Galatia it was akin to insisting that every Christian be circumcised (Ac 15:1,5).

“Give me liberty or give me death!” These famous immortal words of Patrick Henry were from one of the best speeches in history. They were uttered in 1775, a month before the start of the Revolutionary War. Because the sentiment of other politicians were more guarded against the expansive policies of the British Empire, Henry’s extended quote says, “I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!” It might be the words that most exemplify who an American is at his or her very core. It also well expresses the utmost cry of every living human being.

The attainment of freedom is not free. The cost of freedom is always great. In order to grant us our freedom, in a sense Jesus had to lose his freedom as God. Though he is the God of power and glory, he took on the weak limitations of human flesh (Jn 1:14). Though he is the eternal everlasting creator God (Isa 40:28), he allowed himself to be killed by sinful man (Ac 2:23). He became obedient to death, even death on the cross (Phil 2:8), so that we, who should die, might have life everlasting. Jesus lost everything so that we who have rightfully lost everything may gain everything. Jesus lost his freedom so that we may once again be free. Keeping and obeying church practices, rules, laws, regulations, traditions and expectations enslave us and cause us to be legalistic. Only Christ, through the Spirit (2 Cor 3:17), can truly set us free (Gal 5:1; Jn 8:36).

Questions:

1. Who was Paul angry with in Galatians and why (Gal 1:6; 3:1, 3; 4:10; 5:2, 4; 1:7, 9; 2:4; 5:10, 12; 6:12-13)?
2. What false gospel teaching was Paul combating in Galatians (Gal 1:6-9; 3:1-5; 5:7-12)? What is the result of such false teaching (Gal 2:4)? What might equivalent false gospel teachings be today?
3. What legalistic practices did the false teachers add to the gospel (Gal 5:2-3; 2:12, 14; 4:10)? How might we add to the gospel today? Why is this a false gospel (Gal 1:3-5; 2:16, 20)?
4. What does Paul regard as no value and count for nothing (Gal 5:6a; 6:15a)? What is of utmost importance (Gal 5:6b; 6:14, 15b)?
5. How is real freedom attained (Gal 5:1, 22-23; Jn 8:36, 31-32; 2 Cor 3:17)?