READ Galatians 5:1-6

This morning our reading directs us to the liberty we have in Christ, rather than the bondage realized in the Law of Moses.  

It was the American patriot Patrick Henry who said, "Give me liberty or give me death."  Henry knew what it was like to live under the thumb of a tyrant. Along the way, he had the good fortune to get a small taste of liberty.  And once he tasted liberty, his tastebuds exploded with flavor.  The bland taste of bondage would never satisfy him again.

In the same sense, the law serves as a tyrant.  It shows no mercy and hates anything related to freedom.  Anyone who weds himself to the law will be entangled in the chains of bondage.  What is the alternative for the Christian believer?  Liberty in Christ. Galatians 5:1-6 directs us to the liberty we have in Christ, rather than the bondage realized in the Law of Moses.  The last verse in Galatians 4 reminds us, "...we are not children of the bondwoman (the law), but of the free (grace)."  Jesus Christ through His death and resurrection has cancelled the Law as a manner of approach to God.  The liberty Paul speaks of isn't a liberty to live any way one pleases, it is liberty from the Law.  He states: "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage." There were those in Galatia who attempted to add the keeping of the Law of Moses as necessary for salvation, Paul commanded the church not to fall into such a trap.

We are to stand fast in liberty because:

1.  Christ has freed the believer from the Law (v.1).

2.  The law is not God's way for man to be justified (v.2-4).

3.  The hope of righteousness is by faith (v.5-6).

Don't allow people to add anything, as a condition for salvation, which perverts the blessed Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ!

Your Friend and HIS,

Pastor Abbott

MEDITATIONS

1.  What things could become potential entanglements of bondage to you?  What protective barriers have you put in place in order to stay free?

2.  Can rituals sometimes become yokes of bondage?  What can you do to keep rituals from enslaving you, from becoming the focus of attention instead of Christ Himself?

3.  What is the difference between faith and hope?

4.  Upon what is your hope to be focused?

5.  What difference does hope make in your Christian journey?

6.  What did Paul mean when he said "faith which worketh by love" in verse 6?  Does your faith work like this?  What adjustments do you need to make?