“You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.” – Galatians 5:13
How do you choose between doing the right thing or not?
This is a big issue in the church. The Bible teaches us that we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ and this is a gift. It’s not by our works so no one can boast. In other words, we are free from being under the Law of God and live in the freedom of God’s grace.
This, however, is scary to a lot of people. What will these saints who are also sinners do with this freedom? Will they choose to do the right thing if there is no threat of punishment? In fact, many churches descend into legalism out of fear that without the threat of the Law, people will just sin more and more.
Fear is a terrible motivator The idea that we can get Christians to live right if we just put the fear of God into them is both wrong and wrong-headed.
We’re still sinners. It’s wrong because even the greatest saint among us sins daily…a lot. Think of Israel. They lived under the Law and they definitely didn’t perfectly follow that Law, not even close.
It leads to fear or pride. We all sin. So, when someone is being told to live under the Law, they cope with their sin either by constantly living in fear and defeat (which eventually leads to them quitting) or they minimize their sin and become prideful of how well they are doing (which leads them away from repentance).
Love is a much better motivator. Which would you describe as the better marriage, one where each person tries to do everything perfectly for their spouse because they are afraid of what their spouse will do if they mess something up or one where each person tries to serve the other with joy because they love their spouse and know they are loved by their spouse?
The Bible leads with love. The Bible says we are freed from Law and saved by grace.
In Romans 6, Paul asks the rhetorical question. At the end of Romans 5, it says,
“The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” – Romans 5:20-21
So, Romans 6 starts with the question,
“What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?” – Romans 6:1
The answer is, “no,” but the reason is what’s really interesting. Paul doesn’t return to the Law and say we must all follow it because God said so. Rather, he grounds the answer in the Gospel and who we are in Christ. We have died to sin and been raised to new life in Christ. So, live that new life!
It can be a scary place to stand, but it’s the right place. We have been made free through the Gospel and our salvation is solely by grace through faith apart from our works.
How will we use that freedom?
God’s Word bases the response in the Gospel. This leads to love and gratitude rather than fear or pride. Will we always chose the right path? No. We are still sinners. However, However, rather than being terrified of God or minimizing our sin, the Gospel allows us to recognize our sin and live a life of repentance knowing that our forgiveness and life are found solely in Jesus.
Heavenly Father,
You have given me freedom, but I have not always used it to follow Your ways. Please forgive me and help me to live for You and for that choice to be made from a grateful heart for the love and grace You have shown me and continue to show me every day.
“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.” – Romans 8:1-2
(I’ve talked about the distinction of Law and Gospel before but as a reminder… A Bible passage is Law when it talks about we are supposed to do. A passage is Gospel when it talks about what God has done for us.)
What is your favorite Gospel passage of the Bible?
Romans 8:1-2 is one of my favorites. What a wonderful thing to hear from God especially following Romans 7.
In Romans 7, Paul describes the struggling life of a Christian, how even though we want to do good and follow Jesus, we keep sinning. Maybe you know what Paul is talking about. Maybe you have experienced the constant struggle against sin and the constant struggle to do good and find yourself failing a lot. I know I do.
Paul finishes with this:
“Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.” – Romans 7:24-25
I definitely have had my “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” moments and still do. I feel like I’ve totally blown it…again. All I can do is throw myself at the feet of Jesus. It’s an amazing relief and joy to then hear those words from God.
“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.” – Romans 8:1-2
If, like me, you find yourself struggling with sin and feeling like you have totally blown it, hear those words from God for yourself.
“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.” – Romans 8:1-2
Heavenly Father,
I have sinned again You and those around me. I want to do what is right, but constantly fail. I try to avoid sin, but keep doing it. Please forgive me. Thank You for sending Your Son to die for me. Remind me every day that You have saved by Your amazing grace and give me peace.
Amen.
PS – Yes, I know I repeated the same passage 3 times in this devotion. Sometimes we need to hear the Gospel over and over.
“Your right hand, O Lord, glorious in power, Your right hand, O Lord, shatters the enemy.” – Exodus 15:6
What is Your favorite song of praise to God?
This passage from Exodus is part of Moses’ song after God led His people out of Egypt through the Red Sea. God had just freed the people of Israel from slavery in a mighty and miraculous way. Moses recounts with great joy what God had done for them. It reminds me of A Mighty Fortress.
This passage can be ours as well.
God’s majestic power has freed us and destroyed our enemies, sin, death, and the devil. Jesus’s death and resurrection have won our salvation and defeated our enemies!
The enemy, now, has no power over you. Jesus has defeated Him. Praise the Lord!!
Almighty God,
You have defeated all my enemies. I fear no evil for my enemies have no power over me.
Amen.
What is your favorite song of praise? Take a few minutes to sing/listen to it and praise the Lord!
“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.” – Galatians 5:1
Today is July 4th. It’s a day we celebrate the independence of the United States. We celebrate the rights and freedoms we have living in this country. It is certainly something to celebrate and be thankful for.
Today, you can also take the opportunity to thank God, not just for the freedoms we have in the U.S., but the freedoms He has given. His are the greater freedoms. They are freedoms which no invading force can take from us. They are freedoms that exist even when in physical captivity.
The freedoms God has given us are many, including:
Freedom from the guilt of our sin
Freedom from death and condemnation
Freedom being enslaved to sin
Freedom to love and follow Jesus
Freedom to truly love our neighbor
Freedom from having to earn our salvation by our works
It is this last freedom that Paul is writing about in Galatians 5:1. The Galatians were being told by a certain group of people that in addition to believing in Jesus, they needed to live by all the Jewish laws and customs in order to be right with God. This group was trying to bring the Galatians back under the Law.
Paul is admonishing the Galatians to resist this group and trust in the finished work of Jesus Christ. They had been freed from the Law. He is telling them that no additional works are needed. All that is needed was accomplished by Jesus and received by them through faith.
What wonderful news!
This message is not just for the Galatians, but for you and me as well. Through faith in Jesus Christ, our sins have been removed and we have been made righteous. Our works cannot add anything to our salvation. We are truly free to live in Christ.
So, let us, today and every day, celebrate the freedom we have in Jesus Christ.
Dear Jesus,
Thank you for the freedoms we enjoy in the United States. Even more, however, thank you for the freedoms we enjoy through You.