As is often said, freedom is not free. It is expensive. It has to be fought for. And, once freedom is secured, there is often a struggle to protect and preserve that freedom.
Freedom is costly, and this is why it can only be obtained and protected if it is greatly valued. If freedom is not treasured, then it will be sacrificed.
Throughout Galatians 1-4, the Apostle Paul labored to make the point that Jesus paid the ultimate price to secure freedom for His people. If we value freedom, then we will value what Jesus has done for us. In Galatians 5-6, Paul calls the Galatians – and us – to be freedom fighters. This is not because we need to work hard to purchase our freedom; Jesus has already done that. Rather, he calls us to fight in order to secure and protect the freedom that Jesus bought for us. Paul gets very practical in Galatians 5-6, and he calls us to protect our freedom from two distinct threats.
Threat #1: Legalism. Paul warns us that we will be tempted to sacrifice our freedom in favor of trying to appeal to God on the basis of our good behavior and observance of rules. While this may seem silly to us, this temptation is deceptively appealing. It can feel good to come to God, saying, “I’ve been good this week. I haven’t yelled at anyone in my family, or slacked off at work, or broken any laws. And, to top it all off, I’ve given some of my money to people who are in need. Now, all I want to ask of you is that you keep me financially stable and healthy.” Legalism (following rules for the purpose of securing God’s blessing) is appealing because it makes us feel that we have done something to obligate God to do our will. It seems noble and commendable because we are following religious rules, but legalism is not godly. It is certainly not humble. When we practice legalism we put ourselves in the driver’s seat instead of yielding to God’s leading in our lives. Far from securing freedom, legalism only leads to a relationship with God marked by distance and slavish obedience. It does not reflect the sonship for which Christ set us free. This is why Paul begins Galatians 5 with the stirring call to “stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”
Threat #2: Indulgence. We might think that the opposite of legalism is simply to follow every whim and do whatever we please. After all, if Christ has set us free, shouldn’t we just do whatever we want all the time? Isn’t this what freedom is?
Paul’s answer is no. He says in Galatians 5:13, “You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather serve one another.”
Freedom has a purpose. It has a proper use. And freedom will be undermined if we abuse it and make it an excuse for selfish and self-indulgent behavior. According to Paul, freedom comes not through indulging the flesh, but rather by following the lead of the Spirit. The flesh will lead us into all kinds of destructive and enslaving habits and attitudes (5:19-21), while the Spirit will lead us to life-giving ways of interacting with God and other people (5:22-26).
Now that you are free, Paul tells us, don’t waste your freedom by using it as an excuse to be enslaved to your whims and momentary desires. Instead, treasure your freedom enough to trust God and follow His lead.
If you are a believer in Jesus, then you have been given freedom. But remember that this freedom was not free. While you are not called to purchase your own freedom, you are invited to fight against any threats to the proper expression and enjoyment of that freedom.
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