Faith and Freedom: Freedom!

: Freedom!

Introduction: Devotions with my family “Freedom in Christ”

The act of transitioning from being a slave of this world to being a slave of Christ (; ), God (). and righteousness (v. 18).

Understanding the Passage: Paul’s Summarizing the Problem

For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

2 Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. 3 I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. 4 You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace.

Paul’s Summarizing the Problem

vv.1-5:

Lot of Negative Review:

Negatively:

Don’t let yourself be burdened by a yoke of slavery (v.1)

We’ve seen in prior passages, that Paul likens going back to Old Testament Law to falling back into paganism- not the most glaring endorsement of the Law, and would have been super controversial.

Christ has no value if you let yourself give into the Law (v.2)

Christ came to fulfill the Law, and so if you miss Christ, you miss the Gospel! Through Jesus we have freedom from the Law, so by going back to the Law, you are ignoring the power of Jesus’ liberating power!

If you let yourself be circumcised, you are obligated to obey the whole law! (v.3)

Don’t just stop with circumcision:

Sabbath Keeping, Sacrifices: Clean, unclean catagories

Paul: “Need to have an all or nothing mentality”

It’s a vortex that has an all or nothing mentality.

SEE VS. 9: A little leaven leavens the whole lump!

What appears to be just a little law enforcement impacts the whole lump.

Result of Going back to the Law

You are trying to be justified by Law (v.4)

In other words, you are ripping the heart out of the Gospel!

What happens? You are cutting yourself off of Christ and falling away from grace (v.4)

Yet by doing so, you are cutting yourself off of Christ and falling away from grace (v.4)

“Severed” “alienate”= “To condemn to inactivity” “To remove from the sphere of activity”

Work= agro= opposite of energy (a+e). Workless, useless, unserviceable.

Kata= “to make completely inoperative”

Controversial: YOU ARE LABELLED ‘unserviceable’ from CHRIST.

Example: Buying a brand new supercomputer

“I can’t work this thing!”

Pulling out the old typewriter and feeling comfortable behind that obsolete piece of trash.

Severed from Christ, fallen away from grace.

In Christ, circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value! (v.6)

Severed from Christ, fallen away from grace.

“You are workless, useless, completely inoperative” if you revert back to performance driven religion.

Positive Review: Summary of Galatians

Positively:

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.

5 For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.

v.1: It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.

For THROUGH THE SPIRIT,

BY FAITH, we await righteousness through the Spirit...

By faith we await righteousness through the Spirit...

IN CHRIST JESUS… the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.

Massive amount of Theology:

v.13: What does faith working through love mean?

Christ=Fulfills the Law

Holy Spirit= Holy Spirit Replaces the Function of the Law.

If your goal is righteousness, this is how you receive it: Through the Spirit by faith. How because Christ removed it’s purpose. So rather than focus your freedom on trying to shackle yourself back to the Law, this is how you live in freedom: “Faith working through love” or “Faith expressing itself through love.”

vv.13-15: Freedom to serve one another. “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Holy Spirit= Holy Spirit Replaces the Function of the Law.

Scott McKnight: “For Paul, just as Jesus was the fulfillment of the law, so the Spirit is the replacement (and fulfillment) of the law as God’s instrument for moral guidance. In other words, the Spirit takes the place of the law for the Christian.”

Properly Understanding Christian Freedom:

Application: Called to Freedom!

What is it?

13 For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

13 For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Culture’s Definition of Freedom:

Christian Freedom= Freedom to love

The act of transitioning from being a slave of this world to being a slave of Christ (; ), God (). and righteousness (v. 18).

Stott: “It is an unrestricted liberty of approach to God as His children, not an unrestricted liberty to wallow in our own selfishness.”

Freedom to be bound to your neighbors well being!

What is it not?

What is it not?

Freedom for the Flesh

“do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh”

Pivot Point in the Book:

“ do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh”

You have freedom, but your freedom is still a form of slavery.

Don’t go backwards in history by joining nationalistic, legalistic, Law-Shaped Israel.

BUT ALSO, don’t use the freedom I’m talking about to do whatever you want!

You have freedom from the Law, but you also have a freedom now as a servant for Christ!

We don’t have a problem wanting to join 1st Century Judaism… BUT, the temptation to use our freedom for the flesh is still there!

Freedom for the Flesh: How do we do that in 2020?

Financial Freedom

Freedom 55: Freedom= Early retirement

Freedom= Early retirement

Freedom is living on the beach without responsibility or demand on your time.

Social Freedom

Critical Race Theory:

Liberation Theology:

Jesus is the Political Liberator who associates with the oppressed and who knocks down the oppressor!

Marxist Influenced Worldview:

Oppressed and oppressor- power dynamics in culture.

Powerful=oppressed

Freedom is the removal of the power dynamics

Freedom is the removal of the oppressor.

Oppressor is male

Neil Shenvi: Commentary: the Bible views humanity not primarily in terms of oppressed and oppressor, but in terms of those who are in Christ, and those who are outside of Christ (, ). Moreover, sin cannot be reduced to ‘oppression’ (). Human solidarity is primarily found not in a common experience of oppression, but in being made in God’s image, being fallen in sin, and -for Christians- being redeemed by Jesus.

Enemy= Humans

Enemy= Satan, Evil, ourselves

Counseling

Freedom of Self-Expression

Do whatever and BE whoever you want to be.

Freedom to do and be: Total autonomy (self-law)

Paramount Cultural Value- plenty of power

“There aren’t a million fish in the sea.” There are just a few, actually...

Dwayne Wade:

Dwayne Wade:

“God has called us to this!”

"She's leading us along this journey," he said.

"She's leading us along this journey," he said. https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/dwyane-wade-says-trans-daughter-zaya-knew-gender-identity-she-n1138196

Permission to give into impulse, feeling, experience, desire.

DON’T WASTE YOUR FREEDOM ON YOURSELF!

Counseling

What is Christian Freedom?

Stott: “It is an unrestricted liberty of approach to God as His children, not an unrestricted liberty to wallow in our own selfishness.”

Freedom to be bound to your neighbors well being!

Application: Keep the Offense of the Cross Alive!

How is the offense of the cross removed?

Stott: Verse 11: If I, brethren, still preach circumcision, why am I still persecuted? In that case (i.e. if I were still preaching circumcision) the stumbling-block of the cross has been removed.

Stumbling-block= Scandal. NIV= Offense

Stumbling-block= Scandal. NIV= Offense

Stumbling-block= Scandal. NIV= Offense

Scandal= All Grace!

Scandal = Law is gone, only way to be saved is faith.

Scandal isn’t the Law anymore

Scandal is the Cross