What Is Freedom In Christ?

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Galatians 5:7–15 (ESV)

7 You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? 8 This persuasion is not from him who calls you. 9 A little leaven leavens the whole lump. 10 I have confidence in the Lord that you will take no other view, and the one who is troubling you will bear the penalty, whoever he is. 11 But if I, brothers, still preach circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been removed. 12 I wish those who unsettle you would emasculate themselves!

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.” 15 But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.

Opening Prayer

The Accusation Against Paul

There is no doubt that the troublers of the Galatian churches laid false accusations against Paul.

The first couple of chapters of Galatians show that.

And, here Paul is addressing one of the accusations...

Galatians 5:11 (ESV)

11 But if I, brothers, still preach circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been removed.

Evidently, the false teachers were bringing up Paul’s past...

Saying You know Paul preaches circumcision...

Or was at one time an advocate of circumcision.

Maybe they were even saying...

We want to tell you what Paul left out.

Why Would the Offense of the Cross Be Removed by Circumcision?

Galatians 5:11 (ESV)

11 But if I, brothers, still preach circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been removed.

Paul is being persecuted every where he goes because of the gospel he preaches.

Acts 23:12–15 (ESV)

12 When it was day, the Jews made a plot and bound themselves by an oath neither to eat nor drink till they had killed Paul. 13 There were more than forty who made this conspiracy. 14 They went to the chief priests and elders and said, “We have strictly bound ourselves by an oath to taste no food till we have killed Paul. 15 Now therefore you, along with the council, give notice to the tribune to bring him down to you, as though you were going to determine his case more exactly. And we are ready to kill him before he comes near.”

Why? Why are they so concerned about the gospel being preached?

2 Corinthians 11:24–25 (ESV)

24 Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea;

Why so much animosity towards the gospel?

Because it removes the “Do” that our fallen nature craves.

It destroys all hope in self.

It destroys our incessant demand to be our own judge.

And, so there is a gnashing of teeth at such a doctrine.

Then Paul makes a statement about the troublers.

The false teachers in Galatia.

Circumcision is as Useless Now as Pagan Religion

The Galatians would have been familiar with the priests of the “goddess” Cybele.

They were called the Galli.

In order to become a Galli, one had to go through the initiation process.

The initiation was making oneself a Eunuch.

Paul is saying this doctrine the false teachers teach is as foreign to the new covenant as this pagan religion.

And, circumcision is now as useless as the initiation ritual of the Galli.

And, Paul would rather they become one of the priests of Cybele...

Than to disguise themselves as some sort of gospel missionaries.

Such rituals are an expression of being in the bondage to sin.

And, bondage to sin is what you’ve been freed from...

Not enslaved to...

Galatians 5:13 (ESV)

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.

The Gospel Frees Us from the Exact-ment of Doing

I want to say a few things about Christian freedom that I hope will be clarifying...

And, hence, helpful.

Because I think that in the last 10 years the doctrine of justification has been lifted up to important heights...

And, helpfully clarified in our evangelical circles.

And, it needed to be.

Because the doctrine of sanctification had been lifted up to such an extreme...

And, had become improperly defined and taught...

And, not properly balanced with the doctrine of justification...

That it was hurting people.

Good, well-meaning Christians we struggling.

They were pursuing sanctification without a clearly defined and deep enough understanding of justification.

Now, like any movement, they usually tend to sing too far.

And so, in many ways this new movement lifted up the doctrine of justification...

In such a way that it muddied the doctrine of sanctification...

And in some cases even did away with the doctrine of sanctification.

So, as to put at war with one another the doctrine of justification with the doctrine of sanctification.

Let me give you a scenario...

Before this new movement that in helpful ways brought justification back up to a good place...

Sanctification was so stressed as the end all, be all...

That most people would never had confessed and sought help in their sanctification...

Because good sanctification was the Certificate of acceptance in the Church.

So, Christians struggling with sin would not seek help.

This new movement comes along and the result of its imbalances are this...

Every one talks about their struggles with sin...

And, you dare not tell them they need to work on it.

They need to put those sins to death...

Replace them with fruits of the Spirit.

Both of those scenarios are a reality in the Church.

Both are caused by an imbalance and misunderstanding of the doctrines of justification and sanctification.

The doctrine of justification frees a person from the exact-ment of the Law...

And, gives you a heart to pursue the Law out of love for God...

Because you’ve been given a new heart.

And, we can pursue obedience to God...

With the freedom from worrying about being kicked out of covenant with Christ.

Justification removes the penalty of Law-breaking...

By the perfect righteousness of Christ...

And, the atoning work of Christ on the Cross.

But, that’s not all that happens at regeneration.

We cannot, nor does Scripture allow us to stop there.

We have been given a new heart that loves the Law of God...

And, so, now as new creatures in Christ...

We delight in the law of God.

We pursue obedience out of love for God...

And love for the Law...

Because the Law shows us what pleases God.

But, and we must cling to this truth...

And, preach this truth to ourselves every day.

We do not pursue obedience for the purpose of earning.

We pursue obedience because it is the context in which God has ordained our greatest pleasure in Him.

And, we pursue obedience because it is the context in which God has ordained our greatest joy, happiness, and satisfaction in life.

And, one day all of it will be enjoyed without the hindrance of sin.

Christian freedom is not freedom from caring about sin.

Christian freedom is not freedom from caring about becoming more like Christ.

Christian freedom is the freedom to pursue being like Christ in imitation.

To be able to live out your new nature.

God always lives according to His nature.

It’s not as if God wants to sin, but He’s just really good about resisting.

No, His nature is holy and righteous.

He does not sin, because He cannot sin.

He cannot lie, Scripture tells us.

He cannot sin. He cannot be the author of sin.

He does not tempt us to sin.

To sin, would go against God’s perfect, holy, righteous nature.

Theologically, we call the freedom taught in Scripture as Compatiblist Freedom.

God’s freedom is compatible with His nature.

God’s nature is perfectly righteous, and immutable.

Therefore, God doing what He pleases...

Equates God always acting righteously.

A person’s freedom is compatible with their nature.

After the Fall, and outside of Christ, we have a fallen nature and so our freedom is compatible to our fallen nature.

Hence, we sin because we have a fallen sinful nature.

We sin because we’re sinners.

Our Christian freedom is due to justification...

And, our being given a new inner nature.

We are a new creation.

We have a new inner being through regeneration.

And what holds us back from perfect obedience, Paul says...

Is the outer man that is wasting away...

That causes us, Rom. 7, to do what we don’t want to...

And, not do what we want to do.

And, Paul concludes with the fix for this...

And the fix, is being delivered from this body of death.

In glory, we will be given a new body.

And, we will be in a state in which we cannot sin.

That is the future, glorified state of what we long for in the consummation.

That will be the state and condition of our eternal life after the consummation.

Now, we fumble around in our pursuit of holiness in this life as Christians...

But, we still pursue it.

And, we pursue holiness within the parameters of freedom from the exact-ment of the Law.

Freedom in Christ is for the Pursuit of Imitating Christ

Think about the new covenant.

What was God going to do in the new covenant?

He was going to give you a new heart or a new spirit.

Jeremiah stated, “He's going to write the law on your heart.”

What's the point there?

God will do this for all the people in covenant with Christ...

You will want to do what you ought to do.

Remember, not perfectly in this life.

We’re still battling sin.

But, many Christians today are trying to assure struggling Christians by saying, “You don't need to worry about ‘what you ought to do’ anymore.

You don't need to worry about commands anymore.

But Paul says, “No, no, no.”

That's not how Christian freedom works.

Galatians 5:13 (ESV)

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.

Paul is saying the freedom you have in Christ is not for the pursuit of things that bring God displeasure.

The freedom you have in Christ is not so that you can relish in the things that are the very reason the wrath of God is coming.

Christian freedom is supposed to mirror the same freedom that God expresses.

Christian freedom does not put at war the doctrine of justification...

With the doctrine of sanctification.

They’re complementary.

They’re both wrought by the grace of God.

Without justification there would be no sanctification...

And, because there is justification...

There is sanctification.

And, joy in sanctification...

With all its hills and valleys...

Can only be sustained by the knowledge of our full justification in Christ.

Take Away

This is a truth that must be repeated over and over.

This is a truth that we must preach to ourselves every day.

That truth is this...

Anything you think you need to do...

Which adds to the finished work of Christ on your behalf...

In order to make yourself right with God...

Is a works salvation. A false gospel.

The gospel denies all boasting.

Your only claim is a claim on what Another (Jesus) did, fully and completely, on your behalf.

And because of our justification...

And, through the regenerating work of the HS in us...

And, through the knowledge of all the we have in Jesus...

And, through the knowledge of what our Savior delights in...

We imitate Him.

And, here’s the joy of imitation within the gospel...

And, within a position of being justified...

We are pursuing imitating Christ...

With the freedom to fail and not be exiled.

Why?

Because the covenant has been kept on your behalf by the Federal Head of the covenant, JC.

And, you lay hold of Jesus, by faith alone.

Closing Prayer