Getting Free and Staying Free

Passage: Galatians 5:19-21

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Introduction: Possessors of Faith

As I read Galatians 5, I thought to myself, “We cannot be condemned. There’s literally no judgment against the believer of Christ.” This is a scary fact to consider. This is what Romans 8:1 “1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus,” communicated. Is there a “but” to this?

The interesting thing about being in faith is that we are not always in reality. We are in between what was and what will be. We find ourselves perplexed by the things we have experienced and optimistic about the things that will be. Living in faith is about living in between two different worlds.

Now, I have found that it is easy to use faith when one is facing health problems. We use faith whenever funds get low. However, I am an observer and witness that faith is used sparingly when it comes to our own souls—the very thing that requires faith. And nothing seems to be more uncomfortable than existing in between the two worlds of the life of sin we once lived and the day of total perfection we will one day receive. This life requires full dependence on another, which is something we must become very comfortable with if we are going to be individuals of faith. For this reason, many independent people struggle with faith, because faith means to have trust.

So, when Paul says have faith what he means is be reliable, with fidelity, trusting. Now, this is an interesting understanding of faith for us, because we often think having faith is believing in the ability of God. Yet, the noun faith is not actually designated in this way. Rather, it is the thing that motivates a certain action from its possessor. That is one who has faith is reliable, faithful, and trusting. Here are a few examples of this:

Hebrews 11:3 (CSB)

3 By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible.

Hebrews 11:4 (CSB)

4 By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was approved as a righteous man, because God approved his gifts, and even though he is dead, he still speaks through his faith.

Hebrews 11:7 (CSB)

7 By faith Noah, after he was warned about what was not yet seen and motivated by godly fear, built an ark to deliver his family. By faith he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.

We can go through Hebrews 11 and see the correlation between the possessors faith and their actions. So, yes, faith says a lot about the one or thing to which we place our faith. However, it also says a lot about the one that has faith—whether they can be proven as diligent towards the one they have faith towards.

In the first century, faith was used to speak of someone who is trustworthy and honest. Now, notice the distinction in the two (1) I have faith in my wife, (2) I am married, and I have faith. What is the difference? Is there a difference? Yes, there definitely is. The first statement is saying I have faith in my wife, which means I have faith in her ability. Yet, the second is stating a quality about myself about the responsibility of being married. I have faith, so there are things I will do as a result of that faith.

This is the way we must think about our faith, and this sort of trustworthiness…this quality, will lead to the life that pleases God. Now what does this look like in real life? It is simply the fact that one who is the possessor of faith is relentless and consistent in depending on God source of all that we need.

There are two main benefits of living in faith: 1) Freedom and 2) Life in the Spirit.

Freedom and the Challenge to Stay Free

Galatians 5:1 is such an incredible passage. It literally means Christ has set us free to maintain our freedom. The imperative command is, “don’t be enslaved again.” Now, what is the problem with this command? Why would anyone want to be enslaved? Why wouldn’t a person prefer freedom? One story declares that bondage is often preferred over freedom for two reasons: memory and legalism.

AMG Bible Illustrations Freedom

I will never forget the day I watched about 40 khaki-clad men get off an old rattletrap brown bus in Houston, Texas. Some had scars on their faces. I especially remember one man whose arm had been amputated. Some of them looked tough. I remember thinking I would not want to meet some of those guys in a dark alley. Others looked like clean-cut, all-American boys. They all had two things in common. Each man had served time in prison and each man had been freed. Freedom had been a long time in coming. They measured the time they had served by calendars. As I talked with some of those men, it soon became apparent that adapting to freedom would require some adjustment. They were so used to forced regimentation that some of them really did not know they were free. They asked if I represented the Texas Department of Corrections. As children of God, we sometimes do not quite comprehend the fact that we have been set free by our Savior. Some of us are imprisoned by the memories of a sinful past. Lloyd Ogilvie said, “The memory of past failure is like sand in the gears of our effectiveness.” God did not put the handcuffs of past memories on you. They are self-imposed. He wiped out your sins in order that you might have seasons of refreshing (Acts 3:19). Other Christians are incarcerated by legalism. They read the Bible to learn of its rules. The legalist with a sensitive conscience knows he cannot keep God’s laws perfectly. Maybe that is why the novelist John Updike said, “I agree with the Jews. One Testament is enough.” If faith is solely a matter of lawkeeping, I would agree. The Psalmist was talking about the Old Testament when he said, “The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul” (Ps. 19:7). There was no need for a new law code, but there was a need for freedom from the consequences of disobedience. Small wonder that legalists either live in a state of perpetual discouragement or self-righteous hypocrisy. The legalist does not understand that “everyone who believes in Him is freed from all things” (Acts 13:39 NASB). If you are living in a prison of your own making, you can walk through the doors of freedom today. “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free” (Gal. 5:1).

This quote acknowledges a very powerful point: Slavery does something to mind of an individual that affects one’s perception of themselves and the world. The truth is we as Christians need to know:

God is not holding our past against us, so we need to forget those things that are behind.

Freedom does not require a law, so stop reading the Bible as a rule book.

Refer to Dr. Michael Halloran’s paper African American Health and Posttraumatic Slave Syndrome: A Terror Management Theory Account. Halloran’s paper argues that the lingering impact of slavery in the mind of African Americans is just as detrimental as the actual existence of slavery. Cultural slavery is when the experiences of a culture’s ancestors has a lasting impact on the culture, even when the system of oppression has been diminished or removed. Accordingly, the struggles African Americans face in regards to their health, mental well-being, and social predicament is a perpetuation of a previous generation’s struggle.

Here’s why getting out of religious slavery is important....If you don’t your kids won’t.