It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Galatians 5:1 (NIV)
Some people in Paul’s day were worried about this idea of Christian freedom. It isn’t difficult to understand why.
If it is true that we are forgiven freely by the grace of God through the death of Christ, and our entrance into heaven is already assured, and it does not depend on our works, what motivation is there to live an authentic Christian life?
Suppose you are taking a calculus class, and on the first day the teacher says, “I have some good news for you. The outcome of your final exam is already secure. Every one of you will pass this class with flying colors. You will all get an A. The A will be my gift to you. It will not depend in any way on your score.”1
Now, how much work do you think the students will do for this class? Absolutely none. Why? Because there is no incentive!
This was the big issue for the false teachers at Galatia. If you teach sins forgiven and heaven secure by grace alone, you are inviting people to indulge the flesh. People will put as much effort into their Christian lives as a student who already knows the outcome of her calculus class.
So the false teachers said, There is only one solution—the law! And this was their message: Christ forgives all your past sins against the law. Now you must go and fulfill the law. So, let’s get started with circumcision! You can see their point. They were convinced that there are only two alternatives—keeping the law or indulging the flesh.
Paul’s message is quite different: You are free. Don’t lose your freedom either by returning to the law or by indulging the flesh. What are you to do then? Live by the Spirit (5:25).
What is your response to Christian freedom? Are you more skeptical like the false teachers? Are you motivated to live a godly life? Or something else?
1 I owe this analogy to Dick Lucas’s lectures on Galatians.
