Liberty in Christ Jesus

Galatians 2:4 “And this occurred because of false brethren secretly brought in (who came in by stealth to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage)”

This verse is about a situation where some fault finders had come to the church in Galatia to check if there were any compromises. The liberty is often misunderstood among believers. We think that we are not allowed to be free and not allowed to enjoy our life. Sometimes it is just the opposite and worldly enjoyment is translated as our freedom. Both these are extremes and are not in line with what God has promised and delivered to us.

Bondage

Satan has been successful in making us believe or want a different thing as freedom in this new age. We do not want to be monitored and followed and we seek privacy as a very important right as part of citizenship. We have started believing that that freedom is a right to sin. The truth is the opposite as in John 8:34-36. When we sin, we become slaves. This arrangement of slavery is not permanent. Slaves do not abide forever and are transferred or sold to other masters. These transfers do happen constantly and there is no relief unless any of the masters is good. The only possibility of a good master is Jesus Christ. We need to understand that if we sin again, then we again serve our old master and reject and dishonor our freedom. We have the right to live without sin.

Liberty

The liberty is that we are not bound to any law. Rom 8:1,2 says that “the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set us free from the law of sin and death”. There was a law that said that whoever sins would die. This law has been invalidated and we have a new law that says whoever believes shall live. There is a very large difference between these two laws. The first law was given to preserve righteousness. The second law is given to create righteousness. We know that the Old Testament is a shadow of things to come (Col 2:17) which means that it was not the righteousness that God had intended for. The actual amount of perfection comes through Jesus Christ because He, the new Adam only had brought forth righteousness and thus life to all of us.

Law

This is a law. The law defines that there is life only in Christ Jesus. Living anywhere else is not identified as life but as being dead. We can see a lot of references where Jesus calling others as dead and believers as living (Mathew 8:22, 22:31,32). If we accept this as the only life, there will be no pursuit of anything of the world. The law is described as of the law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus. This means that the law states that Life in Christ Jesus is being executed by the Holy Spirit. We are expected to walk according to the Spirit as in Romans 8:1. Also when we receive the Holy Spirit, sometimes we think that He takes over us completely. This is not freedom when we are bound by Him. God is so righteous that the Holy Spirit is given to us as a helper for free living and this is through teaching and not by ordering.

The walking according to the Spirit is also a part of freedom which we enjoy. Bondage does not let us progress or move. We have to be stagnant there. Freedom makes us walk. But even this walking can be according to the flesh or the Spirit.

We are not bound to any law but are bound to the Holy Spirit. This is the reason that we are required to judge ourselves and not others. The Holy Spirit leads us each in his different ways as every baby’s growth is unique.

In Christ Jesus

The important rule here is that the liberty is in Christ Jesus. We have everything we need in Christ Jesus and not in this world. This world tries to enslave us whereas Christ has a new life for us where we are free and inherit everything He has. Christ did not inherit the riches of the world. A good sign of a person who is in Christ is that he always walks in the Spirit discerning everything and does not take human decisions. Fleshy decisions are not necessarily sinful, but may lead us away from God or discourage men from coming closer to God. This condemnation is what God has abandoned. The verse is precise that we are free from the law of condemnation.

Heirs

Romans 8:15 says that we are sons and joint heirs with Christ. This is a wonderful freedom. A son is not bound by law in his home, but is bound by relationships and the family’s reputation. Even if nobody has the right the question the son, he does not sin because he loves his family. A son has responsibilities. As in 1 Corinthians 10:23, the son has permission to go have fun outside, but will seek edification and things that are suitable for the family. There is a lot of forgiveness in the family because God sees us as his own children. Also we have to remember that we did not inherit this sonship. We were adopted when God looked at our misery and was merciful. It is not right for adopted children to be arrogant but be grateful throughout our lives. Romans 8:17 says that sons suffer with Christ and are glorified with Him. This suffering is freedom. We choose to suffer and not suffer by bondage.

In Galatians 2:5, 6 we can see Paul’s determination in holding up the gospel. There will be people who come inside the church and add unnecessary rules. Paul calls them as false brethren. They look just like brothers but have evil intentions. If we seek other’s condemnation in the church, then we are that false brother.  We need to ensure that everybody is encouraged towards Christ and in Christ. We are not required to follow traditional customs just because seniors recommend them. Paul saw nothing good in those who regard high of themselves. An older son is not highly regarded than a younger son but has high expectations from the family.

Our freedom is not our right to do whatever we want. The freedom comes to us only when we receive our inheritance from God through His first born Jesus Christ. This freedom came to us with a high price paid by Jesus Christ. Though we are not bound to condemnation, our sincere love and gratefulness should outrun all our personal desires and choose to suffer with the first born.