The secular idea of freedom is more than doing whatever we want. It is believing, thinking, speaking, worshiping, gathering, or behaving as we desire while not trespassing on others’ freedoms.
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in the State of the Union Address delivered on January 6, 1941, described two essential “freedoms of” and “freedoms from.”
The first is freedom of speech and expression and the second is freedom of worship. He added two more—freedoms from want and fear and suggested that governments help secure the last two.1
The Apostle Paul enlightens the Galatian Christians concerning Christian freedom. Like secular freedom, it is much more than doing whatever we want. It includes “freedom from” and “freedom to.”
He wrote, “So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law” (Galatians 5:1 NLT). Christ frees us from the burden of earning God’s favor by keeping His law. God graciously declares us righteous when we decide to live for Him rather than ourselves and receive Jesus, God’s provision for our sins, as our Savior and Lord.
Release from the law sets us free from sin’s dominion. Paul also wrote, “Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace” (Romans 6:14 NLT).
Jesus is our new master who enables us to fulfill God’s will for our lives. We still sin, but after becoming God’s children by grace through faith, we have the freedom not to sin, which is new.
Christ did not set us free to fulfill the secular idea of freedom. Life is not about us and what we can do to gratify ourselves (Romans 6:15).
Christian freedom’s purpose is to live for God and others. God called us to live in freedom without using it to satisfy our sinful natures but to serve one another in love. Loving our neighbor as ourselves sums up God’s law (Galatians 5:13–14).
Loving our neighbor as ourselves is faith breathing. Paul wrote, “For when we place our faith in Christ Jesus, there is no benefit in being circumcised or being uncircumcised. What is important is faith expressing itself in love” (Galatians 5:6 NLT). As a thermometer measures our physical health, our love measures the health of our faith. Christian freedom liberates us to live for God and others. See additional free spiritual growth resources for Christians. #freediscipleshipresources #freeevangelismresources #freechristianleadershipresources
See free spiritual growth resources for Christians at https://www.christiangrowthresources.com.
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