Introduction:
There are times animals act in a way that is completely and utterly baffling. One scenario that has resulted in horses frequently responding in an unfortunate way is barn fires. There are multiple accounts when a horse is freed from a burning barn, but instead of running out of the fire, they just run back into the barn from where they were just freed. If we are being honest, we relate to that horse to some degree. How many of us continue to run to the same sins that Jesus has already freed us from?
Galatians 5:1, 5:4-6
“For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery… You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace. For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.”
Think about it:
In Galatians 5, Paul is addressing the misconception that we are justified (saved) by grace through faith but sanctified (on-going change of heart to look more like Jesus) by our own doing. Paul is arguing that we are justified by grace through faith, and a continuation of that is to be sanctified by grace through the Spirit. At the heart of the issue, Paul is saying that God is changing us from the inside out, not the outside in. Paul would address this in verse 6, “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision (works of the law) counts for anything, but only faith working through love.” It is almost a default for us to believe our works are what bring us closer to God, but that has never worked and never will work. It’s faith alone in Jesus Christ.
Take away:
God wants us to be free people.
Personal reflection:
What would it look like to stand firm in freedom through Christ in your daily life?