Freedom
in Christ
By
Stephen Terry
Sabbath
School Lesson Commentary for December 3 – 9, 2011
“You
who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ…”
Galatians 5:4. NIV
Remember Christian from the book by John Bunyan, “Pilgrim’s
Progress?” With the burden of all his sins on his back, he meets Mr. Worldly
Wiseman. The well-dressed, dapper gentleman blithely sends him on his way to
Mount Sinai where he assures Christian that Legality will help him with his
burden. However, the burden grows heavier rather than lighter and his
realization that he has strayed from the good counsel of Evangelist fills him
with despair.
At this timely moment Evangelist arrives and sets
Christian’s path aright. Marveling that Christian had so quickly turned aside,
he points out that Legality from Mount Sinai is himself enslaved. (See
Galatians 4:24) He asks Christian why he would think that someone who cannot
set himself free could give him freedom from his burdens? At this point
Christian realizes his alienation from the way Evangelist had previously shown
him and begs to be set back upon the right path.
It is this slavery that Paul speaks of when he writes, “It
is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let
yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” Galatians 5:1, NIV This yoke or burden is all the law is able to
give us. The further we progress into legality, the heavier the burden becomes
until, like Christian, we can scarce carry it further. In this way, the law
becomes our “schoolmaster” showing us its complete inability to deliver us from
the weight of the sins that have enslaved us by means of the law. (See Romans
7:7-10) With that burden on our shoulders, we feel the death dew on our brow
and become fixated on anything that may promise to relieve the crushing weight.
Whether we try to distract ourselves with a flurry of activity, riches, social
events, or the accumulation of honors, in the end, it is little more than
plugging our ears with our fingers and going “Na, na, na!” The burden remains
and does not lighten even a little.
The only recourse is the same as John Bunyan wrote of.
We must enter the straight gate and lay our burdens at the foot of the cross.
In fact when we come to Jesus the burdens will fall away on their own. Jesus
promised it. He said, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle
and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy
and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:29-30, NIV
In effect, we exchange the burden fastened upon us by the law for the
light weight of the yoke of Christ. Yet, that yoke is not a yoke of bondage as
we had received from the law and the covenant of Hagar. (See Galatians 4:24)
Instead it is freedom. Jesus said, “…if the Son sets you free, you will be free
indeed.” John 8:36, NIV
Is the freedom complete? It cannot be. While the Spirit
comes into our hearts to guide us, while the righteousness of Christ is counted
as our own, we still live with our corrupt bodies. That will not change until
Jesus returns in the clouds. (See 1 Corinthians 15:51-53) Until then, in our bodies
we will continue to desire to be under the law, bound to it by sin. But Jesus
has given us the possibility of something better by removing the condemnation
that will allow us to receive the promised transformation at His return. It is
that condemnation that has burdened us and that the cross removes. (See
Colossians 2:13-15)
The Spirit within will not desire to be enslaved to the
law and will lead us aright. However, if we turn from the Spirit’s leading we
continue to have an advocate as Christ died on the cross for all sins, not just
the sins of our past. John put it like this, “My dear children, I write this to
you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with
the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.” 1 John 2:1, NIV God will not abandon us. If we make the
mistake of turning back to our burdens under the law, He stands ready to welcome
us back to freedom.
This is not good news to some. This is illustrated in
the parable of the prodigal son. (See Luke 15:11-32) The older brother had a
great anger that his father could so easily forgive and reinstate his younger
brother after all he had done wrong. It caused the older brother to feel that
all he had done to stay in his father’s will was without value. Instead of
rejoicing that his brother had returned and that his father was so kind and
compassionate, he was filled with jealousy over the grace that was so freely
extended to his younger brother. His father pointed out to him that he had been
living in his grace the whole time but chose to live enslaved to obedience to
what he imagined to be his father’s will.
Many in Christendom are like the older brother, feeling
the full burden of the obedience that they feel assures them of God’s favor,
they are jealous of the free grace extended to those who do not have any works
of obedience to offer. The older brother would probably have felt better if
some great work of penance had been fastened onto his sibling. Those who are
enslaved to the law often feel this way. They want proof that the sinner is
really repentant.
These individuals feel uncomfortable with Philip’s hasty
baptism of the Ethiopian eunuch. (See Acts 8:26-39) They are those who feel
that evangelists do not prepare people enough before baptism and are quick to
say “I told you so!” when one of the little ones recently baptized falls away.
Not delivered from the burdens themselves, they are eager to burden others as
well. People with hearts like these have always existed to trouble those who
are seeking deliverance. Jesus said of them in His day, “Woe to you, teachers
of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a
single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a
child of hell as you are.” Matthew 23:15, NIV
Strong words but Jesus is not pleased by those who would
take those who seek freedom in Him and drag them into bondage. Even Paul says
of these people, “…some false believers had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the
freedom we have in Christ Jesus and to make us slaves.” Galatians 2:4, NIV The problem is that just like the older
brother in the parable, those who have lived their lives in obedience to what
they believe God’s will to be are heavily invested in the merit that they believe
they have accumulated through their obedience. They cannot easily lay aside
such a commitment. They forget that Jesus gave His life in love as a balm for
their disobedience, not their obedience. This continues for as long as they
will live if they continue to come to Him. His sacrifice continues to be a balm
for their disobedience. As long as they continue to come to Him, His grace will
apply. Jesus said, “…whoever comes to me I will never drive away.” John 6:37,
NIV
We cannot see the future course of each person. We
cannot see into their hearts. We can only see the past things they have done. With
this incomplete knowledge we err in setting ourselves up as judges and
disciplinarians. We also are imperfectly walking in God’s will and rely moment
by moment on God’s unbounded grace for our own salvation. How then can we so
easily exclude others from the fellowship of grace based on our accusations
concerning their past behavior? If Jesus would never drive these away, why
would we?
The conundrum here is that we ourselves can never be
free while we deny freedom to others. If anything, the Bible reveals that we
are forgiven as we extend forgiveness. We receive compassion as we show
compassion to others. We receive love as we show love to others. As Paul said, “Do
not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.” Galatians
6:7, NIV If we want to sow a crop of
judgment, discipline and exclusion that is exactly what we will reap in our relationship
with God. As we enslave others under the law so we will be enslaved.
God has promised us freedom and salvation for no other
reason than that He loves us. (See John 3:16-17) This is the hope and the joy
of the Christian. The world rejoices in our enslavement, but God rejoices in
setting us free. I can only love a God like that. How about you?
This Commentary is a Service of Still
Waters Ministry
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