“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free” (Galatians 5:1)
As Christians we have been “released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code” (Romans 7:6). There are now no rules; instead, we relate to God and other people out of love and by the Spirit. For people who are used to rules and laws, that can sound a bit scary. They are used to the familiar boundaries that come from being told exactly what to do and when to do it. But that is not how we were originally created to live. We were made as free creatures, and Jesus died to restore that freedom to us again.
What does it look like to be truly free? Paul gives us a clue: “You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love” (Galatians 5:13). True freedom is being who we were created to be, which is to live a life of love. When we see a bird flying, a horse running or a dolphin jumping through the waves, it is a picture of freedom. The reason is because it is in its native environment, free to do what it was made to do. Our native environment is the love of God. Our lives are all about receiving God’s love, returning it to him and giving it away to other people. “Freely you have received; freely give” (Matthew 10:8).
Where the law said, “You must do this,” grace says, “Do things as a gift of love, not because you have to.” A good example is giving money. Under the law, people were required to tithe (Deuteronomy 14:22). Under grace, whatever we give is voluntary. In fact, we are asked to only give if we are doing it freely and not out of any kind of obligation: “Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7). There are all kinds of reasons to be generous, but whatever we give is our free choice, making it a genuine gift from the heart.
So how do we know what to do in a particular situation if there are no rules? “Love is the fulfillment of the law” (Romans 13:10). In other words, all those rules in the law were pointing to just one thing: loving God and people. The law was a rough approximation of the way we were made to live, but it really had its problems: you can’t actually make a rule for every single situation. Love is adaptable, creative and spontaneous, responding to the need of the moment. What love looks like in a particular circumstance depends on many different factors, and might require wisdom, listening to God, weighing up what will help the person most and so on.
Part of the appeal of law is that it addresses people’s fear of “getting it wrong.” It is as if there is an inner cry saying, “Just tell me exactly what I’m supposed to do so God will like and accept me!” The good news is, Jesus already did all that for us, so we are now accepted forever. We can never “do it wrong” ever again. We live in an environment of grace, freedom, acceptance and love, which is where we thrive and grow the most. Law stunts our growth and leaves us unchanged, with only external conformation to its rules. Grace comes not only with acceptance but also with power, and does something real and transformative on the inside as well.
For reflection
1. “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” (2 Corinthians 3:17). What are some of the ways the Holy Spirit brings freedom?
2. After telling the Galatians, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free,” Paul goes on to say, “Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1) – meaning the law. How do we stay in a place of grace and freedom, and avoid going back to rules and performance based ways of relating to God?
3. Jesus said, “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36). Other translations say “truly free,” “really free” or “unquestionably free.” Think about what it means to have been genuinely and completely set free by Jesus.
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