Article written by: Sister Brenda Wider, Grandmothers of Hope Society, Inc.
Galatians 5:1
It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore, keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.
Those who trust in Christ have been set free. The law reveals our sinfulness, but it cannot provide a way out. Jesus is the only One who ever kept the law perfectly, and then He died to pay the penalty for the sins of others. Those who continue to follow the law in order to be right before God are still slaves to their own sin. Those who come to God by faith in Christ are free.
We were freed by Jesus but whether we live free depends on whether we choose to walk in the new way of the Spirit or the old ways of the flesh. For example, a Christian who lives under the old ways of the law is not walking in the new way of the Spirit. Keep standing firm and don’t allow yourself to be tempted back to the old ways. We are under grace, not law. Living under the relentless demands of the law is a form of bondage. Jesus’ yoke is light and easy to bear, but the yoke of the Law is heavy and hard to bear. (Matthew 11: 28-30). If you use your freedom to enslave yourself to sin, then you have missed the point of grace. (1 Peter 2: 16) It was for freedom that Christ set us free, so be free. (2 Corinthians 3:17) To put it simply, we ought not let anyone tell us to follow all of the rules and restrictions of the law to be right with God.
Example: Sarah and Hagar: Two Covenants (Law and Grace Cannot Coexist)
Hagar the bondmaid, never was a free woman. So, the covenant of works never was free, and none of her children ever were. Sarah, the mother of the promise, never was a slave. (Galatians 4: 21-31)
Do not live as if you were working for wages and were trying to earning your own salvation. (Ephesian 2: 8-9; Titus 3: 5) Do not submit yourselves to the rituals, customs, and habits of man, which would rob you of your liberty in many ways, but having once become free, never again wear the chain of a slave. Stand fast in the liberty that Christ hath made us free. Because Christ has made you free by virtue of your new birth, stand fast in that glorious liberty. It is grace that makes Christians of us, grace that makes us free, and makes us know our standing in Christ Jesus. (Romans 6:15-23)
May you remember that you are children of the promise. Stand fast. Be not entangled by the yoke of bondage, for you are not under the law, but under grace. (Galatians 5: 1; Ephesians 1: 7)
Written and researched by Sister Brenda Wider
Grandmothers of Hope Society Ministry
Board Member