You Were Called To Freedom

(Galatians 5:13)

This verse teaches all Christians about one of the great gifts we have in Jesus Christ, but with that gift comes great responsibility.

In Jesus Christ we receive true freedom. Freedom from sin, freedom from the old testament law and the ability to be set free from the passions, lusts, desires and vices of the flesh.

But as this verse teaches us, just because we have this freedom, we should not use it licentiously. We were not set free to do anything we like, as some people believe and preach today. We were set free so that we could learn how to serve Christ & God in Spirit and truth.

Called to Freedom

Jesus called us to freedom so that we could learn to live as He lived, and through the working of the Holy Spirit, be transformed into the image of God.

Think about God and Jesus Christ for just a moment. What are they like?

I’m reasonably sure you would agree that Jesus Christ, who is the image of God the Father, is perfect in every way. Similarly, we are told in Matthew 5:48 that, “You, therefore, must be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

This is our aim in Christ: to be perfect as He is perfect. Through the working of the Holy Spirit we are being slowly transformed into His image as the Spirit deals with all of our faults, imperfections and flaws. In due course we will be perfect as Christ is perfect.

But God in His wisdom established the New Covenant so that we could receive this perfection immediately on coming to Christ. We receive the free gift of righteousness by faith, and if God says we are righteous, then we ARE righteous. And if we are righteous by faith, then we are also perfect by faith as well.

God sees those people who come to Christ and are born again in Jesus Christ as being perfected by faith.

Now if we are perfect and righteous by faith, we do not have any sin in our lives. Our past sins are removed and taken away through entering into the death of Jesus by baptism. As John the Baptist said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who TAKES AWAY the sin of the world!” (John 1:28)

Also if we are now perfected by faith in Jesus Christ, and our past sins have been removed, so too all future sin must be dealt with.

Sin is the breaking of the law, as John wrote saying, “Every one who commits sin is guilty of lawlessness; sin is lawlessness.” (1 John 3:4)

So to deal with future sin, God removed us from the law so that we could no longer break the law or be condemned by the law. And if we do not sin because we cannot break a law that we are no longer under, then we remain perfect in the sight of God…by FAITH.

Does this mean we no longer make mistakes? No! Does it mean we don’t still mess up like we did before we came to Christ? No way!

All it means at this stage is that God has cleansed us of all sins, past, present or future through the redeeming blood of Christ Jesus. We still muck up and we still do the wrong things, but we are no longer condemned for those things as God knows we are all still “works in progress.”

He set us free from sin and the law so that we could learn to walk as Christ walked: in perfection. This is the point of the freedom we have in Christ. It was given so we could have a chance to stand in the presence of the Father and so that He would help us by giving us the Holy Spirit to do the last part of the transformation.

It is the work of the Holy Spirit to actually transform us into the image of Jesus Christ. We cannot do it ourselves but only by the help of God when He gives us the gift of the Holy Spirit.

When we are told we “must be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect,” the perfection we receive by faith is just the first step. The aim is that we are perfect in ALL we do, think, and behave so that as Christ walked, we will do the same.

But not all Christians understand this freedom. In deed some hold to teachings that suggest once you are saved you can do anything you like and it will be overlooked.

That is NOT why we were set free, and that is the second point in this scripture in Galatians 5:13.

”For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love be servants of one another.” (Galatians 5:13)

Licentiousness

When anyone uses the freedom that they are given in Jesus Christ to do whatever they like, they are using the freedom licentiously.

They think or believe that the freedom they have been given “licences” them to do as they please. They use the freedom as an “opportunity for the flesh,” to pander to their personal lusts, desires and weaknesses, falsely believing it is OK to do so.

There is a movement in the modern church that believes when a person is saved, they are always in the place of being saved, whatever they may do. The “once saved, always saved” is a dangerous set of beliefs, and is at odds with the truth of the gospel.

There is plenty of evidence of people falling away from grace and leaving the way of Christ in the Bible. If they choose to reject Christ and the gospel of salvation, how can anyone claim that a person is “once saved, always saved.”

This is a belief based not on salvation or freedom, but is based on licentiousness. It should be rejected.

So moving forward, let us take hold of the freedom we have been called to and use it as it was meant to be used. We are set free to learn the ways of God and to be transformed into the image of God by the working of the Holy Spirit. Do not fall victim to licentious ways. Do not think you can do as you please and get away with it.

God’s grace is meant to lead us to repentance, not licentiousness. So repent and learn the ways of the Lord and so become a part of His kingdom and His family.

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