HOW SHOULD WE EXERCISE OUR LIBERTY IN CHRIST?
By Ezekiel Kimosop
Galatians 5:1 says "Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage" (NKJV).
What can we draw from this Scripture?
This scripture underscores the liberty that we have in Christ which was brought to us by His finished works of Calvary. It calls on us to stand steadfast in the liberty, the divine freedom that Christ brought to us. He redeemed us through His sinless blood (Acts 20:28-29).
However, the Bible elsewhere proclaims that our freedom in Christ is subject to the law of Christ.
Galatians 6:2 says "Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ."
This scripture speaks about our Christian responsibility to one another, to cherish and support one another in our walk of faith, including restoring the erring (cf. James 5:19-20).
I wish to summarize the exercise of our spiritual liberty in the context of three key areas of focus:
A) OUR LOVE FOR GOD.
This is the covenant love for our heavenly Father who gave a ransom for us while we were yet sinners (Romans 5:8).
We should cherish our relationship with God by watching our devotion to Him in worship and in the exhortations of Scripture.
B) OUR LOVE FOR THE SAINTS.
We are members of God's household of which Christ is the first born among many brethren, the first born from the dead (Rom. 8:29; Rev. 1:5). He is the firstfruits of those who will be raised to eternal life in Christ. We are therefore bound by our brotherly love to reach out to one another in Christ.
Our loving relationship with one another is evidence of what Christ has accomplished in us. Jesus taught in in John 13:34-35, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."
C) OUR LOVE FOR OTHERS.
Our love for God should propel us to obey the great command in Matthew 28:19-20.
God has put in our hearts the desire to reach out to the lost with the gospel.
How should we accomplish this task? Not all of us are evangelists or pastors or Christian missionaries, but we are all required to witness for Christ in our respective spheres of influence. We are ambassadors for Christ (2 Cor. 5:20).
This task can only be accomplished through our love for the lost, knowing that God seeks to touch them as he did us in Christ.
Paul was commanded by Christ on the road to Damascus to take the gospel to the Gentiles so that God may "... open their eyes in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me" (Acts 26:18).
CONCLUSION
Our liberty in Christ is governed by the agape love from God that expects nothing in return.
Our freedom in Christ is therefore subject to what pleases God and fulfills His divine purposes through us.
We are not to abuse our freedom by moral disobedience or rebellion under the guise of the OSAS slang that says "once saved always saved". There are plain consequences for our moral disobedience that are plainly stated in the Bible.
Let us therefore exercise our spiritual freedom in wisdom and seek to please our heavenly Father.
Have a blessed weekend.
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