What does it means to be "In Christ?" Pt. 15 Liberty to love God & others but no license to sin.
Good morning,
Today is a new day the Lord has granted us, so let us show people we come in contact with today that we can have a joyful life in a troubled world because of Christ.
Liberty in Christ
Galatians 2:1-5 Then fourteen years after I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, and took Titus with me also. 2 And I went up by revelation, and communicated unto them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to them which were of reputation, lest by any means I should run, or had run, in vain. 3 But neither Titus, who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised: 4 And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage: 5 To whom we gave place by subjection, no, not for an hour; that the truth of the gospel might continue with you.
The letter Paul wrote to the churches in the Roman province of Galatia were written out of a need to address false teaching about Gentile Christians needing to be circumcised. A conference was held at Jerusalem with all the apostles present in Acts 15:1-35.
The photo above is of the city Iconium. Other cities in the province of Galatia included Lystra and Derbe.
The council determined that Gentiles were not bound to keep the Mosaic law or to be circumcised however, that did not stop false teachers from trying to coerce non Jewish believers into doing so.
This text shows us some methods used by the devil to corrupt the Christian church. False brethren joined the church pretending to be born again when they were not. They were brought into the churches "unawares" which is a word that means these people were smuggled in or joined in a secretive manner.
They came in "privily" which is coming in alongside stealthily. What was their purpose? They were there to spy on the liberty Christians have in Christ. The word "spy" means that the Judaizers came in to scrutinize, to watch closely and to plot against the believer's liberty.
What is liberty?
Liberty in this case means to have the freedom to make choices about issues or things unrelated to salvation. Paul is stating that the born again Christian is free from having to keep the law and from observing all the sacrifices because Christ fully and perfectly satisfied our obligations under the demands of the law.
There is much wrong teaching about Christian liberty today and I must stress that liberty is never a license for a professing Christian to make sinful choices. God gave us His Word so we might always use what He said for a guide in making moral choices.
What is license?
"License" means abusing the liberty we have in Christ. It means exorbitant freedom that views God's law with contempt.
Liberty is a freedom that God gives us when we are born again. In the following text Paul makes very clear just how serious an offense it was for false teachers to lead people back into circumcision and law keeping.
Galatians 5:1-4 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. 2 Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. 3 For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law. 4 Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.
We are told to stand fast in the liberty where Christ has made us free from the curse of the law. Failure to stand fast in the liberty of Christ brings serious spiritual consequences. The believer in Christ is no longer tangled up in the minutia of the law. The word "entangled" means to be caught in a snare like an animal being trapped by a hunter.
The law can only condemn us and as such it is a yoke of works that no man can ever measure up to. Praise God that our substitute Jesus Christ as the God-Man did measure up to the standard of the law perfectly and His death counts for our death under the law.
Over and over we read that no man shall be justified by the law for this very reason. The righteousness of God which is by faith comes through faith in Jesus Christ death, burial and resurrection.
Galatians 5:13-14 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. 14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Paul continues his encouragement to rejoice in the liberty that each believer has been granted "in Christ." However, he also reminds them that liberty in Christ is not to be used to make carnal choices or to make choices that do not honor the will of God.
For example, many professing Christians in America think they have liberty to decide whether to take the Lord's day off and do whatever they please, or obey God's word. God's word is crystal clear (Hebrews 10:25 forsake not the assembling of yourselves together).
Loving God first and loving our neighbor are the principles that should govern our choices and guide our decisions. It is a joyful response to the God who made us free from the law's condemnation and grants us the righteousness which is by faith, not of works.
(Ephesians 2:8 & 9)
Many Christians in America profess to know Christ and yet do not care to read His Word. Yet, God's will is crystal clear. (2 Timothy 2:15 study to show thyself approved).
Romans 6:13-14 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. 14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
Paul makes it clear to us that we are not to sin. We sin when we know what God's will is and we fail to comply with it. We are not under the law because of the liberty we have in Christ but we are not to do that which is unrighteous. Rather, we are to yield ourselves to our God as alive through Christ and servants ready to live by His will.
Points to Ponder.....
Today is a new day the Lord has granted us, so let us show people we come in contact with today that we can have a joyful life in a troubled world because of Christ.
Liberty in Christ
Galatians 2:1-5 Then fourteen years after I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, and took Titus with me also. 2 And I went up by revelation, and communicated unto them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to them which were of reputation, lest by any means I should run, or had run, in vain. 3 But neither Titus, who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised: 4 And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage: 5 To whom we gave place by subjection, no, not for an hour; that the truth of the gospel might continue with you.
The letter Paul wrote to the churches in the Roman province of Galatia were written out of a need to address false teaching about Gentile Christians needing to be circumcised. A conference was held at Jerusalem with all the apostles present in Acts 15:1-35.
The photo above is of the city Iconium. Other cities in the province of Galatia included Lystra and Derbe.
The council determined that Gentiles were not bound to keep the Mosaic law or to be circumcised however, that did not stop false teachers from trying to coerce non Jewish believers into doing so.
This text shows us some methods used by the devil to corrupt the Christian church. False brethren joined the church pretending to be born again when they were not. They were brought into the churches "unawares" which is a word that means these people were smuggled in or joined in a secretive manner.
They came in "privily" which is coming in alongside stealthily. What was their purpose? They were there to spy on the liberty Christians have in Christ. The word "spy" means that the Judaizers came in to scrutinize, to watch closely and to plot against the believer's liberty.
What is liberty?
Liberty in this case means to have the freedom to make choices about issues or things unrelated to salvation. Paul is stating that the born again Christian is free from having to keep the law and from observing all the sacrifices because Christ fully and perfectly satisfied our obligations under the demands of the law.
There is much wrong teaching about Christian liberty today and I must stress that liberty is never a license for a professing Christian to make sinful choices. God gave us His Word so we might always use what He said for a guide in making moral choices.
What is license?
"License" means abusing the liberty we have in Christ. It means exorbitant freedom that views God's law with contempt.
Liberty is a freedom that God gives us when we are born again. In the following text Paul makes very clear just how serious an offense it was for false teachers to lead people back into circumcision and law keeping.
Galatians 5:1-4 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. 2 Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. 3 For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law. 4 Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.
We are told to stand fast in the liberty where Christ has made us free from the curse of the law. Failure to stand fast in the liberty of Christ brings serious spiritual consequences. The believer in Christ is no longer tangled up in the minutia of the law. The word "entangled" means to be caught in a snare like an animal being trapped by a hunter.
The law can only condemn us and as such it is a yoke of works that no man can ever measure up to. Praise God that our substitute Jesus Christ as the God-Man did measure up to the standard of the law perfectly and His death counts for our death under the law.
Over and over we read that no man shall be justified by the law for this very reason. The righteousness of God which is by faith comes through faith in Jesus Christ death, burial and resurrection.
Galatians 5:13-14 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. 14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Paul continues his encouragement to rejoice in the liberty that each believer has been granted "in Christ." However, he also reminds them that liberty in Christ is not to be used to make carnal choices or to make choices that do not honor the will of God.
For example, many professing Christians in America think they have liberty to decide whether to take the Lord's day off and do whatever they please, or obey God's word. God's word is crystal clear (Hebrews 10:25 forsake not the assembling of yourselves together).
Loving God first and loving our neighbor are the principles that should govern our choices and guide our decisions. It is a joyful response to the God who made us free from the law's condemnation and grants us the righteousness which is by faith, not of works.
(Ephesians 2:8 & 9)
Many Christians in America profess to know Christ and yet do not care to read His Word. Yet, God's will is crystal clear. (2 Timothy 2:15 study to show thyself approved).
Romans 6:13-14 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. 14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
Paul makes it clear to us that we are not to sin. We sin when we know what God's will is and we fail to comply with it. We are not under the law because of the liberty we have in Christ but we are not to do that which is unrighteous. Rather, we are to yield ourselves to our God as alive through Christ and servants ready to live by His will.
Points to Ponder.....
- We have been given a great gift of liberty and freedom in Christ.
- The church has always had those who seek to pervert liberty in Christ into something God did not intend.
- Where the will of God is revealed in His word we cannot go against it, claiming that we have liberty to do so.
- License is a word that refers to those who pervert the liberty we have in Christ, by ignoring the will of God.
Liberty that is in Christ frees us from slaving in sin so that we are free to serve our Great God. Liberty never means that what God has said about how we should live somehow becomes optional. It is the scriptures that Christ will judge us by when we pass from this life.
Seek to please God and mortify the flesh so that we do not turn liberty into license. May the Lord help us all to see how this applies in our lives and that He will show us how to honor Him with our choices.
Bob
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