The True Meaning of Christian Liberty
Dr. Stephen Yuille has been married to Alison for thirty-three years. They have two daughters and one grandson. Dr. Yuille is a Content Director/Editor at Reformation Heritage Books, while also serving as a Professor of Church History and Spiritual Formation at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. He has over thirty years of ministry experience and is currently the preaching pastor at Fairview Covenant Church in Granbury, Texas. He has published an extensive list of academic articles and books in Puritan studies. He has also published several popular works in biblical studies.
The following article is adapted from Week 6 of Gospel Realities: Lessons from Galatians, “Liberated in Christ.”
Gospel Realities: Lessons from Galatians is an 8-week multimedia Bible study by Dr. Stephen Yuille that guides us through the book of Galatians to help us grasp the sole sufficiency of Christ, applied by the Holy Spirit, to justify us before God and give us all we need to live lives of obedience.
In Galatians 5:1, Paul addresses the threat of legalism: “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” Some teach that it is necessary to be “under” the Old Testament law to obtain a right standing before God. Paul challenges this idea by affirming that Christ frees us from the obligation to fulfill the law. He has fulfilled it, and He has borne its curse. By faith in Christ, we become one with Him and obtain a right standing before God. We are free in Christ.
In 5:13, Paul addresses another threat, namely, libertinism: “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.” Since the start of the letter, he has emphasized the believer’s freedom in Christ. He knows some might interpret his comments as implying that we are free to live as we please. Here is what Paul wants them (and us) to grasp: freedom is not the liberty to do what we want but the liberty to do what God wants.
Free to Deny the Flesh
For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh.—Galatians 5:13
The “flesh” refers to our propensity to self-love, which alienates us from God. It enslaves us, darkening our minds, hardening our hearts, and binding our wills.
Because we are dead in our trespasses and sins, we must be born again (John 3:3). The new birth includes the enlightening of the darkened mind, the softening of the hardened heart, and the liberating of the enslaved will. It is a new condition which gives rise to a new inclination.
The reality is, however, that we are only renewed in part. After the new birth, the flesh remains. There are now two semi-intact motivational systems within us: the flesh (love of self) and the Spirit (love of God). They wage war against one another. Paul’s point is that, by God’s grace, we possess the freedom to deny the flesh. The dominion of sin has been broken, and therefore, we are no longer enslaved to it (Rom. 6:6).
Free to Serve the Church
For you were called to freedom, brothers. … through love serve one another.—Galatians 5:13
Because freedom in Christ liberates us from the desires of the flesh (i.e., selfishness), we now serve one another. Such loving service is characterized by affection, tenderness, sacrifice, giving, and forgiveness. We no longer think in terms of what we want, desire, or deserve; rather, we think of others ahead of ourselves. “Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up” (Rom. 15:2). When the gospel takes hold, we pursue what makes for peace and edification in the church and serve one another through love.
Free to Fulfill the Law
For you were called to freedom, brothers. … For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”—Galatians 5:13–14
When the law is viewed as a ladder to heaven (a righteousness of works), it stands in an antithetical relationship to the gospel (a righteousness of grace). But we must never allow this antithetical relationship to detract from a positive view of the law, especially those parts of it that are an expression of God’s eternal will. We refer to these as His “moral” law. It corresponds to that which is written on man’s heart by nature (Rom. 2:15). It was not given as a reaction to man’s fall or as a mere component of Israel’s religion. On the contrary, it is permanent in the plan of God.
Contrary to popular misconception, this use of the moral law is not legalism. In the new covenant, Jeremiah speaks of God putting His law within His people (Jer. 31:31–33), whereas Ezekiel speaks of God putting His Spirit within them (Ezek. 36:26–27). An appreciation of the relationship between the law and the Spirit is pivotal. Because we are born of the Spirit, we love God with all our heart, soul, and mind, thereby fulfilling the law.
As believers, we have the Holy Spirit within us, and He writes the law upon our hearts. This means that He causes us to love God. Because we love God, we want to know His will and do His will, and we find that His will is expressed in His moral law. Obedience, therefore, is not an attempt to obtain a meritorious standing before God; rather, it is the fruit of our love for God.
Free to Keep the Peace
For you were called to freedom, brothers. … But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.—Galatians 5:13, 15
Whenever there is “biting” and “devouring” (i.e., people going at each other like wild animals), we know the flesh (self-love) reigns. In this case, the issue is not what we believe but how we hold what we believe. The issue is how we communicate with others, how we view others, and how we treat others.
In contrast, whenever there is peace, we know that people are enjoying their freedom in Christ. Despite differences, disagreements, and disappointments, there is still love for one another and devotion to one another. Those who are not free in Christ are discontent, unhappy, resentful, proud, judgmental, and agitated, and they sow the seeds of discord wherever they go. But those who are free in Christ abound in His mercy. When they constitute a local church, they are a family characterized by compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience (Col. 3:12). They “put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony” (Col. 3:14).
When we are free in Christ, we have the mechanism for overcoming our differences. The instinct to look down on other believers is one of the most obvious signs of a heart from which legalism has not been fully banished. It implies that we have merited the grace of God more than others. But when the gospel occupies the center, we pursue what makes for peace and edification in the church (Rom. 14:19).
When we are free in Christ, we have the impetus for offering forgiveness and seeking reconciliation. When we contemplate the cross, we are crushed to the ground. We are overwhelmed by God’s love for us and compelled to extend compassion to others—even those who have mistreated us. We are willing to forgive “one another, as God in Christ forgave [us]” (Eph. 4:32). This is the starting point for healing strained relationships, broken marriages, shattered homes, and fractured churches.
When we are free in Christ, we have the solution for one of the most common sins among us. I am referring to the sin of entitlement. We live in a bizarre age in which we view ourselves as the protagonist in our life narrative. Because of our sense of entitlement, we think everyone must bend to our personal narrative. Only the gospel will uproot this sin. It does so by placing Christ alone at the center of our lives. As a result, we are willing to surrender our rights because we have something of far greater significance in view. “The reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on me” (Ps. 69:9, NKJV). Christ was willing to endure undeserved suffering, and He was willing to deny himself for the good of others. When He stands at the center of our lives, He cultivates this same attitude in us.