What Does it Mean to Be Free in Christ?

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. - Galatians 5:1

A little boy had fallen ill and stayed home from school one afternoon. His mother was concerned he’d get behind, so she taught him the lesson for the day at home. The subject was prepositions, and the mother told the boy that it’s never okay to end a sentence with a preposition.

After the lesson was over, the boy thought he’d have some fun with his mom. So he came up with a sentence that ended with not one, but five prepositions. He yelled downstairs to his mom, “Mom, what did you bring that book I didn't want to be read to out of up for?!”

Many people think of rules like grammar as hard and fast – things that can never and should never be broken. But the truth is that we break them all the time when we talk to one another. We just have subconsciously agreed with others that some grammar rules can be broken every now and then.

But when it comes to God’s laws, we’re bound. In fact, if we fail to keep them at just one point, the Bible says we’re guilty of breaking all of them (James 2:10)!

Then what is our hope? Christ. He took our sins upon Himself and gave us His righteousness. So when God looks at you, He doesn’t see where you’ve fallen short. He sees the goodness of Jesus through your faith in Him. Praise God that you can live in freedom, not under Law, because of Christ’s death for you!

Prayer Challenge

Ask God to reaffirm in your heart the truth that you can live in freedom in Jesus Christ!

Questions for Thought

Why do you think many people constantly slip back into the idea that they earn their salvation through their works?

How might your attitude change if you truly understood that God loves you not based on what you do, but who you are in Christ?