It is for freedom that Christ has set us free
Galatians 5:1 - An insistence on ritual implies that Christ’s finished work is not enough and that you must rely on your own efforts as well.
Freedom from the yoke of slavery. Image generated by ChatGPT (OpenAI) using the DALL·E model.
“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 NIV
Chapter 5 of Paul’s epistle to the Galatians is one that is quite familiar with most Christians who study their Bible, containing the “Fruit of the Spirit” verses (Galatians 5:22-23). Much of the chapter, including this first verse, deals with the contrast between the grace of God accorded to those who are followers of Jesus Christ and the many restrictions of the law that the Jewish converts had been subject to.
There weren’t just a few laws that the pious Jew of the time had to remember and live by. In fact, at the time of Christ there were 613 different laws that Jewish teachers counted as necessary to follow! It is that freedom from the Mosaic Law that Paul is referring to in the first sentence of this verse.
Paul wrote this epistle because there were some in the church at Galatia (modern day Türkiye) who were demanding that many of the sundry laws — including circumcision of males — still be followed in order to please God. The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible, cited on Precept Austin, notes that:
When a person believes in Jesus Christ, he is freed from the law and its enslaving power. He no longer has to worry if he is good enough or if he has done enough good works or kept enough laws to be acceptable to God. Why? Because Christ has fulfilled the law for him (Ro 8:3-4). (The Preacher's Outline & Sermon Bible – Galatians)
Christ’s redemptive work liberated believers once and for all time from the bondage of sin and the law. The Judaizers in the early church insisted that Gentile Christians must adhere to Jewish law — including circumcision — to be truly saved. Christ fulfilled the law (Matthew 5:17) and offered a new covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34). Freedom in Christ is spiritual freedom, as Jesus told us in John 8:36:
“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”
Paul advises those in the church to “Stand firm” against those who would throw them into the bondage of Mosaic Law. He wants them to persevere in their commitment to the gospel, something Paul often does in his epistles. The believers need to stand firm to resist the false teachings that are threatening to undermine the freedom found in Christ.
Paul then admonishes the Galatians to “not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” The Judaizers probably weren’t too happy with Paul comparing them to slaveholders, but by demanding a legalistic observance of the Mosaic Law, that’s exactly what they were! The “yoke” — a wooden frame placed on the necks of oxen to assist in pulling loads — is a symbol of oppression and burden used frequently in Scripture.
For example, in Acts 15:10, the Apostle Peter also calls upon this metaphor of the burden of the Mosaic Law:
“Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of Gentiles a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear?”
Jesus, on the other hand, offers a different kind of “yoke”:
“Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.””
Paul simply doesn’t want the new converts to return to bondage — this time, not to sin, but to the Judaic legalism. Throughout the Bible, God desires nothing more than for His people to live in His freedom (see, for example, Leviticus 26:13):
“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt so that you would no longer be slaves to the Egyptians; I broke the bars of your yoke and enabled you to walk with heads held high.”
In our time, there are still many denominations that demand adherence to rituals and liturgy that adds nothing to the Gospel. Doing so as a believer essentially causes you to fall from grace, as you’re no longer relying on grace… but upon the law. An insistence on ritual implies that Christ’s finished work is not enough and that you must rely on your own efforts as well.
Heaven On Wheels Daily Prayer:
Father in Heaven, thank You for the freedom from the Law that I have in Christ. Through the work of the Holy Spirit in me, I am empowered to live my life for others and not for my own selfish desires. Continue to work in me and through me, so I may live a life pleasing to You and glorifying Your holy name. I pray that You keep Your people from falling into bondage to legalistic practices in the knowledge that they have been set free by grace through Christ’s finished work on the cross. AMEN.