Standing firm in freedom

Galatians 4:21-5:1

²¹ Tell me, you who want to live under the law, do you know what the law actually says? ²² The Scriptures say that Abraham had two sons, one from his slave wife and one from his freeborn wife. ²³ The son of the slave wife was born in a human attempt to bring about the fulfillment of God’s promise. But the son of the freeborn wife was born as God’s own fulfillment of his promise.

²⁴ These two women serve as an illustration of God’s two covenants. The first woman, Hagar, represents Mount Sinai where people received the law that enslaved them. ²⁵ And now Jerusalem is just like Mount Sinai in Arabia, because she and her children live in slavery to the law. ²⁶ But the other woman, Sarah, represents the heavenly Jerusalem. She is the free woman, and she is our mother. ²⁷ As Isaiah said,

“Rejoice, O childless woman,
you who have never given birth!
Break into a joyful shout,
you who have never been in labor!
For the desolate woman now has more children
than the woman who lives with her husband!”

²⁸ And you, dear brothers and sisters, are children of the promise, just like Isaac. ²⁹ But you are now being persecuted by those who want you to keep the law, just as Ishmael, the child born by human effort, persecuted Isaac, the child born by the power of the Spirit.

³⁰ But what do the Scriptures say about that? “Get rid of the slave and her son, for the son of the slave woman will not share the inheritance with the free woman’s son.” ³¹ So, dear brothers and sisters, we are not children of the slave woman; we are children of the free woman.

¹ So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law.

How often do we put ourselves back under the yolk of slavery? We subscribe to views of what our home should look like, what our job should be, what success means for our kids. We think church needs to be a certain way, sometimes we even think we can reduce our relationship with God to tick-boxes – yes, I’ve spent time in the Bible this week, I’ve been to church, I’ve served in some way, connected with someone. All these things are great, and yet when we worry, strive and become discontent if our lives don’t match up to our expectations, they can quickly become a burden.

This is NOT freedom! This is NOT the life that Jesus shed His precious blood for! We are to live as children of a promise, of a covenant – this life is temporary, but our walk with God is eternal. He IS restoring us in the midst of the chaos, He IS growing us, He DOES have good plans for us. And none of this is doable in our own strength. We can ONLY live this life of freedom through persistent reliance on God’s grace.

Lord, please help us to stand firm! Help us to guard our freedom, and not slip back into old patterns of slavery. Thank you for the price you paid that we might have access to this freedom in you.

Written by Rhiannon Mellor