Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty with which Christ has made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. The apostle now enters upon the more practical part of the Epistle. Freedom is the link which connects the two parts together. I. CHRISTIAN LIBERTY IS THE LIBERTY OF FAITH. Faith receives the truth, the whole truth, concerning sin and redemption; and it is the truth, believed, that makes men free. II. CHRISTIAN LIBERTY IS THE LIBERTY OF HOPE. 1. A hope which maketh not ashamed, for it is based on Christ's accomplished work. 2. A hope which patiently waits for that which it knows it will assuredly possess. III. CHRISTIAN LIBERTY IS THE LIBERTY OF LOVE. The Saviour's love to the sinner draws the sinner's love to Himself. IV. CHRISTIAN LIBERTY IS THE LIBERTY OF HOLINESS. The safeguards of political liberty lie not in the laws which regulate, or the armies which defend it, but in the spirit which animates a people, in their respect for law, in their mutual toleration, in their recognition of others' rights, and, above all, in their hearty devotion to the government under which they live. Where these prevail, a nation is already free, and a liberty so founded will never degenerate into license. So also Christian liberty is best secured from abuse, not by the threat of penalties, or by an appeal to fear, but by the operation of those principles which lie at the foundation of Christian character. The gospel sets man free from a bondage beneath which a loving obedience is impossible, in order that, being free, he may serve God in the spirit of Christian liberty. (Emilius Bayley, B. D.) Parallel Verses KJV: Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. |
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