STAND FIRM IN LIBERTY

WEDNESDAY 02 FEBRUARY 2022

The liberty (or freedom) we received in Christ, when compared with any other thing in this life, is not of small value; it is of great worth. Paul says, "don't take it for granted because it is an in-depth knowledge dimension, characterised by unyielding free conscience." Therefore we must be strong, active and unwavering in this liberty. Refuse to be entangled again with the yoke of bondage. How? By standing firm in your freedom, by remaining resolute in faith, and by focusing on the holy calling. Let's gain more insight!

Reference: Galatians 5:1 New King James Version (NKJV) "Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage."

According to dictionary definition of a "yoke", it is a wooden crosspiece fastened over the necks of two animals and attached to the plough or cart that they are to pull. That means yoke is a heaven burden. In our referenced Scripture, yoke of bondage represents a lot of things, such as bondage to the law, including the law of sin and death; bondage to fleshly desires and manifestations, bondage to rites and ceremonies; and bondage to the empty life inherited from our ancestors. Christ made us free from every yoke of bondage listed above by meeting all the demands and requirements of the law for us (see Romans 8:3-4 NIV).

The first yoke of bondage is the bondage to the law and sin. Romans 6:22 (NIV) says, "But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life." Since we have been freed from the bondage to the law and sin, we should by no means, and in no form, yield to it again. In Romans 6:14, Paul explained further that "sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace." In other words, sin can't tell you how to live your life. After all, you're no longer living under that old tyranny, rather you're living in the freedom of God's grace.

We also have the bondage to the flesh, which signifies the flesh and its desires. As long as we walk by the dictates of the Spirit, we remain free from any condemnation and the bondage of the flesh. Romans 8:1-2 (NIV) reads, "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death." For this reason, Paul encouraged the wisdom of living by the Spirit: "So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh" (Galatians 5:16 NIV).

The third yoke of bondage is bondage to rites and ceremonies. They are traps classified as legalism. For instance, Paul warned of some false teachers who were pressuring the Galatian Christians into the practice of circumcision as a criterion for being right with God. Since we died with Christ, we have been freed from such rites and ceremonial principles, which appear to make us righteous but they are yoke of bondage. Therefore don't entangle yourself to the rules of: Do not taste or do not touch and much more because we've been freed from the Old Testament's ritual law.

The forth yoke of bondage is the bondage to ancestral foundation. 1 Peter 1:18-19 (NLT) says, "For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God." In other words Christ redeemed and freed us from the forces of ancestral foundation and any curse inherited from ancestors. Therefore, in your Christian life's journey, you must function with a deep consciousness of this truth and stand firm in this freedom. Shalom!

Scripture Reading - 1 Peter 2:16; Romans 6:18; Acts 13:39; Romans 8:2; Galatians 5:13.

Exuberant Declaration: Thanks be unto the true, faithful God in multitudinous ways, who counted me as qualified to be made free in Christ Jesus. My Christian walk is the exemplification of habitual faith in a divine order beyond every yoke of bondage. Hence, the strength of my liberty in Christ is displayed in my continual victory and dominion over the law of sin and death, the desires of the flesh, legalism and ancestral foundation. Glory to God!