THE STORY OF JESUS: Galatians 5:1-6
“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)
We have a sin problem; we are drawn to pride, greed, lust, selfishness, etc.
Religion is the attempt to mollify God, to improve our relations with Him.
God sends Jesus to show us that He is not angry, but forgiving.
Jesus shows us how much God will take to forgive us and set us free.
And He does want us free, free from pride, greed, lust, selfishness, etc.
That freedom does not come from being religious.
This is why Paul is so worked up, these new Christians are turning back to religion.
The way to deal with sin issues is NOT: go to church, be baptized, go to confessional, pray the rosary, etc.
The way to deal with sin is (1) Accept that Jesus has already dealt with it for us, and…
(2) Live in moment by moment fellowship with the Spirit of Jesus, handling sin with Him.
In this verse Paul stresses the first part: You are forgiven, you are free, you are God’s loved child.
He does not want your good deeds or offerings to pacify Him, He is not impressed by our religiousness.
The point in this verse is stop trying to impress God by being religious.
Savor the wonder of God’s undeserved loved and forgiveness, and accept the truth.
I am a much-loved child of God, just as I am, sins and failures and all.
We’ll look further into the next step, living in fellowship with the Spirit of Jesus.
But not until we first accept this foundational truth.
Repeat it again and again: I am forgiven, I am free, nothing can separate me from God’s love.
What do you sense the Lord saying to you?
PRAYER
Lord, You love me. God loves me. I am forgiven. I am accepted. Help me to focus on this good news, instead of getting trapped again in the hopeless pattern of trying to impress You with my ‘religious goodness’.