Jesus our Liberty

Post date: Mar 20, 2014 8:29:40 PM

There was a scripture that I read recently which really caught my attention and I would like to share some of my thoughts with you.

Galatians 2: 4-5 …And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in prively to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage.

The first thought that came to mind was why was it necessary to spy out another’s liberty? The second is what is liberty?

In order to answer these questions I needed to determine who the Apostle Paul was referring to in this passage. It is revealed in Galatians 2:7 that the fledgling body of New Testament believers was comprised of persons from two major areas. There were some who came from the Jewish community of which Peter had been assigned and the rest were from the Gentile community (the rest of the world) which was the responsibility of the Apostle Paul. Each of these men had been commissioned by God to spread the good news of Christ to the world. They established many small groups throughout the regions where each had been ministering.

This passage also reveals that the Apostle Paul was protecting the integrity of his Gentile brethren who had been travelling with him to Jerusalem to attend a meeting with the leadership of the new believers. Paul did not want to share his testimony with any spies who had been reported as being present in the new fellowship and who were also referred to in scripture as “false brethren brought in unawares.” It is based on this information that the false brethren were not of the Gentiles but had originated from within the Jewish community.

Liberty: Exempt from liability or obligation.

Matthew 15: 8-9 …This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

The definition of liberty helped to illuminate my understanding regarding Paul’s motive for protecting the integrity of his Gentile brethren. The Apostle Paul had been a religious leader in the Jewish church where he through self effort had met every obligation required by religious law. It was not until after he received Christ as his Savior that he learned that all of his religious accomplishments could not fulfil the righteous requirement of the Law but rather it was by God’s grace only that he was saved through faith. It appears to me that the Jewish community was locked into the same system of religious duty but they unlike Paul were unwilling to acknowledge the sufficiency of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. Paul learned that the liberty that he was now experiencing in Christ is only found through faith.  

How about you, have you examined your heart recently? Do you approach God through a heart of obligation or is it one that is full expectation trusting through faith in Jesus as your risen Savior? Do you feel exempt from obligation or are you bound? Jesus is our liberty as the scripture says:

2 Corinthians 3:17 "…Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty."