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Freedom under the parameters of God

Galatians 5:1 

“For freedom Christ has set us free, stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery” 

One thing culturally that is really corrupting us is the belief that Christianity is a restriction. We see worldly pleasures and hold them into our heart as repressed desires. I’ve fallen victim to this belief and for a long time, I saw God’s commandments as a way of missing out. I read things the bible told me not to do, and I would see my peers doing those same things and it isolated me. But let me tell you something, we only feel isolated when the people around us contradict the character we want to pursue. When we isolate ourselves with those people, we become less isolated. In simplicity, we need to surround ourselves with people who share the same fire for God, because when our lights run dim, and we feel restricted, there presence will ignite our path with God again. True, authentic freedom isn’t based on what you please, but rather what is pleasing. The will of God isn’t to harm us, his will is to protect us. 

Looking more closely at the verse, there are a couple of things to point out. The first thing I wanted to comment on was the idea of not submitting “again”. The bible emphasises the fact that we were once restricted by sin, but what was once a habit has now become a past choice through Jesus. 

The second thing I wanted to point out was the significance of the word “yoke”. To us the first thing we picture when we read “yoke” is the yoke of an egg, but with biblical context the verse becomes much clearer. The “yoke” that is talked about in the bible refers to a wooden frame placed over the necks of two animals so that they can pull together. God is essentially providing us with a picture as to how we live when we choose sin over God. The weight of sin is heavy, and when we choose a life of sin, we are pulling that weight side by side. Conversely, when we submit to God, he carries all our burdens, there isn’t any weight to pull because God interceded for us. There is freedom under the parameters of God 

The last thing I wanted to focus on was the word “slavery” in the verse. There is an intentionality behind pairing sin and slavery. We may feel temporary pleasures from sin, but all sin has its consequence sooner or later. The overarching consequence of sin is the separation of God, and what greater slavery is there than being separated from our creator. If there is one thing you leave with today, remember that Christ is freedom not a limitation. 

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