I was reading through Galatians this week and came across this reminder of the difference between the old and new covenants. It is laid out in Chapter 4 when it talks about Sarah and Hagar. It compares Hagar to the old covenant and the law. People are enslaved by the law. But Sarah, is free, and the mother of the new generation. She bores the line of promise through Isaac.
Paul then brings us into the equation, telling us we are not slaves, but children under the free woman. And it is ultimately Christ who has set us free, reminding us that we should remain free and never get tied up in the law. He compares it to circumcision.
How many times do we think that if we work hard enough, we can earn our salvation? Verse four says, “for if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ!. You have fallen away from grace.” Now that doesn’t mean we lose our salvation, it just means that we have lost sight of what God’s salvation and His sacrifice on the cross means.
We’re called to live in freedom that comes through letting the Holy Spirit guide our lives. Paul again reminds us that “there are two forces that are constantly fighting each other.” We must remain in the Spirit, be “directed by the Spirit,” then we won’t be under the obligation of the Law.
This reminder of the Holy Spirit’s direction brings the fruit of the Spirit: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” God reminds us that there is no law against these things.
When we live according to the Spirit, we are no longer under the Law. As verse 24 tells us, our old passions and desires for our sinful nature are nailed to the cross. And the new life we’ve been given is there to point others to Christ.
So, let’s live in the freedom we are given. Amen!!
“Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.” – Galatians 5:25
Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash
Moments for the Heart 