Liberty In Christ - Part 4
Galatians 5:1
“1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.”
Jesus invited Peter to come to Him on the water. Peter stepped out of that boat and began to walk toward Jesus on the water. Peter was doing fine until he took his eyes off Jesus and looked at the troubled waters. When Peter stepped out of that boat he had his faith in Jesus. It was not a matter of how much faith Peter had, but it was a matter of where he had placed his faith. When his faith was in Jesus, he had no problem walking on the water. When Peter took his eyes off Jesus, and put them onto the troubles sea, he began to sink. In order to stand fast, the born again Christian must keep his eyes on Jesus Christ, not on the false teachings and the lies and even the pride of self. Doubt is not of God. Adam and Eve gained nothing by doubting God’s Word. They became sinners as a result of their doubt. The people of Noah’s day gained nothing by doubting God’s Word spoken by Noah. They perished in the flood. Moses gained nothing by doubting God’s word to speak to the rock rather than smiting it. He lost the privilege of entering the land of Canaan. The nation of Israel gained nothing in doubting God’s leading them through the wilderness. A generation died in the wilderness because of their doubt. We could go on and on, but doubt is not a good thing when it comes to the child of God. God wants us to know. He wants us to stand fast. He has provided all that we need to stand fast in Him.
Our text tells us to stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free. Our standing is not in the flesh, but it is in Christ. In Christ we can stand. Without Christ no man can stand.
The apostle Paul challenges the born again Christian to stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free. We noted earlier that the word “liberty” means freedom. What is it that the born again Christian has been made free from? The apostle Paul says there is a bondage that is there. Sin is bondage. Man is born in sin. Man is born without the ability to get free from sin. The prisons are full of people who have committed some sin and they have finally found themselves behind bars. Many of those people come out of the prison still in bondage, and many times deeper in bondage than when they went in. Recently there was a man who was caught drunk driving for the tenth time. We do not know how many times he had been driving drunk, but he was caught for the tenth time. The law said that is it. They gave him a life sentence. This man probably did not want that sentence. He probably wanted to be free to continue to live outside of prison. His problem is not the prison. His problem is his wicked heart.