Christian Freedom – Galatians 3:23-29

Today I would like to speak about a freedom that is ours that can only be granted by God and that has been promised to those who have faith in God and willingly follow that path and vision. Freedom is an important element in our relationship to God.

Right from the very beginning, God’s design for us was to live free physically, mentally, and spiritually. The vision in God’s mind was that of people both male and female who would willingly accept the blessing of a created world. That created world would be inhabited by a variety of creatures and given order by the cycle of day and night and the seasons. Within this created world, people would be given the responsibility to care for the world and to sustain it as partners with God.  They would live with God in an idyllic partnership.

And so we are told in Genesis that Adam was formed of the very ground from which each creature would come, and Eve was created from Adam.  Both would complement each other, and the harmony created by that partnership and the partnership with God would maintain a balance of all things.  This idyllic partnership was to be lived out in a place which have come to be know as the Garden of Eden.  Situated between 4 rivers, it would remain fertile and capable of supporting life forever.

Of course, we know that this idyllic partnership did not last as Adam and Eve were tempted by the presence of a creature that was more interested in causing strife and division than fostering a harmonious relationship.  He pointed out to them that they were not equal partners with this person known to them as God.  According to the serpent, God was not being open and transparent with them.  There was a tree that would give them all the answers to life and make them equal to this God who created them. All they had to do was eat the fruit of the tree of life and they would become as wise as God.

Humans have ever sought to become like God in every way. After all, if we could become like God, we could control our own destiny even more than we believe we can now.  While it seemed like a good idea at the time, Adam and Eve came to realize that there was a good reason for God’s words.   If only they had listened!  But we know what happened. They found themselves outside that idyllic place and in a place where now they had to raise their own food from the world around them and they needed to create more humans as they had lost their ability to live forever.

And so the world continued with God being present in the world and humans continuing to challenge the right of God to decide the course of human existence. Eventually God decided that a new start would change things. God directed Noah to build an ark and preserve a remnant that God hoped would lead to better things. But things did not change.

Fast forward ahead to a man named Abram living in the land called Ur.  God decided to try and create a nation that would be obedient and accept the freedom he offered. Abram followed God’s directions and was blessed. His name was changed to Abraham and his wife was renamed Sarah.  God blessed them with a child in their old age as a sign that they could trust God and needn’t question any of God’s commands.

And so the descendants of Abraham and Sarah remained conscious of God and accepted his leading through the patriarchs of Isaac and Jacob.  But jealousies lead to divisions within the people; brothers betrayed brother and eventually the people found themselves in physical bondage in Egypt. Freedom was lost once again.

Through a series of events, Moses was called to lead the people from Egypt to a land promised to their ancestors. The people were given a set of commandments that were to be the basis of their community life – a life that would direct them to giving God first place in everything and encourage them to a new respect for all life.  They were to keep these commandments as a sign that they trusted God for their very life and future. But if they broke the commandments, they could pray to God and offer sacrifices. God would grant them forgiveness.

We know from reading the Scriptures that the people of God struggled with staying true to God and to the commandments of God.  The teachers of the people believed that if only the people would perfectly fulfil these laws and commandments, they would be free of worry about where they stood relative to their God.  They would be in a right relationship to God.

They strove to do what was right, what was legal, what was required but inside they still struggled with how to feel free.  Rather than bringing a sense of freedom and hope, the law became a burden.

Think if you will about how frustrating it is to want to do everything right all the time.  It is not only next to impossible, it is impossible! True, all things are possible with God, but the point is that it is - with God! People, however, did not understand that they could be truly free only when they allowed God to free them.

The truth is that the only way we can truly be free is to accept that we will never be perfect.  The way to be free is to use our will to welcome the wisdom of God, the truth of God, the way of God, the life of God, the forgiveness of God and the love of God into our lives.

Christians are a free people because God has released us from the pressure to be perfect. We still need to make every effort to live according to the commands and will of God, but we no longer have to depend on our own strength of mind or heart or body alone to be the people of God. We will struggle to say or do everything that is right, but we can be free from the guilt and debilitating sense of failure.   We can depend on God to guide and encourage us and reassure us that we can live free because we are loved and forgiven.

If we love the Lord our God with all our heart, mind, understanding and spirit and truly love our neighbours and ourselves, we will   discover that God does forgive us our shortcomings and our mistakes, and we can be encouraged to live in the place of grace that God has so willingly given to us. We can be in a right relationship with God – one that will give us peace and hope.

Paul knew that no matter what restrictions the world we live in might place upon us, we will ever be free because God has granted us a freedom that no power on earth or in heaven can ever take away. Today we have the freedom to think, the freedom to love, the freedom to forgive, the freedom to choose. That freedom of mind and heart and spirit enables us to face anything and everything in this life confident that our life is in the hands of God.

The resurrection of Jesus from the dead brought to us the final freedom. We have the assurance that nothing in all of creation can ever separate us from the love of God and that as Christ lives, so we will live too in the place that has been prepared for us.

AMEN