“For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” (Gal. 5:1)

Christ has indeed set us free from the penalty of sin. We were held captive, prisoners of sin that we could not get rid of. Heavy burdened under the yoke of transgressions. Christ died for the ungodly, for all the sins of the whole world. Mankind, who had been carrying the yoke of sin for generations should have rejoiced at the cross of Christ. They should have embraced his gift of grace. Many did, the Galatians were included in that number. Now, after having begun under grace and the Spirit, having put on Christ in baptism and walking a new life of freedom, they are putting that terrible yoke of slavery to sin back on them.

Stand firm is great advice. No need to yield to false teaching and undo what you have already done. The yoke of sin was hard. It was heavy and suffocating and restrictive. It was as restrictive as any dungeon or prison cell. Christ brought a yoke of freedom. Freedom is much lighter than slavery, much lighter. Jesus pleads with those burdened with sin, “Take my yoke…my yoke is easy.

We have freedom in Christ. He has set us free for the sake of freedom. No more penalty for sin. No more death for sin. We have been set free and must continue to live in that freedom. There is no reason to return to the law or any law for salvation because none of them can save. No work of law can justify the sinner. The only way for that to work is to be perfect in every way but sadly none of us are Mary Poppins. She is a fictional character and the only real live human who was perfect in every way was Jesus.

Jesus kept the law and according to the law he should have had life but instead, he took our inability to keep the law and died. We cannot keep the law and should die but because he took our failures we now live.

Task for Today: Are you free? Have your sins been taken away and the prison doors opened? Don’t go back.  Stay out of sin’s prison by remaining under grace. Don’t try to earn your way to heaven by any kind of activity or job. That is going under law. Grace calls you to serve out of love and gratitude not to “earn” heaven.