STP Talk--31.5.2011 Part 1

The Nature of Christian Liberty

Text: Galatians 5:1-- It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

Doctrine:
1. Those in Christ have been set free.
2. The purpose of this is to enjoy and experience freedom.
3. You will be tempted to enslave yourselves again.
4. You will have to be fiercely committed to your freedom.

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1. Those in Christ have been set free.

What enslaved us?

A) Gal iii.23-- "We were held prisoners by the Law"

i. What is the nature of the Law's slavery?

The original covenant with man made in the garden was based on full obedience. Obey, receive life. Disobey, receive death. Under these conditions, man is obligated to obey. So long as he was free to obey, this was no slavery, but agreeable to his nature. Having disobeyed, his nature is fallen. He is obligated both to a full obedience which he cannot supply, and to the punishment demanded by disobedience, which is death. These two external requirements standing above him enslaved him. No obedience, no performance, no work, no act of religious service could free him from this slavery.

ii. How are we freed from the Law?

Christ fulfilled the Law for us perfectly, both by rendering perfect obedience to it, and by dying in our place, satisfying the requirement of punishment. Through faith, his life and death are counted as our own--they are imputed to us. Thus the Law is fully satisfied towards us and has nothing else to say to us.

Paul talks about this in Romans vii, saying that when a man has died, the Law no longer has power over him. So when we died with Christ, the Law was finished with us.

B) Gal iii.22-- "The whole world is a prisoner of sin"

i. What is the nature of sin's slavery?

In choosing to disobey (an act in which all men participate), man's nature is stained by sin. He is fallen. Sin now has mastery over him. This is manifested in three ways.

--The mind--our understandings are darkened so that we cannot tell good from evil.
--The heart--meaning the seat of the desires; it is perverted by sin so that we desire what is contrary to God. Our passions and desires master us.
--The will--It is directed by the heart and mind and powerless to do good.

Sin has ultimate control over us. This power is sometimes restrained by God and his earthly agents. But sinful man cannot but sin.

ii. How are we freed from sin?

By being born again. The new creation is the dwelling of the Spirit. The Spirit of God is stronger than sin. We are no longer controlled by sin.

2. We are set free to experience and enjoy freedom

What is the nature of this freedom?

1. We must no longer think of finding justification before God in our actions. Instead, we trust wholly in Jesus.

2. We voluntarily submit ourselves to the will of God.

3. No morally neutral external thing can bind us, but we are free to either use them or omit them.

Key thoughts here: Freedom is in a thing as it was created to be. Thus Paul equates slavery to God and freedom. Freedom is slavery to God. Freedom is obedience.

Second half some other time.