At the capstone of his great argument for the gospel, Paul encourages the Galatians, “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery” (Gal. 5:1). For Paul, a return to old-covenant law observance imperiled the freedom given in Christ. Today, it’s more likely to be freedom that lands us under a yoke of slavery.
When it comes to freedom, we tend to inhabit two parallel worlds of discourse. In sermons, in Bible studies, and in our devotional lives, we learn about how true freedom is found in Christ. Sin is the worst form of slavery, and Jesus sets us free from sin. Freedom is found internally and belongs to the soul—and, significantly, it involves committing to only one Way.
And yet the rest of the week, when we’re watching the news, doing our shopping, or arguing on social media, “freedom” is found anywhere but in Christ. Freedom is a political, economic, or therapeutic slogan; a promise for liberation from the burdensome demands of other people; a promise fulfilled in fewer rules, more stuff, and more space to call our own. In this modern model, freedom is a feature of our outer lives that avoids commitment and demands the maximization of choices.
For many of us, these two ideas of freedom travel merrily along their parallel tracks without touching—at least consciously. Subconsciously, we can’t help but allow our modern ideals of freedom as self-indulgence to shape our reading of Scripture.
Even as we live in a world with fewer rules, rituals, and community expectations than any previous era, preachers and therapists warn Christians about the threat of legalism. Meanwhile, antinomianism grows unchecked. We’re surrounded by the idea that to be set free in Christ is to be liberated from laws and moral expectations, so we shouldn’t feel any pressure to change. In reality, we need the body of Christ to help us align our outer lives with our internal freedom in Christ.
Two Liberations: Spiritual and Moral
Thankfully, the apostle Paul anticipated this error. He wrote, “You were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another” (Gal. 5:13). Freedom turns out to be service.
We must always serve somebody or something. The only question is whom and how. Lest we allow the sanitized modern meaning of the word “serve” to obscure Paul’s meaning, we must remember it’s the verb form of “slave.” For Paul, to be free was to be a slave—a bondservant of Christ (Rom. 6:18; 1 Cor. 7:22; Eph. 6:6). Some forms of service turn out to be liberating, while some forms of purported freedom turn out to be dehumanizing slavery.
Sin is the worst form of slavery, and Jesus sets us free from sin.
The Christian’s liberation, as the reformers taught, comes in two stages: justification and sanctification. These stages correspond to two forms of bondage: spiritual and moral.
When we’re in spiritual bondage, we lie under the power of sin and guilt as an all-embracing spiritual reality. The resulting condemnation cuts us off from being able to truly reckon with our past, act meaningfully in the present, or face the future without fear. We’re set free from this bondage by the gospel. Christ has accomplished our spiritual liberation in his death and resurrection.
Although this spiritual freedom is the greatest gift imaginable, we remain enslaved to sin’s entangling habits. We remain alienated from others by our selfishness and alienated from ourselves by our weakness of will. Though reconciled to God through Christ, we still struggle to encounter him fully because of the “sin which clings so closely” (Heb. 12:1).
Sanctification unfolds a fuller form of freedom. It’s the moral freedom of believers to do what we truly desire, rather than what our flesh’s warring desires tell us from moment to moment. Growth in sanctification is an arduous, lifelong task of keeping “in step with the Spirit” (Gal. 5:25) as he unites our hearts to fear God’s name (Ps. 86:11) and enables us to take every thought and desire captive to obey Christ (2 Cor. 10:5).
This newfound freedom isn’t a freedom to “find yourself” or “be yourself” but a freedom that comes from living for and discovering your true fulfillment in serving others: “For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’” (Gal. 5:14).
Become Free Together
The historic Christian understanding of freedom for service to our neighbor is often masked by the old error of antinomianism blended with the new error of consumerism. Many Christians assume freedom consists in keeping their options open and not being tied down by others’ expectations. This perspective undermines commitment to the local church.
But of course, liberation from commitments and constraints doesn’t make us happier. It cuts us off from meaningful bonds with one another, and “it is not good for man to be alone” (Gen. 2:18). Many of our deepest and richest experiences are found only when we’re free to act together as a body: joining our voices in congregational praise songs, receiving the Lord’s Supper together, building ministries to serve our communities.
The structure of a church liturgy reminds us that true freedom is found in submitting ourselves for the good of others. For example, if the worship leader exhorted us to each belt out whatever song the Spirit moved us to sing, this wouldn’t be freedom to sing but bedlam. God-given authority, far from trampling on our freedom, makes real freedom possible. It’s a powerful antidote to the modern ideal of freedom.
God-given authority, far from trampling on our freedom, makes real freedom possible.
Freedom in Christ subverts modern ideals of total liberation because it requires submission to something outside ourselves. That seems like a form of death in our individualistic society. But this is exactly what we should expect, because it was Jesus who stated that “unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit” (John 12:24).
Pursuing true freedom in Christ requires identifying counterfeit forms of freedom. But it also requires resisting the world’s siren song, which promises us freedom in self-creation and self-esteem. The world’s discourse promises freedom but delivers a yoke of slavery. Christ, however, promises a yoke of service that delivers true liberty (Matt. 11:29–30).
The Gospel Coalition