Galatians 2:5. to them we did not yield in submission even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you.
Galatians 2 describes the events that occurred at the Jerusalem Council (see Acts 15). Paul, Barnabas, and Titus went from Antioch to Jerusalem to make sure that the Jerusalem church and its “pillars” were preaching the same gospel that they were. Paul did not doubt his gospel (see Gal. 1), but he needed to confirm theirs. Was the church in Jerusalem preaching Jesus + Nothing = Everything? The practical question at hand was, “Do the Gentile believers have to hold to the Mosaic Law in order to be saved?” Yes, we know God is sovereign and Christ’s church will prevail, but from a strictly human point of view, the future of Christianity was on the line here. The unity of the church hung in the balance. And most importantly, the nature of God Himself was in question.
In verse four, Paul tells us that false brothers from the “circumcision party” (the Judaizers) were brought in to “spy out our freedom and bring us into slavery.” Paul’s response? Will he compromise? Meet halfway? Agree to disagree? No way! Paul tells the Galatians, “We did not yield in submission, even for a moment.” The Judaizers felt threatened by freedom. They believed that freedom from Judaism would threaten tradition, morality, and even sanctification. And they’re not crazy. Freedom is always risky. Imagine if everyone had the freedom to drive their vehicles wherever, whenever, and however they wanted. Soon there would be no more freedom due to all the chaos, accidents, and traffic jams.
There are still people today who don’t want you to be free. They don’t want you to live before God assured of your full acceptance. They don’t want you to express your faith in any way other than what they approve of. And they definitely don’t want your growth in Christlikeness to come by the freedom of the conscience, but rather by the binding of the conscience.
Maybe you are one of these people. Do you unknowingly try to limit the freedom of other believers? Limit their conscience? Limit them with a list of man-made requirements or formulas for spiritual growth? Do you reduce the expression of faith to what makes you comfortable? To you I say, do not yield in submission to your own legalism. Instead, live from all the freedom Christ fought to provide.
You: Does Christian freedom make you uncomfortable? Why?
You in Christ: Why is accepting freedom in Christ essential to understanding the nature of God and His gospel?
Christ in you: What are some of the ways you need to let others express the life of Christ in them freely and differently than you do?
Pray: Father, I don’t want to yield when it comes to the freedom You have offered us in Christ. Give me the strength and courage to defend gospel freedom today. Amen.
