The objective of this lesson: To take an initial look at freedom in Christ.
This lesson begins with a graphic used as an illustration of part of the core principle in today's lesson.
The point of the graphic is to illustrate this fact: each component transitions to the next component. God's objective is to restore full relationship between humans and God as relationship existed in creation prior to sin (consider Genesis 3:8). Full relationship with God will not be restored until judgment is completed and sin/death is defeated (1 Corinthians 15:23-28; 15:50-58). Each component is important. Certainly the church is important! However, no component fully restores relationship with God as does heaven.
God's determination from the covenant to Abraham (Genesis 12:1-3) was to work continuously toward the full restoration of relationship between Himself and people. Each component was only a means [a vehicle] to take God's determination to the next component. Each component was not God's final goal. Each was a means to move God's determination toward completely restored relationship. God's determination was not time-based. It did not matter to God how long it took to move from one component to another. God's determination was intent-based.
The entire Bible reveals the unfolding of God's intent to restore full relationship with people who belong to Him by placing their confidence in Jesus Christ. God is continually moving in the direction of total relationship with people. Any component of this divine intent moves people closer to God's goal. As God moves toward His goal, the variable is human confidence in God. God's concern was [is] not how long it took [takes] for Him to achieve His goal, but that people put their trust in His intent. When, for example, a generation refuses to trust God, God must confront the distrust, but He does not abandon His goal. Even when time is extended, the intent is not abandoned.
When people concluded at any point that their component was God's goal, they misunderstood God's intent. For example, when Israel decided the restoration of their nation was God's goal rather than the means to God's goal, their misunderstanding attempted to short-circuit God's intent. The existence of the nation of Israel was important, but it was not God's ultimate goal. Or, for another example, when Christians decide the restoration of the church is God's goal rather than a means to God's goal, their conclusion attempts to short-circuit God's intent. Again, the church is important, but it is not God's ultimate goal. God's intent is to restore full relationship between Him and all people. That divine intent will not be accomplished until God's people are in His presence.
Neither Israel as a nation nor the church as an organization is God's goal. Both were [are] essential to God's goal, but they are parts of God's intent leading to His goal. God's goal was never realized in Israel as a nation, and is never fully realized in the earthly church. Only when the saved are with God in heaven will God's goal become reality.
In the first century, Jewish Christians often viewed themselves as being in competition with gentile Christians. Jewish Christians at times resented gentile Christians. Jews and Jewish Christians were convinced that the restoration of physical Israel was God's goal. Jewish Christians [and Jewish people] did not believe that only conversion to Jesus Christ would [or could] make gentiles people who belong to God. Many Jewish Christians could not comprehend how faith in Jesus Christ could replace physical membership in the Israelite nation and Judaism. Statements found in scriptures such as Matthew 3:9; 7:21-23; 8:11, 12; and Romans 3:1, 29; 9:6-33 acknowledge the existence of this Jewish attitude. This truth confused them (Romans 11:33-36).
The Jews in Christ versus the gentiles in Christ was a prominent problem in first century Christianity. The problem existed primarily because the Jewish people thought the existence of the nation of Israel was God's goal, and they did not see how gentiles who were not proselytes fit into that goal. To be told that the nation of Israel was an important means to God's goal but not the goal came as a rude shock to most Jews. They simply did not understand how placing an obedient trust in Christ could make gentiles the people of God.
Paul was obviously distraught in his letter to gentile Galatian Christians (see Galatians 1:6-10). Some Jewish Christians known to us as Judaizing teachers successfully convinced the gentile Christians of Galatia that gentile converts had to proselytize to Judaism [at least be circumcised] if they were to have salvation. In our language, Paul asked those gentile Christians, "Did you not understand what I taught you?" To strengthen his previous message, Paul gave evidence (1) that his message did not come from any human source (Galatians 1:1-24); (2) that he was not asked by the Jewish Christian leadership to amend his message to the gentiles (Galatians 2:1-10); and (3) that he directly [face to face] withstood Peter when Peter sided with the Judaizing teachers (Galatians 2:11-21). After affirming his message to gentile Christians in Galatia (chapters 3 and 4), Paul began chapter 5 with [to us] an unusual statement in verse 1:
It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.
The book of Galatians is an excellent verification that the problem existed. Paul affirmed that Christ came to set Christians free. Christians today need a biblical understanding of that freedom.
In what way did [does] Jesus Christ set us free? Some ways we thought about and accepted, and some ways we have not considered or accepted.
In some ways we are quite comfortable with freedom in Christ. In some ways we are not comfortable with that freedom.
First, there is freedom granted because we have been released from slavery to Satan. Scripture speaks of that freedom by using words like forgiveness, redemption, sanctification, justification, transformation, etc. Before we were Christians, we were without choice in our bondage to Satan. In Jesus Christ, we are free from that bondage.
We are quite comfortable with the concept of freedom from Satan and sin. We have been taught to accept that freedom.
Second, there is freedom because God's forgiveness in Jesus' blood is continual. Nothing external of ourselves can end that freedom--we cannot against our will be separated from God's love (see Romans 8:26-39). As Christians, when we repent of the mistakes we know we make, God's forgiveness includes "all sin" or "all unrighteousness" (see 1 John 1:5-10).
Even though it is clearly taught, we are less comfortable with the freedom produced by the continuous cleansing of Jesus'' blood. We fear Christians will abuse that concept.
Aspects of freedom that involve release from slavery to Satan or evil are commonly familiar and accepted.
The continuous effect of Jesus' blood forgiving the Christian with a penitent attitude is declared in 1 John 1:5-10 and Romans 8:31-39. The concept is this: if we have a penitent attitude that repents of error or mistakes when we as Christians know we acted with ungodly motives or deeds, Christ's blood forgives us of all unrighteousness (not just the unrighteousness we are conscious of). God can act in this infinitely workable forgiveness because He paid the price for our forgiveness and justifies us.
Third, there is the freedom granted by God's grace. People cannot make themselves holy by following rules and regulations. We either rebel or find ourselves seeking "loopholes" rather than divine intent. We technically try to "justify" our self-centered behavior. Perhaps the best statement of God's grace is found in Ephesians 2:1-10. We were saved to be obedient to God's purposes, but our acts of obedience do not place God in debt to us. It is what God did in Jesus on the cross that enables us to stand before God. Note 1 Peter 2:24.
We are continuously forgiven because of what God did in Jesus' death and resurrection, not because of anything we do to deserve such consideration.
We are less comfortable with freedom in God's grace. Because we were taught obedience's responsibilities with such emphasis, we often fear God's grace. We struggle as we seek God's balance in combining the biblical concepts of grace and obedience.
We are either (1) so fearful of consequences, (2) so fearful of God, or (3) so convinced that God wishes to destroy us, that we hesitate to trust that God is so kind and helpful to the person who places confidence in the adequacy of Jesus Christ.
Fourth, [in the context of Galatians] we are free to be different. Though that is a "silent" fact most of us accept as true, we likely verbally disagree with the concept. For example, we tolerate lots of differences in our preferences as Christians: the architecture of the building, the color of the carpet, who should serve as congregational leaders, where "the building" should be located, etc. We often say those differences do not involve "salvation issues," though we have been known to divide over such. We tolerate "someone who does not known as much as I do," declaring God can save him or her in their ignorance and declaring they will grow. Yet, we are quite hesitant to tolerate anyone who suggests he or she "knows more than I do." We are more likely to question the salvation of someone who knows more than we know than someone who knows less than we know.
There was a vast difference between the Jew who was moved to accept Jesus Christ as the means of entering God's kingdom, and the gentile who prior to conversion worshipped idols. Yet, Paul insisted God could save both (see Romans 14:1-12).
Our tendency is to classify someone whose knowledge and understanding exceeds ours as being "liberal and loose with God's word," but to consider someone who knows and understands less than we do as "immature, in need of maturing, but spiritually okay." Two things should be obvious in this view: (1) "I" am the standard of being spiritually okay--no one can know and understand things I do not understand and be spiritually okay; (2) Salvation is insecure if things I do not understand are involved, but secure if I understand. Thus, it is impossible to know and understand more than I do and be secure in one's salvation.
First-century Jewish people knew the holy God for centuries. Commonly, those who were gentile Christians worshipped idols prior to becoming Christians. The differences between those two groups were enormous! Yet, God could save both sets of Christians even though they had enormous differences. In that is freedom in Christ. Why? The freedom is seen in two facts: (1) God loves people; (2) God designed His "good news" outreach in Christ to succeed.
If we are not careful, we place the primary focus of salvation on what we do rather than on what God has done.
For Thought and Discussion:
The discussion should include a focus on the background of Jewish Christians who knew the nature of the Holy God for centuries, and the background of most gentiles who associated idol worship with honoring the gods. The concept of God and the moral background of these two groups of Christians were enormously different. Individuals who placed their confidence in Jesus Christ were saved by God in spite of their differences. Refer to Romans 14:1-12.
The four freedoms presented were (1) freedom from sin; (2) the freedom of continual cleansing; (3) the freedom in divine grace; and (4) the freedom to be different. Allow class members to react to each of those freedoms.
Link to Student Guide
Lesson 9
