“So, brothers, we are not children of the slave but of the free woman. For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.”
Galatians 4:31-5:1
| Paul has so much to say in Galatians. And my favorite thing is how bluntly he states everything in this letter. He is blunt, honest, and very clear. Jesus came for freedom! If we are not experiencing freedom, we have somewhere missed the connection. We are children of the free woman – therefore we are free. Unless we have been taught bondage and placed ourselves under the constraints of some law handed to us by the religious leaders in our lives. The very word religion literally means to “re-bind or bind up again.” |
| Many of us have grown up in a religious world that has greatly affected us and caused us to always be in fear, doubt, and misery. We have gotten stuck trying to be good enough, or perfect our faith, or be holy enough. Religion is meant to bind up and control. It is not meant for freedom. This is why when people ask me if I’m religious my immediate response is, “No”. Religion drives us to oppression. |
| The reality is this: If you are a believer in Jesus, you are already pleasing to God. You are made righteous by Jesus, no, not on your own, but yes, by the wholeness and love of Jesus. |
| So then, what does freedom look like? |
| Freedom is living out peace and joy, love and hope, patience and goodness, kindness and self-control. You can gauge where you are in this place of freedom by considering how you feel and experience daily life. |
- Are you in peace with God – and with yourself?
- Are you able to laugh and have joy?
- Do you love well and experience hope even in the most difficult of seasons?
- How patient are you?
- How self-controlled are you? (P.S. Self-control is part of freedom!)
You can live free. May you experience, through an actual KNOWING and FEELING, the freedom we have in Jesus! If you feel religious and bound up – lack of all of the things I’ve spoken of – in fear, anxiety, and depression – please consider what you have been taught, what you are believing and how God truly connects with you and feels towards you!
May you KNOW the love of Christ – how high and deep and wide and long His love is.
My hope is for your freedom!!!
Love, Saundra Dunn