Liberty

Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.

The word liberty in the New Testament is used many times to refer to freedom from the law that the Jews lived by. They believed they earned their way into heaven by attempting to keep the law. One of those key points was the circumcision of all the men, and without it they believed you were unsaved. Paul was speaking of the freedom that Christ brought in Galatians, from the necessity of keeping that law in the scripture above.

Believing in Christ alone brings liberty. It brings a freedom from the bondage of sin, from the works of the law to attain God’s grace. You cannot attain God’s grace by living a good life, bound by the law, and denying the only Way by the acceptance of Christ as your justifier before God. Your humble repentant heart before God will bring about a freedom from the bondage of sin as Christ now dwells with you. 2 Corinthians 3:17 Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

This freedom you now possess is not your “get out of jail free card”. This does not give you the freedom to continue to live in sin once you profess Christ. If you say you are a Christian and live as a heathen, how is your witness to those who don’t believe? 1 Corinthians 8:9 But beware lest somehow this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to those who are weak. If you are truly saved, you will desire to flee from sin, and the bondage you once felt, and live a life in freedom, liberty, and assurance of your eternal paradise to come.