The Law And Christian Liberty-- A Freedom From Bondage

(by Bill Stevenson)

Galatians 5:22-23 proclaims, “But the fruit of the Holy Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no
law.”
Have you ever stopped to consider why we have laws? What would your community be
like if there were no laws? If we had no laws, everyone would be doing as he or she pleased.
There may be no problem with this, as long as the choices of one person did not conflict with the
choices of another. But would every citizen conduct himself or herself in such a way that there
would never be a conflict?
We have laws against lying. Stealing, Murder, traffic violations, abusing the rights of
others, and many other wrongs or evils that we find in society. But there are no laws against the
fruit of the Holy Spirit! That is truly a miracle. Not one law written over the past 6000 years
forbids agapè love, joy. peace, patience, kindness,. Goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-
control.
The Apostle Paul wrote his letter to the Christian church in Galatia because of some false
teaching there. Some people were teaching that after a person had received Christian Salvation,
he or she must still follow all of the rules and regulations of the Old Testament Law. Paul
wanted to correct this teaching. He wanted the Galatian Christians to know that their Salvation
was based on faith in the atoning work of Jesus Christ and they did not have to do certain Jewish
religious works in order to keep it. The Gentiles didn't even have to be physically circumcised as
Jews were.
God's Law given in the Old Testament could not prevent people from doing what was
wrong, but it did let them know what was wrong. The decision to obey or disobey the Law was
the responsibility of each person who received the Law. If someone chose to disobey the Law,
he could expect certain consequences.
The nation of Israel in the Old Testament disobeyed the Law many times, and they suffered
because of their obedience. God knew that men of their own efforts could not obey every part of
the Law. That is why He provided for them a way to make sacrifices as an atonement for sin.
But when Jesus offered Himself as our atonement once and for all, He fulfilled God's Law
forever. The Old Testament Law was the Old Covenant or agreement between God and a certain
group of mankind (the Israelites). Some of them did became God’s adopted children just by their
faith in God the Father (not by their religious rituals), and that abnormal faith encouraged them
to desire righteousness. In the New Testament times, Christ's sacrifice for all of mankind's
sinning made way for a New Covenant or agreement between God and mankind. That New
Covenant provides forgiveness from sin by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ. It is a
free gift. Therefore, true Christians are not under bondage to the Old Testament Law. (Jeremiah
31:31-34)
What does this mean? Does it mean that because Christians are free from the Law that they
can live as they please? Certainly not! It means that the Holy Spirit of Christ now dwells within
them, and their new, spiritual nature is in control. The Holy Spirit is completely righteous and
will only teach moral and ethical behavior. He will also help eliminate human nature selfishness.
This is a whole new way of living, being sensitive to the Holy Spirit instead of focusing on rules
and laws for behavior instruction.
A parallel analogy to help you understand this: think of a baby. He or she begins to learn to
live in the world. His parents try to ignore some of his or her crying to teach him or her that
adults are not around just to serve him or her. The baby learns that night time is for sleeping
many hours. The baby learns how to eat properly and later how to use the bathroom. The

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toddler learns what to touch and what not to touch. He or she learns when to talk and when not
to talk, when to play and when not to play, when to eat and when not to eat, etc. In other words,
the young child learns the rules and the laws of his or her parents. Then he or she learns the rules
of the school and church he or she goes to. He or she learns, even when a baby, that punishment
can happen after disobedience to any of the rules and laws.
Adam and Eve, the first human beings did not need a lot of rules and laws because they
were created already in adulthood. The beginning of the nation of Israel in the Old Testament
was the babyhood stage of God's chosen people back then. So they needed the Law from God. If
you read all of the laws and rules and punishments for only the Jews in Leviticus and
Deuteronomy, you would be overwhelmed. You would probably fall asleep because of boredom.
Then there are even more laws and rules stated in the Psalms and Proverbs. But there are still
many professing Christians that are living with emphasis of church denomination laws and rules
and regular reading of many of the commandments in the Psalms and Proverbs instead of the
New Testament commandments. They are not free with the Holy Spirit. They are still in the
childhood stages of faith in God.
Back to the example of a child: As the child progresses through living in his or her home,
church, and school, he or she should learn to be responsible and able to behave properly without
even thinking about the rules and laws he, or she has been told. Then when he or she is ready to
move from home, go, to college, work on a job, etc., he or she can learn what is expected in each
new place and do his or her best without relying on his or her parents, pastor, or former teachers.
In each new place, he or she is expected to be mature and not have to learn babyhood and
childhood things. So he or she does not need those rules of his or her parents home anymore.
He or she is free from such rules or laws. But he or she still is expected to behave properly in
every new place he or she goes to. Every society has many laws for adults to obey.
So, the New Testament emphasizes maturing in faith as indicated in Ephesians 4:14-15, not
staying in babyhood or young childhood faith. Hebrews 11 gives a list of Old Testament saints
who ended their lives with mature faith and experienced being free from Law emphasis. But
most of the Israelites of that time kept in the babyhood or young childhood levels of faith in God.
Instead of loving God more and learning from His prophets, most, of them loved to gossip,
complain, sin, and fight. The New Testament has instruction on how to love God more and how
to relate to others better with the wonderful help of the Holy Spirit. This is maturity in faith and
Christianity, the only way to become Christ-like. According to Romans 14: 17, the Kingdom of
God today is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. Experiencing this makes one feel
free from any past bondages of rules and laws. He or she will not deliberately sin, because of his
or her mature love for God the Father and Christ Jesus. Such should also be true in relation to
his or her parents and spouse, because of a mature agapè love for them. New Testament living is
much better than Old Testament living, just as much of adult living is better than babyhood and
childhood living.
Now please re-read Romans 8 & 12 and 2 Corinthians 2-4.