Don't Live Like a Servant
Galatians (24) Do not live like slaves (Galatians 5:1-4)
"Don't be a servant
The freedom gained through liberation is important, but it is also important to hold fast to that freedom. The freedom of 8.15 liberation was not a freedom obtained by ourselves, but by the strength of the Allied Forces, so we could not firmly defend it. At that time, some people just ate and played freely for several months after liberation, while others expressed their freedom by destroying public facilities. How do you keep your freedom when you know it's free to smash like that? Eventually, that freedom developed into chaos, and 6.25 broke out in the midst of it.
How important is the phrase “stand firm” in verse 1 to those who have been set free? If you want to hold on to your freedom, don't go back to your former identity. At the 6.25 orphanage, I prayed for meals, and all the children prayed while holding their rice bowls with both hands. This is because if you pray with a bowl of rice, the bowl will disappear when you pray with your eyes closed. However, if the orphan continues to pray while holding a rice bowl even after being adopted as an adopted child, how will the adoptive parents be upset?
Don't go back to being a slave of the past, and live proudly as a son, not an orphan. Also, do not try to supplement the gospel. Freedom in the gospel is complete freedom, so there is no need to supplement the gospel with keeping laws and ordinances. If you try to be recognized as righteous by keeping the law, misunderstanding that you need to be circumcised to complete your imperfect salvation, you will be cut off from Jesus and fall from grace (verses 2-4).
Anyone who believes in Jesus as their Savior becomes a child of God without discrimination, enjoys great freedom, and goes to heaven in the future. For that salvation, there is nothing more necessary than believing and accepting the atoning grace of the cross. The gospel is perfect. Suppose God said this. “Anyone! I will solve almost 95% of the problem of sin, so handle the remaining 5% on your own!” Then can you deal with that sin problem? Humans cannot handle even 1% of the problem of sin on their own.
The grace of Jesus' atonement is perfect, so anyone who believes in Jesus will be forgiven of all their sins and will be set free from condemnation and judgment. The problem is that after being acknowledged as righteous by faith and becoming a child of God, they again take on the yoke of slavery and claim their own righteousness. That is why we are emphasizing that we can receive blessings only through faith and works. Of course, it's good to have action. Still, the greatest source of blessings is the grace given when we completely depend on God.
<Remain fully in grace>
Some people are bound by superstitions and other vain things. When they move out or when they open a business, they do not have any day to go. Even when repairing the house, I take the road work that the ghosts do not interfere with. In addition, they say that if you take good care of the grave site and the site of the house, the descendants will prosper. Furthermore, I spend the year shivering with one verse of the secret of soil cleaning, and if my fortune for the day goes wrong, I get scared and can't even go out properly.
Break free from such bondage and live in complete freedom. No one can drop us into condemnation, misery, and hell unless we renounce our faith. Because you are already a child of God. This is not to say that doing your best is not necessary. However, even when you do your best, do not try to do your best to obtain grace, but do your best as a being who has received grace.
In Psalm 51:4, David confesses after he has built it. “I have sinned against you alone, and have done what is evil in your sight; you are righteous when you speak, and innocent when you judge.” How could a sinner say such a brazen thing? However, although it may seem shameless from a human perspective, David completely entrusted himself to God's grace. In this way, live your life completely trusting yourself in the grace of God.
No one in this world can fully handle the problem of sin on their own. Leave the matter entirely to God, enjoy great freedom in spirit, and have a humble attitude of “I do my best to live according to God’s will through the grace of God” rather than a proud attitude of “I keep the commandments better than anyone else.” Live with faith in action. At that time, the most blessed life will unfold in which you can enjoy freedom in God's grace and prepare for tomorrow's blessings.