Freedom in Christ: How God's Grace Breaks Every Chain

This article is based on Pastor Adrian Rogers' message, Liberated Life.

People want to cast off restraint, but in fact, it is Jesus who has come to set us free.

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

But from what, exactly, does Christ set us free?

Finding Freedom from the False Gospel of Legalism

Earlier, Paul wrote to the Galatian church:

I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ (Galatians 1:6-7).

Mentally underscore this: a different gospel. This early church was dealing with some who were perverting the Gospel, and consequently, some who were deserting the Gospel.

See what becomes of those who twist the Gospel of Christ.

But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed (Galatians 1:8-9).

The Gospel of Christ is not about matters of preference. These are matters of eternal destiny.

How to Tell Gospel from Legalism

How can we tell whether we are hearing the true Gospel? Paul gives us three tests.

1. Does It Come from God’s Word?

From where did it come?

But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ (Galatians 1:11-12).l

The Gospel is not the invention of man. The true Gospel has to come from God Himself—that is, from His written Word.

2. Does It Teach Salvation By Grace?

How does it teach that we are saved?

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Salvation is by the grace of God only, and it was bought by Christ on the cross. When He finished it, it was accomplished, and you cannot deplete it or add to it.

3. Is It Centered on Christ?

It is the grace of Christ. Christ is the subject of the Gospel.

For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures…(1 Corinthians 15:3-4).

That is the gospel, and nothing else is. Any other gospel is a false gospel, and the wrath and judgment of God are upon it.

Christianity is Christ. Legalism binds those who have latched onto a code of living instead of Christ.

Grace and Assurance of Salvation

If you understand that you are saved by grace, then you break every chain of legalism and self-effort.

If you had confidence in yourself, if you were trusting in legalism, you could not have certainty. You would constantly ask yourself,

Am I good enough?

I think I am.

But I did lose my temper the other day.

Well, I hope I'm saved.

If one particle of it depended upon yourself, you could never know that you are saved.

Loosing the Shackles of Criticism

And this occurred because of false brethren secretly brought in (who came in by stealth to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage), to whom we did not yield submission even for an hour, that the truth of the gospel might continue with you (Galatians 2:4-5).

Some influential religious people had come and found that the Early Church was living and rejoicing in the grace of God, and they came to the church at Galatia as grace-busters with their list of regulations. Of course, this is not referring to the genuine, holy commandments and righteous decrees found in God’s Word. These people were making mountains out of external matters of preference.

But the very purpose of the Mosaic law was to show us that we are sinners. The law could never have saved us—it was meant to show us that we needed to be saved. (See Galatians 2:21.)

Paul called these grace-busters false brethren. They were doing the work of Satan: keeping the children of God enslaved to a false standard, a false way to measure, instead of enjoying spiritual growth in the freedom of Christ.

For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ…(2 Corinthians 10:4-5).

Breaking Every Chain of Fatalism

Apart from Christ, legalism is not the only area in which we are in bondage.

But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage? You observe days and months and seasons and years. I am afraid for you, lest I have labored for you in vain (Galatians 4:9-11).

Paul means here a fatalistic fascination with the Universe—the stars, the planets, your birth, the list goes on. “I am what I am by fate,” etc. When a disaster happens, “The stars weren’t aligned.”

For a child of God, there is no such thing as disaster. (See Romans 8:28.) You cannot say, “This is just the way I am.”

Do you see the spiritual warfare against the freedom of Christ? Under legalism, you are a slave to yourself. Shackled to criticism, you are a slave to others. Living in fatalism, you are a slave to circumstance—but the grace of God will set you free from all of this.

Free in Christ, You Are Free Indeed

You begin to see the wonderful dimensions of this grace. Now, how does it work?

The grace of God is centered on the cross of Jesus Christ.

If you could be saved by being a good boy, then Calvary was a blunder. True freedom comes by the cross, and only by the cross.

True Freedom Requires a Death

Remember Paul’s words: “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me…” (Galatians 2:20a). That is not just rhetoric; that is truth.

Christ did not take your sins to the cross. We often make a mistake by saying so. He took you to the cross—because the problem is not what you do, but what you are. You are born with original sin in your very nature.

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23).

True Freedom Means a New Life

Then your life is exchanged. Not only did Christ die, but He rose again—and you arose with Him.

Suppose a man committed murder, and the judge sentenced him to death. They perform his execution. Can the law do anything else to him now? If by some miracle he came back to life, can they execute him again? Absolutely not! That would be double jeopardy.

If you are a child of God, you died with Christ. The law has no more demand on you.

True Freedom Is Found By Faith in Jesus’ Name

Since Jesus has made grace available, how then do we receive it? This is where faith comes in.

Only by faith in Jesus’ Name can we agree with God about our sin and accept the gift of salvation in Christ Jesus. Throwing away all I do, all I think, and all I know, and refusing to rely on legalism and checklists, you must rely solely on what Jesus did for you. That is faith—surrendering all of who you are, to all of who He is, and claiming nothing but the cross of Christ. The moment you do that, you are “saved by grace through faith.” This is how we are to live our daily lives: knowing that we are free in Christ, and free to obey Christ.

I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me (Galatians 2:20; Emphasis added).

That is liberty. Trust God that this is true, and do not let anybody put you in bondage to legalism when Christ has made you free indeed.

List of Scriptures Referenced in This Article

Galatians 1:6-12, 2:4-5,20-21, 4:9-11, 5:1; Ephesians 2:8-9; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Romans 6:23, 8:28

More Bible Verses About True Freedom in Christ

Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, ‘You will be made free’?” Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed” (John 8:31-36).

Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come. But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many (Romans 5:14-15).