WE TURN NOW to Galatians for its “in Christ” passages. The first one we find strikes the keynote of the Epistle: “our freedom which we have in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 2:4). There were those who felt that Christ was not enough. They wanted “Christ and”—Christ and circumcision. Without the “and,” salvation was not complete.
We try to do the same; we try to piece out the redemption in Christ by adding to Him—Christ and baptism, baptism according to our special formula; Christ and our holy communion; Christ and our apostolic succession; Christ and becoming a member of our church; Christ and the gift of tongues; Christ and our interpretation of Him; Christ and our doctrinal slogans; Christ and our forms of worship. Endlessly we say, “Christ and.” Paul refused any “and” added to Christ.
This was the freedom in Christ—a freedom from endless “ands.” Christ and Christ alone is necessary to salvation! I went through a famous temple in Madurai, where Brahmins go through burdensome details in meticulously doing this, that, and the other in order to perform their ritual. It literally takes up half the day. As I walked among these ritualists I kept saying to myself, “Christ alone for salvation.” I was free from this religious red-tape. “If the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36). This was an “indeed” freedom. All else is pseudo freedom. It is freedom to walk amid the 3,600 commandments of the Law and say to yourself, “Thou shalt love God; thou shalt love man.” You are freed from complexity to simplicity, from the marginal to the central, from the trivial to the great. No wonder Paul fought the Judaizers; he was fighting for freedom—for himself and us.
O Jesus my Lord, I thank Thee for this “indeed” freedom. I am loosed from a thousand inner and outer bondages. I’m free to love Thee and through Thee to love others. I’m free to be at my best through Thee. Amen.
AFFIRMATION FOR THE DAY: I am free to love Him alone, and when I love Him alone I am free—free indeed.
