Gospel of Grace - Standing Firm on Our Freedom

Galatians 5:1-6

In any form, freedom has to be guarded; it must be protected. Christian freedom is no different.

Galatians 5:1-6: For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace. For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love. (ESV)

Have you ever been tormented by sin, guilt, shame, and the fear of hell? When I was a young boy, the thought of not being good enough tormented me all the time. I thought that once I accepted Jesus, somehow, magically, my inclination to sin would cease to exist instantly. When that did not happen, I thought that something must be broken inside of me.

I believed the problem was my confession. So, I confessed, repeatedly. I accepted Jesus in my heart repeatedly. To stop the torment, I read the Bible more, fasted more, and prayed more. Doing all those things made me feel good, but when I fell short, it was terrible.

When I encountered the gospel of grace, I discovered that my problem was not my confession. I was saved the day I accepted Jesus as my savior. My problem was my guilty conscience. I