Slavery & Freedom

(Gal. 5:1-15)
Slavery under the law

For a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him. (2 Pe. 2:19)

You are a slave to whomever you yield yourself to obey (Rom. 6:16)

Jesus told the Jews: that every one who commits sin is a slave to sin and will not abide forever (John
8:31-36)

Paul describes us in our pre-conversion state as "slaves to various passions and pleasures" (Titus 3:3).

Many people are slaves to the opinions of others. But Paul said, "I do not allow others to judge me
and I do not even judge myself."

Freedom under grace (Rom. 6:14-15)

From legalism

The freedom we have gained through faith is a freedom from the demands and condemnation
of the law.

Yeast is often used to symbolize the evil effects of false teaching spreading through a group
of people.

From self-indulgence

Not freedom to indulge sinful nature (Gal. 5:13, Rom. 6:1-23, 1 Cor. 10:23-24, 1 Pe. 2:16)

Bad habits

A negative life controlling habit is something you find yourself doing even though it is
destructive physical, mentally, emotionally, relationally or spiritually. Or you
consistently do something you wish you wouldn’t do, but you find yourself doing it
any way. (Rom. 7:14-15)

The Elephant and the Rope

I heard the story of how elephants are brought into captivity. Have you ever been to a
circus and seen a giant elephant with a small rope around its ankle? Did you ever stop
to think, hey, wait a minute? Physically speaking, there is no way that small little rope
can hold back that giant elephant! And did you ever wonder how it happened that a
giant elephant could be held in place by something that does not have the power to
contain him. Here’s how it works. When trainers begin taming a baby elephant, they
place a heavy chain around its ankle and stake the chain into the ground. Day after
day, hour after hour, the baby elephant struggles to escape. But his efforts are in vain.
 He simply cannot break free from the grips of that powerful chain. Eventually he
surrenders. He resolves in his mind that there is no possible way he can escape that
chain. So he relinquishes forever the struggle to be free. Then when he has given up
trying, his masters replace that giant chain with the small little rope. If the elephant
ever opened his eyes to the truth, he could break free at any moment. All it would take
is one try, but since the elephant doesn’t know that, he doesn’t take a step in the right
direction of freedom. And so it happens that ten, twenty, thirty years later, the giant
elephant remains held in bondage by something that really has no power to control
him, except the power he chooses to give it. (see 1 Cor. 10:13, Rom. 6:13-14)

Admission/Confession, prayer and reliance on God are the keys to overcoming bad
habits (1 John 1:9, James 4:7-8, 5:16, Phil. 4:13, 2 Tim. 1:7)

To yield ourselves to God as instruments of righteousness (Rom. 6:13)

To demonstrate love for one another

Serve one another in love (Gal. 5:13-14, 1 Cor. 9:19)

Karl Menninger, an acclaimed psychologist, determined a decade ago that the treatment for
patients with clinical depression which was showing the greatest level of results was having
the patient find someone who was worse off than them who they could serve. Patient after
patient would return with reports of reduced levels of depression.

To enjoy the gift of eternal life (Rom. 6:23, John 8:35, Heb. 9:15)

Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom (2 Cor. 3:17)

Through faith in Christ we may approach God in freedom and confidence (Eph.3:12)