Are You A Slave or A Free Person?

Mari Ikeda

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 Are You A Slave or A Free Person? (Galatians 4:21-5:1)


A. What deprives us of freedom
1. The Law (Tradition) (21-25)


2. Sin (29-30)



B. What gives us a freedom
1. God’s promise (26-28)

 26 But the Jerusalem that is above is free, and she is our mother. 27 For it is written: “Be glad, barren woman, you who never bore a child; shout for joy and cry aloud, you who were never in labor; because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband.” 28 Now you, brothers and sisters, like Isaac, are children of promise. 

2. Christ’s sacrifice (31-1)

 31 Therefore, brothers and sisters, we are not children of the slave woman, but of the free woman. 1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.


As long as we live on earth, we are bound by various limitations. But if we live with Jesus, though we still appear to be bound, not truly so, and we are able to live in freedom. Jesus gave us the freedom to love unconditionally. It is our sin that tries to throw that freedom away. We doubt God’s promise and forget Jesus’ sacrifice for us, and try to live by our own strength. Let’s not become a slave of our sin, but instead live as a servant of Jesus.

For Discussion

1) What limitations do you have? What things do you have no freedom to control?
2) How can those limitations and uncontrollable things be changed by Jesus?