Freedom in Christ: Do Not Go Back into Chains

Sermon from Sunday, January 11, 2026 · Tokyo Christ Church. Opening message of a series of 6 on the letter to the Galatians.

Introduction

Today begins a two-month series on the letter to the Galatians. This book is sometimes called "the fifth gospel," so much of the essence of the good news of Christ is concentrated in it. Entering the year 2026 with Galatians is therefore no small thing : Paul is writing to churches he himself founded during his first missionary journey. This is likely the earliest of his letters, and surely the most personal, the most emotional he ever wrote.

Notice this : in almost all his letters, Paul opens with thanksgiving or words of encouragement. Even to the Corinthians, full of faults as they were, he says, "I thank God for you." To the Galatians, nothing of the kind. Not a word of praise, not a pleasantry. Paul gets straight to the point from the very first lines. This is a sign that the situation is extremely serious.

Why this urgency? Because after Paul's visit, Judaizers had come into these churches and preached "another gospel." Their message : "to truly be saved, you need the law. Jesus and the twelve were Jewish, so to be justified you must become Jewish." They demanded circumcision. And at the same time, they attacked Paul : "he is not a real apostle, he hid the law from you to make himself popular." That is why Paul, right from chapter one, insists forcefully : he was called an apostle by God himself, having met Jesus directly.

The title of today's message is simple : freedom in Christ. Listen to Galatians 5:1 : "For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery." Freedom is the great theme of this letter. Through the cross, you have been set free from sin and from everything that bound you to the flesh. But according to Paul, there are two ways to lose this freedom that Christ has given you.

Outline of the sermon

1. Freedom against legalism

Read Galatians 1:6-7 : "I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel, not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ."

The good news is that God loves you now, unconditionally, and that your salvation is a free gift received by faith. The Judaizers wanted to turn this good news into bad news. The Greek word translated "distort" literally means "to turn into its opposite."

What made their message subtle is that they did not deny Jesus. They acknowledged his grace. But they added : "the grace of Christ is not enough, you must also keep the law, you need circumcision, you must work hard to stay saved." Paul answers that this is no longer the gospel of Jesus at all. If you add anything whatsoever to Christ as a condition for being justified, the gospel becomes a human performance.

Yet Jesus said on the cross : "It is finished." Salvation was completed. We have nothing to add to it. Paul, who was "a Hebrew of Hebrews," knew better than anyone that no human being can keep the 613 commandments of the law. The true gospel is Christ plus nothing. That is freedom in Christ.

Legalism is not simply "acting" or "doing good works." The Bible is very practical and calls us to action; faith without works is dead. Legalism is believing that by my actions I earn my justification, that by my efforts I deserve grace. How often, in a family, in a church, are we tempted to set rules and judge others by whether they keep them or not? It is easier to set rules for your children than to build a real relationship. But when you tie love to performance, the real relationship disappears.

Today, what is your own "Christ plus something"? What, in your life, takes the place of the Savior? Many Christians think of themselves as spiritual based on what they do or do not do, based on the leader they follow or the group they belong to. We say "a good disciple," "someone spiritual"... but these words often measure visible service rather than grace received. If you feel spiritual because you serve a lot, you are standing at the doorway of legalism. And conversely, when you can no longer serve as much, you condemn yourself : "I'm a bad disciple." That, too, is legalism.

Galatians 2:16 : "Knowing that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified." Being justified is not the same as being forgiven for a specific offense : it means being declared righteous, permanently, regardless of past or future failures. This righteousness, you do not receive by your own work, but by faith in Christ alone.

2. Freedom against license

The second way to lose freedom is license : "since my salvation is secured, I can live however I want, I have my ticket to heaven." That lifestyle drags you back into a different slavery : slavery to yourself and to your own desires. The Bible says very clearly that whoever keeps sinning willfully, with no regard for God, will not enter the kingdom.

Paul wants to keep us out of both legalism and license, and into true freedom in Christ. Today, you have already received far more than you deserve. As you hear this message, thank God that his grace, his righteousness, and his freedom are given to you as a gift. Your peace does not rest on "I'm doing enough, I'm in good standing" nor on "I can do whatever I want." It rests on what Christ has accomplished.

3. Three "P"s for tasting freedom in Christ

To live out this freedom fully, Paul offers you three things to remember. Three "P"s : your Past, your Purpose, and the Person.

Your past. Galatians 1:13-14 : "For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it. And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers." Paul never forgot where he came from. A persecutor of Christians, he became a preacher of Christ. It is because Paul had tried everything through the law that he knew just how vain a life of rules is, and just how extraordinary the freedom offered in Christ truly is. This week, remember the life you led before you knew the freedom of Christ, and remember what depths he pulled you out of.

Your purpose. Galatians 5:13-14 : "For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word : 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'" If Christ set you free, it was not so that you could live for yourself. It was so that you could love. When you love your neighbor out of this freedom, the Spirit produces his fruit in you : love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).

The Person. Galatians 2:20 : "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." You are not only raised with Christ : Christ lives in you. You do not merely wear his righteousness like a garment : his presence dwells within you. That is the true source of freedom.

Key takeaways

• Galatians is sometimes called "the fifth gospel" because the substance of the good news is concentrated in it : salvation by faith alone in Christ alone.
• Two poisons threaten your freedom : legalism (Christ plus my efforts) and license (Christ plus I do whatever I want). Both drag you back into slavery.
• Being justified is not being forgiven for an offense; it is being declared righteous once and for all in Christ.
• Three markers to keep you free : your past, the purpose of your freedom (to love), the Person who lives in you.
• "Christ plus nothing" : nothing needs to be added to what Jesus accomplished on the cross.

Personal application

1. What is your own "Christ plus something" today? A service, a rule, a leader, a performance that you add to Christ in order to feel accepted?
2. Where, in your family or your church, are you tempted to measure others by their performance rather than by the grace they have received?
3. Think back to the life you led before you met Christ. What exactly did he free you from? Take the time to share it with a brother or sister this week (over lunch, for example).
4. For which neighbor, concretely, does your freedom need to become service this week?
5. Take a moment to tell Christ, "It is no longer I who live, but you who live in me." How does that awareness change your day?

Verses cited

• Galatians 5:1
• Galatians 1:6-7
• Galatians 1:13-14
• Galatians 2:16
• Galatians 2:20
• Galatians 5:6
• Galatians 5:13-14
• Galatians 5:22-23
• 1 Peter 2:16

FAQ

Why is Galatians called "the fifth gospel"?

Because Paul summarizes with rare intensity the essence of the good news : salvation by faith alone, in Christ alone, with no merit of our own. This letter is also one of Paul's earliest, addressed to the churches he had just founded during his first missionary journey, immediately after that journey.

What is the difference between "forgiven" and "justified"?

Being forgiven concerns a specific offense, at a given moment, and leaves the question of future offenses open. Being justified means being declared righteous before God, in Christ, regardless of past or future failures. It is a permanent status you receive by faith, not by your own efforts.

If salvation is a free gift, why bother obeying?

Christ did not set you free so you could live for yourself. He set you free so you could love (Galatians 5:13-14). Obedience and service are not what saves you; they are how the freedom you have received is expressed concretely in your love for your neighbor and in the fruit of the Spirit.