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Galatians 5:1For freedom, Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and don’t submit again to a yoke of slavery.

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• Freedom in Christ: Paul emphasizes that Christ has freed believers from the burdens of the law, urging them to live in true freedom by not returning to legalism or sin.
• Life by the Spirit: He contrasts living by the flesh with living by the Spirit, listing the “acts of the flesh” versus the “fruit of the Spirit.”
• Love and the Law: Paul explains that all of the law is fulfilled in one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
• Conflict and Restoration: He acknowledges the tension between flesh and Spirit but encourages believers to walk by the Spirit, which will lead to peace and mutual support rather than division.

The Christian life is characterized by freedom in Christ, guided by the Spirit to produce love and unity rather than legalism or division.

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Galatians 4:4-5 But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.

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Galatians 4 focuses on the transition from slavery to freedom through Christ. Paul explains that believers are no longer under the bondage of the law but are adopted as God’s children through faith in Jesus. He uses the analogy of an heir who, though destined to inherit everything, is under guardians until the appointed time. Similarly, humanity was under the law until Christ came to redeem us, granting us the status of sons and daughters with the Spirit in our hearts. Paul also warns against returning to legalistic practices, using the allegory of Hagar and Sarah to contrast the old covenant of slavery with the new covenant of freedom.

This chapter teaches that through Christ’s redemptive work, believers are freed from the law’s bondage and adopted as God’s children, inheriting the promises of freedom and grace.

click here for the 2025 reading plan