Let us be eager to leave what is familiar for what is true. —Francis Chan
The law was not designed to bring freedom. It was designed as a fence creating a place of captivity and protection for God’s people. Paul knew the first step to dancing was to stop marching. Marching is a sign of imprisonment; it’s a sign of living under the law.
Before the coming of this faith, we were held in custody under the law, locked up until the faith that was to come would be revealed… Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian. (Galatians 3:23, 25)
During Paul’s day, wealthy families hired a pedagogos to care for their sons between the ages of 6 and 18. These “guardians” were responsible for all of the child’s training and often held brutal discipline in high regard. Yet they also played an important role in protecting these sons from the unwanted public advances common in Roman times.
That’s the image of a guardian that Paul has in mind as he writes about our freedom from the law—a strict guardian who is both disciplined and protected. Yes, those images still appear in many forms in our world today, “guardians” who seem so familiar and so safe… but are they?
So in Christ Jesus [we] are all children of God through faith… (Galatians 3:26)
We are free to be defined by Christ and nothing else. He invites us to a place of full dependency upon Him. But the choice is ours, moment by moment. Will we, indeed, eagerly leave what is familiar for what is true?
Lord Jesus, thank you for tearing down the fence. I step out into freedom. Amen.