How Can a Christian Experience the Freedom Mentioned in Galatians 5:13?

Published Jun 30, 2022
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Randy Smith

Does Everyone Have Free Will?

Or perhaps we should say it differently: is everyone free? John Piper advocates for this subtle shift in our language: “So instead of speaking of the will as free or not, I prefer to speak of people as free or not because that is the way the Bible does.”

“You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.” (Galatians 5:13)
“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.” (Galatians 5:1)
“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” (2 Corinthians 3:17)
“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” (John 8:36)
*Bold emphasis added.

It’s a topic that comes up a lot in Scripture, but notice how each of these verses reveals something different about freedom:

Freedom is something believers are called to (Galatians 5:13).
We need Jesus to “set us free” (Galatians 5:1).
Freedom is found in the presence of the Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:17).
Only Jesus can give us true freedom (John 8:36).

So no, everyone is not free. No matter how hotly we might insist on our autonomy if Jesus has not freed us from the bondage of sin, then we are still slaves to it (Romans 6:6-7). It is only by His mercy and grace that we are given the freedom to come (John 6:44), live (Ephesians 2:1), and declare the Lordship of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 12:13). And it is only through His lovingkindness that we can truly make choices unfettered by a nature that is hostile toward God—a nature we are all born with.

To read more from this article, see Do Humans Really Have Free Will? by Caroline Madison.