Galatians 3:23-29
Your Story
Talk about a time when you felt free. How did it feel?
My Story and the Bible Story
When I was a teenager, there was a popular praise and worship song by the Newsboys called “I Am Free.” The words are:
Through you the blind will see
Through you the mute will sing
Through you the dead will rise
Through you all hearts will praise
Through you the darkness flees
Through you my heart screams
I am free
Yes, I am free
I AM FREE TO RUN
I AM FREE TO DANCE
I AM FREE TO LIVE FOR YOU
I AM FREE
YES I AM FREE
Through you the kingdom comes
Through you the battle’s won
Through you I’m not afraid
Through you the price is paid
Through you there’s victory
Because of you my heart sings
I am free
Yes, I am free
When I think of Jesus, I think of freedom. I think of the freedom grace gives us, the freedom to be ourselves, the freedom to be human, the freedom to mess up sometimes (because we are human) but to know that God will love us no matter what. No matter what happens, there’s nothing we can do to make God stop loving us. It is comforting to know that we are free in Christ, even when our world tries to tell us what we should do, what we should wear, what we should eat, and even who we should be.
Read Galatians 3:23-29. From the NIV: Before this faith came, we were held prisoners by the law, locked up until faith should be revealed. So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law. You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
Before Jesus came, the Jewish people had tons and tons of laws that they had to follow. And according to the Pharisees, they had to follow them all to even think about getting into heaven. And nobody could ever measure up. And so they were prisoners of the law because nobody did everything exactly right. But then, Jesus came and we are free. There are times when we will still do the wrong thing, when we will still sin, but now, thanks to Jesus, we are free. And not only are we free, but we are equal. In a world where your importance was based on whether or not you were a slave or were free, whether you were a Jew or a Greek, and whether you were a man or a woman, Paul saying that we are all equal in Christ Jesus was huge. It doesn’t matter how much or how little you have, whether you are a man or a woman, or whether you are a Jew or a Gentile. Everyone could be free in Jesus. When you feel like you are stuck in a box that’s too small, when you feel like you have to do everything everybody else says, that you have to dress a certainly way, wear your hair a certain way, or act a certain way, remember that you are free. Thanks to Jesus, you are free to be who you are. And you are free to accept God’s love. God gave us freedom and grace through Jesus. And that is great news!
Discussion and Prayer
- Ask your family if they ever feel pressure to dress a certain way, act a certain way, or be a certain way. Talk through their responses.
- Talk about how God’s freedom through Jesus means that we have grace no matter what. Remind your children that it’s okay to make mistakes and mess up. God does want us to do what He asks us to do, but God always loves us no matter what.
Pray, thanking God for our freedom in Jesus and asking for help in listening to what God asks us to do.
Jessica Asbell is currently serving as the Minister to Children at First Baptist Church of Roswell, GA. She has worked with children in various capacities at several churches, including Winter Park Baptist in Wilmington, NC, First Baptist of Decatur, GA, and Highland Hills Baptist in Macon, GA. She has a Master of Divinity from McAfee School of Theology and a BBA from Mercer University. In her spare time she loves to read, watch movies, and of course spend time with her sweet kitty, Lucy.
