“For freedom Christ has set us free.” The obviousness and redundancy of this line from Paul’s letter to the Galatians may cause us to scratch our heads and say, “well, of course.” Yet Paul makes this rather obvious assertion because it is so easy for this journey that begins with the promise of freedom to be derailed by falling into the dank and stifling pit of religion. Such was the case with the people in the 1st century church in Galatia. Their experience and Paul’s admonitions to them in light of this experience are still very instructive to us today. What does it mean to be free in Christ? Why do we exchange God’s grace for a set of obligations designed to impress God and earn God’s favor? As we work through this letter and listen to both St. Paul’s anger at religion and his encouragement to enter into relationship with Jesus, we can find strength for the journey as we receive and act on the invitation to keep our eyes fixed on the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
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