“LIBERTY“

“For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another” (Galatians 5:13).

Apostle Paul says, “You have been called to liberty.” The original Greek word “Eleutheria,” from which “liberty” was translated, is the same as in Galatians 2:4: “And this occurred because of false brethren secretly brought in (who came in by stealth to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage).”

The word “liberty” in these verses of scripture actually means the same thing as “right” (as in one’s right).

It is synonymous with authority, but in this case, it emphasises a right: a legal right! When he says we have been called to liberty (in Galatians 5:13), he means we have been called into freedom—the kind of freedom that empowers one with a legal right.

Combining this meaning of liberty with that of Luke 4:18 provides a better understanding of the word “liberty.”

This means that Christ brought us out of slavery so He could bring us into freedom with legal rights.

Now, it’s one thing to bring someone out of something, and it’s another to bring him into something else.

Jesus brought us out so He could bring us in. We have therefore been called to liberty in Christ. We have been brought out of slavery and into freedom. And in that liberty, we have rights.