Printer Friendly Version

Particulars of Christianity:
305 Liberty in Christ


Liberty and Death

Liberty in Christ: Extended Introduction
Liberty in Christ: Introduction
Definitions and New Testament Survey
Synonyms for Liberty in Christ
Liberty and Death
Liberty, the Law, and the 10 Commandments
Origin of the Law of Liberty
Liberty and Yet Prohibition
Incorporating Pagan Practices in the Old Testament
"Christianizing" Pagan Practices
What is Observing Times?
Liberty, Bondage, and Righteousness
Liberty and Meat Sacrificed to Idols
Liberty and 1 Corinthians 8
Liberty, 1 Corinthians 10, and Idolatry
Liberty, 1 Corinthians 10, and Your Neighbor
Summary and Practical Applications
Addendum: Romans 14, the Conscience, and Morality



Given that "where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty," as Paul states in 2 Corinthians 3:17 AND that James three times (James 1:25, 2:8,12) refers to Christian liberty as a law, it is no surprise that Paul refers to Christian liberty in Romans 8 as "the Law of the Spirit."

Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free [eleutheroo - 1659] from the law of sin and death.

Romans 8:13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. 14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. 15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

Notice that the word for bondage in Romans 8:15 is the Greek word "douleia" (Strong's No. 1397). Douleia is related to the word for bondage used by Paul in Galatians 2:4, which is katadouloo (Strong's No. 2615.) Katadouloo means, "to bring into bondage, enslave." Douleia means, "slavery, bondage." Both katadouloo and douleia come from the same root word, "doulos" (Strong's No. 1401), which means, "slave." This is yet another similarity that tells us Paul is discussing the same issue in both Galatians 2:4 where he refers to our "liberty in Christ" and here in Romans 8:1-2,13-15 where he refers to the "Law of the Spirit" setting us "free" (eleutheroo - 1659) and in both cases states that we are no longer in "bondage."

Other similarities between Romans 8 and Galatians 2 include that in Galatians 2, Paul uses the Greek word "eleutheria" (Strong's No. 1657) and in Romans 8:2, he uses the related Greek word "eleutheroo" (Strong's No. 1659.) As we stated earlier in our study not only are these two words closely related, but all 11 times eleutheria is used in the New Testament, it is used to refer to liberty in Christ. And similarly, all 7 times that eleutheroo is used in the New Testament it is used to refer to liberty in Christ.

The last similarity we will note is that in Galatians, Paul uses the phrase "eleutheria (liberty) which we have in Christ Jesus." So, in Galatians 2, we see Paul associating eleutheria very closely with the phrase "in Christ Jesus." And, likewise in Romans, Paul uses the phrase "in Christ Jesus" two times. The second time Paul uses "in Christ Jesus" in association with eleutheroo, saying, "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me eleutheroo (free)."

So, it is clear that Paul is teaching about the same issue in both Galatians 2:4 and Romans 8:1-2,13-14. But what is most significant to notice is that, like James, Paul speaks of this liberty of the Spirit as a "law." Furthermore, Paul says that it is this new Law itself that sets us free from the old Law, which is the Mosaic Law.

Romans 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free [eleutheroo - 1659] from the law of sin and death.

In fact, Paul goes so far as to say that we are only free from the old Law when we walk in the new law.

Romans 8:13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.

Finally, Paul warned in Galatians 2:4 that "false brethren" were trying to "bring us into bondage" again. However, it is interesting to note that while stating we are under a new law here in Romans 8, Paul also says that this new law does not put us under bondage.

Romans 8:15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

Rather, quite the opposite is true. Only by obeying the new law of the Spirit (or "law of liberty" as James calls it) are we free from the bondage to the old Law.

Romans 7:6 But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve [1398] in newness of spirit [4151], and not in the oldness of the letter.

Notice the word "serve" in verse is the Greek word "douleuo," (Strong's No. 1398), which is closely related to the Greek words katadouloo (from Galatians 2:4) meaning, "to enslave" and douleia (from Romans 8:15) meaning "slavery." Similarly douleuo means "to be a slave." So, while we were no longer slaves to the old Law, the Law of Moses, we are, in fact, slaves to a new law, the Law of the Spirit, the Law of Liberty, the Law of Christ.

So we see that Paul's warning about bondage did not refer to having ANY law over us, but instead only referred to those who would seek to enslave us once again to the ENTIRE Law of Moses. Paul himself taught we were to live as slaves (douleou) to the Law of the Spirit.

And we see from Galatians 2:12-18 that this is precisely the context Paul was referring to when he wrote of "false brethren" trying to enslave them. In that chapter, we see some of the Jewish Christians coming to Galatia to visit the Christians there. Prior to the visit of these so-called Christians visiting from Jerusalem, the Christians in Galatia were NOT obeying the Jewish dietary laws. However, when these visitors from Jerusalem arrived, they impressed upon the Galatians to follow the Jewish food laws to the extent that Peter and Barnabas began to do so. Therefore, by insisting that the Galatians obey components of the Mosaic Law pertaining to the diet, these visitors from Jerusalem were trying to enslave the Gentiles to an aspect of the Jewish Law, which they had been freed from. (As we will see later on in our study, this is very similar to what had happened in Acts 15.)

In fact, in Galatians 2:18, Paul concludes his rebuttal.

Galatians 2:18 For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor.

According to Paul, by asserting that obedience to the dietary aspects of the Jewish Law was necessary, these visitors and those who went along with them were testifying to the necessity of the Jewish Law itself. And if they build back up the necessity to obey the Law of Moses, then they demonstrate that they are law-breakers, since all men have broken the Law of Moses. In this way, not only do they make themselves again slaves to the entire Law of Moses, but they become slaves to the consequence prescribed for breaking that law, namely the legally prescribed consequence of death.

And this brings us back to our threefold conclusion about what it means to have "liberty in Christ." The first of our threefold conclusions stated that "in Christ" we are "at liberty" from the legally prescribed punishment of death. And that is exactly what Paul is saying in Romans 8.

Romans 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free [eleutheroo - 1659] from the law of sin and death.

Thus, the first of our threefold conclusion about what it means to have "liberty in Christ" is established. Liberty in Christ meant freedom FROM death, the legally prescribed punishment for sin.