In His Service (Galatians 5 ESV/KJV)

 The imagery of slavery and bondage is one Paul often uses in his writings.  Certainly the book of Galatians bears this out.  It's very obvious.  I believe his readers knew and understood well about slavery.

That's why he's so keen to keep them free.  These two verses are linked,

"So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman (or slave), but of the free (woman).  Stand fast therefore in the liberty (or freedom) where with Christ has made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage (or slavery)"              (Galatians 4:31 and 5:1 KJV/ESV).

The Judaizers, trying to enforce Jewish ways as 'add-ons' to the pure gospel of Jesus Christ - that is, salvation only in Him alone - were attempting and perhaps making inroads into the Gentiles among the believers in the Galatian assembly, were trying to entangle and entrap them and bring them into slavery and bondage to those laws.

It was described as a "yoke."  It would be a heavy burden to bear.  They all knew it.  The Judaizers knew it too.  After all, their history was riddled with the yoke of slavery.

They'd been slaves for 400 years in Egypt.  Moses had helped them escape.   They'd been captives for 70 years in Babylon and in Persia.  Even then, at the time of Paul's writing, They were 'captives' under Roman rule.

Even the Gentile Galatians themselves lived under a Celtic migrant governance and some sort of tribal rulers and tetrarchs.  Above them was a judge, military commander and subordinate officers if AI Overview is to be believed.  So why, when they came to church where freedom in Christ should reign, would they want to put on another yoke of bondage?!

Some may even have been actual slaves in someones household as Onesimus had been in Philemon's home.  If they'd become free of such yokes, why would they ever went to be re-bound?

They had to "stand firm" and "not submit" to these unnecessary yokes.  Those of us who are followers of Jesus Christ have been "called to freedom" (Galatians 5:13 ESV).

Of course we cannot use our freedom to do just whatever we like.  We must live to please the Lord and honor Him with our thoughts and actions.  We need to serve Him and others with the love we have in Christ.

We walk by His Holy Spirit and not by our own desires.  Let's be led by the Holy Spirit so we will indeed honor our Lord and Savior.   In this way we will be less prone to go back to the yoke of slavery.  It's a choice.  Choose wisely.

When we follow the Lord and are sensitive to the Holy Spirit leading we will not forge ourselves back to those bounds, as individuals nor as a congregation of the Lord's people.

Let's all stand fast in the freedom that cost our Savior His life.  May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the fellowship we have in His Holy Spirit keep us living free from spiritual bondaage of any kind except to be only His servant in His service, until He comes.  

Perhaps today!

                                                    ~  ERC  July 2026  ~

Based on Galatians 5 ESV/KJV.

Sing, Glorious Freedom (Once I Was Bound), along with Gaither Music.