But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more?
—Galatians 4:9

No one can accuse me of not taking my own medicine. I’ve been reading Galatians again and again under the Bible reading plan I proposed earlier this year. Despite having read this book countless times, it never sank in like it has now.

And what stands out more than anything else? Freedom in Christ.

Now I could quote all of Galatians here, but instead I’ll go to another of Paul’s epistles:

Now if the ministry of death, carved in letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at Moses’ face because of its glory, which was being brought to an end, will not the ministry of the Spirit have even more glory? For if there was glory in the ministry of condemnation, the ministry of righteousness must far exceed it in glory. Indeed, in this case, what once had glory has come to have no glory at all, because of the glory that surpasses it. For if what was being brought to an end came with glory, much more will what is permanent have glory. Since we have such a hope, we are very bold, not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face so that the Israelites might not gaze at the outcome of what was being brought to an end. But their minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
—2 Corinthians 3:7-18

What does the presence of the Spirit in our lives afford us? Freedom.

Freedom from the Law.

Freedom from sin.

Freedom from expectations.

Freedom from judgment.

Freedom from mediocrity.

Freedom from blind living.

Freedom from shame.

Freedom from self-condemnation.

Freedom from fear.

Freedom from the past.

Freedom from ourselves.

Freedom to swim against the tide.

Freedom to love unconditionally.

Freedom to live unbound by any fetters.

Freedom to know Christ and to make Him known.

Freedom to be shaped into the image of Christ.

I don’t want to be one of those who turns back.