You Don't Have to Follow the Law

Devotional

Day 1: When the Guardian Steps Aside

Paul describes the law as a strict tutor guarding minors until adulthood. Jewish believers once followed rigid rules like children obeying a household guardian. But when Christ came, the law’s temporary role ended. Faith replaced the need for constant supervision. The guardian steps aside when the heir matures. [19:49]

This passage declares our graduation from rule-keeping to relationship. The law exposed sin but couldn’t give life. Now Jesus invites us into freedom through trust, not compliance. God never intended the law to be our permanent master—only a signpost pointing to Christ.

Many still live like minors under the tutor’s harsh voice. You might check spiritual boxes while missing the Father’s embrace. What duty have you turned into a hollow ritual? Where could you replace “I must” with “I trust”?

“Before the coming of this faith, we were held in custody under the law, locked up until the faith that was to come would be revealed. So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith. Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian.”
(Galatians 3:23-25, NIV)

Prayer: Ask Jesus to reveal one area where you still rely on rules instead of relationship.
Challenge: Read Galatians 3:23-26 aloud twice today—once as your former self, once as Christ’s heir.

Day 2: Above All, Child of God

Paul dismantles divisions in Galatia: Jew/Gentile, slave/free, male/female. His words shocked those praying, “Thank God I’m not a Gentile, slave, or woman.” But in Christ, secondary identities fade. Like the Native friend declaring “I’m God’s child first,” we wear our primary identity over all others. [27:21]

Jesus didn’t die to preserve cultural preferences or political tribes. He creates one family where earthly labels lose power. When we prioritize human distinctions over our shared sonship, we rebuild walls His cross destroyed.

What badge do you wear tighter than “Christian”? Which group’s approval matters more than your Father’s? How might emphasizing your primary identity heal a divided relationship?

“So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
(Galatians 3:26-28, NIV)

Prayer: Confess one division you’ve tolerated between yourself and another believer.
Challenge: Write down three secondary identities you hold. Circle the one most needing to submit to “child of God.”

Day 3: Your Throne or His Cross

Saul clung to his kingship while David trusted God’s timing. “While you’re on the throne,” David warned, “you’ll never be free.” Like Israelites returning to slavery, we reclaim thrones Jesus died to occupy. Freedom comes when we stop ruling our own lives. [32:46]

Christ’s cross demands full surrender. Nomism sneaks in when we say “Jesus saves, but I maintain.” True freedom isn’t self-improvement—it’s death to self-rule. The Spirit transforms us not through our management, but through our yieldedness.

Where are you still playing monarch? What decision, habit, or relationship have you kept off-limits to Christ’s lordship? When did you last kneel instead of dictate?

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
(Galatians 2:20, NIV)

Prayer: Name one throne you’re clinging to. Ask Jesus to take it today.
Challenge: Write “Not my will” on a sticky note. Place it where you make daily decisions.

Day 4: Abba’s Cry in Your Spirit

Paul highlights the Spirit’s intimate cry within us: “Abba, Father.” This Aramaic term mirrors Jesus’ prayer in Gethsemane. The same Spirit who raised Christ lives in you, bridging the gap between slaves and sons. Legalism silences this cry; grace amplifies it. [29:36]

God doesn’t want distant obedience but affectionate trust. The law shouted “Perform!” The Spirit whispers “Beloved.” When we listen, our prayers shift from formal petitions to a child’s confident whisper.

When do you approach God like a employee reporting to a CEO rather than a child running to Dad? What would change if you let the Spirit’s “Abba” drown out religion’s “Thou shalt”?

“Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, ‘Abba, Father.’ So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.”
(Galatians 4:6-7, NIV)

Prayer: Sit silently for two minutes. When distracted, repeat “Abba, I belong to you.”
Challenge: Text one person: “The Spirit in me is crying ‘Abba’ for you today.”

Day 5: Walking on Thick Ice

Paul distinguishes non-negotiable truths (Christ crucified) from disputable matters. Like Minnesota ice, some doctrines bear weight—Jesus’ resurrection, salvation by grace. Others crack under pressure—food laws, end-time timelines. Freedom comes when we stand firm on essentials and extend grace elsewhere. [07:54]

Core truths anchor us; secondary issues test our unity. The early church split over circumcision and meat sacrificed to idols. Today’s “thin ice” debates differ, but the solution remains—cling to Christ, not opinions.

What hill are you dying on that Jesus didn’t die for? How might prioritizing gospel essentials over personal convictions strengthen your church?

“For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.”
(1 Corinthians 15:3-4, NIV)

Prayer: Ask God to reveal one “thin ice” opinion you’ve treated as “thick ice” truth.
Challenge: Share the 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 gospel summary with someone today.

Sermon Summary

Confirmation names six covenant affirmations, and one takes the front seat today: the reality of freedom in Christ. Paul frames that freedom in Galatians as a freedom with a Master. The claim is not that a person gets to do whatever a person wants. The claim is that freedom depends on who the Master is. Before Christ, sin or the law holds the leash. In Christ, righteousness takes charge, and the Spirit moves in.

The contrast between thin ice and thick ice marks the boundaries of this freedom. Thick ice allows family disagreement without breaking fellowship. Thin ice snaps everything. The resurrection of Jesus stands on thin ice. If Jesus is not alive, the whole story is just a party with good music. The age of the earth sits on thick ice. It does not change the cross or the empty tomb.

Paul answers the Galatian tangle by naming nomism, the life that starts by faith but tries to keep salvation by law-keeping. That path bewitched the church. The law did have a God-given job. The law exposed transgression, guarded and disciplined, like a paidagogos escorting a minor. But the paidagogos had an end date. Once faith in Christ arrived, baptism into Christ clothed the believer with Christ, and the Spirit began to lead from the inside. Obedience shifted from “you shall not” to “I do not want to,” because desire got remade.

The text then tears up the old scorecards. In Christ there is no Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male or female. Identity gets reordered. “Child of God” moves to the top of the stack. Everything else finds its place beneath. The Spirit cries out “Abba, Father,” not as a box to check but as living intimacy that refuses to drift back into slavery.

Freedom, then, is not self-rule. Freedom is getting off the throne. As long as the self keeps the scepter, the self stays bound. Lay down will and way, and the inheritance promised to Abraham flows in by faith alone. The Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead lives inside, draws close to the Father, conforms a person to Jesus, and makes holiness the overflow of communion. That is the reality of freedom in Christ. Thin ice stays unnegotiable. Thick ice stays generous. The bus keeps moving together.

Key Takeaways

1. Freedom means a new Master Freedom is not a blank check. Freedom is a transfer of ownership, from sin or law to Christ and righteousness. Who holds the reins determines whether life is slavery or liberty. The Spirit’s indwelling marks the change of Master. [11:24]
2. The law tutors, not saves The law exposes sin and guards like a household tutor, but it cannot justify or deliver the inheritance. Once faith in Christ comes, the tutor’s assignment is complete. Going back to law-keeping to keep salvation only undoes the cross in practice. [19:49]
3. Identity in Christ ends divisions “Child of God” sits above ethnicity, class, and gender. When that identity leads, old rivalries lose their power, and the church stops sorting people into camps. Unity is not theory; it is the daily refusal to rank one another by lesser labels. [28:43]
4. The Spirit makes obedience desire Union with Christ turns command into appetite. Holiness shifts from external pressure to internal pull, as the Spirit reshapes loves and wants. In temptation, obedience is still chosen, but the choosing rides on new affections, not bare willpower. [22:55]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:16] - Celebrating Confirmation Sunday
[01:28] - Centrality of the Word of God
[02:24] - Necessity of the New Birth
[03:08] - Whole Mission of the Church
[04:04] - Church as Fellowship of Believers
[05:58] - Conscious Dependence on the Holy Spirit
[07:09] - Freedom in Christ: Thin vs Thick Ice
[09:24] - What Is Freedom, Really
[10:45] - Everyone Has a Master
[12:40] - Nomism: Starting by Faith, Keeping by Law
[16:40] - Why Then the Law
[18:46] - The Law as Paidagogos
[21:44] - Baptized Into and Clothed With Christ
[24:49] - No Jew or Gentile: Identity Reordered
[29:07] - Abba Father: The Spirit’s Cry
[32:16] - Off the Throne to Live Free
[33:47] - Closing Prayer

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Galatians 3:23-29 (ESV)
23 Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. 24 So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, 26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.

Observation Questions

What does Paul mean by calling the law a "guardian" (Galatians 3:24), and how does this relate to the idea of freedom in Christ?
According to Galatians 3:28, what divisions are erased for those "in Christ"? How does this challenge cultural or societal labels?
The sermon mentions that "freedom is not self-rule" but a transfer of mastery to Christ. How does Paul contrast slavery under the law/sin with freedom under righteousness (Galatians 3:23-25)?
In the sermon, the phrase "Abba, Father" is described as a cry of intimacy rather than a ritual. How does Paul connect the Spirit’s role to this cry in Galatians 4:6?

Interpretation Questions

Why does Paul use the metaphor of a "guardian" (paidagogos) to describe the law’s purpose, and what does this imply about its limitations?
How does the removal of divisions like "Jew or Gentile" (Galatians 3:28) redefine identity for believers? What practical tensions might this create in a diverse church?
The sermon states, "Obedience shifted from ‘you shall not’ to ‘I do not want to’" ([22:55]). How does the Spirit’s indwelling transform obedience from external rules to internal desires?
Paul warns against returning to the law after receiving freedom in Christ. Why might believers still be tempted to rely on rule-keeping, and how does this "undo the cross" ([19:49])?

Application Questions

In what areas of your life do you still feel enslaved to rules or guilt instead of living in the freedom of being "clothed with Christ" (Galatians 3:27)? What step could you take to surrender those areas to the Spirit?
The sermon says, "Child of God" should sit above all other identities ([28:43]). How might prioritizing this identity change how you interact with someone who holds different political, cultural, or social views than you?
When facing temptation, how could you lean into the Spirit’s reshaping of your desires ([22:55]) instead of relying on willpower alone? Share a recent example where this was (or wasn’t) your approach.
The law is compared to a tutor with an "end date" ([19:49]). Are there habits or traditions in your spiritual life that feel more like empty rule-keeping than Spirit-led freedom? How could you reframe them?
The sermon warns against "checking boxes" in faith ([30:41]). What rhythms or practices help you cultivate intimacy with God ("Abba, Father") rather than treating faith like a checklist?
How can your small group actively resist dividing over "thick ice" issues (e.g., preferences, non-essentials) while holding firm to "thin ice" truths like the resurrection ([08:42])?

Sermon Clips

``I wanna say that to you today. While you're on the throne of your life, you'll never be free. You have to let go, lay down your life. That is where the reality of freedom of Christ is in. It is living the way you were created to live. It is not relying on yourself or relying on how you can observe the law or relying on how good you are. There are a lot of people in this world who don't believe in Jesus who are really good. They cannot have the inheritance if they do not believe in Jesus. [00:32:39] (42 seconds)

we sometimes check the boxes, and we forget about the relationship. To Paul, this was real. He said the holy spirit is is real. He's with us, inside of us. It's not checking the boxes. But because we are sons, we can become heirs and heirs of this inheritance that the holy spirit is inside of you, that the holy spirit is living and active, working in you to bring you closer to the father, transforming you to make you look, act, and live more like Jesus. That is the focus. That inheritance can only come through your belief in Christ. There's no other way. [00:31:01] (56 seconds)

See, the idea from freedom comes from that we all have a master. We all, to some extent, are a slave to something. Whether you like it or not, you have a master. And for some of us, that man's master before you meet Christ, that master is sin. When Paul speaks to the church of Galatia, he speaks to Jews and Gentiles. For the Jews, that master was the law. The law was their master. But for those who are in Christ, he says we are now a slave to righteousness. [00:10:37] (42 seconds)

And their role was to take a minor as soon as a child didn't need their mother anymore, which today is never. But as soon as they didn't need mother anymore, then that slave would step in and walk with the child. They would they would make sure where they go and what they do and how they behave, and they would teach and discipline and show them how to live until the child had come of age. When the child was old enough, they did not need the paedogogos anymore. [00:19:12] (41 seconds)

Ask a question about this sermon

Chatbot

What distinguishes thin ice and thick ice topics

What is the law's purpose in Christian life

How does freedom in Christ actually look