Our Freedom is found in Christ | August 23, 2026 | Bishop Jamie Barfield

Paul writes Galatians to churches being pulled back under the outward requirements of the Mosaic Law, especially circumcision, as though becoming Jewish could make somebody right with God. Paul brings them back to the simple truth of the gospel: justification comes by faith alone, not by works of the law. Christ fulfills the law in the believer’s place and suffers its curse in the believer’s place, so Christian freedom goes deeper than politics, culture, or personal choice.

Paul uses Hagar and Sarah, bondage and promise, to show that God’s people are not children of the bondwoman but children of freedom. Galatians 5:1 calls believers to stand fast in the liberty Christ has already purchased and not get tangled back up in a yoke of bondage. The blood of Jesus frees people from sin, shame, guilt, the enemy, and the spiritual debt no human effort can ever pay.

Quicksand pictures the way people fight sin in their own strength. The more a person fights in the flesh, the more that muck and mire rises up and pulls them down. Christ gives a new heart and makes a person a new creature, so freedom does not come from trying harder but from living in what Jesus has done.

Christian freedom does not mean freedom to act any way the flesh wants. Galatians and Romans say liberty is not an opportunity to keep sinning so grace can abound. Freedom means being set apart for Christ Jesus and walking in the Spirit rather than obeying the old captor.

Spiritual Stockholm syndrome names the strange pull to return to what once held a person captive. Old addictions, old relationships, old anger, old pride, old money, and old pain can feel comfortable simply because they are familiar. Christ calls believers to stop celebrating and misremembering the old lifestyle, let go of the thing that held them captive, and walk away free.

False labels also keep people in bondage. The old words, “cheater,” “addict,” “sorry,” and “good for nothing,” can become a false identity when they are believed more than God’s Word. Galatians declares that those baptized into Christ have put on Christ, belong to God’s family, and are heirs according to promise.

The Spirit leads believers into the freedom Christ has given. Romans 8 removes condemnation, John 8 declares that the Son makes people free indeed, and 2 Corinthians 3 says that where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. Christ pays the debt that cannot be paid, and confession of Jesus as Lord brings salvation, forgiveness, and a new life publicly declared in baptism.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Freedom is purchased, not self-produced [06:34] Christ does not merely offer help to people sinking in their mess. Christ steps into the place where the law, human effort, and religious performance cannot rescue anybody. The new heart and new identity come from His finished work, not from fighting harder in the flesh. [06:34]
• 2. Liberty is not permission for flesh [07:24] Christian freedom is not a cover for patterns that Jesus died to break. Grace does not make sin harmless, and mercy does not turn bondage into freedom. The Spirit sets people apart so that love, obedience, and holiness can grow from a heart that has been made new. [07:24]
• 3. Do not return to old captivity [10:26] Spiritual Stockholm syndrome happens when familiar bondage starts feeling safer than unfamiliar freedom. Old sin can offer comfort, memories, laughter, relief, or a sense of control, but it still holds chains. Christ calls His people to stop romanticizing Egypt and to trust the freedom already given. [10:26]
• 4. God’s Word names the believer anew [20:41] Old failures and cruel words can stick like a label on the chest, but they do not get the final word. Christ calls His people sons, daughters, new creatures, and heirs of promise. Walking in freedom requires rejecting the identity spoken by shame and receiving the identity given in Christ. [20:41]
• 5. The Spirit makes freedom walkable [22:23] The flesh still tempts, valleys still come, and hard battles still happen. The Spirit gives believers another way to walk in the middle of every struggle. The captor does not get to make the decisions anymore because Christ has made His people free indeed.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [00:39] - Why Paul Wrote Galatians
• [01:47] - The Doctrine of Christian Freedom
• [03:21] - Hagar, Sarah, Bondage, and Promise
• [04:11] - Christ Has Set You Free
• [04:47] - Quicksand and Fighting in Your Own Strength
• [07:24] - Freedom Is Not License to Sin
• [09:00] - Spiritual Stockholm Syndrome
• [12:38] - Let Go and Walk Away
• [14:49] - Breaking False Identity Labels
• [21:22] - Put on Christ and Walk in the Spirit
• [25:42] - Free Indeed Through the Son
• [29:27] - Prayer for Freedom
• [34:31] - Jesus Pays the Spiritual Debt
• [37:03] - Baptism and a New Life
• [39:30] - Coming Forward for Prayer
• [47:23] - Baptism Testimonies

Bible Reading

Galatians 5:1 — “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” [04:11]

John 8:36 — “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” [11:09] [29:17]

2 Corinthians 3:17 — “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” [28:39] [29:23]

Romans 8:1-2 — “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.” [25:28]

Galatians 3:26-29 — “For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 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. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise.” [21:14]

Observation questions

1. In Galatians 5:1, what has Christ already done, and what two commands are believers then given?
2. According to Romans 8:1-2, what are believers set free from, and what does Paul say is no longer true for those in Christ?
3. What kinds of old captivity are named as things people may want to return to—such as addictions, anger, pride, old relationships, money, or pain? [12:48]
4. In Galatians 3:26-29, what words describe the new identity of those who belong to Christ? [21:17]

Interpretation questions

1. Galatians 5:1 says believers should not submit again to a yoke of slavery. What might it look like for a person to return to bondage even after trusting Christ for freedom?
2. The quicksand picture shows that fighting sin only in human strength can leave a person sinking deeper. Why does trying harder, without depending on Christ and walking in the Spirit, often fail to bring lasting change? [06:34]
3. Romans 8 says there is no condemnation in Christ, while Galatians warns against using freedom as an opportunity for the flesh. How can a believer receive freedom from shame without treating sin like it does not matter? [07:50]
4. A person may carry labels like “addict,” “cheater,” “failure,” or “good for nothing.” How does being a son or daughter of God and an heir of promise change the way that person should understand their past and present identity? [20:15]

Application questions

1. Is there an old pattern, relationship, habit, substance, angry response, or source of comfort that still pulls you backward because it feels familiar? What would it look like to stop romanticizing it and take one honest step away from it this week? [13:41]
2. Where are you most tempted to fight in your own strength—trying harder, hiding your struggle, making promises, or managing appearances? How could you more intentionally walk in the Spirit in that area? [22:01]
3. What false label have you carried because of something you did or something someone spoke over you? What truth from Galatians 3:26-29 or Romans 8:1-2 needs to speak louder than that label?
4. Freedom in Christ is not permission to keep feeding the flesh. Is there a choice you have been excusing because “God will forgive me anyway”? What would love, obedience, and holiness look like in that situation? [07:50]
5. Sometimes old captivity is remembered only for its comfort, laughter, relief, money, or control. What pain or bondage have you been tempted to misremember as better than it really was? [11:47]
6. Who is a trusted believer you could ask to pray with you and help you stand firm when temptation or shame returns? [39:37]
7. If Christ has made you free indeed, what is one specific way you want your home, relationships, words, spending, or daily decisions to show that the old captor no longer gets to make your choices? [23:07]