Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage( KJV).
WALK IN LIBERTY
Apostle Paul wrote the epistle to the Galatian believers. He preached the gospel of Christ to them( Galatians 1:11). The central theme of his message was faith in Jesus' death for the forgiveness of their sins on the cross.
He taught that forgiveness can only be obtained by exercising faith in Christ without the rituals of the law. They believed (Galatians 1:6). His message was clear and simple.
As time progressed, a group of Jewish religious leaders from Jerusalem showed up to teach a different gospel. These men said that it was good to believe in Jesus but men must be circumcised and all must follow the law of Moses to truly be included in the family of God (Galatians 2:4). Without the works of the law, nobody could be saved. That was their teaching.
Paul made it clear that the rituals of the law(of Moses) cannot save any man because the law reveals our sinfulness but it cannot provide a way out(Galatians3:22-24). It was impossible to keep 613 laws of Moses.
Man was doomed to fail under the system of the law: "For the law never made anything perfect. But now we have confidence in a better hope, through which we draw near to God" (Hebrews 7:19). Jesus came to show us the way of grace. That's the easy way out.
Through Jesus, the righteousness the old testament saints were trying to achieve has been given to us on the platter of grace (2Cor 5:17-21). You cannot do anything to be saved except by believing in Jesus. Stop trying to mix a life of grace with rituals. Jesus is enough.
Like the Galatian believers, some believers are not sure about their salvation. They try to use the arms of the flesh to do something 'special' to please God. There are Mosaic Law driven believers and churches.
The implication of this is that people under this category will be under perpetual guilt and may never feel forgiven for their past. They'll always try but their effort will never be enough. Such people always have heavy burden of guilt they carry around.
This is one bondage the law brings. The writer of Hebrew have this to say about the law: "The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless [19] (for the law made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God"( Hebrews 7:18-19).
Christ didn't come to put you into bondage to the rituals and ceremonies of the law. Stand and walk in that liberty of the cross. To enjoy this new life of grace, learn about the newness of this life from the epistles and walk in the Spirit always.
CONFESSION: I walk in the liberty of the cross. I stand firm in the liberty Christ has wrought for me on the cross.