For example, India celebrated our freedom from the British on August 15, 1947. Indians felt that British colonialism was oppressive, and so celebrated their freedom in independence. There are economists who believe in free trade, and the lifting of tariffs. Capitalists hate constraints from central controls because they hinder free enterprise. Communists desire freedom from capitalistic exploitation.

Paul’s point becomes clearer when we think of those who want “free sex” or “free love”. These are people who do not like the constraints society puts on our behavior and think that to break out of these social norms is freedom. A teenager may have considered themselves free when he or she left the home, but ended up becoming addicted to drugs and alcohol. Is that really true freedom? Whatever other kind of freedom this may be, we can say clearly, that this is not Christian freedom.

Jesus said “anyone who sins is a slave to sin” (John 8:34). Slavery is not freedom. So the discerning reader may ask,  “What is true Christian freedom”? So Paul spends the rest of Galatians chapter 5, to clearly define for us the meaning of true Christian freedom.

Before we dig in, let me give you a thousand foot view of Paul’s answer, by way of an illustration. Consider a railway train. It is free to go to any part of India it pleases. But suppose the train were to think: “I hate being forced to only go on these railway tracks. It is so constraining! Oh to be truly and completely free! I am going to break train etiquette and go wherever I please, in the fields and over the hills”. What would happen to the train? We would have a train wreck! A train is truly free, when it does exactly what it was designed to do by its maker, and that includes only moving only on the tracks designed for it. For the same reason, we would call the addicted teenager described earlier, as a “train wreck”! This is because human beings are truly free and can flourish, only when we stay within the boundaries God has designed for us, that Paul describes as “fulfilling the law of Christ” (Gal 6:2). James describes this as the “perfect law of liberty” (James 1:25).

Freedom, legalism and license (Gal 5:13-15)

We can think of human behavior on a linear scale. On the one end is the bondage of legalism. On the other end is “license” – doing whatever we feel like doing. Somewhere between these two extremes, lies Christian freedom. This is what we saw last week:. “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery” (Gal 5:1). Here Paul says “you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh” (Gal 5:13). So if you picture a Christian in a state of true Christian freedom, he needs to guard against once again submitting to the yoke of slavery of legalism, and he also has to guard against making this an “opportunity for the flesh”, i.e. licentiousness. He goes on to say: “through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: `You shall love your neighbor as yourself’” (Gal 5:13-14).

Paul is referring to the moral law – i.e. the last 6 commandments – honoring parents, not murdering, committing adultery, not stealing, not lying about people, and not coveting other people’s goods. All of these are covered if we truly love others. In other words, God’s law had a purpose. It has the effect of being our “railway tracks”. The problem was that the law cannot save us, as we have seen. However, once we are saved, the Holy Spirit comes into our hearts, and empowers us to actually “fulfill” the law. Otherwise we would “bite and devour one another”, and be “consumed by one another” (Gal 5:15). He also says: “Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another” (Gal 5:26). How could this be freedom?

Before we move on, I would like to make an important observation about this verse: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” The most common error is to assume that this is a command to love yourself and that self-love means self-esteem. Both of these assumptions are wrong! As we read the explanation by Moses (Leviticus 19:18) and Jesus (Luke 10:27), they assume that all people love themselves; so they don’t command it. We should understand it to mean “You shall love your neighbor in the same way as you already love yourself.” And the self-love they assume is not self-esteem but self-interest: all people want to be happy, even if they often don’t know what will really make them happy. We know that this is what it means, because Paul says so explicitly in Ephesians 5:28–29. “Husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no man ever hates his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, as Christ does the church.” In other words, self-love means the strong interest you have in your own health and safety and happiness. To take this command to mean “you need to love yourself first”, you are stripping this verse of its power.

To summarize, we see:

• Christian freedom is not freedom to indulge in self-centered desires
• Christian freedom is not freedom to exploit my neighbor
• Christian freedom is not freedom to disregard the law

This is why even though the gospel says that our salvation does not require us to keep the demands of the law, our salvation “frees” us to fulfil the requirements of the law through the power of the Holy Spirit.

The battle within (Gal 5:16-18)

Paul goes on to say “But I say, walk by the Spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh” (Gal 5:16).

What does Paul mean by the phrase: “the desires of the flesh”? When Paul uses the term “flesh”, he does not mean our physical bodies. He means “our fallen sinful nature”. So this phrase includes all the natural sinful desires and tendencies that we have”. More simply “the flesh” refers to everything we desire due to our natural birth, and “the spirit” refers to everything we desire through our new birth in Christ. The Bible never says that by nature we are morally neutral by default so that we can choose a path either towards good or towards evil. Rather, the Bible teaches us that in our natural state, our desires are all opposed to God.

In contrast, the indwelling Holy Spirit within us gives us new desires – “the desires of the Spirit” (Gal 5:17). These desires are in direct opposition to the desires of the flesh, and that causes an intense inner struggle, that will never ease up all our lives. In a similar passage in Paul’s letter to the Romans, he says “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God”. (Rom 8:5-8). However, the purpose of the gospel and the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit is given “in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us” (Rom 8:4).

Thus every Christian is in the middle of an internal civil war. This battle is unique to Christians. It is not that non-Christians do not sometimes wrestle to make good moral choices. However, because the Holy Spirit plants completely new desires within us, our sinful nature opposes it actively, and the battle has an intensity and ferocity that only Christians experience.

The works of the flesh (Gal 5:19-21)

Paul starts off by saying “the works of the flesh are evident” (Gal 5:19). In other words, it is pretty obvious because this behavior is clearly wrong.

Sexual indulgence (public and private)

The first three sins Paul lists are “sexual immorality, impurity and sensuality” (Gal 5:19). The word for immorality is sometimes translated “fornication”. It means sexual intercourse between unmarried people, and includes any kind of “unlawful” sexual behavior. We could translate “impurity” as “unnatural vice”, and “sensuality” as “indecency”, alluding to an open and flagrant contempt of propriety. These words together include every kind of sexual sin, whether a person is married or unmarried, whether it is done in public or in private, and whether it is “natural” or “unnatural”.

Spiritual sins

The next two sins listed at “idolatry” and “sorcery” (Gal 5:20). First of all note, that these sins are no less serious than the sexual sins. Idolatry is the flagrant worship of other gods or idols, and sorcery involves dabbling with the powers of evil. Both of these kinds of sins are highly displeasing to God. 

Let us not be too quick to say that we are not idolaters. You can think of an idol as any person or thing that takes the place of our allegiance that only God deserves. Calvin said “the human heart is an idol factory”. Vanita and I have shared elsewhere how God used our circumstances to shatter some idols in our lives that we may not have recognized – idols of social status, and of our childrens’ success that we craved. God severely disciplined me to shatter the idol of intellectual pride and spiritual arrogance that I had. He allowed my own illusions of righteousness to come crashing to the ground, to expose my morality as a house of cards, and therefore not as a fruit of the spirit, but a work of the flesh. I think many of us middle class Christians need to evaluate our lives, and ask God to show us our own idols so that we “know our enemy” and can fight against them.

Sorcery includes witchcraft, tarot cards, etc., and also superstitious practices we may have that do not honor God.

Social sins 

The remaining sins listed are “enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these” (Gal 5:19.20). As you can see, these things are the exact opposite of loving our neighbors the way we are supposed to.

A strong warning (Gal 5:21)

Paul gives a strong warning here. “I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who practise such things will not inherit the kingdom of God” (Gal 5:21). Living according to the flesh means we will not go to heaven! Since God’s kingdom is one of godliness, righteousness and self-control, those who indulge in these things are excluded from it.

How do we reconcile this with the truth of the gospel we have been studying all these weeks? If there is nothing we need to do except trust Jesus for salvation, how is Paul saying that if we indulge in the deeds of the flesh we will not inherit the kingdom of God? The answer is that when the gospel truly takes root in a person’s heart, and the Holy Spirit comes to take up residence, we “cannot” continue indulging in the works of the flesh. He says it this way in Romans: “For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God” (Rom 8:13-14). To be a Christian is to be led by the Holy Spirit, and He will never lead us to indulge in the deeds of the flesh.

This passage is consistent with the rest of the New Testament. This is why Jesus often talks about looking at our fruit as evidence of salvation. This is also James’ point in his letter. It is easy to externally profess faith. True evidence of saving faith is seen by our behavior.

The fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22-23)

Paul has so far described our natural desires apart from Christ. We are being encouraged not to indulge in them.

However, our salvation does not just enable us to resist the “deeds of the flesh”. It enables us to actually make positive choices through the power of the Holy Spirit, that Paul describes as the “fruit of the Spirit” (Gal 5:22). The Holy Spirit is mentioned no less than nine times in the fifth chapter of Galatians.

The fruit of the Spirit is singular. The things described here do not exist in isolation, so that we get some but not others. Think of them as parts of the same cluster of fruit.

God-ward (love, joy, peace)

These first three parts of the cluster come from our relationship with God. Our love is our love toward God. Our chief joy is the joy we have in knowing God. Our deepest peace is our peace with God. These are an anchor to our souls in the midst of the most difficult circumstances.

Other-ward (patience, kindness, goodness)

Patience refers to putting up with one another’s faults and failures. The Bible says: “bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive” (Col 3:13) and also, “with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love” (Eph 4:2). Kindness is the way we treat others, and goodness is our words and our deeds.

Inward (faithfulness, gentleness, self-control)

Faithfulness refers to the reliability of a Christian, and gentleness refers to an attitude of humble meekness that we see exemplified by Jesus. Both of these require self-control.

Finally, Paul says “against such things there is no law” (Gal 5:23). The purpose of the law is to curb, to restrain, to deter. None of these have to be done when one has the fruit of the Spirit.

The way of Christian victory (Gal 5:24-26)

As we have seen, Christians have a unique internal struggle. We are in civil war within ourselves. Paul is very careful to ensure that he does not say we need to strive hard and beat the flesh. Why, because the truth of the matter is, it is impossible.

Paul describes this battle in Romans. “For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. … For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing” (Rom 7:15, 18-19).

So where does this leave us? Are we just to be helpless and say that we cannot help continuing to do wrong things? The answer is “no”! We are not left on our own to fight this battle. We have the Holy Spirit living within us. And the Holy Spirit gives us the strength to win battles though we may lose some. But His Presence in our lives will enable us to eventually win the war. How do we go about this?

We must “crucify the flesh with its passions and desires” (Gal 5:24)

Paul says “those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” (Gal 5:24). What does Paul mean? Paul is just using the same words Jesus used when he said “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23). Paul is expanding on this metaphor. We should not only take up our crosses and walk with it, but we need to ensure that the execution takes place. We are actually to take our wilful and wayward selves and nail them to the cross.

This metaphor enables us to say that it will be painful, but that this is a choice we need to make. The secret of our holiness is in how decisive our repentance is. If we are plagued by besetting sins, it means either we have never really repented, or that we did repent, but have then ceased to take it seriously.

When we are tempted to have a sinful thought, we need to consciously kick it out of our minds, and stop indulging in it. Or to stay with the metaphor, we need to crucify our flesh and leave it there on the cross.

We must “live by” or “keep in step with” the Spirit” (Gal 5:25)

There are two things Paul says about the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. First, that He is the one leading us (Gal 5:18). However, it is a mistake to think that all we need to do is to surrender to His leading. Paul says second, that we are choosing to walk with Him as He leads (Gal 5:16).

If “crucifying the flesh” is to choose to reject what is wrong, then “walking by the Spirit” is to choose to do what is right. This requires discipline and self-control (which is one of the fruits of the Spirit).

Application

This passage is very relevant to us today. It helps us clearly understand the relationship between “liberty”, “license”, “law” and “love”.

There is a real battle within us. However, we have the Holy Spirit dwelling in us, who enables us to experience real victory. Victory is within our reach. As we fight this war, we will gradually start winning battles and progress in holiness and become more godly in our character. That is the fruit of the Spirit living in us.

So the challenge for each of us is, to persevere with this fight, and to prevail because of the indwelling Holy Spirit in our lives.

In Gal 4:21-31, Paul refers to a well-known Old Testament story about Hagar and Sarah. He then draws theological implications from the story, and finally applies it to us today. He says that in a manner of speaking,  all of mankind can be classified as spiritual descendants of one of two mothers – Hagar and Sarah. He then goes on to talk about the implications of this in Gal 5:1-12. We who believe the gospel are the ones who are Sarah’s spiritual descendants, and it means we are completely free in Christ. However, if we try to earn favor with God, we automatically forfeit all the benefits of the gospel. The gospel is exclusive. We need to either accept it as a free gift from God in Christ Jesus, or we would be “fallen from grace” and “severed from Christ”. The implications are very serious. This is the main reason Paul wrote this letter to the Galatians.

The Example of Sarah and Hagar (Gal 4:21-31)

He starts off by facing the false teachers directly. “Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you listen to the law”? (Gal 4:21). We can ask: who are those “who desire to be under the law”? Certainly it applies to Jews, and to the Judaizers who had infiltrated the church. But it also applies to every person alive today who thinks we need to do something to earn favor with God – basically every one of us, before we knew Christ. So let us see what Paul has to say!

To make his point, Paul first looks at the historical situation, then makes a theological argument, and finally applies it to us today.

The History (Gal 4:22-23)

Paul is drawing extensively on Old Testament History here. This was well known to the Jewish readers in Galatia. However, for those who are not familiar with the Bible, this can be very confusing. So let us walk through the Old Testament story of Abraham that is being referenced here. We will look at the incidents of Abraham’s life according to his age at the time they occurred.

Abraham at 75: God calls Abraham to go to Canaan, and promises him many children – too many to even count. At this time, Sarah is barren (Gen 12:1-9). In obedience, Abraham packs his bags and leaves, trusting God in faith (see Heb 11:8).

Abraham at 85: 10 years later, the promised son still hasn’t arrived. Sarah becomes impatient, and tells Abraham to have a child through her Egyptian slave maid Hagar. Abraham agrees and thus they both take matters into their own hands because they do not trust that God will fulfill His promise without some help (Gen 16:1-3)!

Abraham at 86: Hagar gets pregnant, and Sarah becomes jealous. We may think we can do things better than God, but the outcome may not turn out the way we planned, and it can be painful. It gets so hard for Hagar that she runs away. God intervenes and sends Hagar back, promising to take care of her. Then she bears a son, who Abraham names Ishmael (Gen 16:4-16).

Abraham at 99: 13 years later, God appears to Abraham and promises him a son through Sarah and tells him to name that son Isaac  (Gen 17:15-19)! Sarah is past the age of child-bearing at this point. Later God makes the same promise to Sarah (Gen 18:9-11). She laughs at the thought, but lies about it when confronted by God (Gen 18:12-15). Sarah laughed, because she knew that it would need a miracle for this child of promise to be born. Things got even more complicated at this time when Abraham again acts in fear and lies to King Abimelek that Sarah was his sister. Abimelek takes Sarah to his harem, but God graciously intervenes and prevents the king from touching Sarah, and warns the king to return Sarah to Abraham immediately (Gen 20:1-18). Do not miss that fact that God waited 24 years after he made his promise to Abraham. In fact, God waited until Abraham and Sarah were “as good as dead” (Rom 4:19). 

Abraham at 100: Exactly as promised, Sarah bears a son, who they call Isaac (Gen 21:1-3). He was the son of promise, and God accomplished this promise through humanly impossible odds.

Abraham at 103: There is a celebration after Isaac is weaned at age 3. At this time Ishmael who is now 17, mocks Isaac. Sarah sees only one solution to this problem but this is a costly one. Both the slave Hagar and her son Ishmael should be cast out of the family. This breaks Abraham’s heart, but God confirms that Abraham should do this and both Hagar and Ishmael are “cast out” (Gen 21:8-14).

Reading this, it just appears to be the story of a family problem. However, beneath the surface are meanings of tremendous spiritual implications. Abraham, the two mothers Hagar and Sarah, and the two sons Ishmael and Isaac, represent two different spiritual realities, as Paul will go on to explain.

One of the things that caused Jews most pride was that Abraham was the father of their race. God had made a divine covenant with Abraham and his descendants, so Jews thought they were eternally and irrevocably safe. This is why John the baptist warned them: “Do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father’. For I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise children to Abraham” (Luke 3:8). Similarly, when Jesus taught the Jews: “You will know the truth and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32), they responded: “Abraham is our father, and we have never been enslaved to anyone” (John 8:33,39). Jesus then said that their actions proved that spiritually they were not children of Abraham, but children of the Devil (see John 8:39, 44).

Paul elaborates on what John the Baptist and Jesus had taught. He said that true descendants of Abraham could be either a Jew or a Gentile. “If you are Christ’s then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to the promise” (Gal 3:14).

So there is a double-descent from Abraham. The false and the true. Paul sees this illustrated in Abraham’s two sons Ishmael and Isaac. Both had Abraham as their father. But there are two important differences between them.

• One was the son of a slave, the other of a free woman. Ishmael and Isaac took after their mothers. So one was a slave, the other was free.
• In a sense Ishmael was born “of the flesh”. His birth was done completely apart from God in a totally natural way. On the other hand, Isaac was born because of God’s promise. His father was 100 years old, and his mother who was barren, was 90 and past the age of child-bearing. Ishmael was born according to nature. Isaac was born against nature, supernaturally, because of an exceptional promise of God.

Allegorical interpretation (Gal 4:24-27)

Although this was a human story, there is a deep spiritual meaning to it. The two women Hagar and Sarah, stand for two covenants – the Old Covenant and the New Covenant.

It is hard to understand the bIble without an understanding of the two covenants. After all, the bible is divided into two parts – the Old and the New Testaments, meaning the Old and the New Covenants. A covenant is a solemn agreement between God and men. God established the Old Covenant through Moses, and the New Covenant through Jesus. Remember how Jesus said during the last supper: “This is my blood of the New Covenant …” (1 Cor 11:25). The people under the Old Covenant were Jews, but the people under the New Covenant are Christians. The law was given at Mount Sinai in Arabia representing the present Jerusalem (Gal 4:25), but Christians worship in the “Jerusalem from above” (Gal 4:26), or the New Jerusalem that the book of Revelations talks about (Rev 21:2).

Let us see what the apostle writes about the two women Hagar and Sarah.

Hagar is the mother who bore her son in slavery, and this stands for those under the Old Covenant of the Mosaic law. She also represents the present Jerusalem, for “she is in slavery with her children” (Gal 4:25). 

Sarah is different. She is our spiritual mother, representing those from the “Jerusalem above” (Gal 4:16). As Christians we are under the New Covenant. Our citizenship in this New Jerusalem is not bondage but freedom.

Paul then goes on to quote from Isaiah: “Rejoice, O barren one who does not bear; break forth and cry aloud, you who are not in labor! For the children of the desolate one will be more than those of the one who has a husband” (Isa 54:1). This prophecy was made to the Israelites who had been driven away from their land in exile. The prophet likens them to a barren woman whose husband has turned away. He says that the future state will be a restoration to a fruitful mother with more children than ever. In other words, God promises that his people will be more numerous after their return than they were before. This did not happen when the Jews returned from exile. Paul is saying that the real fulfillment was spiritual. He is saying that the growth of the Christian church is the true fulfillment of the promise, and that Christians are the true spiritual descendants of Abraham.

I would like to make a small, but important digression here, so that we can spend some time digesting the significance of this quote from the Old Testament. God is promising to add children into His family from the far reaches of the world. This means that there is something far more significant than bearing physical children. If we are believers, then sharing the gospel and adding new “children” into God’s family is better than having physical children. Paul, for example, called the Galatians “my little children” (Gal 4:19), and the apostle John says: “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in truth” (3 John 1:3). This is good news for married couples who have not been able to have children and also for single men and women, including those who are divorced or widowed. They also can play a significant role in God’s Kingdom by adding spiritual children or by discipling them. This is why Isaiah says: “Rejoice, O barren one” (Isa 54:1). Everything radically changed after Jesus came. Remember that when his family came to take him home thinking he was mad, he looked around at his disciples and said, “here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of God is my mother and brother and sister” (Mark 3:34-35). In a sense our “real” family is no longer our physical families, but our eternal, spiritual one. As adopted children of God, we have a much larger group of brothers and sisters – and they constitute our “real” family. If you struggle because you have not been able to have children, or if God has called you to be single for whatever reason, or if you are still waiting for God to show you the right person to marry, take heart. Invest your lives in fulfilling the Great Commission, and your lives will be truly significant and fulfilling. Jesus was single and was the most complete human being who ever lived. We don’t know if the apostle Paul was ever married, but we do know that he was single when God called him, and that he remained single for the rest of his life. Yet God used him in such a powerful way spread the gospel in the first generation, and 2000 years later we are also the fruit of his labor.

Anyway, let us get back to Paul’s argument. Paul has used the story of Sarah and Hagar to illustrate freedom in Christ and bondage apart from Christ. Both Isaac and Ishmael were sons of Abraham, however they were very different. Similarly, Paul is saying that the real question spiritually is: who is our mother. Is it Hagar or is it Sarah?

Practical Implications (Gal 4:28-31)

Having drawn the parallel between the historical story of Hagar and Sarah with Jews and Christians, Paul goes on to elaborate on the consequences by way of application.

Namely, if we are Isaac’s descendants, we can expect to be treated the way Isaac was treated. The treatment that Isaac got from his half-brother Ishmael is the treatment Isaac’s descendants can expect from Ishmael’s descendants. And the treatment that Isaac got from his father Abraham is the treatment that Isaac’s descendants can expect from God (Gal 4:28).

We must expect Persecution (Gal 4:29): Isaac was weaned and was a boy of 3 years old. Ishmael was 17. We do not know the details of exactly how Ishmael persecuted Isaac, because we only read that he “laughed” or “mocked” Isaac (Gen 21:9). Yet it is clear that Isaac was the subject of Ishmael’s scorn and derision.

We must expect the same. The persecution of the true spiritual descendants of Abraham is not always from the world, who are strangers and unrelated to us. It can come from our half-brothers – religious people, those who are just nominally in the church. Jesus was bitterly opposed and ultimately killed, by His own people the Jews. The fiercest opponents of the Apostle Paul also came from the Jews. The greatest enemies of Christians today are not unbelievers. Many of them embrace the gospel when they hear it. The greatest enemies often come from within the church itself. So let us not be surprised when we experience such things, but rather as Jesus said, let us “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matt 5:12).

We will receive an inheritance (Gal 4:30-31). There was a time Abraham wanted Ishmael to have his inheritance, but God said it would be Isaac (Gen 17:8-21). Paul quotes the verse: “Cast out the slave woman and her son” (Gal 4:30, quoting Gen 21:10). Jews had traditionally interpreted this as God’s rejection of the Gentiles. However, Paul boldly asserts that in reality it is “the law rejecting the law”. i.e., the exclusion of unbelieving Jews from the inheritance.

This then is the double-lot of the Isaacs. The pain of persecution on the one hand, and the privilege of an inheritance on the other. This is the paradox of the Christian experience, that Paul describes elsewhere that our lives are “through honor and dishonor, through slander and praise. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything” (2 Cor 6:8-10).

For Freedom Christ Has Set Us Free (Gal 5:1-12)

Paul summarizes the entire section of chapters 3 and 4 of Galatians with this comment: “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery” (Gal 5:1). If you think about Paul’s teaching so far, it echoes the words of Jesus: “The slave [i.e., those apart from Christ] does not remain in the house forever; the son [i.e., those in Christ] remains forever. So if the Son [Jesus] sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:35-36). As often happens, you see a seed in the teaching of Jesus, and it is expanded and explained when we read the rest of the New Testament! After making this statement, Paul reminds his hearers that this freedom is exclusive. We cannot have one leg on both sides. He gives his warning in three ways

Slave: Don’t Lose Your Freedom (Gal 5:1)

The freedom Paul is describing is not so much to set us free from the bondage of sin (at least, not yet), but to set our conscience free from the guilt of sin. It is not freedom from sin, but freedom from legalism. It is freedom from the dreadful struggle of trying to be good enough to be accepted by God. So he is encouraging his Galatian readers as he is encouraging us today – don’t lose your freedom and become enslaved again.

Debtor: Don’t Lose Your Spiritual Wealth (Gal 5:2-4)

As we have seen, the false teachers were insisting that Christian converts needed to be circumcised. Why is Paul making such a big deal about it? Circumcision is a pretty superficial, minor surgery. However, it has deep theological significance. The issue represented a particular type of religion, namely – salvation by good works. Thus they were declaring Jesus to be insufficient for salvation. So Paul says that if they did this, then “Christ will be of no advantage to you” (Gal 5:2). He goes on to say that to rely on good works brings them back to square one. They would need to keep the entire law perfectly (see also James 2:10). They will be “severed from Christ” and “fallen away from grace” (Gal 5:4).

You cannot have it both ways. It is impossible to receive Christ and thereby acknowledge that you cannot save yourself, and then go back to circumcision, thereby claiming that you can. You have to choose between a religion of law and a religion of grace.

So what is the true gospel? Paul summarizes it in Gal 5:5-6.  It involves faith given to us by the Holy Spirit, that enables us to trust God’s promises that the death of Jesus is sufficient payment for all of our sin, and for our acceptance before God. That is our hope. It is a “hope of righteousness” (Gal 5:5) – a hope that even as today we have a right standing before God, one day we will be completely cleansed and holy and stand in God’s presence forever. Therefore Paul says that this salvation has nothing to do with whether we are circumcised or not, but involves faith that works through love (Gal 5:6).

Paul makes it clear that the freedom in Christ does not give us a license to live any way we please. Our lives are lived “through the Holy Spirit” (Gal 5:5), and it is “working through love” (Gal 5:6). What he is saying is that our righteousness is not obtained by external controls and rules, but by something God does inside us.

Runner: Don’t Lose Your Direction (Gal 5:5-12)

He starts this section by saying “You were running well. Who hindered you … “ (Gal 5:7)? The picture is that of a great race. They started well, but someone had cut into their lane, and they started running in a different direction.

Here are 3 things Paul says about the false teaching:

• • Its origin was “not from Him who calls you” (Gal 5:8)
  • Its effect was that they were being hindered in their race (Gal 5:8). Also, Paul describes it as the false teachers were “troubling” them (Gal 5:9), and that they were being “unsettled” (Gal 5:12). Paul also said that this false teaching was contagious. “A little leaven leavens the whole lump” (Gal 5:9).
  • Its end: There would be punishment. The false teachers would “bear the penalty, whoever he is” (Gal 5:10).

Paul then turned to them. It appears that the false teachers had dared to even say that Paul was supporting them in what they taught. Paul denies it. “If I, brothers, still preach circumcision, why am I still being persecuted” (Gal 5:11)? He has already pointed out that the true children of promise would be persecuted. If Paul was preaching circumcision, he would be saying that people could save themselves by their own good works. If that were so, why was the cross even necessary? “In that case, the offense of the cross has been removed” (Gal 5:11). If there was nothing offensive, he would not be persecuted, so clearly the false teachers were misrepresenting Paul. So he finally says”I wish those who unsettle you will emasculate themselves” (Gal 5:12).

Persecution or opposition is the mark of every true Christian preacher. As we saw in chapter 4, the “Isaacs” of this world are always persecuted by the “Ishmaels”. The Old Testament prophets experienced it, and so did the apostles. To this day, Christian preachers who refuse to dilute the gospel have had to suffer for their faithfulness.

Application

The good news of the “cross of Christ” is still a scandal. It is a deep assault against the self-sufficiency of man. It tells people that they are sinners and rebels, under the wrath and condemnation of God, and that they can do nothing to secure their salvation. However, Jesus came to die and to take that condemnation on Himself, and only through Christ crucified can they be saved. The only way to be popular and avoid offending people would be if we preach “circumcision”, i.e., if we teach morality rather than the gospel. This is often tempting, because morality is never offensive and has universal appeal. On the other hand, if we preach the gospel, we will arouse ridicule and opposition.

Today we are living in an age of tolerance. We love to have the best of both worlds. However, the gospel forces us to choose. We have to be decisive. Is it the free salvation offered by God through Jesus Christ or is it us trying to add our own good works and merit to gain acceptance before God? The one represents human achievement, while the gospel speaks of divine achievement. The one means bondage, while the gospel means grace, faith and freedom. Each of us must choose. It is impossible to try to do both. By attempting to add good works, we are forfeiting all that we could have gained through Jesus Christ.

Jesus + Nothing = Everything

Jesus + Anything = Nothing

Behind all of this is our attitudes and motives. Under the law we flatter and praise ourselves for our goodness. Under Christ we humble ourselves in our helplessness.

Part of the life of the early church was that they participated in a communal meal called an “Agape Feast”, or “Love Feast”. Here the whole congregation came together to share a meal prepared from them pooling whatever resources they had. For some slaves, this may have been the only nice meal they had all week. It was a powerful statement of the togetherness of Christians in a very special way.

This is all very good. However, we must not forget that there were Jews who had very strict food laws and ceremonial laws, and that Gentiles who did not have these constraints. Jews literally believed (and it was true under the Old Covenant) that God only accepted people who identified with the Jewish people and submitted to their laws. A strict Jew was forbidden even to do business with a Gentile. So in Antioch, this posed a problem because the church had both Jews and Gentiles. If the old law was obeyed it would be impossible for Jews and Gentiles to sit together and eat a common meal.

When Peter first visited Antioch, he completely disregarded the old taboos in the glory of the new faith. But later some people came from the Jewish party in Jerusalem in James’ name. It is important that this does not imply that these people shared James’ views, or were actually sent by James. In fact, James says he did not send them. He says, “We have heard that some persons have gone out from us and troubled you with words, unsettling your minds, although we gave them no instruction” (Acts 15:24).

Out of fear of them, Peter withdrew from the common meal. Then other Jews also followed Peter’s example, including even their pastor Barnabas. However, it gets worse. This meal probably ended with the Lord’s supper. If Peter joined the Gentiles during the meal, then surely he also participated in their remembrance of the Lord’s death by celebrating the Lord’s Supper together. So by not joining the Gentiles during the meal, he was also withdrawing from fellowship with them over the Lord’s Supper.

Peter should have known better. He heard directly from Jesus Himself, that the food we eat cannot defile us, because it just goes through our bodies and comes out again later. Jesus taught that true defilement originates in the heart, not in external things (Mark 7:14-23). Then he had another revelation from God regarding this, that prompted him to share the gospel with the Roman Gentile, Cornelius (Act 10:9-29). He later defended his actions with full conviction (Acts 11:1-18). This is why when Peter first went to Antioch he had no qualms eating with the Gentiles. However, because he was “fearing the circumcision party he withdrew and mingled only with the Jews (Gal 2:12).

Considering Barnabas, remember that he was the one who introduced Paul to the apostles in Jerusalem (Acts 9:27), and Barnabas invited Paul to minister in the church at Antioch, which began Paul’s public ministry (Acts 11:25). Yet here, “even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy (Gal 2:13). Most likely for Barnabas it was a matter of love. He did not want to grieve the people who came from Jerusalem. But for Paul that was “peace at any price”. And Paul was not willing to buy peace on those terms.

Paul Confronts Peter and Barnabas (Gal 2:14)

At this point Paul decided to act very firmly and decisively, because he saw that a church ceases to be Christian if it contains class distinctions. If we are all children of God, then we need to be able to fellowship together. Paul considers the situation serious enough that he needed to deal with this in public. Paul was willing to oppose Peter as well as his friend because the truth of the gospel was at stake. Interestingly, Paul calls Peter “Cephas” here (his old name prior to being renamed by Jesus). This is a subtle reminder that Peter was not living in the light of his new life.

Peter may not have realized it, but by withdrawing from the Gentiles, he was implicitly saying that Jews were superior to Gentiles. In some ways the Gentiles lacked something the Jews had. Otherwise why would they separate? Now, if you pressed Peter to this point, he would no doubt have denied it. But Peter’s actions asserted it. Just because Peter did not do it consciously or deliberately, did not make it ok. His actions had serious consequences and he needed to be held accountable for his behavior.

Paul starts off by pointing out the basic inconsistency in Peter’s behavior. First Peter did not follow Jewish ceremonial law and ate with the Gentiles, thus “living like a Gentile”. Then by associating with the circumcision party, he was tacitly agreeing with them that in order to be a true Christian, Gentiles must live like Jews (Gal 2:14). But worse than inconsistency, Paul points out that this is hypocrisy. And Peter’s actions were not just personal, but he was misleading others as well.

In addition to using this incident as a means of showing how important the true gospel is, Paul was also showing through this that he was independent of the other apostles, and also had apostolic authority.

This is probably one of the watershed incidents in the history of the church, that God used to preserve the purity of the gospel to us. Imagine what would have happened if Peter and Barnabas’ actions won out. The church at Antioch would have stopped being a “missionary church”. They would have sent out their “missionaries” from the circumcision party that would have either consumed or divided the early church. But this issue did not become a crisis because of Paul’s swift intervention. We may not be here today, if Paul had not defended the integrity of the gospel so vigorously.

Peter’s Response

How did Peter respond to this confrontation? The Bible does not say. However it has to be that Peter acknowledged his sin and was restored to fellowship. When we read Peter’s two epistles you see that Peter teaches exactly the same gospel of grace in God as Paul does. The word “grace” is found in every chapter of Peter’s letter. Peter also makes it a point to say that he and Paul were in complete agreement (2 Peter 3:15-16). In fact, Peter calls Paul’s letters “Scripture” that “unstable people distort”. This is the highest praise for Paul by the apostle Peter, showing that this incident did not destroy their friendship and unity in Christ, but rather, strengthened it.

Why This Issue Was So Serious: Gal 2:15-21

This section continues with Paul’s confrontation with Peter, and we don’t know exactly when it becomes general teaching from Paul. It contains key words (“sin”, “works”, “justification”, “grace”, “the cross”, “faith”, “union with Christ”) which comprise the heart of the gospel. Here Paul first outlines the gospel, and then spends Galatians chapters 3 and 4, defending it.

Paul gives three arguments explaining why the integrity of the gospel was at stake.

1. The basis of our justification before God
2. Freedom from the law
3. The reason Jesus needed to die.

Justification by Faith (2:15-16)

This is the first appearance of an important word in this letter. “Justification by Faith” was the slogan of the Reformation, and we need to understand what “justification” means. Many of these thoughts have been taken from Theodore Epp’s commentary on Galatians.

Job asked: “How can a person be just before God” (Job 9:2)? God’s answer is “The just shall live by his faith (Hab 2:4). This truth liberated Martin Luther from religious bondage.

Justification is “The act of God, whereby he declares a believing sinner righteous in Jesus Christ”. It is a one-time act, not a process. No one christian is more “justified” than another. God is the one who justifies (Rom 8:33). By obeying the works of the law, no one can be justified. Paul explains later in this letter that the law’s purpose is to reveal sin, not to redeem us from sin.

In justification, God “declares” a person righteous. He does not “make” the person righteous. Of course justification leads to a changed life, which is what James 2 was all about. But justification is an act of God. Before a person was “guilty” before God, but the moment he trusts in Christ he is “not guilty”, and he can never be called “guilty” again!

Justification is more than “forgiveness”. If a person is simply forgiven and let go, he can do wrong again, and become guilty all over again. But once you have been justified by faith, you can never be held guilty before God.

Justification is also more than just “pardon”. A pardoned criminal still has a record. However, in God’s sight God no longer holds our sins on record (see Psa 32:102, Rom 4:1-8).

Finally, God justifies “sinners”, not good people. Paul says that God justifies “the ungodly” (Rom 4:5). The reason most sinners are not justified is only that they will not admit that they are sinners, or come to Christ. It is only such people who can be saved by Jesus.

This is why when Peter separated himself, implicitly implying that Jews were better, he was undermining the truth that all Christians stand equally justified before God due to no merit of their own.

Freedom From the Law (Gal 2:17-18)

The apostle Peter calls the Mosaic law a “a yoke that neither we or our ancestors were able to bear” (Acts 15:10). Here by his actions he was going under that yoke of bondage again.

Paul therefore says, “But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we too were found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not! For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor” (Gal 2:17-18).

This sounds complicated, but he is basically saying: “Peter, you and I did not find salvation through the law. We found it through faith in Christ. But now after being saved you are going back to the law. This means Christ alone did not save you, otherwise you would not have needed to go back to the law. Further, when you preached the gospel to both Jews and Gentiles you told them they were saved by faith and not by keeping the law. Now by going back to legalism, you are building up what you yourself had torn down. So by tearing it down you were also sinning. And this would lead us to conclude that Jesus caused you to sin, making Jesus a ‘servant of sin’”.

Putting it another way, Paul is reminding Peter of his own experience of the grace of God in his life. To now go back to Moses is to deny everything God had done for him.

“Crucified With Christ” (Gal 2:19-20)

For Paul, the “once-for-allness” of his conversion will not allow him to turn back. The law had taken him to the gates of death. He was a condemned criminal without any hope. In turning to Christ the darkness left him symbolized by his regaining his sight, and the light streamed in. So he was happy to let his past reliance on the law die. And he would never go back there.

He then says something very precious in Gal 2:20: “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me”.

This is a powerful statement for the total sufficiency and efficacy of the work of Christ. The cross was for Jesus, a complete break from life. Paul is using this metaphor. In putting his faith in Jesus, he had died to his old way of life by trying to please God by following the law. He is dead to all claims that would commend him by way of the law. There went all his hopes. A lifetime of accumulation of “merit” was wasted. In a sense the old Paul died.

But Paul goes on to say something positive. “I have been crucified … yet I live”. Live in what sense? It is Christ living in him now. Every moment he lives in constant dependence on Him. He looks to Jesus for everything. This is a life that matters, and Paul cannot even consider the thought of going back.

He then says something absolutely mind blowing: He says Jesus “loved me, and gave Himself up for me”. This is so fantastic we fail to really believe it. Jesus’ love is intensely personal. Jesus did not die for the world in general. He looked through the portals of time, and saw you and me, and when He gave up His life, it was for “me”, personally. He set Paul apart before he even was born. He has done the same for us who know Christ. He has loved us even before we existed. Think about it. Put your name alongside the “me” in this verse. “The life I now live … I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me, Peter, and gave Himself up for me, Peter”! Think of the magnitude of that love. Jesus saw you and me, and chose to give up His own life to save us!

Why Did Jesus Have to Die (Gal 2:21)?

Paul gives one final argument in this section. He just asks a simple question, namely this. If it is possible to please God by doing good things and being obedient, then why did Jesus have to die in the first place? This is beautifully captured in the song by the band Mercy Me called “Best News Ever”. Some of the lyrics go like this:

Some say, “He’s keeping score”
So try hard then try a little more
But hold up, if this were true
Explain to me what the cross is for

Think about it. Even before the incarnation, Jesus was the Lord of creation. He ruled the universe, and He chose to step down and be humiliated and mistreated, and cruelly murdered on a shameful cross. Remember in Gethsemane, He cried out to His Father that if it was at all possible that God would remove this “cup” from Him (Mark 14:36)? The Father did not remove that cup. This means the death of Jesus was absolutely necessary for our salvation.

When we think we can earn God’s favor, we are effectively insulting all that Jesus did for us and “nullifying the grace of God” (Gal 2:21). The fact that earning God’s favor is impossible is why Jesus came. He came because we couldn’t help ourselves. He came because we were horribly guilty and there was nothing we could do about it. So He chose to take away our guilt by bearing it on Himself. If we put our trust in Him, God looks at us and declares that we are “Not Guilty”. The transaction is completed. It is done. Nothing can change this. Is this good news or what!

Application

Have I been saved by the grace of God? This is a question we need to ask ourselves. Grace is “God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense”. Am I trusting in myself for my salvation? My morality? My good works? My religion? If so, I am not a Christian. A true Christian is one who trusts in Christ alone for salvation. “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is a gift of God – not of works, lest any man should boast” (Eph 2:8-9).

Am I trying to mix law and grace? Law means I must do something to earn favor with God. Grace means God has already done everything for me through the finished work of Jesus Christ. Salvation is not by faith plus something. Salvation is by faith alone. While attending church and other religious activities have their place as good expressions of our faith in Jesus, they can never be added on to our faith to secure our eternal salvation. “But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace” (Rom 11:6).

Do I really believe that I have been justified in Christ? It has been said “justified” means “just as if I had never sinned”. This is correct. We have a right standing before God, and God does not hold us guilty for any of our sin. “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us” (Psa 103:12). We need never fear judgment, because our sins were already judged on the cross. “There is therefore now no condemnation for us in Christ Jesus (Rom 8:1). Do we really believe this? This is tremendously liberating.

Even Christian leaders can seriously sin. This incident about the apostle Peter shows that even though he was the leader of the Jerusalem Church, he also had feet of clay. This should be an encouragement to us. If Peter could make such a serious mistake and be restored, then there is hope for us. The gospel is tremendously freeing in this way. It frees us from the guilt and burden of sin.

I need to respond well to confrontation. Peter’s humility in response is also good for us to think about. He did not hide behind his reputation or his position in the church. The fact that Paul and Peter had a good relationship with each other after this says something about Peter’s humility. This is also a consequence of the freedom available to us in the gospel. We can allow ourselves to be vulnerable and acknowledge when we do wrong. We are fully “justified” before God, so there is nothing for us to prove. This security frees us to be vulnerable.

My relation with other Christians. Let us now think in terms of Christian fellowship. When we refuse to eat at the Lord’s table with one whom we yet acknowledge to be a fellow Christian, it can only be because we think we have something that the other has not. Whether it be membership of a certain denomination, or the mode of baptism, or apostolic succession or some other theological doctrine. This is what Paul opposed so strongly, because he will point out presently that our standing before God is only by faith in Christ’s finished work on the cross, and on nothing else.

Am I willing to defend the truth at all costs? On the flip side of this, when the fundamental truth of the gospel is being compromised by someone we know, “peace at any cost” is not worth the price. This was Barnabas’ approach. This incident also shows us the power of loving confrontation when a fellow believer is seen to be sinning. A Christian who loves God, will be grateful to receive criticism, because he sees it as God’s way of showing him things in his life that he may be blinded to. The Bible says, “The kisses of an enemy are profuse, but faithful are the wounds of a friend” (Proverbs 27:6). Let us learn to encourage correction from Christians we trust. This is a tremendous tool God uses to help us grow in sanctification.

The Bible also calls Satan the ‘Devil’ or the ‘Ruler of this world’.  He rules over the whole world and overall the people of the world. God has allowed Satan to be free in this world for a short time. A time is coming soon when God will throw him and his demons into hell which he has prepared for them. And sadly all who have rejected the Lord Jesus and have chosen to follow Satan will follow him to hell also.

Just as Adam and Eve had a choice, God gives each of us the freedom to choose: I want to love, obey, and follow God, or do I want to obey and follow Satan? When I accepted the Lord Jesus as my Savior, I stepped onto God’s side. Now I obey only God and refuse to obey what Satan tells me.

Satan lost me!  He has now become my enemy.  His one purpose in my life is to make me believe God does not love me and to turn me away from following God. Satan is powerful.  He wants to win me back at all costs!  He tempts me with all the glitter and glamour of this world.  He hits me with all kinds of trials and sufferings. He wants to make me sin at any cost.

But the Bible tells us:

“God, who is in you, is greater than Satan who is in the world.” 1 John 4:4

“Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” James 4:7

So don’t be afraid of Satan, my friend. Come to the Lord Jesus and be free and safe. God will keep you in all your trials.  I want to stay close to Lord Jesus and follow him in my life. When I do, the Holy Spirit gives me the power to resist Satan and live a pure life for the Lord Jesus every day.

Prayer: “Lord Jesus, please keep me strong against Satan’s attacks of trial and temptations and help me to live a pure life for You always.”

Today however my mind goes back to how India gained her freedom after 300 years under the British Empire. History was never my forte (sorry Mrs. Rebello) so I don’t believe I paid too much attention to how we became a free nation. I have always enjoyed the freedom that India purported me…..just never gave it a second thought until recently when we watched the movie “Viceroy’s House” on Netflix. It’s a very well made movie and it gripped the attention of my kids who have lived their lives in the US (except for my DIL who like me grew up in India). This interview with the director of the Viceroy’s House gives a good backdrop to the movie. This is a movie worth watching! 

The movie showed us a different side to politics and government which I never would’ve imagined. It showed us that politics, even a country’s independence is a predetermined game of chess where the two sides are but pawns in the hands of a greater power. I was amazed at how cleverly the British Empire managed to exit India without a bruise while creating conflict and confusion for millions of Indians and Pakistanis. It is sad that Lord Curzon had come up with the “divide and conquer” policy after the 1857 mutiny where the united Indians almost gained their freedom. Lord Mountbatten, the last Viceroy of the Empire to oversee India was not a politician, so the higher powers back in London used him as a front to divide and conquer to ease the British Empire’s exit from India.

I knew about the mass migration with the partition that was forced during independence when Pakistan was born but I did not know that almost one million people had died in the conflict, fighting each other over the confusion of religion and loyalty. This was heartbreaking. Perhaps because I lived in Bangalore, so far south in India, we were not very affected….maybe it was more North Indian or perhaps even more Punjabi families who were deeply affected by the conflict.

Independence was gained just after my parents were born so they lived in both pre and post independence India. The change of government must have affected all their lives growing up. But, I don’t remember much being said about it. I wish I had seen a movie like the Viceroy’s House when I was younger as I would’ve surely loved to have had conversations on the cost of freedom in India with my grandparents gaining insights from their generation who lived through it all, voices which have mostly faded out today.

What I learned from this movie experience and the history behind it is that it is amazing that India, the beautiful land that I was born in and grew up in, has progressed to become a world economic power in such a short time after gaining her freedom. Indians value education and hard work. With 1.4 billion people, it definitely is a survival of the fittest, so education is seen as a ticket to success, and succeed we have! Indians have made their mark as doctors, engineers, scientists, lawyers, even as politicians even in many first world countries. Bollywood is also well known for its musicals around the world. But sadly, perhaps it also explains why we are still so backward thinking in so many ways. In India today, we also still value casteism, racism, colorism, female gendercide, rampant baby killings and abortions, rapes, murders, corruption, violence, trafficking, slavery, devaluing women, and religious intolerance. The rich appear to be getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. We have created many divisions which have caused us to fall for a house divided does fall!

So today as we celebrate Republic Day, amidst the pomp and show, let’s pray for India – that God would break the hearts of her people with what breaks His heart including breaking the bonds of sin, selfishness and injustice that prevail all across the land. Pray that He would bless India with His Presence and with every blessing that comes from the Father above. For where God’s Spirit is, therein lies true freedom (2 Corinthians 3:17). India is still in severe spiritual bondage! And yes, standing up against injustice will be costly but worth it as each life is precious. There will be many casualties in this war against evil which resides in the hearts of men heaping destruction on the vulnerable either by choice or by indifference – the fight is for the vulnerable women, for the unborn, unwanted girl babies, for the poor, for the vulnerable and orphaned children, for the elderly, for the widows, for the Dalits, for the trafficked, for the bonded laborers, etc. India can truly rejoice in her freedom only when her weakest and most vulnerable citizens are cared for with dignity and honor! Let’s commit to joining together to pray that God will harken to our cry and grant true freedom in this land of my childhood, land that I love.

Here’s my daughter Sneha singing a prayer song for India: Rise India Rise