From Locked Up to Locked In
Deeply Rooted Series Part 8
Have you ever seen someone get free… but still live like they’re bound?
There’s a term for that. It’s called institutionalization. It happens when someone has been in captivity for so long that even when they are set free, they struggle to function in that freedom. Their environment changes, but their mindset doesn’t.
And if we’re honest… spiritually, a lot of us live like that.
That’s exactly what Paul is addressing in Galatians. They had been saved by grace through faith in Jesus, but they were slowly drifting back into self-righteousness. Not just thinking they were better than others, but believing they could make themselves right before God.
Paul steps in to remind them of something powerful. You are not who you used to be. Your position has changed, and your mindset needs to catch up.
This passage moves us from custody to sonship, from restriction to relationship, and from law to love.
Focus Scripture: Galatians 3:22–4:7
Recognize Your Previous Life Was in Chains (Galatians 3:22–25)
Paul uses strong language to describe life before Christ. He says we were confined, imprisoned, and under a guardian. That is not the language of freedom.
Before Jesus, we were not free. We were bound by sin, even if we did not realize it. What felt like freedom was actually captivity. We were comfortable in it, even content, but still trapped.
The law acted like a guard. It watched us, corrected us, and exposed us, but it never had the power to change us. It showed us our condition, but it could not heal it.
Then everything changed through Jesus Christ.
Paul says that once faith in Christ comes, we are no longer under that guardian. That means something shifts, not just emotionally, but positionally.
Deeply rooted believers recognize the chains they once wore and understand that their old life was not freedom at all.
Live Without Chains Now (Galatians 3:26–29)
Paul now turns and says something incredible. Through faith, you are all sons of God in Christ Jesus.
Not almost. Not partially. Not conditionally. Fully.
He is telling the Galatians that their identity has changed completely. They are no longer outsiders trying to earn their place. They are family.
He says they have been clothed with Christ, meaning when God looks at them, He sees them covered in the righteousness of Jesus. There is no hierarchy, no second-class status, no spiritual caste system. Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female, all stand on equal ground in Christ.
And not only that, they are heirs.
That means everything promised is now theirs through Jesus.
But here’s the tension. You can be adopted and still think like an orphan. You can be free and still live like you are bound.
So the real question becomes this. Are you living from your identity or still striving for it?
Deeply rooted believers live from who they are in Christ, not for it.
Know the Difference Between Slavery and Sonship (Galatians 4:1–5)
Paul explains that before Christ, even those promised an inheritance lived under restriction. They were like children under guardians, not yet experiencing the fullness of what was theirs.
In the same way, the law served as a temporary guardian until the right time came.
And then, at just the right moment, God sent His Son.
Jesus was born under the law to fulfill it and to redeem those who were under it. He did what the law could never do. He made a way for us to move from slavery into sonship.
This is what salvation truly is. It is not just escaping punishment. It is being brought into relationship. It is adoption into God’s family.
God is not trying to keep you locked up. He is inviting you to be locked in with Him.
Know Your Father (Galatians 4:6–7)
Paul closes with one of the most intimate truths in this passage. Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father.”
This is not distant language. This is deeply personal.
Abba means Father, but with closeness. With trust. With relationship.
For many, this can feel difficult. Our understanding of fatherhood is often shaped by broken experiences. But God is not like earthly fathers who fail. He is perfectly present, perfectly faithful, and perfectly loving.
You are no longer a slave.
You are a son.
You are a daughter.
You are an heir.
That means you do not have to earn His love. You already have it.
We have to be honest about where we are.
Some of us have been set free, but we are still living like prisoners. We still doubt our place with God when we mess up. We still feel like we have to perform to be accepted. We still approach Him like we are on probation instead of in relationship.
But the gospel says something different.
Jesus took the punishment so we could receive righteousness.
Jesus was rejected so we could be accepted.
Jesus was bound so we could be free.
So now the question is not whether you are free.
The question is whether you are living like it.
Deeply rooted believers remember who they were, live in who they are, understand the difference between slavery and sonship, and know God as Father.
So ask yourself honestly.
Are you still living like you are locked up… or are you fully locked in?