Free! No obligation, no sales person will call! Free! Don't miss this opportunity! Free! Two sets for the price of one! In the world of advertising, something is free if you don't have to pay for it; if there's no money down, no payments to make; if you get something for nothing — or at least two for the price of one!

Galatians 5:1, 13-25 describes a different kind of freedom. It isn't free in the sense of no cost — in fact, this freedom was purchased at the great cost of Jesus' own life. It isn't something for nothing — in fact, it means becoming like slaves ourselves by giving our lives in love and service, just as Jesus did. Yet the apostle Paul dares to call this freedom and challenges his readers — and us — to live that way.

In the English language, an oxymoron is a phrase that puts…