By Diane Caston
Galatians 5:1-16
The book of Galatians is divided into three parts. The first two chapters are Paul’s personal experiences with the subject of grace through faith, the second two chapters are the doctrine of grace through faith, and the last two chapters are the application of grace through faith. This morning we will begin the application.
1.Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. 2Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing. 3.And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law. 4.You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. 5.For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. 6.For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love.
7. You ran well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? 8.This persuasion does not come from Him who calls you. 9.A little leaven leavens the whole lump. 10.I have confidence in you, in the Lord, that you will have no other mind; but he who troubles you shall bear his judgment, whoever he is.
11. And I, brethren, if I still preach circumcision, why do I still suffer persecution? Then the offense of the cross has ceased. 12.I could wish that those who trouble you would even cut themselves off!
13 For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14.For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 15But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another.
1.Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.
Paul begins this chapter with ‘Stand Fast’! Stand fast against legalism. Stand fast in the freedom Christ has given to us. Legalism ties us up in the do’s and don’ts. Jesus sets us free. If we become entangled again in trying to accomplish our own self-righteousness, we will not be free, and this is not what the Lord wants for us! To ‘stand fast’ means it takes effort and vigilance to stay in the liberty given to us. It takes attentiveness to our thoughts and actions. It takes abiding. (See Steve Carr’s recent study.) Paradoxically, it is His strength, not ours that sets us free. The more we struggle the more entangled we become. Like an insect caught in a web! We must, as they say, “let go and let God.”
Paul called it ‘the liberty’. Today, people live in the headlong pursuit of “freedom,” thinking they can do whatever they want, and never denying themselves any desire. This is a kind of liberty, a false liberty; but it is not the liberty. The liberty is our freedom from trying to earn our way to God, the freedom from sin and guilt and condemnation, freedom from the penalty and the power of sin, and eventually when we are with him, freedom from the very presence of sin.
One commentator explains it this way: The great evangelist D. L. Moody illustrated this point by quoting an old former slave woman in the South following the Civil War. Being a former slave, she was confused about her status and asked: Now is I free, or been I not? When I go to my old master, he says I ain’t free, and when I go to my own people, they say I is, and I don’t know whether I’m free or not. Some people told me that Abraham Lincoln signed a proclamation, but master says he didn’t; he didn’t have any right to.
Many Christians are confused on the same point. Jesus Christ has given them an “Emancipation Proclamation,” but their “old master” tells them they are still slaves to a legal relationship with God. They live in bondage, because their “old master” has deceived them.
As was previously mentioned in our study of Galatians Chapter 1, in Acts Chapter 15, there was an outpouring of the Spirit in Antioch, and many Gentiles were coming to faith. Some Jewish believers came and started telling this group of young believers that the had to be circumcised to truly be saved. Such contention broke out that they had to go back to the apostles in Jerusalem and straighten things out. This was their conclusion:
Acts 15:8-10 “8 So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them (the Gentiles) by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us, 9 and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. 10 Now therefore, why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?”
Jewish teachers counted 613 commandments to keep in the Law of Moses. Many of these were actually added to what the Lord gave Moses in Sinai.
“Even to remember them all was a burden, and to keep them bordered on the impossible. Small wonder that Paul referred to subjecting oneself to them all as entering into slavery.” (Morris)
Paul saw this legalism as a yoke of bondage. Christ had set all believers free. Why would they want to return to bondage?
2. Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing. 3.And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law. 4. You have become estranged (severed) from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.
Paul gets emotional here. You can hear the anger and frustration in his words. The legalists were undermining the gospel. They were trying to convince the Jews, who grew up in the law, and the Gentiles who never knew the law, that they needed to add works to their salvation. Paul makes it clear in strong language that if they became circumcised, went back to the law, Christ would be worthless to them.
“Circumcision is the seal of the law. He who willingly and deliberately undergoes circumcision, enters upon a compact to fulfill the law. To fulfill it therefore he is bound, and he cannot plead the grace of Christ; for he has entered on another mode of justification.” (Lightfoot)
This is a clear declaration that salvation can be lost, not as some teach, that there is eternal security. Paul is speaking to believers here ‘stand fast in the liberty by which Christ made us free’ . ’ You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. Our salvation is not automatically secure if we can become estranged from Christ and fall from grace.
“Tongue cannot express, nor heart conceive what a terrible thing it is to make Christ worthless.” (Luther)
The danger of falling from grace is real, but it is often misunderstood. Most people think of “falling away” in terms of immoral conduct, but we are not saved by our conduct. However, we are saved by our continuing reliance by faith on the grace of God. Someone may fall from grace and be damned without ever falling into grossly immoral conduct. (Guzik)
We saw that Paul was amazed by this Gal 1:6, “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel!” Legalists always add to the simple gospel of grace – Jesus +, circumcision, sacraments, payments, good works. We see sects in the church that add to the gospel, intellectualism, special insight, divine revelation, all things that add to the simplicity of the gospel.
This is something we all need to pay attention to. This warning is to us. How many times do we measure ourselves and others by what we do or don’t do? Christians should do this, or not do that… or I should do this or not do that… to be truly saved! I need to go to church more, pray more, witness more. Yes, these things are all good, but they are not the grace by which we are saved! For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.” James 2:10 If we seek our righteousness by keeping the law, if we offend in one part, we offend in all!
What is the solution? 5. For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. 6.For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love. Paul didn’t care one bit about circumcision, to the believer it meant nothing, was of no effect. It was the pious Judaizers sign to keep the law and bring the liberated Christians back into bondage.
If we are eagerly waiting for the hope of righteousness by faith, we will not be looking to our works to save us. When you’re in the Spirit you are not thinking of works! In Jesus we don’t need works to save us. All we need is faith working through love. I love that! When we love God and other others around us, the works come naturally. They are an overflow of faith working through love. They are not a burden; they are a joy! The circumcision the Lord desires is the circumcision of the heart. Rom. 2:29 tells s the “… Circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God.”
Back to Galatians: 7. You ran well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? 8.This persuasion does not come from Him who calls you. 9.A little leaven leavens the whole lump. 10.I have confidence in you, in the Lord, that you will have no other mind; but he who troubles you shall bear his judgment, whoever he is.
Paul uses a running metaphor, you ran well, who cut into your lane and got you off track? It wasn’t Jesus. Paul now starts to put the blame on those who came to rob and steal. Those who were adding to the simplicity of the gospel. This persuasion is not from God. The one who troubles you bears the penalty.
Who is it that seeks to trouble us, blame us, tell us we don’t measure up? The enemy of our souls, and those who come to spy out and jealously destroy the freedom that we as believers are experiencing in Christ.
Paul tells them that they were doing well! What happened? Who was sowing the seeds of discord? Paul knew where it was coming from. He wanted them to see the point. This persuasion didn’t come from above; it came from below. ‘A little leaven leavens the whole lump’. A little backbiting, a little lie, a little false teaching can do a lot of damage. Like leaven in a lump of dough, it doesn’t take much of it to infiltrate the whole loaf!
Paul encourages them that he has confidence in them. He didn’t want to discourage them. His confidence was in the Lord in keeping them, but he was warning them. They were being hindered, but those who hinder others from walking in grace will bear their own judgement. Don’t put burdens on others that you can’t keep yourself.
11. And I, brethren, if I still preach circumcision, why do I still suffer persecution? Then the offense of the cross has ceased. 12.I could wish that those who trouble you would even cut themselves off!
Paul was making it clear that he no longer preached circumcision, even though he was still a Jew. He was being persecuted for this very fact. Paul proudly bears the offense of the cross. Legalism stands completely against the offense of the cross. Jesus came to save us, and the only way we can be saved is by His substitutionary death. Anytime we rely on ourselves and our deeds to save us, we remove the curse of the cross, the very reason Jesus came to earth.
Paul has very strong words for this person or people who were using circumcision as the draw to bring these new believers into the bondage of life under the law. There is a price to pay for putting burdens on others. He wishes they would go all the way and not only remove the foreskin but do complete surgery on themselves. Go all the way and emasculate themselves. He has had enough of these men that were walking all over the grace of God and trying to nullify the saving work of Jesus.
The disciples at Galatia would know what he was referring to. The pagan priests of the area would castrate themselves as a sign of devotion in their idolatrous cults.
“If cutting will make you righteous, why don’t you do like the pagan priests, go all the way and castrate yourself?” (Morris) rightly observes, “This was a dreadful thing to wish, but then the teaching was a dreadful thing to inflict on young Christians.”
This strong language shows just how adamant Paul was about the seriousness of the Judaizers interference and attempts to corrupt these new believers. Considering how serious all this is, it is no wonder that Paul says he wishes they would even cut themselves off!
13 For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14.For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Now Paul lightens up the message and brings them back to the truth. But you brothers are called to liberty! The Christian life is a life of freedom! Hallelujah! Jesus came to set us free, not lay burdens on us that we can’t carry. When we truly understand grace, we realize our debt. Our standards should be better than any others. Living by the law, will wear us down by grading on the curve. I’m not as bad as so and so, or I’m not as good as so and so. Freedom is the foundation of our life in Him. Is this what people see in you? That your burden is lifted, and you are set free?
There is a caution though, the one thing the legalists are so afraid Christians will do. Having been set free from the law, we could go off and sin, and then just say, ‘Oh God, I’m sorry’ . “Clearly all things are lawful for us, but not all things are expedient.” 1 Corinthians 6:12
But the true believer would never do this. Having been set free from the curse of sin, we grieve when we find ourselves in it. We seek to please the Lord, not use our freedom as an excuse for sin. See Romans Chapter 6 for an explanation of this.
We do not use liberty as “the right to sin,” or “the privilege to do whatever evil my heart wants to do.” Instead, thisliberty is the Spirit-given desire and ability to do what we should do before God.
Continuing Paul’s thought process, we do have liberty, but we do not have the liberty to offend our brothers and sisters. Because the context focuses on the way we treat one another, Paul has in mind using our freedom in a way that could trample on the toes of others. We are to “Love your neighbor as yourself”. 1 Corinthians Chapter 8 gives very clear warning about offending our brothers.
15 But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another.
Legalism is competitive by nature. It breeds competition and comparison “But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are unwise.” 2 Corinthians 10:12
I have seen so much damage done by gossip and jealousy in the church. I have an idea that many of the young people who have left the church have left because they heard their examples in the faith speak against other Christians. Remember Matt 18 and go to your brother when you have an issue, don’t talk about them behind their backs, and if the situation is not resolved you go to the elders. But let’s face it; sometimes things are not resolved, and then we have the hard task of forgiving even when things are not resolved, trusting that in time the Lord will fix it. Compare yourself to Jesus and you’ll see why we all need grace.
For the whole law is fulfilled in ‘Love your neighbor as yourself”. This is a profound statement! Obviously, we could not even start on this if we didn’t truly have a living, loving relationship with Jesus. That’s the ‘love the Lord with all your heart, mind, and strength part. After that, love your neighbor as yourself, and the whole law will be fulfilled! Amazing! Look at others and consider how you would treat yourself if you were found in the same situation. How do you want others to treat you, understand you, care about you? Do it to them, and you have fulfilled the true law of God.
So, ladies, let us go forth, and show the world what it means to be set free! We of all people should be filled with joy and peace! Our light should shine brightly so that all men and women can see that we are truly free! Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free!