Galatians
5:1-15: Those Seeking To Be Justified By Law Have Been Severed From
Christ/Faith Working Through Love Is What Matters
By
1.
In our last
study, we looked at verses 17-31 of chapter 4.
1.1.
Paul continued
his argument of showing that the believer in Christ is not to continue keeping
the Law of Moses in order to be saved, by revealing that the stories of Ishmael
and Isaac, are allegories of the two covenants of Law and of grace through
Jesus Christ.
1.2.
We saw how that
God provided us a pictorial representation of these two covenants through these
two men, Ishmael and Isaac, and their mothers, one (Hagar) who was a slave and
the other (Sarah) who was a free woman.
1.3.
Paul concluded
that the two covenants (the old and the new covenant) cannot coexist, just as
Ishmael could not continue in the house of Isaac as an heir, but rather he and
his mother had to be cast out of the house.
The Galatians were encouraged to cast out the Judaisers who were leading
them to keep the old covenant in addition to having faith in Christ to be
saved.
1.4.
We discussed the
fact that it is always the sons of the law (legalists) who persecute the sons
of grace.
2.
In our study
today, we are going to look at verses 1-15 of chapter 5.
2.1.
Paul will
essentially complete his arguments to the Galatians about how they were not to
add any requirement for salvation but faith in Christ.
2.2.
Paul will tell
the Galatians that they were set free for freedom, and then he tells them not
to become slaves again.
2.3.
Paul will show in
this study how that if a person tries to keep just one law hoping by it to be
saved, that he is now under obligation to keep the entire law.
2.4.
Paul will show
that those who are circumcised thinking that by it that they will be saved,
they are cut off from Christ and that they have fallen from grace.
2.5.
Paul will talk
about how true righteousness living is faith working through love.
2.6.
Paul will tell
the Galatians that he hoped that those who were troubling them and trying to
get them to adopt a new gospel would even mutilate themselves.
2.7.
Paul will give a
warning to not use their freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but that they
might use it to serve one another.
2.8.
Paul will tell
the Galatians that the fulfilling of the entire law is accomplished in one
word, love, and loving their neighbor as themselves. The final argument to the Galatians then is
simply to walk in love through faith because in doing that they will be keeping
the Law and pleasing God.
3.
VS 5:1 - 1
It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm
and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery. Paul tells the Galatians that
it was for freedom that Christ had set them free, and they were not to now be
subject to a yoke of slavery
3.1.
The Law of Moses
was a great burden upon those who were under it (613 commandments that affect virtually
every area of life), just as Peter described it to those at the Jerusalem
Counsel when the church leadership were trying to determine if the Gentiles had
to keep the law in addition to having faith in order to be saved: Acts 15:10, Now therefore why do you put God
to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither our
fathers nor we have been able to bear? Understanding what the burden of the Law was for those
under it helps us to understand Jesus words better in Matthew 11:28-30: 28 Come to Me, all who are
weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from
Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you
will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is
light. Everyone has the choice of being under the
burden of the yoke of the Law or you can come under the yoke of Christ, and His
yoke is easy and His burden is light, and you will find rest for your souls.
3.2.
Paul tells the
Galatians that Christ had set them free not that they would be enslaved again,
but rather for freedom. God
wants us to be free and enjoy freedom.
3.3.
Because Christ
had set them free the Galatians were to stand firm and not be
subject again to a yoke of slavery.
3.4.
Paul was
astonished I believe that those who had been set free from the bondage of the
law were now trying to become enslaved all over again.
4.
VS 5:2 - 2
Behold I, Paul, say to you that if you receive circumcision, Christ will be
of no benefit to you. Paul tells the Galatians that if they get
circumcised that Christ will be no benefit to them, in other words they cant
add circumcision (or any other work) to their faith in Christ thinking that by
doing both they will cover all of the bases, because in doing so they will lose
Christ as their Savior
4.1.
Pauls argument
to the Galatians here in this verse is simply that if they performed one single
act hoping that thereby they would be making themselves righteous before God,
then Christ could not be their Savior and His work for the them would be of
no benefit to them.
4.2.
Having salvation
through Christ is all by faith, or it is by works, and, if by the works of the
law then one must realize that no flesh shall ever be justified before the Lord
(as he mentioned earlier in the epistle).
5.
VS 5:3 - 3
And I testify again to every man who receives circumcision, that he is
under obligation to keep the whole Law. Paul tells the Galatians that
if they receive circumcision (or do any other work thinking that this will give
them salvation), that they are under obligation to keep ALL of the Law of Moses
(there is no picking choosing what you will obey its all or nothing)
5.1.
Paul is telling
the Galatians here that if they were to perform just one work hoping that by it
they would be justified by the Lord, then they were under obligation to
keep the whole Law.
5.2.
Paul is telling
the Galatians here that the keeping of the law is an all or nothing
proposition. If you keep just one part of
it thinking that you are making yourself worthy, then this will not work. You must be committed to keeping all of the
law if you intend to be justified by law-keeping, and just one failure would
damn you.
6.
VS 5:4 - 4
You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by
law; you have fallen from grace. Paul tells the Galatians that those who are seeking
to be justified by law that they have fallen from grace and that they have been
severed from Christ (there can be no combination of works and faith for
salvation, they are mutually exclusive means of salvation)
6.1.
This verse proves
beyond a shadow of a doubt the fact that the motive behind what the Judaisers
were teaching is that they were seeking to be justified by law. They were trying in vain to make themselves
acceptable to God based upon their own righteousness.
6.2.
Paul tells the
Galatians that those who were trying to be justified by their works before the
Lord, that they have been severed from Christ.
If they dont repent then they will not spend eternity with Christ for
they have been severed from Christ.
Hell awaits the one who does even one act of law trying to justify and
make himself acceptable before God.
6.3.
Likewise, those who
were trying to be justified by their works before the Lord, they have
fallen from grace.
7.
VS 5:5 - 5 For we through the Spirit, by faith, are waiting for the hope of
righteousness. Paul tells the Galatians that
through the Spirit and by faith they are waiting for the hope of righteousness
(or the object of the believers hope, or final salvation)
7.1.
This verse could
cause confusion for a couple of reasons:
7.1.1. Because it could be looked at as if Paul is saying
that the believers in
7.1.2. Because Paul writes that the believer in Christ is waiting
for that object of his salvation. That hope
is that which we have who are declared righteousness.
7.2.
Our faith
in Christ that we have for salvation is created and sustained through the
Spirit.
8.
VS 5:6 - 6
For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything,
but faith working through love. Paul tells the Galatians that in reality neither
being circumcised nor being uncircumcised determine ones salvation nor their
spirituality and godly character, rather what really matters when the rubber
meets the road regarding how God uses us (IOW being truly spiritual) is when in
our life faith is working through love (for the believer love for God and
others is the conduit through which our faith works and flows)
8.1.
Notice here first
of all that this is addressed only to Christians, for he says, in Christ
Jesus. What he says here does not
refer to a non-believer.
8.2.
For the believer,
whether or not a person becomes circumcised or chooses not to be circumcised,
these things in and of themselves really amount to and mean nothing. It is the heart motive for why a person would
be circumcised that determines whether they are trusting in that act to justify
themselves before God, or not. We find
in Acts 16 that Paul had Timothy circumcised so that he and Timothy would be
unhindered by the Jews from their preaching.
This was not so that Timothy would be justified by this act, but rather
it was of a practical concern. So, the
heart motive matters for our actions.
8.3.
Paul indicates
here that love is the conduit through which faith works in
the Christians life. Faith and
love work together. Walking by
faith in Christ does not lead one to justify themselves before God,
rather the dynamic and motive that is involved is love. We as Christians are to do what we do from
the motive of love, love for God, and love for others. Its keeping the Golden Rule and treating
others always in the same way that we would want to be treated, that we need to
be about, not just external rule and law keeping.
8.4.
Walking in and
being motivated by love is the opposite of doing things to try make yourself
righteous before God.
9.
VS 5:7-8 - 7
You were running well; who hindered you from obeying the truth? 8 This persuasion did not come from
Him who calls you.
Using the metaphor of a race, Paul tells the Galatians they were running
well, then he asks them who hindered them from obeying the truth, then he says
it certainly didnt come from God who calls them
9.1.
Paul often spoke
of the Christian life as being like running a race, and the Christian walk or
life as being like that of an athlete.
Paul tells the Galatians here that they had been running well. Previous to the arrival of the Judaisers in
9.2.
Paul seems to
indicate here that there was one main false teacher who was involved in
deceiving the church. There were other
teachers but one main one.
9.3.
Paul asks the
Galatians who it was who hindered them from obeying the truth,
and when he speaks of the truth he refers to the true gospel of the grace of
Christ.
9.4.
Paul reminds the
Galatians that their persuasion about the law they had heard from Judaisers did
not come from Him who calls you. It was not
the Lord who had taught them these things.
10.
VS 5:9 - 9
A little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough. Paul tells
the Galatians in regard to adding just a little bit of works righteousness to
their faith (the Judaisers werent trying to keep all of the law just certain
parts of it) that this would soon completely corrupt them, telling them that
doing this is like adding just a little leaven to a lump of dough because if
you do this soon the who lump becomes leavened
10.1.
This verse refers
to false doctrine and how that letting in just a little bit of false doctrine
will cause the whole belief system of the church to be compromised.
10.2.
The metaphor of leaven
as found in the scripture is always a negative thing, for example:
10.2.1. The first mention of leaven as a metaphor is
found when the children of
10.2.2. In Matthew 16:6-12, we see Jesus referring to the leaven
of the Pharisees, 6 And Jesus said to them, Watch
out and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees. 7 They began to discuss this among
themselves, saying, He said that because we did not bring any bread.
8 But Jesus, aware of this,
said, You men of little faith, why do you discuss
among yourselves that you have no bread? 9 Do you not yet understand or remember
the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets full you
picked up? 10 Or the seven
loaves of the four thousand, and how many large baskets full you picked
up? 11 How is it that you do not understand
that I did not speak to you concerning bread? But beware of the leaven of the
Pharisees and Sadducees. 12 Then they understood that
He did not say to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the
Pharisees and Sadducees.
10.3.
Here, Paul tells
the Galatians that if they allow a little leaven of false teaching into the
church that in time the whole church will fall away.
10.4.
In 1 Corinthians
chapter 5, Paul wrote to the Corinthians that they were to throw out the man
who was committing fornication with his mother, and then he told them the same
thing: a little leaven leavens the
whole lump. In that case it was the
leaven of sin that he was speaking of not the leaven of false teaching, as
here.
11.
VS 5:10 - 10
I have confidence in you in the Lord that you will adopt no other view; but
the one who is disturbing you will bear his judgment, whoever he is. Paul tells
the Galatians that he is confident in them that they would not adopt no other
gospel or means of salvation (evidently the Judaisers hadnt infiltrated too
many peoples lives), but that the one (evidently there was one major Judaiser
teacher in
11.1.
Notice here the
phrasing as Paul tells the Galatians, I have confidence in you in the Lord. We in the church have to trust others in
ministry, and Paul shows us that we can do that because we first of all have
confidence in the Lord who is in their life. We can trust that God will work in peoples
lives in the church because they are in the Lord. And, we can trust pastors and leaders from
the church because we know that they are in the Lord.
11.2.
Paul was
confident that the Galatians would heed his admonitions and repent. As we have mentioned before, the church in
11.3.
Paul is asking the
Galatians here to judge these Judaiser false teachers and toss out of the
church, the one who is disturbing them by teaching these false
things. Again, it appears that Paul is
speaking primarily of one leader that they needed to remove from their midst.
12.
VS 5:11 - 11
But I, brethren, if I still preach circumcision, why am I still persecuted?
Then the stumbling block of the cross has been abolished. Since there
must have been some rumors about that Paul actually preached circumcision for
believers, he asks the Galatians if this was the case why he was still being
persecuted, and if so the stumbling block of preaching the cross would be
abolished for him as well
12.1.
To quell the
rumors that he did in fact teach that a Christian had to undergo circumcision,
Paul asks them rhetorically who if he did this that he was still persecuted?
12.2.
When Christians
preach that the only way for a person to be saved is through the cross
of Jesus Christ, this then causes people from all other backgrounds to stumble
and persecution results You will find
much less persecution if you preach a message that is mixed and allows for some
belief that other things need to be done in order to believing in order for a
person to be saved.
12.3.
The reason why
people are stumbled by the preaching of the cross is because this belief for
salvation puts everything out of a persons control as to whether they will be
saved. People are more inclined to try
to work for salvation than just to exercise faith in Christ to be saved.
13.
VS 5:12 - 12
I wish that those who are troubling you would even mutilate themselves. Paul tells
the Galatians that he wishes that those who were troubling them would mutilate
themselves (circumcise themselves completely or cut themselves off)
13.1.
Paul was not
messing around when it came to false teachers that would lead people astray
from the truth. He had already told the
Galatians right at the first of this letter that those who were teaching
another gospel he wished were damned to hell.
13.2.
Here, Paul tells
the Galatians that he wished that those in the church who were troubling them,
teaching that a man had to be circumcised in addition to trusting in Christ for
salvation, that they would cut up, or mutilate themselves.
14.
VS 5:13 - 13
For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your
freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. Paul gives
the Galatians a warning about the freedom that they had received, he tells them
that the were not now to be antinomian and think that they could disregard
Gods laws and sin all that they wanted, but they were through the working of
love in them to serve one another
14.1.
Antinomianism is
the complete disregard for law, and a Christian who is antinomian thinks that
he can sin all that he wants and that he does not need to consider Gods moral
law (10 Commandments) at all.
14.2.
Paul has been
emphasizing to the Galatians their freedom in Christ. But, he also didnt want the Galatians to
error in the opposite spectrum and think that because they were saved by faith
that they did not have to avoid sin. A
believer in Christ does not have freedom so that they can now be antinomian and
disregard Gods moral laws. Paul
addresses this attitude several times in his writings. For instance, he writes in Romans chapter 6,
How shall we who died to sin live any longer therein. He confronted those who were saying, Lets
sin that grace may abound.
14.3.
Believers have a
great privilege of being able to know and experience the freedom that they have
in Christ. However, with great privilege
always comes great responsibility. The
believer is free from the bondage of the law, but he is also purchased by the
one who set him from his bondage, and therefore he is to surrender his freedom
back to the Lord.
14.4.
Peter wrote about
how the Christian is to respect his freedom in Christ: 1 Peter 2:16:, Act as free men, and do not
use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God.
14.5.
For the sake of balance
to our study here, we must remember that James wrote in the second chapter of
the book of James that faith produces works. If you truly have faith in Christ then your
life is going to be transformed, and you will produce works that please and glorify
God.
14.6.
The grace of God
works within our hearts and motivates us deep from within us. When we truly understand it, it does not
cause us to live licentiously and try to see what we can get away with and
still call ourselves a Christian. Look
at what Paul wrote about how the grace of God worked in his life: 1 Corinthians 15:10, But by the grace of God I
am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even
more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me.
14.6.1. What is the grace of God
doing in your life today? Are you taking
His grace, mercy and love for granted, or are you surrendering your freedom and
your will to Him to serve Him out of love, not because you have to but because
you want to do this? This will tell us
if you truly have salvation through Christ.
15.
VS 5:14 - 14
For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Paul tells
the Galatians that the whole law is fulfilled in the one word of love, in the
loving of your neighbor as you love yourself
15.1.
Jesus summarized
the Law of God in two laws, to love the Lord your God with all of your heart,
mind, and strength, and, to love your neighbor as you love yourself. Here, Paul summarizes the whole Law in one command,
to love your neighbor as you love yourself. In order to love your neighbor as you love
yourself, you first have to love the Lord with all of your heart, mind, and
strength.
15.2.
Here we see that the believer in Christ
through the Holy Spirit is able to fulfill the whole Law of Moses simply by
doing what Jesus taught His disciples to do:
YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.
15.3.
Love is
the fulfillment of the Law before God.
All of the laws involve exercising love and the believer is supposed to
walk in love always.
16.
VS 5:15 - 15
But if you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed
by one another.
Paul tells the Galatians that if they bite and devour one another that they
were to be careful to not be consumed by each other
16.1.
Paul warns the
believers about biting and devouring one another, and he tells them to be
careful to not be consumed by one another.
16.2.
This is what
legalists do. They bite and devour
one another. No one is really ever
good enough for them.
17.
CONCLUSIONS:
17.1.
.