Lesson for November 3, 2021
The Book of Galatians
Liberty in Christ
Galatians 5:1-6
“It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore, keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery. Behold I, Paul, say to you that if you receive circumcision, Christ will be of no benefit to you. And I testify again to every man who receives circumcision, that he is under obligation to keep the whole Law. You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. For we through the Spirit, by faith, are waiting for the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but faith working through love.”
Paul continued his message of freedom from legalism by encouraging these believers to stand fast in their freedom in Christ. You will recall that under the Law of Moses, a child has no more freedom than a servant. He must adhere to the rules and regulations of his father’s law, and he must be led around by his father’s servant. So it is with the person who attempts to gain salvation by means of the Law. These believers were free from the Law and had been placed in the family of God as adopted adult children. As God’s adult children, they had all the rights and privileges of royalty. Yet, they were now placing “a yoke of bondage” around their necks. They were like adults putting themselves under rules designed for children.
The freedom to which Paul refers is not only a reference to salvation but includes the freedom available to every believer after salvation. Once these Galatians became believers, they had the indwelling Holy Spirit to empower them to live the Christian Way of Life. The Judaizers attempted to please God by keeping the Law perfectly, which is impossible to do. Believers, on the other hand, were free to serve God because of their love for God.
Paul continued to explain to these believers that by placing themselves under the Law, that Christ would be of no benefit to them. They would still have eternal life, but no spiritual life. Furthermore, by substituting keeping the Law for grace, they were obligating themselves to keep the entire legalistic system of the Jews.
For we through the Spirit, by faith, are waiting for the hope of righteousness. Paul refers to the spiritual life as “the hope of righteousness by faith,” which is what every believer should be expecting after salvation. Being in union with Jesus Christ cancels all other means of spirituality, such as keeping the Law. Faith is the ultimate means of spirituality for believers. It begins with faith in Jesus Christ at salvation and continues with faith in God and His plan after salvation. The expression of spirituality is personal love for God and impersonal love for all mankind.
Galatians 5:7-12
“You were running well; who hindered you from obeying the truth? This persuasion did not come from Him who calls you. A little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough. 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. But I, brethren, if I still preach circumcision, why am I still persecuted? Then the stumbling block of the cross has been abolished. I wish that those who are troubling you would even mutilate themselves.”
These Galatian believers had apparently understood grace at one time, but now had fallen prey to these false prophets called Judaizers. Paul stated clearly that this false doctrine was not from God and adding any form of human merit cancels grace as a means of salvation or the Christian life. A little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough is an old proverb that Paul used to mean that accepting the false doctrine of the Judaizers could potentially corrupt the entire church. Leaven represents sin or corruption the Scriptures.
(I Corinthians 5:6-8) Paul then began to encourage these believers by telling them of his confidence in them that they would not succumb to the pressure and believe this false doctrine but would continue to believe the truth that Paul had taught them.
Paul’s argument was that he would be a very foolish person if he preached circumcision for salvation, as he did formerly. When he began preaching the Gospel of grace, after his salvation experience on the road to Damascus, he also began to be persecuted by the religious Jewish establishment. So why would Paul place himself in a position to be persecuted if the preaching of Christ’s death on the Cross for salvation was not true? He could have stopped the persecution caused by preaching the Gospel by preaching circumcision (legalism) for salvation.
I wish that those who are troubling you would even mutilate themselves. Galatians 5:12 is a demonstration of how much Paul was concerned over this false doctrine of the Judaizers. Paul, using a debater’s logic, said if performing circumcision would aid in salvation, then completely neutering would aid even more. The Greek word for mutilate is “apokopto” and means to cut off.
Galatians 5:13-15
“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. For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another.”
It is sometimes said that those who believe in the simple message of faith alone in Christ alone for salvation are practicing “easy believism,” and are giving people a “license to sin.” The freedom that we enjoy as believers also carries with it responsibility. We are responsible to God, ourselves, and others. Paul exhorted these believers to not use their liberty in Christ as a license to sin but use it to serve others by means of impersonal love.
The Old Testament verse that Paul quoted, Leviticus 19:18, was also quoted by Jesus during His ministry. Loving your neighbor as yourself fulfills God’s desire for every believer to use their freedom in Christ as an opportunity to fulfill their roles as Royal Ambassadors. However, abusing this liberty can put a stumbling block in the path of an unbeliever or a spiritually immature believer. If your words, attitudes, or actions cause someone to look unfavorably upon the Gospel, then think twice before you speak or act. But if you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another means that believers are to show impersonal love toward everyone by not putting a stumbling block in their path to salvation or the Christian Way of Life.
Galatians 5:16-18
“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the desire of the flesh is against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, in order to keep you from doing whatever you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law.”
Walking in the Spirit is the same as being filled with the Holy Spirit and living the Christian Way of Life. The Greek word for walk in this verse is “peripateo,” which is used to express the entirety of a believer’s spiritual life. Therefore, we can say that without the filling and power of the Holy Spirit, a believer does not have a spiritual life. The moment we trusted Christ as Savior we entered a spiritual battle. This verse makes it clear that if a believer is not “walking in the Spirit,” they are being controlled by their sin nature and in a state of carnality. (Romans 8:1-17)
Walking in the Spirit is a grace function of God the Holy Spirit since it is His ministry in the life of believers that provides everything that they need to fulfill the Protocol Plan of God. It is the Holy Spirit Who teaches us, guides us, and produces the character of Christ in us. And if we are living by grace, we cannot also be living by the Law of Moses or a system of legalism.(John 14:16-26; 16:13-14; Romans 8:14; I Corinthians 2:10; Galatians 5:22-23)
Romans 6:14
“For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under the Law but under grace.”
For sin shall not be master over you is the principle of victory over the control of the sin nature. “Hamartia” is the Greek word for sin, referring to the sin nature, not personal sin. The Greek word for master is “kourieuo,” which means to lord it over, to rule over or to control. It is used here in the negative, meaning that the sin nature must not have control over you. A believer who is being controlled by their sin nature can be deceived into believing that keeping any system of religious legalism, including the Ten Commandments is the Christian Way of Life. In a state of reversionism, these believers in Galatia had distorted the Law of Moses into a religious system of human works. Christianity is not a religion; it is a relationship with God through Christ. Religion is the devil’s ace trump to deceive people. Religion and legalism distort the Mosaic Law into a system of good deeds.
For you are not under the Law, but under grace. Believers in the Church Age are not under the authority of the Mosaic Law. We have a new law – the Law of Christ based entirely on grace. There was nothing wrong with the Law of Moses when properly understood. Only when it is distorted by religious legalism does it become a false system. The Law is holy, just, and good; it is from God, and it is perfect. Both the Mosaic Law and the principle of grace are from God, and when properly understood and used result in great blessings to believers.