explore_706_63003

Posted: 6/27/03

LifeWay Explore the Bible Series for July 6
Use your freedom for the benefit of others

Galatians 5:1-15

By Jim Perkins

Madison Hills Baptist Church, San Antonio

As this week of celebration of the Fourth of July recognizes, citizens of the United States of America enjoy unique and greatly cherished freedoms. We will be appreciated and considered a wise people, however, as we express that freedom in responsible service to our country and others.

Stand firm

The Apostle Paul was a master at expressing Christian truths and encouraging Christians to live out those truths. Such is the case in verse 1 of this passage. Paul encouraged the Galatians to “become what you are;” to celebrate the freedom they had in Christ by standing firm against any who would make them a slave again to the law.

Remember, Christian freedom is freedom from the ravages of sin and the hopelessness of attempts to be justified by works of the law, and also then, freedom to serve God and others with a pure, Christlike love.

The “yoke of slavery” (5:1) that threatened the Galatian Christians most certainly was the opposite of the honorable and empowering “yoke” of Christ (Matthew 11:29). Here that yoke was the empty path of the powerless legalism promoted by the Judaizing interlopers–a kind of legalism akin to the “weak and miserable principles” (4:9). Paul cautioned the Galatians that their freedom in Christ was endangered by the temptation they now faced.

Express your faith

Verses 2-6 of this passage contain the pivotal and forceful center of Paul's warning to the Galatians–and all Christians. The first half of the section focuses on the apostle's stern warning to the Galatians: If they added circumcision to faith in Christ as a requirement for salvation (5:3), they would have in effect adopted a new “Jesus-plus” gospel, which would be no gospel at all (1:7).

In fact, adopting the legal obligation for obedience to one point of the law (here, circumcision) would obligate them to obey every aspect of the law–which would be impossible and ineffective (2:16; 3:11). Effectively, they would be turning their backs on salvation through faith in Jesus, alienating themselves from him and God's grace (5:4).

Paul, however, hoped for and expected much better of them. By faith in Christ they had received the indwelling Spirit, who encouraged them of the surety of their salvation (5:5). As a result, Paul could state as a certainty that for the Christian circumcision was a nonissue–it truly did not matter whether a Christian was circumcised or not. What did matter was a true faith in Christ which expressed itself through acts of love (5:6).

Stay the course

In this portion of the text (5:7-12), Paul referenced two groups of people: the Galatian Christians and the Judaizing interlopers. Paul condemned the Judaizers, who had come to the Galatian churches with an evil agenda. The apostle employed an athletic metaphor in verse 7 to describe their activities–a runner in a race stumbles when someone steps in front of him and cuts him off. Likewise, the Galatian Christians had been made to stumble after the circumcision group threw them into a state of confusion with persuasive arguments concerning the necessity of circumcision to complete their salvation (5:8, 10).

Paul reminded the Galatian Christians, however, that no matter how the circumcision group disparaged his reputation, the fact remained that Paul the Christian did not preach nor support the “Jesus-plus” gospel of faith in Christ plus circumcision as a legal requirement to complete salvation.

The fact Paul was still persecuted–presumably by the Jews for preaching freedom from the law (Acts 14)–was ample evidence he preached the message of the cross exclusively (5:11).

Serve others

Paul concluded this section with an ethical exhortation to the Galatian believers (5:13-15). These “brothers” in Christ were called by God to be free from the principles of the world and the inadequate legalism of the law. Liberty in Christ, however, did not equate to license to live a life of moral rebellion. They were free, but that meant freedom to serve God and others in a life exhibiting the nature and life of Christ, not the “sinful,” fallen human nature of the unredeemed.

As a matter of fact, loving and serving one another in a Christlike manner could be seen as a type of fulfilling the total spirit and intent of the law (Romans 13:8-10). It was to that attitude and action, then, that Paul directed them–even though apparently at this time he was aware of other disabling and destructive attitudes and actions in their midst (5:15).

Their disagreements were probably the result of the theological turmoil introduced by the Judaizers. Paul reminded the Galatian Christians that if they continued to “bite” and “devour” one another (strong verbs descriptive of wild animals attacking one another), they would surely destroy the unity and fellowship of the community of believers.

Questions for discussion

What destructive issues could be or have been introduced into your fellowship? How can you proactively and redemptively address those issues?