Freedom In Christ Alone

Sacred Text: 1 John 4:7 “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.”

Introduction: You can turn to Galatians chapter 5 and we will be in verses 2-15 today. Just a quick introduction, I am Rusty Dawson, I am an elder elect at Redeemer Borger and this is my wife Krista and daughter Britni. We have been with Redeemer Borger since it was just a few families meeting in a living room as a core team, and have been blessed to watch it grow over the last couple of years into the church it is today. I couldn't be more thankful for this opportunity to come and be apart of yall’s service here in Dalhart. Also, happy Father’s Day to any of the dads, today will not be tough sermon on how to be a better father, so don’t worry about that. And with that being said we will get into it. In today’s text we will see a little bit about ourselves and the way we try and earn our salvation and the way the world, or the culture, tries to constantly pull us into a works based righteousness. I bring this up because it is true of us, whether we have given ourselves to Christ or not, our sinful flesh, and the world, continues to try and drag us away from the grace of Christ by moving us backwards to the law. I think we all can identify with this, that our flesh and the culture, are constantly trying to give us a list of do’s and don’ts in order to justifiably be a good person, a righteous person. But, they are never enough are they? And it seems like that list just keeps on growing and mounting new burdens upon our backs. In just the last few years we have heard things like, “You have to do this thing if you really love your neighbors.” Or, “You have to be accepting of this thing if your really loving your neighbors.” Or, “you have to act and believe this way if your really loving your neighbors.” And if your not really loving your neighbor the way the world says you should love your neighbor then you must not really be a Christian. But you see, we aren't justified by the way we love, if we were we wouldn't be justified by faith alone in Christ alone; we would be justified according to our works. And this is the point that Paul is making in our text today; that it is in faith alone through Christ alone that we have been freed from the slavery of the law and it is in His perfect obedience and love that we are justified, which manifests itself in us truly loving our neighbors as God has commanded us to. (Hear this again, because this is what I want us to be thinking about as we work through the text today.)

READ THE TEXT Galatians 5:2-6 “Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace. For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.” Galatians 5:7-15 “You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? This persuasion is not from him who calls you. A little leaven leavens the whole lump. I have confidence in the Lord that you will take no other view, and the one who is troubling you will bear the penalty, whoever he is. But if I, brothers, still preach circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been removed. I wish those who unsettle you would emasculate themselves! For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.”

Righteousness Through Christ Alone

Works of the law through circumcision (V. 2)

If you’ll remember last week Paul took us back to the book of Genesis, giving us this picture of the free woman and the slave woman. Paul’s point was that in Christ we are free from the bondage of the law, and Paul ended by saying “Stand firm in this freedom that Christ has given you and never again submit to the slavery of the law!” Then in our text, Paul continues to remind the Galatians of this freedom and what it means for them, but Paul gets a little more specific about what exactly is going on in this specific church.

In this first verse here Paul begins to make an appeal to the Galatian church which is made up of mostly Gentile believers. Paul begins with saying “Look: I, Paul, the one whom God called to preach the gospel (1:11). The one whom received direct revelation from Christ himself (1:12). The one who was given the right hand of fellowship by the other Apostles to preach the gospel to the uncircumcised (2:7-9). I, Paul, who has been given the authority by God to preach the gospel, I am pleading with you not to accept this false teaching that has crept into your church.”

But that leaves us with a question. What is this false teaching that has crept into the church? We clearly see that Paul is referring to circumcision, but according to the OT that isn't a false teaching is it? So what is Paul referring to? Lets look at the OT for a moment and see what it says about circumcision. Turn to Genesis 17:10-14 “This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your offspring after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised. You shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you. He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised. Every male throughout your generations, whether born in your house or bought with your money from any foreigner who is not of your offspring, both he who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money, shall surely be circumcised. So shall my covenant be in your flesh an everlasting covenant. Any uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin shall be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.”” Ultimately, circumcision was a sign for the Jewish people, that they were inside the covenant that God had made with Abraham and the blessing that it brought. So, what ended up happening was circumcision became a major identity issue with the Jewish people; essentially if you were circumcised then you were identifying with the Jewish people and was apart of the bigger Abrahamic covenant.

Just as an example, I was infantry in the Army, and all through basic training we were told about how we was a breed of special people, because who in their right mind willingly goes into the military, in the middle of a war, as infantryman. Now, as an infantryman, there is a badge called the CIB, combat infantry badge, which was a coveted symbol in the army, that showed you fought in actual combat as an infantry soldier. So coveted, that it became an identity for most of us, and if you didn't have one than you were not yet worthy of being called a combat infantryman. Circumcision, much like the coveted CIB, became the same sort of identity for the Jewish people and their families, slaves, and even the foreigners that were coming in. But it was never meant to be a requirement of salvation, it was an act of obedience toward God, and eventually became a work of the law.

So what exactly is the deal with circumcision? Well, we can see that in Acts 15 the Jerusalem Council met to determine whether or not Gentiles entering the faith should be circumcised or not, because the Jews were still pushing the act of circumcision as a means of justification and salvation. Acts 15:1 “But some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” Now, it was determined in this council that because they were not Jewish, they did not have to follow the Mosaic law, which meant that the Gentiles did not have to be circumcised. This council met just before the letter to the Galatians was written, at least most scholars believe so, according to the dating of the letter. So the problem that Paul is facing, is that there are still some Judaizers opposing Paul and the Gentiles; trying to convince them that circumcision is a necessary requirement of salvation. But, Paul stands firm and tells the Galatians, that if they do accept circumcision, Christ will be of no benefit to them. Which brings us to verse 3.

Acceptance of one law is acceptance of all laws (V. 3)

In verse 3, Paul makes a very simple point, “If you accept one part of the law you must accept all of the law.” Here is the thing about the law, it was a way for the Israelites to maintain their justification before a holy God, and they were not required to just keep some of the laws, they were required to keep all of the laws. When the people failed to keep the laws, they were able to come before the priests and make a sacrifice, receiving atonement for their failure to keep the law. So, what Paul is saying here makes sense, “if you accept circumcision (a law) you are required to keep the whole law, because you are submitting to it.” You, did not get to pick and choose which laws you would follow and which ones not to follow. It was all or nothing when it came to the law. Essentially, you became a slave to the law! As a slave to the law, you are severed from Christ, because you cannot serve two masters, as Jesus himself points out in Matthew 6:24. This moves us into verse 4.

Justification by works, severs us from the grace of Christ (V. 4)

I want us to think about this word “justified.” What does it mean to be justified? To be justified is to be found not guilty, not condemned, and completely innocent. And listen, we have to get this right. It has been said that the doctrine of justification is the very doctrine on which the church stands. If we get this wrong, then everything else we teach is for nothing. For the Christian to be justified, is to be standing before God and hearing not guilty, you are not condemned, because you are completely innocent. That is good news! If you are a Christian, because you are in Christ through faith, you are justified before God, not according to your keeping of the law, but according to the perfect obedience of Christ.

Justification is God’s act of remitting the sins of guilty men, and accounting them righteous, freely, by his grace, through faith in Christ, on the ground, not of their own works, but of the representative law keeping and redemptive blood-shedding of the Lord Jesus Christ on their behalf.

J. I. Packer

Do you see why this doctrine is so important? It is the gospel; it is what Jesus came to accomplish on our behalf so that we might be right with God. The point that Paul is making here, is that those who are trying to justify themselves according to their own law keeping, they have severed themselves from Christ, they have fallen away from grace. Because you are either justified by the law or justified through faith alone in Christ alone. You are either in a covenant of works and slavery or a covenant of grace and freedom. Just as Paul made the point in last weeks text. Moving into verse 5.

We wait for our final righteousness (VV. 5-6)

Because of our justification in Christ alone, we have hope, that is our final righteousness. By the power of the Spirit, through faith, we wait in hope for that final day when Christ who is our righteousness appears and all is made right. That day when our sanctification will be complete and we glory in the presence of our Savior. What a day that will be! That is what we eagerly wait for.

We end this first section in verse 6. “For in Christ neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.” The only works that matter are those done through faith in love. According to J.V. Fesko Paul’s point in verses 2-6 is this:

“Paul once again reminds the Galatians that, concerning salvation, circumcision or uncircumcision was immaterial. Within the broader context of Galatians, Paul is saying that whether one was a Jew (circumcised) or a Gentile (uncircumcised), obedience to the law or racial identity counts for nothing. Faith alone in Christ alone brings salvation and justification. And faith produces the fruit of love, or as Paul states it, “faith working through love.”

J.V. Fesko

Now, this isn't to say that the law itself has no purpose unless your a Jew. The law is fulfilled in our loving God and loving our neighbors. Romans 13:8 “Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.” Romans 13:10 “Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.” Galatians 5:14 “For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”” James 2:8 “If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well.” Jesus tells us that we will know his people by their fruit. So we must ask ourselves, “are we known by the way we love, or by our own self-righteous law keeping?” The Galatians, were known for their love.

The Offensiveness of the Cross

You were running so well (VV. 7-10)

“You were running so well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth?” They were running so well, bearing the fruit of love through faith. Now you can almost sense the disappointment and sadness coming from Paul. He loved the Galatians, he did not want to see them or anyone else be led astray. At this point it is obvious that someone has come into this church and began to preach a false gospel. Persuading the Gentile believers into thinking that if they weren't circumcised, they weren't saved. This persuasion, this teaching, it is not of Christ or from Paul. It is the Judaizers who have come in and began swaying people back to the law.

Paul then goes on in verse 9 and gives this short succinct reminder that “a little leaven leavens the whole lump.” Leaven is a fermenting agent, it is used to ferment bread, but in a figurative sense it was used to refer to sin or wickedness. In 1 Corinthians 5:6-13 Paul gives a little teaching on leaven, or sin, and how it works in the body. He says that a little sin causes the whole lump to be sinful, we are the lump. He goes on and says that we should purge that sin out of our lives and be made into a new lump. Paul then goes into talking about not associating with believers who are caught up in willing sinfulness, lest they rub off on us and we become wrapped up in this sinfulness our selves; to purge ourselves of them. What Paul is getting at here, is that a small amount of influence (leaven) can influence the entire body of the church and ourselves. And so we must be careful.

And while this false teaching, like any false teaching, can begin to take over a church, Paul is confident that they will embrace the truthfulness of the gospel. Paul is also confident that whoever is troubling them will bear the penalty for it. Because God is faithful in honoring and protecting his church. Listen, the church can’t die. The building can be closed and the people dispersed, due to failing leadership, but the church can’t die. God protects and cares for the faithful.

The offensiveness of the cross (VV. 11-12)

Then Paul ends this section with a bit of a defense. Because the same people trying to sway the Gentiles into getting circumcised are the same people that are persecuting Paul for his preaching of the gospel. You see, the cross is a stumbling block to those who would seek to earn their justification by the law. Justification by faith alone, through Christ alone, goes against everything our flesh and this world wants. From the moment we are born into this world, we get told that we will have to earn our keep in this world. If you want to be a good person, you have to complete this ever growing list of do’s and don’t you dear go near that list of don’ts. Jesus says come to me, because my burden is light and my yoke is easy. The cross is a stumbling block to anyone seeking to earn their own salvation.

The offence of the cross is this—that I am so condemned and so lost and so hopeless that if He, Jesus Christ, had not died for me, I would never know God, and I could never be forgiven. And that hurts; that annoys; that tells me I am hopeless, that I am vile, that I am useless; and as a natural man I do not like it.

The Gospel of God, 266

David Martyn Lloyd-Jones

And then Paul says that he wishes this person would “emasculate” themselves, the same way they are telling the Gentiles too. Now, I do not believe that Paul was wishing a literal and physical self-harm, but he was using this word sarcastically and figuratively, saying that he wishes that they would cut themselves off from the church. But whichever way you read this warning, we must remember the point that Paul is making; to be careful about the teaching, or influences, you allow to go on inside of the church. This brings us to the final section of today's text.

The Essence of Freedom

Gospel Freedom is Love (VV. 13-14)

Beginning here in verse 13 Paul gives this reminder, that we are free; in Christ we have been called to live in freedom. But, this freedom is not a freedom to continue living a life of sin and rebellion. If we have truly experienced the life-changing power of the life, death, and Resurrection of Christ, if we have been empowered by the Spirit, then we have been freed from the slavery of the law and free to simply love one another. Gospel freedom is loving your neighbor the same way that Christ has loved us! Paul is telling them, “Look, if you really want to fulfill the law then love one another!” And neighbor does not mean brother or sister in Christ sitting next you right now, its not just your physical neighbor at home, it is everyone. So, we have to ask ourselves, “How am I loving my neighbors? Am I known for my love?” Do we treat those around us with respect? Do we treat those around us as we ourselves want to be treated? Do we look out for the interests of others before our own interests? What about when we hear a rumor about someone, for example, do we pass it along? Do we become a part of the problem by giving in to the desires of the flesh and cause only strife and division in the church? Or do we lovingly and truthfully respond? Asking them not use you for gossip and slander. Because gossip, much like leaven, spreads like cancer through the body of the church. Are we seeking to serve others, or serve ourselves by looking like the hypocritical Pharisees doing good works while at the same time hating their neighbors? These are all questions we need to think about. And Paul has one more warning in verse 15.

Slavery to the Law is Hate and Division (V. 15)

“But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.” The law is good at building up these self-righteous and hypocritical Pharisees. The law begins to put neighbor against neighbor, “Look at how much better I am at keeping the law than you are!” We have all experienced this at some point in our lives. What happens is people begin going behind each others backs and spreading rumors about how much this person has failed, but then they turn around and say “but look at me and how good I have done!” I have personally been on both sides of this type of gossip and I can tell you its not fun. This type of attitude and pride, it not only consumes our private lives, it also consumes our corporate lives. That is why Paul is saying, “if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.” The fruit of works based salvation is pride and destruction, hate and division. But, the fruit of the gospel is peace and love for one another. And we cannot love as we should, without faith in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Invite the band up as I finish

Conclusion: Remember, we live in a world where our flesh and the culture is always trying to pull us back from the grace of Christ. “You have to do this and that, if you really want to be a good and righteous person.” But, the gospel says that Jesus Christ came and lived a perfectly obedient and righteous life, that he was hung on a cross and bore the penalty of God’s wrath, was buried and rose again after three days; in order for us to be freed from finding our justification in the law, freed from sin, death, and Satan. Because of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we are clothed in the perfect righteousness and obedience of Christ; we stand before God perfectly justified. ( I want you to hear that again and remind yourself daily of this truth.)And that is the most amazing news you are ever going to hear! But, if you are outside of Christ, the law is all you have, and it’s way is death, because you will never be able to keep the law the way God expects it to be kept. We are either slaves to Christ or slaves to the law, and today you can make that choice. Today, you have to make that choice. Don’t leave here today without talking through all of this with someone. Let’s pray.

Lord, again I I thank you for this amazing opportunity to come and proclaim your Word. I pray for the safety, protection, and love of those here at Liberty Baptist as they continue to move forward. Lord, I continue to pray for those in Perryton. Father, thank you for your Son and me we all be given the faith to believe and be freed to love. Amen.