Galatians 5:1-6 • Living Free

Review & Overview

1. Previous Study’s Review

Remember there are 3 sections: Preservation, Explanation, Application

In Ch. 1 & 2 we looked at The Preservation of the Gospel.

In that section we looked at several ways how Paul preserved the Gospel of Grace or how he defended the Gospel of Grace.

Chs. 3 & 4 deals with The Explanation of the Gospel of Grace

In Ch. 3 was saw Paul offer 4 arguments regarding the Gospel of Grace.

In Ch. 4 Paul uses Logic & Emotion to explain the Gospel of Grace.

2. Current Study’s Overview

And that brings us to ch. 5 where we begin the last and final section of the letter: The Application of the Gospel of Grace.

This where Paul get’s practical and shows us how to apply the gospel of grace to our lives. Read…

The Title of Today’s Message Is: Living Free

Because as you saw in our quick reading of today’s scripture Paul challenges us to hold fast to the freedom we have in Christ.

Chapter 4 ended by describing our position as believers: we are free in Christ.

Now in verse 1, Paul gives us the application—we must stand firm in that freedom.

The phrase "stand fast" means to persevere, to persist. It’s not passive; it requires determination.

If your taking notes we want to look at 3 Regarding the Freedom of Christ.

1. Holding the Freedom of Christ Vs. 1

Now this verse is connected to the last verse of ch. 4. Look…

Ch. 4:31 describes our position in Christ: We are free in Christ.

Here in Vs. 1 Paul describes the application regarding freedom of Christ.

We should live as free people.

We should stand fast to the Freedom Jesus Christ gives us, we should Hold the Freedom of Christ.

Stand Fast Definition: It means to persevere to persist.

ILLUSTRATION: A few years ago, a seasoned mountain climber named John set out to conquer one of the most treacherous cliffs in Yosemite National Park.

He had trained for months and was confident in his abilities.

The climb was challenging, but the weather was clear, and John was making good progress.

However, as he neared the summit, a sudden storm rolled in, and everything changed.

What had been a steady climb became a battle for survival.

The rain made the rocks slick, and fierce winds pounded against the mountain, making every movement dangerous.

As John was maneuvering around a particularly steep section of the cliff, disaster struck.

His foot slipped on a wet patch of rock, and in an instant, he lost his balance.

His body swung violently, and he found himself dangling hundreds of feet above the ground, held only by the rope tethered to the mountain.

John’s heart raced. His hands gripped the rope tightly, but the rain made it hard to hold on.

The cold wind chilled him to the bone, his fingers were starting to numb.

He knew that if his grip faltered, even for a moment, he could fall to his death.

With every ounce of strength he had left, John held on. His body trembled under the strain, his muscles screaming for relief, but he refused to let go.

Because he knew that this was a life-or-death moment. He couldn’t think about anything else—he just needed to survive, to hold on.

ILLUSTRATION: After what felt like an eternity, John’s climbing partner, who was already higher up on the cliff, was able to maneuver closer and offer help.

Slowly, but surely, John found his footing again, and his partner pulled him back to safety.

They made it to the summit, but the memory of that moment never left him—the moment when everything depended on his grip, and the only thing that mattered was holding on.

APPLICATION: Like John’s desperate grip on the rope, Paul is urging us in Galatians 5:1 to hold on to the freedom that Christ has won for us.

Just as John knew that letting go could lead to disaster, we to need recognize the danger of letting go of our spiritual freedom and returning to the bondage of sin or legalism.

When life’s storms come, when temptations and trials shake us, we must cling to the freedom we’ve been given, just like John clung to that rope, knowing it was his only hope. Our freedom in Christ is precious, and no matter how fierce the storm, we must hold on to it with everything we have.

Paul is telling the Galatians that they are free from the law, that they are free from attempting to achieve God’s promise with human efforts.

APPLICATION: Many of us, like the Galatians, have fallen into the trap of thinking that we can somehow earn or maintain God's favor through our own efforts.

We say we believe in God’s grace, but deep down, we act like His promises depend on how well we perform—how much we do for Him, how hard we work, or how perfectly we follow the rules.

APPLICATION: But Paul is crystal clear in he said We are free from trying to achieve God's promise through human effort.

Christ has already done everything necessary to secure our righteousness, our salvation, and our place in the family of God.

APPLICATION: Listen to this! The freedom Paul is talking about isn’t just freedom from sin, it’s freedom from the exhausting cycle of trying to earn what has already been freely given.

Some of us are living like we're still in chains, striving to accomplish by human effort what Christ has already accomplished by His sacrifice.

APPLICATION: Here’s the challenge: Where in your life are you still striving in your own strength?

Maybe you’re trying to earn God’s favor by checking off spiritual boxes—praying more, reading more, serving more—thinking this will make you more accepted by God.

Maybe you’re trying to overcome sin through sheer willpower, relying on your own strength rather than the power of the Holy Spirit.

Or perhaps you’re wrestling with guilt or shame, feeling like you’ll never be good enough for God.

APPLICATION: Paul's message for you today is the same as it was for the Galatians: Stop striving and start trusting.

You cannot earn God’s love; you cannot achieve His promises through your own effort. They are gifts of His grace.

The call is to rest in the freedom Christ has given you—freedom to stop relying on your flesh and to fully depend on His finished work on the cross.

APPLICATION: What will it look like for you this week to stop striving and start trusting?

Maybe it means releasing that burden of performance, confessing your need for grace, and stepping into the freedom of Christ’s finished work.

When we live in this freedom, our obedience flows not from trying to earn God’s love but from resting in it.

2. Hindering the Freedom of Christ Vs. 2-4

2.1 Christ Will Not Benefit You Vs. 2-3

Alright, let's talk about something you’ve probably heard about but don’t really understand.

Now, I promise we’re going to keep this mature and informative—and no one needs to feel weird!

QUESTION: Raise your hand if you know what circumcision is?

To Those Who Raise Their Hand: Alright explain what is? LOL

So, you’ve probably come across the word circumcision in the Bible, so what exactly is it, and why does it come up so much?"

Practically speaking, circumcision is a medical procedure where a small piece of skin—called the foreskin—is removed from a baby boy's private part.

It's a common practice in many cultures, even today, for health, religious, or cultural reasons.

And that’s about as much detail as we need to get into, but the idea is that it’s a minor procedure often done at birth.

Now, in the Bible, circumcision was a big deal because it was a sign of the covenant God made with Abraham and his descendants.

It was a physical way of saying, 'We belong to God.'

And for the Israelites, this was super important because it was a mark of being part of God's chosen people.

But unfortunately, over time, it wasn’t just about the physical act.

Some Jews started thinking that this physical mark made them right with God automatically, and that’s where Paul comes in.

Paul is not just addressing the physical act of circumcision.

He is using circumcision as a symbol for the broader issue of trying to be justified by works of the law, which encompasses the entire system of legalism.

Paul is warning the Galatians against embracing the ideology behind circumcision—that is, the belief that following the law, including physical rituals like circumcision, is necessary for salvation or justification in the eyes of God.

So in other words, what Paul is saying, “if you become circumcised” or become a person who trusts in their own strength to keep the law.

Christ does not bring you any value, you can’t benefit from Jesus Christ at all.

You see, the main benefit the Jesus offers to all of humanity is SALVATION!

And how are we saved????

John 3:16 NKJV

16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Ephesians 2:8–9 NKJV

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.

So if you become circumcised or become a person who trusts in the flesh to be righteous Christ can’t help you.

2.2 Christ Leaves You Estranged Vs. 4

When one turns from Christ and to the law to become righteous you become estranged from Christ.

Estranged Greek: katargeō; It’s a compound word:

Kata - which means down

Argos - Which means inactive

So this word can be translated to “reduce to inactivity”.

So what Paul is saying is: You who seek to be justified by the law have been rendered inactive in your relationship with Christ; you have fallen away from grace.

Their connection to Christ has been reduced to inactivity, no longer effective or active, because they’ve chosen to rely on the law rather than grace.

Which is why Paul says at the end of Vs. 4 ‘you have fallen from grace’.

It’s a sad day when one has fallen from grace the grace of God.

Now, there are a couple of interpretations to what Paul means here ‘you have fallen from grace.’

False Professors: This view is that Paul is speaking to people who claim to be Christians but are not truly saved.

These individuals are trying to be justified by the law rather than by Christ.

Paul warns that they cannot rely on both the law and Christ; choosing the law severs them from grace and Christ as their only hope for righteousness.

And I don’t think that view is accurate. The bible is very clear that those who have fallen from grace are Christians, christians who are deceived.

Galatians 1:6 “6 I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel,”

Paul is "astonished" that they are turning to a different gospel, implying they originally received the true gospel as Christians.

Galatians 1:11 “11 But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man.”

Paul speaks to them about the gospel that was preached by him, assuming they are already familiar with it.

Galatians 3:2 “2 This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?

Paul refers to them as having received the Holy Spirit, a mark of genuine Christian conversion.

Galatians 4:6 “6 And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!””

They have received the Spirit of God’s Son in their hearts, crying out "Abba! Father!"—a sign of true believers.

Galatians 4:9 “9 But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage?”

Paul speaks of their previous "enslavement" but now that they "know God," implying a genuine relationship with Christ.

Galatians 5:1 “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 tells them to "stand firm" in their freedom in Christ, indicating they have experienced this freedom.

Galatians 5:7 “7 You ran well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth?”

Paul says they "were running well" in their Christian faith.

So I believe Paul is talking about those who were genuine Christians but are now hindered, they are severed from Christ because they chose to stop placing their faith in Jesus Christ and put it somewhere else.

Romans 12:3 (NKJV)

3 …God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.

Everyone has faith the questions is where are you choosing to place that faith?

APPLICATION: We all have free will. We have choose to place our faith in something or someone.

And we have the ability to remove our faith from Jesus Christ and put it somewhere else.

In this case, the Galatians stopped placing their faith in Jesus and put it in the Law.

3. Harnessing the Freedom of Christ Vs. 5-6

3.1 Vs. 5

The apostle shows that the hope of the true believer is far different from that of the legalist.

The Christian waits for the hope of righteousness.

True Christians hope for the time when the Lord will come, when we will receive a glorified body, and when we will sin no more.

Notice that it does not say that the Christian hopes for righteousness; The Christian already has a right standing before God through the Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:21 NKJV

21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

But we waits for the moment when we will be completely righteous in himself.

He does not hope to achieve this by anything that he can do, but rather through the Spirit and by faith.

The Holy Spirit is going to do it all, and the believer simply looks to God in faith to bring it to pass.

The legalist, on the other hand, hopes to earn righteousness by his own works, law-keeping, or religious observances.

It is a vain hope, because righteousness cannot be achieved in this way.

3.2 Vs. 6

Legalism has no value. For someone who is in Christ (a Christian), being circumcised doesn't make them any better, and not being circumcised doesn't make them any worse.

What truly matters to God is faith that expresses itself through love.

Faith means trusting God completely, but it’s not passive. It shows itself through loving actions that serve both God and others.

The motivation behind this service is love, not following rules.

The Bible repeatedly teaches that God is more concerned with genuine faith and a godly life than with outward rituals.

This means that our faith in Jesus is not just about what we believe but about how that belief is lived out—through love.

Ask yourself: Is my faith leading me to love others?

Real faith isn’t idle; it shows up in how we treat people, how we serve, and how we sacrifice for the good of others.

God is not impressed with outward appearances or empty rituals.

He’s looking for hearts transformed by His grace, faith that’s active, and love that flows from that faith.

In conclusion, Paul is calling the Galatians—and us—not only to recognize the freedom we have in Christ but to hold on to it.

Legalism, or trying to earn God's favor through our own efforts, will leave us estranged from Christ and cut off from the grace that He freely offers.

Christ has already done everything necessary for our salvation. Our job is not to strive in our own strength but to trust in His finished work.

So the challenge today is simple: Where are you still striving?

Where are you trying to earn what Christ has already given?

This week, instead of striving, choose to trust.

Stop relying on your own efforts, and start resting in the freedom that Christ has provided.

When we live in that freedom, our faith naturally expresses itself in love for God and others—just as Paul said, faith working through love.

Ending….