Freedom - Part 3

Review

For the last several weeks we have been studying what Paul wrote regarding Christian freedom. We first learned that Christ set us free, so that we could be free from the tyranny and condemnation of the law; Christ freed us from the bondage of the slave-master, Sin.

We have been redeemed so that we would not live in fear of guessing if we have received God’s approval and acceptance, but Christ redeemed us so that we could live as God’s free children.

I have not met too many Christians who disagree with Paul’s teaching here. But I want you to imagine for a few moments that your entire life has been literally consumed with learning and figuring out how to keep the Torah. In fact, for Jews living in the first century, they were accustomed not only to learning the Tenakh (what we call the OT) but they were taught from the “Oral Torah” which was the commentary of the law itself. Their lives were immersed in the law.

Antinomian comes from a Greek word that means lawlessness. This goes all the way back to the beginning parts of the letter where we come to understand that the Apostle is being accused of ignoring the law of God and even the top ten moral laws (10 commandments). And Paul’s point all along has been, “No, I’m not ignoring the law. The law is good. But the law has never been and will never be a means to right standing with God.” The means to right standing with God has been (as with Abraham) and will always be (Gentiles) faith working through love.

So even though you may not think of freedom from the law as being a “Big deal” (it’s not groundbreaking truth) you must understand how the Judaizers (all Jews really) would have translated that phrase. The Jews would have translated “free from the law” as not only the way we see it, “free to do whatever you want to do without consequence.” They would have been bewildered, they would have been afraid because the law was the way they learned what God was like; the law was their moral guide. To a Jew, the law was what kept them from behaving like pagans.

Now, most Christians will agree that you cannot earn your salvation, salvation is by grace through faith. However, when it comes to the area of living the Christian life, well that’s a different story. “If you want God’s favor and blessing, you’ve got to start doing stuff and you’ve got to stop doing stuff.” So, you need to stop watching these things, stop listening to these things, stop going these places, and you need to start reading these books and you need to start going to these places, and you need to start doing these things.”

To a Jew, the law was what kept them from behaving like pagans.

Without the Torah man cannot know the will of God.

So imagine for just a moment that there are no such thing as GPS systems or devices, and you are driving in unknown territory, but you have an old Rand McNally. This road atlas has been in the family for years, it’s a trusted guide to get you from destination to destination. It’s a good and trusted map. But one day, you move to a different country— but all you have this map. So you pull out that road atlas and begin to try to follow the map, hoping it will give you instructions to your destination… It won’t work, this country uses a technology that is unlike any other. It would be foolish to insist that you continue using that same old map, wouldn’t it?

Now that analogy doesn’t quite hold the same weight as the law held in the eyes of the Jews. This was a matter of life and death for them. And the Judaizers method of persuading the Galatian Christians of their need to accept the law wasn’t a subtle dispute.

As you can imagine, this single dispute was leading to house churches separating from each other, but from Paul’s tone and even language, it sounds like it was getting pretty violent.

Galatians 5:15 ESV

But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.

Commentator FF Bruce reminds us that this picture Paul is painting is not of literal biting happening, but rather the image is that of packs of wolves wanting to tear each other apart. And if they don’t “watch out” the likelihood is that the churches eventually will be destroyed.

How Can We Know God’s Will Apart from the Law?

The context of the verses we’re studying is that Paul is clearing up a dispute, breaking up a fight. A fight that may have begun with good intentions. Imagine one week a group of pharisees show up in the Roman province of Galatia. They begin to ask around at the market, “Where do the Jewish people who worship YHWH live?” They’re given directions to one of the house churches and show up for the evening meal, when they show up they recognize that not all of those in attendance were national Jews. So they begin a conversation about their lifestyle, they begin to teach, and share stories. In that moment one of the Galatians shares that they cannot stop getting drunk. They say, I don’t intend to get drunk, but once the bottles have been opened and we start our conversation, I just can’t stop.

Eventually one of the Pharisees asks them about how well he understands the law only to find out that not only does he not know the law very well, but he’s not been circumcised, and a whole other lot of things he’s currently not doing.

Then the Judaizers turn to the Jewish Christians as if to say, “What’s going on here? God is a God of order, how is anyone going to know the will of God if the law is not continually taught and observed?”

So, here is what you need to do: “Accept the law.”

This will guide you to have no problem with your drunkenness, no problem with the flesh, and adopting the law will secure your acceptance with God and of course, Jerusalem.

Some of the earliest non-Scriptural, non-rabbinical writings from the first century explain that their understanding was that there was a battle for moral ethics that took place in the heart. A good impulse and the evil impulse. And the way they taught people to deal with the evil impulse is found in this quote:

The NIV Application Commentary: Galatians Original Meaning

“the chief means of protection against the evil impulse was the study of the Torah” and repentance.7

“

And Paul vehemently opposes this view.

But I Understand the Galatian’s Fear

All they ever knew was life as a pagan. But even pagan’s had moral codes. And when I say pagan, I don’t necessarily mean the type that sacrifice their children to their gods, I simply mean that they lived their lives for the glorification and exultation of self.

So when the Judaizers came along and said, “Oh you’re battling with the flesh and you don’t study the Torah, well obviously, you need to adopt the law” it would have made sense for the Galatians to accept that Paul’s teaching was incomplete. “Let us help you to the next step. Studying and observing the law was the answer to fighting the evil impulses of the flesh.”

The Judaizers had the same problem with Paul’s call to stand firm in freedom that many conservative Christians have with this idea. “If you tell people that our standing with God is not based on our behavior, but on the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, what’s keeping everyone from doing whatever they want?”

It was argued that Paul’s teaching here is gravely dangerous and will lead most people straight in to immoral debauchery. Freedom FROM the laws demands? Live in the Spirit? Come on Paul, where is your instruction on holiness?

So that’s what we get into in this next section. So let’s get started:

Galatians 5:13–15 ESV

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.

I’m intentionally keeping the text we’re studying short, because of the importance of the topic. I believe that a solid understanding of this next section will change lives. The teaching on freedom and the Spirit cannot be sold short. We are going to spend as many weeks as we need to in order to catch this.

The main question this passage answers is:

What are we free for?

It’s almost like a bookend for Paul. Yeah, I didn’t stutter when I said that we’re free. We’ve been freed so that we could be free. But freedom doesn’t mean that our moral character and conduct is unimportant.

Okay, so let me get your teaching straight, the law, which was meant to be a guardian was fulfilled in Christ, so we’re free from the law and it’s demands, so what is keeping us from following the evil impulses that we all have?

Paul must be thinking, has anyone been listening? Everything that I have been preaching about the Gospel provides the backdrop.

Galatians 1:3–5 ESV

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Gal 1:3-4

Galatians 2:20 ESV

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Gal 2:

Romans 6:6 ESV

We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.

On the cross of Christ, Jesus put everything (in the evil age) to death for the believer.

In the resurrection of Christ, Jesus brought everything (in the new age) to life for the believer.

This means that because of the death and resurrection of Jesus, everything for the believer has begun to change.

2 Corinthians 5:14–17 ESV

For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

1 Corinthians 15:5–10 ESV

and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.

2 Corinthians 5:5–10 ESV

He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.

2 Cor 15:5-

2 Cor 5:14-

1 Cor 15:

What does this newness of life, this new creation that we are being made into actually look like?

Paul explains what this change looks like in two ways:

First, the negative view:

Galatians 5:13 ESV

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.

“Do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh”

One of the most challenging, but foundational Biblical truths, that Christians have to come to terms with is what theologians have termed the “already-not yet” doctrines in the Bible. If you were listening, I just read several passages that Paul wrote about being dead to sin.

Paul says, we’ve already been “delivered from the present evil age”

Paul says, we’re already a “new creation”

Paul says, we’re already “seated in heavenly places”

I could go on, but you get the point. What Paul means is that we’re not free so that we could simply follow the impulses that used to control us. That’s not why we’ve been freed. So we could do what we used to do and feel guilty about, but now we could do it without fear of punishment.

However, since we live in this state between this present evil age, and the age to come, we can still very much “give in” to the flesh. So let’s pause and talk about the flesh for a second:

FF Bruce again defines “the flesh” as

“That self-regarding element in human nature which has been corrupted at the source, with its appetites and propensities, and which if unchecked produces the ‘works’ of the flesh (vs. 19).”

Scot McNight

“The total person living outside of God’s will and apart from God’s guiding influence through the Spirit.”

The flesh used here by Paul is different than the flesh that Paul uses in when he says the life I now live “in the flesh” I live by faith in the Son… In that passage he talks of the flesh as the outer shell that we as souls live in. The flesh he speaks of here is the old nature that is living under the influence of anything besides the Spirit of God.

To reiterate what Paul has already said,

Galatians 3:19 ESV

Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was put in place through angels by an intermediary.

Attaching your hope to something that you can see (even if it’s the law) is dangerous. Because even the law, when it’s asked to do something God never intended for it to do, will fail you.

So using your freedom put negatively looks like:

Negatively -- a people who are no longer indulging in or looking for an opportunity to use their freedom for selfish interests or personal gain.

What does that look like?

We are not accepted on the basis of our generosity, (so you’re free from thinking you need to give a certain amount of money away in order to be accepted by God) but being miserly is using your freedom for selfish interests not to mention shows a lack of trust in God.

We are not accepted on the basis of our fellowship, but isolating from fellowship is using your freedom for selfish interests

We are not accepted on the basis of how we use our spiritual gifts, but neglecting to use our spiritual gifts for the benefit of the body of Christ is using your freedom for selfish interests

And you might be thinking, well that doesn’t really sound like freedom, it just sounds like a turn of phrase. But think about it for just a minute because there’s a BIG difference.

If I say, “Give ten percent of all of your money or else you will have a small mansion in heaven” you will live in constant fear that you’re mansion in heaven is going to be too small. So you give more, but then you realize that there are others around you who give more than you do, so you’re on this constant hamster wheel of fear that you’re not doing enough.

But, if I say, “Every dime that you have belongs to God, and he is entrusting it all to you. So out of a heart filled with the knowledge and experience of God’s grace in your life, may you also reflect that nature of Christ and be generous with what he’s given you.”

There is great freedom in that! You’re no longer motivated by fear, now you’re motivated by grace.

Paul turns now to what using your freedom positively looks like:

“But through love serve one another.”

Anti-climactic? What do we do with our freedom Paul? What do we do with our freedom, Jesus? You use the freedom from the bondage of sin and the law to serve one another.

That doesn’t even sound religious. First he’s telling us not to submit to the law, now he’s saying the only moral code to live by is serving others?

This takes quite a bit of thinking to grasp. But what Paul is saying is that the focus is not to be on whether or not to eat pork, whether we should wash our hands a certain way, which fabrics we make our clothes out of...

And it’s a little different for us, put the point is still the same. We need not seek for a catalogue of standards to determine if something is ethical or unethical, we need to get really good at asking the question, “Who will I be serving by doing this?”

Am I saying there are no definite categories of “right and wrong” ? Of course there is… but our focus is shifted away from thinking that somehow, God is more pleased with me because I am living my life by a strict code of black and white, right and wrongs, but instead we realize that God is pleased with you because of His Son and now our focus is on “who can I serve in this situation?”

You want to know what is fascinating about living that way? God begins to divinely remove the impulses of evil when our focus is not on pleasing me, but on serving others.

Positively, it looks like a people who are serving each other with a heart filled with love.

And what is freeing about this lifestyle? You’re not trying to earn anything. Why is that? It’s because you’re serving one anther out of love, not out of duty. What’s the difference?

Romans 5:5 ESV

and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

The difference is that the love that you have now, isn’t the love that you’ve always had. The love that is in your heart now, is a Divine Love that has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit.

The difference is:

Galatians 5:22 ESV

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

The difference is that love is the fruit of the Spirit. Meaning that the Holy Spirit produces love inside of you that is for others.

And what is even one more step of astonishing is that by living this way, you actually fulfill the law:

Galatians 5:14 ESV

For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Let me translate here: If you commit your life to living by the law, you won’t be able to do it, you’ll actually end up far worse. But if you commit your life to serving others out of a heart filled with the alien love of the Spirit, you will end up fulfilling the law.

Now, some may look at this a little cockeyed and say, is this just a bad translation or did I hear it wrong, but I’m pretty sure the great commandment that Jesus gave says that we are to “Love the Lord our God with all of our heart, soul, and mind. And the second is like unto it, you shall love your neighbor as yourself.”?

How do we reconcile this contradiction? We recognize that Paul knew exactly what he was saying; see, how many of you find it (at least mentally) easy to say, “I love God”? Most people, even non-practicing Christians can say, “I know I’m a Christian because I love God.”

What Paul is saying by phrasing it this way is that true love for God will always manifest itself by love for others.

In a word, freedom is for being truly human.

It’s easy to think, “I’m giving money to God when I give in the offering plate.” It’s harder to give to a person or a family that is in need without anyone else knowing and without getting a tax write-off from it… But what if our understanding of giving changed so that when we gave to others we would know that even though it will never hit the bottom of that plate, and this family might even be playing me, I am giving this money because the of the love God has given me for God.

Positively -- a people who are serving each other with a heart filled with love.

In a word, freedom is for being truly human.

In a word, freedom is for being truly human.

Freedom is for living life for the benefit of others without the need for recognition or return.

Freedom is for doing the will of God.

Communion:

You are free from thinking that God is like the grumpy and cranky old man who changes the way they feel about you depending on the way you take care of your yard or don’t take care of your yard. You’re free from thinking that your good works are going to boost your name to the top of the list of those up for a promotion in eternity. You’re free from that tyranny and condemnation to BE God’s child and show other’s what He is like.

But you’re free because Christ who was free submitted himself to the bondage that we deserved. When Jesus said, “It is finished”, he had no caveat, no strings attached, just mercy on those who would believe.

1 Corinthians 2:11 ESV

For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.

And then you’ve got the polar opposite of that view which is antinomianism which basically says the opposite. “When you become a Christian, you are totally free. There are no moral or ethical rules. Jesus just wants you to be free. And that sounds a little better on paper, but neither one of them capture the joy of Christian living. The fallout is bad on both sides. There is fallout and burnout on both ends. And the unfortunate part of it all is that neither side really knows what to do with their falling out and burning out. The legalist is so worried about what other people are thinking they’re content to just hope no one finds out. And the antinomian falls out or burns out and then just shrugs his shoulders and says, “Oops. I messed up. Oh well.” And sadly those are not good responses because they don’t lead you to any sort of healing or repentance and faith.

Gospel Fellowship Questions:

So, is Paul promoting antinomianism? No. So if it’s not lawlessness, and it’s not legalism, than what is it?

Can you describe what we’re free from, to, and for?

What are we free for?

What were the problems that the Judaizers had with Paul’s teaching on freedom?

What are the biggest questions you have about Paul’s teaching on freedom?

How would you describe what “using your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh” means?

What is a scenario that you’re tempted to use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh?