Standing in Liberty

Text

Galatians 5:1–15 KJV 1900

1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. 2 Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. 3 For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law. 4 Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace. 5 For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. 6 For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love. 7 Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth? 8 This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you. 9 A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump. 10 I have confidence in you through the Lord, that ye will be none otherwise minded: but he that troubleth you shall bear his judgment, whosoever he be. 11 And I, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution? then is the offence of the cross ceased. 12 I would they were even cut off which trouble you. 13 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. 14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 15 But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.

Theme/Main Idea

An Urgent Command to hold our ground

Galatians 5:1 KJV 1900

1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

Paul is urging us to not only fully comprehend our liberty but to hold on to it like precious cargo. Standing fast carries with it the idea of being firmly fixed and unmoveable like an Army that has taken territory and will stop at noting to defend and maintain its ground. If we give up this ground in any way we will become in a sense “prisoners of war” that are entangled with a yoke that will choke their freedom and with it their ability to produce righteous fruit!

An Unavoidable Consequence of Legalism

A Debtor to the whole law -

Galatians 5:2–3 KJV 1900

2 Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. 3 For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law.

What does Paul mean “if ye be circumcised”? - He is talking about the act of obtaining acceptance by God on the basis of works. We must remember that these Galatians were already saved. Paul refers to them as “brethren” and it is obvious from his writing that he had been welcomed by them and had recieved the message of the gospel that he was preaching. The issue at hand touches on the idea of justification but is primarily dealing with sanctification (growth after salvation).

An Unmistakable Contrast of Faith vs Works

Living in the sphere of the Law

Galatians 5:4 KJV 1900

4 Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.

The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter Nine: Stop! Thief! (Galatians 5:1–12)

No, to be “fallen from grace” does not mean to lose salvation. Rather, it means “fallen out of the sphere of God’s grace.” You cannot mix grace and Law. If you decide to live in the sphere of Law, then you cannot live in the sphere of grace. The believers in Galatia had been bewitched by the false teachers (Gal. 3:1) and thus were disobeying the truth. They had removed toward another gospel (Gal. 1:6–9), and had turned back to the elementary things of the old religion (Gal. 4:9). As a result, they had become entangled with the yoke of bondage, and this led to their present position: “fallen from grace.” And the tragedy of this fall is that they had robbed themselves of all the good things Jesus Christ could do for them.

Living in the sphere of grace

Galatians 5:5 KJV 1900

5 For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.

In contrast to working in the flesh to produce works acceptable to God we are to “wait” with patient expectation through the Spirit for God to produce righteousness in us. And once again Paul emphasizes that this is through “faith”!

Instant Results vs Patient Waiting

It is natural to desire instant results since we live in a culture that caters to this by providing many means to satisfy our desires “right now”. But spiritual fruit is produced over time it is not grown in an instant. Legalism promises instant results by quickly adhering to a list of do’s and don’ts and offers a sense of pride and accomplishment for getting up to speed quickly. But here Paul is calling for patience as we “wait”.

Waiting for his return

One day we will be like our Savior when we receive a glorified body and we with patience wait for and look forward to that day.

1 Corinthians 15:42–53 KJV 1900

42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: 43 It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: 44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. 45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. 46 Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. 47 The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven. 48 As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. 49 And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. 50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. 51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

1 John 3:1–3 KJV 1900

1 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. 2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. 3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

Waiting for his righteousness

As we look forward to the day when we will see Christ and finally be “like him” there is a process of growth that we get to experience along the way. The process is intended to make us more like Jesus.

Philippians 1:6 KJV 1900

6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

Salvation was the beginning but it does not stop there. We will ever be growing and growth in the Christian life is often slow and requires patience.

An Undeniable call to Liberty

Galatians 5:13–15 KJV 1900

13 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. 14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 15 But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.

A word of caution

Galatians 5:13 KJV 1900

13 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.

A word of completion

Galatians 5:14 KJV 1900

14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

A word of compassion

Galatians 5:15 KJV 1900

15 But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.