Galatians 5:1-6 (Stand Firm)

Main Point

Christ has called us out of trying to do enough to make God love us. His grace has set us free, and we are to have faith in this.

Introduction

We want to be enough. That is the rallying cry of our culture. We want to be enough by looking the part, saying the right things, getting behind the right causes, and so on. As people within the church, we often want to be enough for God. We want to be spiritual enough to impress him. We want him to look at us and tell us how amazing we are for doing it right. That is what the Galatians seemed to have wanted also.

I. Freedom In Christ

A. For freedom Christ has set is free

1. The elementary principles of the world do not apply to us. We are free from them.

2. There is no string attached.

3. Remember Christ has done this because he wanted to.

B. Stand firm

App: Freedom can be hard to accept and hard to get use too.

We have trouble believing that Jesus truly has set us free from the burden of trying to earn God’s grace.

Stand firm! Trust the truth of the gospel that received at first.

On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand.

C. Do not submit again to the yoke of slavery

App: In our minds this kind of command seem unnecessary.

It seems obvious that slavery is not preferred, and yet we do not feel the subtlety of its chains when we pick them up again

It is easier for us to go back to “doing something” instead of “trusting someone” for our salvation.

Do not submit! Fight! Kick against the chains as you pass by them.

II. The Advantage of Christ (remember Paul is a Jew)

A. If you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you

1. Paul is drawing a line in the sand, not against circumcision, but agains the “acceptance” of it as a way to salvation.

2. A big deal for a Jewish man to argue this.

App: When we add things to Christ, or even treat Christ as if he is merely a “part” of salvation, he will be of no advantage to us.

Christ will be all of our salvation, or he will be none of it. There is no in between.

If he is none of it, then there is none of it. Christ alone.

B. Obligated to keep the whole law

1. This is going back to the heavy yoke of slavery we came from (the elementary principles of the world).

2. The weight of the righteous standard of the whole law is crushing, and no one but Christ will ever be able to bear it.

C. Severed from Christ, away from grace

1. Not about losing salvation, but rather about never getting it in this first place.

2. If you do not understand this, you do not understand the gospel. Strong language to make a point.

App/Invite: Hear the scriptures, if you are trying to be good enough to be saved and that is your hope, you are severed from the only one who can save.

You are moving away from grace, and you cannot be saved apart from grace.

Do not walk another day with the pitiful hope of your own efforts, but look to Jesus who payed it all at the cross.

III. Through the Spirit, by Faith

A. Through the Spirit salvation comes

1. Not a work of our won, but a sovereign work of God

B. By faith

1. Because the Spirit of God has opened our hearts to believe the gospel, we press on by faith alone.

App: This is how the Christian life is lived, through the Spirit by faith.

It is not that we don’t “do” anything to live out this Christian life, but the distinction is that we do not do things to gain performance points for our salvation.

We live this life by trusting Christ for a salvation that is already ours, and looking ahead to our faith being made sight.

IV. Faith Working Through Love

A. In Christ, circumcision does not matter

1. This shows that Paul is not attacking circumcision itself, but rather the dependance on it for salvation (Acts 15:1-11)

B. Faith working through love

1. Genuine faith in Christ is alive (James 2:10)

2. Faith alone is the thrust of Paul’s argument

App: Faith working through love means the works we do are not done in order to earn salvation, but rather because we are saved.

Trust God, and in that trust , we love him and we love our neighbors as he has commanded.

REVISIT MAIN POINT

Conclusion

We want to be enough. But in so doing, we are missing the point. It was never about us being enough to make God happy, but about Christ being enough for us. He doesn’t need our effort, but we need his.