The Gospel of Freedom in Action

Galatians 5:1–26 ESV

1 For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. 2 Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. 3 I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. 4 You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace. 5 For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love. 7 You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? 8 This persuasion is not from him who calls you. 9 A little leaven leavens the whole lump. 10 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. 11 But if I, brothers, still preach circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been removed. 12 I wish those who unsettle you would emasculate themselves! 13 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. 14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another. 16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

Remember in chapter 4 of Galatians, we talked about the tender love of our Father God

How He has put the Spirit of His own Son, Jesus, into our hearts which allows us to cry out, “DAD!”

And how getting a hold of the Gospel of Freedom is rooted in understanding that we have a Father who looks with love and tenderness upon His children

And doesn’t ask us to perform for Him, but welcomes us to be made right with Him by simply believing.

This is what it means to be free.

But how does living free look on a practical level?

I think this is a good question to ask, because, as we have recognized, this concept of freedom is one that possibly we have struggled with.

Our fear being that if someone claims to be free, that means they think that they can live any way that they want.

They don’t have to follow the rules anymore

But if you have truly tasted the love of the Father, then could living free really mean that I’m going to do whatever I want to do?

Would it not mean, instead, that we press in ever closer to Him and allow the Spirit to transform our hearts and our actions, our way of life?

I believe that as our relationship with the Father grows, He changes us more and more into His image, to look more and more like Him.

So freedom means that He changes us. He does the work in us. We don’t have to try to make it happen.

And so you don’t want to just go out and “do anything you want to”, as I used to think that it meant.

Instead, as we saw in chapter 2 of Galatians, there are some new priorities that the Spirit gives us

You could call them “requirements” of living free.

But they are not requirements of written law or written rules,

At least not laws and rules that are written down on paper

Instead, they are written on our hearts as the Gospel of Freedom starts to take hold.

They begin to be imprinted or stamped on our hearts

One thing that we had not figured on when we were considering getting a dog was the regular habits of animals.

And we had not figured on her trotting back and forth around the back side of the house and wearing a path into our yard.

It changed how our yard looked.

Now, after time, since we aren’t living there anymore, I imagine that grass will grow up and cover where she had worn it down

As we learn what the Gospel is, and we live the Gospel of Freedom, our hearts should be stamped and imprinted with the marks of living free

IWe saw some of these marks in chapter 2

Unity

Humility

Sanctification

Now today in chapter 5, we see some more things that the Gospel demands of us. and Paul comes back to this theme of saying, “Look, you are indeed free from the law, but freedom doesn’t mean that we live however we want to live”

So, what are some more of these requirements that the Gospel brings to us?

There are 3 actions that we see in this chapter: Standing, Loving, Walking

The Gospel of Freedom in action requires STANDING

Galatians 5:1 “1 For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.”

Just like Paul exhorts the church at Ephesus when talking about spiritual warfare, he says, “STAND FIRM.”

Living the Gospel of Freedom requires some resolve on our part

Paul knows, as hopefully we are discovering ourselves, how easy it is to go back to submitting to a yoke of slavery under the law

He knows how easy it is for us to go back to “performing” for God—showing Him how good we can be for Him

For some reason, depending on our own abilities and strength is familiar territory for us

Even though it can be miserable territory, it’s still familiar and we easily go back there.

Just like the children of Israel began to pine for the “comfort” of Egypt, forgetting how oppressed and miserable they really were

Somehow, there is something within us that wants to be told exactly how we should live and what we should do…having it all laid out for us

It kind of takes the guess-work out of the equation for us.

Then we can decide for ourselves whether we are going to accept it or reject it

But it’s based on what someone else has told us to do, not one discerning how the Holy Spirit desires that we should live. Not walking by the Spirit as we will see a bit later

But Paul says, “Stand firm. Don’t allow yourself to go back there. It’s going to take some resolve. Be careful and diligent”

It’s going to take some heart searching

And then we find out what the issue at hand is: circumcision

The requirement to be circumcised in order to be presentable before God

Paul says, “Look, if you accept circumcision, then you are required to accept the whole law!”

And if you do that, what is the point in Christ even coming?

“Christ will be of no advantage to you” vs. 2

And he uses a very vivid word picture.

if you accept the severing that happens with circumcision, you are being severed from Christ. vs. 4

In receiving the grace and love of The Father, we were united with Christ.

But the moment you go back to depending on obedience to the law, you are severed from Him

If the law is that important to you, and you insist on keeping the law, then you have “fallen away from grace” vs. 4

You know, Living according to the law is a graceless life. We neither experience grace nor are able to give grace to others.

Think about the conversations we have about things that are happening in our country. BLM, etc.

We talk about “the rule of law”. we become black and white. “What they are doing is against the law and ought to be dealt with accordingly”.

In the law, there is very little room for grace

And in going back to the law, we “fall away from grace”, meaning that we stop experiencing grace. And because of that, we cease being able to give grace.

Paul says, “Stand firm. Don’t go back to your dependence on the law.”

Oh, and BTW, stand firm because living the Gospel of freedom invites persecution.

Paul says, “why do you think I’m being persecuted? Because I’m preaching slavery to the law? NO! Because I’m preaching freedom.

we have an adversary who would like nothing more than to keep us under bondage

Bondage to sin

Bondage to the law

Either way, he’s got us. And he’s not eager to see people living free

But hear the desperation in Paul’s tone:

You were running so well! What happened to you?

I wish that those who are causing you so much trouble would emasculate themselves!

The Gospel of Freedom in action requires LOVE

Galatians 5:13 through 15

Here, Paul really begins to impress upon us that the Gospel of Freedom is really about strengthening of the Body of Christ.

The reason we need to understand the Gospel, and live the Gospel of Freedom is so that Christ’s Body, the Church, will be strengthened

Again, you are free, yes. But not free to do whatever you want.

You are free from slavery to the law.

But Paul doesn’t let you off the hook

Because what makes Paul such a good teacher is that whenever he says “Don’t do this”, he gives you something else to do instead.

(a good reminder for me as a parent)

And in this case, he says, “You are free. So don’t go back to being a slave to the law.

Instead be a slave to each other! (my paraphrase)

Your freedom means that you are free to love each other and serve each other.

Essentially, you are free to sacrifice yourself

And the life of love and service is one of sacrifice. It means that I give up what I want. I give up control of the situation.

And instead I look at my brother and sister and say, “How can I love you? What can I do to serve you?”

What happens so often instead?

In living a law-filled filled life, a life that lacks grace, we bite each other. vs. 15

It might be little nips here and there, but then it turns into harder bites

And then we start to consume each other

I was reading a little bit about chickens

How they can literally peck each other to death

if there is a weak one, or one that has exposed sores or wounds, the healthy ones will peck the weak one to death

Maybe a picture of what happens too often in churches

We peck and eventually consume, or kill each other

Because we don’t understand the Gospel of Freedom in action

And how many churches and fellowships have been consumed and devoured because folks didn’t know about the Gospel of Freedom in action

Churches are devoured over issues of control

Who has the final say so? Whose agenda is going to be followed

People leave churches because someone in the church has hurt them and weren’t “acting like a christian”.

You know, the disciples didn’t bale on Jesus because of what Judas did, even though it must have hurt them terribly

But so often Believers bale on the church, bale on Jesus because of what other Believers do to them, or they carry anger and grudges to their graves.

Folks, may the Holy Spirit continue to teach us what it means to live the Gospel of Freedom by serving each other in love

Or we are in danger of biting, devouring, and consuming one another.

The Gospel of Freedom in action requires WALKING verses 16-25

Paul says, “Walk by the Spirit. Keep in step with the Spirit.”

We could say so much about this…doubtless we will continue to talk about this

But, as you know, our western culture preaches to us on a daily basis

Be your own person

Find your own truth

Life is better and more fulfilling when you figure out who you are and find your own path

And we as Christians are affected by that message. And for many of us, it’s difficult to comprehend this concept of “be a slave to each other” and, as Paul tell us in 16-25

To walk by the Spirit

But true freedom comes, not when we are doing our own thing, but when we are in step with the Spirit

Jesus said, “if the Son sets you free, you are free indeed.”

It’s Jesus who sets us free! Again not to be whomever we want to be and do whatever we want to be.

But we are set free in order to reflect His glory!

And to reflect His glory, we must keep in step with the Spirit, walk by the Spirit.

What does walking by the Spirit look like?

NOT fulfilling the desires of the flesh because the desires of the flesh are in direct opposition to the Spirit

Galatians 5:16 “16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.”

“And you will not”, in the Greek is a double negative

It means, “You absolutely will not in anywise gratify, complete, fulfill in outward action, the desires of the flesh, otherwise known as the sinful nature

What are the desires of the sinful nature? Here are some of them at least

sexual immorality

impurity

sensuality

idolatry

sorcery

enmity

strife

jealousy,

fits of anger

rivalries

dissensions

divisions,

envy

drunkeness

orgies

“Things like these”…the list could go on

A person who is walking by the Spirit, keeping in step with the Spirit will not in any way shape or form by defined by this types of things

Instead, he/she will begin to cultivate new things.

More accurately, the Holy Spirit begins to cultivate new fruit in a person’s heart

And notice that this is “fruit” singular. All these things listed work together. They should all be present in a person who is living and walking by the spirit

Love: The first and greatest commandment

Love manifested in joy

love manifested in peace

love manifested in patience

kindness

goodness

faithfulness

gentleness

self-control

And the Holy Spirit should continue to cultivate this fruit in our hearts, growing it, and choking out the works of the flesh, changing us and transforming us from glory to glory

And by the way, there is no law against this kind of fruit

A good reminder. Maybe you have looked at someone as I have and said,

Yikes, he’s too joyful. He’s too peaceful, etc

Well, Paul says, that’s impossible to be too any of this. There’s no law against these things!

This is Holy Spirit fruit!

Folks, this is the Gospel of Freedom in action. It’s

Standing firm

It’s loving each other

It’s walking

Is this Gospel working in your heart? Is it working in our lives?