GALATIANS
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Please turn in your Bibles this evening to Galatians chapter 5 as we continue our study through the Word of God. Back in Galatians chapter 4 Paul spoke of two covenants: Hagar the bondwoman represented the Law, and Sarah the freewoman represented Grace. The Law keeps you in bondage and you can go down that path if you want, or you can receive the gift of Grace in Christ that will set you free. Obviously life in Christ is far better than the bondage of the Law, which can’t save but it can only condemn us. Thus, Paul concluded Galatians chapter 4 by saying, “So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman but of the free.” Galatians 4:31. With that said, let’s begin reading in Galatians chapter 5, starting in verse 1 and see what the Lord has for us this evening.
Paul is admonishing the Galatians to walk in the truth he has presented, the freedom we have in Christ. Now don’t think the liberty that Paul is speaking of is a liberty to do anything you desire, never denying any impulsive desire you may have. No, Paul is speaking of our freedom, our liberty from earning our way into heaven by good works, the keeping of the Law. The liberty we have from the guilt of sin, the power of sin upon our lives. We can walk in this liberty we have in Christ or be in bondage to the Law, which is like a yoke upon our lives that doesn’t fit.
Luther sums it up like this, “Like oxen that toil in the yoke all day, and in the evening are turned out to graze along the dusty road, and at last are marked for slaughter when they can no longer draw the burden, so those who seek to be justified by the Law are ‘entangled with the yoke of bondage,’ and when they have grown old and broken-down in the service of the Law they have earned for their perpetual reward God’s wrath and everlasting torment.” Luther’s picture is not pretty but that is the reality and that is what Paul is telling us, freedom in Christ or bondage to the Law!
The Judaizers were telling the Galatians that you can have Jesus and a Law-relationship with God and Paul is telling them that this is not an option because the two don’t mix. If our righteousness is like filthy rags, according to Isaiah 64:6, why do we think we can enter into the presence of God by our good works, by our own righteousness? Paul makes it clear in what Jesus has done for us in II Corinthians 5:21 where he tells us, “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” The righteousness of Christ imputed into our lives by faith, He is our righteousness and if He is not, all that you do will profit you absolutely nothing in regards to your relationship with God!
The Jewish teachers counted up 613 commandments in the Law of Moses. Now you could try to keep them but it would be difficult to remember every one let alone keep them! But if you do try to keep them for your salvation then Paul tells us, as well as James, that you must keep them all, perfectly, everyone! You can’t pick and chose which ones you like and don’t like. That is Impossible to do? That is exactly the point and thus, the Law brings us to our Savior, it brings us to Jesus!
Think of it like this. You are driving and the police pull you over for speeding, you broke the law. As he starts to write out your ticket you tell him, “But officer, I haven’t robbed a bank, shot anyone, doesn’t that count?” He would reply, “You don’t get credit for keeping the law, only a penalty for breaking it and it doesn’t matter how good you are, if you break the law you get a ticket, that is the consequence.” In God’s economy, if you break one of His commandments, you are guilty of them all, all 613! It is impossible to do and that is the point, we are saved by Grace through faith and not by the Law through works!
When Paul speaks of them as being “fallen from grace” he is speaking of not being able to mix Law and Grace together, they don’t mix! For the unbeliever, he may have heard of the Gospel of Grace that is found in Jesus Christ but rejected it for a works relationship with God, which is empty. For the so-called believer, if he says that He has received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and then has moved into a works relationship with God, then he was never really saved. They heard the truth, they said they received the truth, but the truth had no affect upon their lives! Paul makes that clear in Romans 3:20, where he tells us, “Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” You see, it is not what we can do but what He has done in our lives and is doing in our lives!
Boice puts it this way in regards to that phrase, “you have fallen from grace.” He tells us, “The phrase does not mean that if a Christian sins, he falls from grace and thereby loses his salvation. There is a sense in which to sin is to fall into grace, if one is repentant. But to fall from grace, as seen by this context, is to fall into legalism . . . Or to put it another way, to choose legalism is to relinquish grace as the principle by which one desires to be related to God.”
As we walk in the Spirit we wait with anticipation at what God, by His Spirit is going to do in our lives as He molds and shapes us into the men and women of God that He wants us to be. In a legalistic relationship they are doing the work, they are trying to enter in by good works. Interestingly enough, the legalist does not have faith working through love but works working through toil and labor. But for those that are in Christ, as The Amplified Bible puts this verse, “For [if we are] in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith activated and energized and expressed and working through love.” Galatians 5:6.
The Galatians started out well on this road with God but then the Judaizers came in and “hindered” them or broke up the road they were traveling on so they could not continue on. And Paul hits them hard by telling them this thought of a legalistic relationship with God did not come from God, which means it is a doctrine of demons spread through man!
Back on January 19, 2004, this past year, my dad died from cancer. Back in April of 2003 he was diagnosed with colon cancer and had part of his colon removed. Now here is the thing, one little stray cancer cell can metastasize and travel throughout the body as happened with my dad. Within less than 1 year the cancer spread to his brain, his lungs, his liver and he died. Paul’s point is this, a single false doctrine can spread, it can multiply throughout a multitude of believers and cause great destruction in their spiritual lives. These cancers must be excised completely or look out; it will be like a spark in a dry forest and devour many lives! Don’t be mislead!
Paul’s confidence in the Galatian believes is that God will open their eyes to this error they were receiving, the Lord who brought life into them will sustain them. The thing is, we must be careful not to open a door to these false doctrines that are dangerous to our spiritual lives but hold fast to God’s Word!
Now for those who are teaching these false doctrines, Paul says that God will judge them for these things. Back in Matthew 18:6-7, Jesus said, “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!” When Jesus says, “Woe” to someone, a word that speaks of cursing and condemnation, it is bad and the person needs to pay attention! If you are leading God’s children astray, it is so bad that Jesus says it would be better to cast a 100-pound millstone around your neck and jump into the sea than face His judgment!
William Barclay tells the story of an old man who was terribly distraught. When asked what was bothering him, he replied, “When we were boys at play, one day at a crossroads we reversed a signpost, and I’ve never ceased to wonder how many people were sent in the wrong direction by what we did.” Tragically, this goes on all the time as church leaders, people spread false doctrines like it was candy when in reality, it may be sugar coated but inside it is deadly poison! This is very serious and we need to be aware and pay attention!
Paul goes on to say in verse 11 that if he still preached the necessity of circumcision for salvation, as some were claiming, then why was he still being persecuted by those who are legalists? You see, Paul was no longer under the bondage of the Law, but under the liberty that is found in Christ through faith in love. To the Jews and legalists who tried to mix Law and Grace, the cross was an offense to them because it was saying that not only was the Mosaic Law nullified but so too was their rabbinical traditions! But the cross is not done away, for without it we are still lost in our sins, slaves to the Law with no way out!
Now in verse 12, in our English Bibles, we lose the thrust of what Paul is saying here. That phrase, “they were cut off” is from the Greek word APOKOPTO (ap-ok-op’-to) and it literally means to “cut off” like mutilate! Paul was so passionately opposed to what these Judaizers were teaching that he wished they would mutilate themselves by castration! “Paul, that is not how you win friends and influence people!” No it is not, but it did need to be said.
You see, Paul was probably referring to the cult of Cybele that was a popular nature goddess in Asia Minor during Paul’s day and many of the male worshipers, to show their devotion, would castrate themselves, including all their priests who were self-made eunuchs. Listen to how John MacArthur puts this verse, he tells us, “If the Judaizers are so insistent on circumcision as a means of pleasing God, why don’t they go all the way and castrate themselves as the supreme act of religious devotion? If, like the pagans, they believe human achievement can earn divine favor, why don’t they go to the pagan extremes of self-mutilation, like the Cybelene priests?” You see folks, when you start adding any human works, human effort to God’s Grace you are exchanging the saving work of Christ on the cross of Calvary, that free gift of life that is only found in Him and receiving a pagan gospel that has no life, it can’t save!
Our liberty in Christ is to be used in love, the practical application. Paul’s point is this, for those legalists who were concerned about Christian liberty being used to justify sin, letting the flesh nature rise up, that we are not to use the liberty we have in Christ as a base of operations to sin. That old life, that flesh nature was crucified and yet it does try to resurrect itself in our lives. Folks, we are in Christ and that means the mind of Christ flows in us and is reflected in our actions, at least it should be. It does not mean we are perfect, but also don’t use that as an excuse for your behavior!
What can happen amongst Christians is they can allow the flesh to rise up and before you know it Christians are devouring each other, taking sides, divisions arise all because they love themselves more than they love others. All because self is being manifested instead of the Lord! And in the end they consume each other – and in the body of Christ, sadly to say, we can call that cannibalism! That should not be, as Paul said in Philippians 2:1-5, “Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.” Let the liberty we have in Christ be guided by God’s love and this selfish, prideful, destructive attitude will not be seen in our lives and if it is there, it will melt away!
Paul is commanding believer’s to continually walk in the Spirit, not just when you feel like it! He uses the Greek word PERIPATEO (per-ee-pat-eh’-o) and it is in the present tense, which speaks of a continuous action, a habitual way of life! How does the Holy Spirit influence our lives? First of all the Holy Spirit influences our lives by the Word of God, the Bible. Also, He uses others to minister to us. And he also speaks to our hearts as we are sensitive to His leading, His guiding. The result of walking in the Spirit is that you will become more like Jesus!
Here is the thing; if we truly walked continually in the Spirit then we would not fulfill the lust of the flesh. But inside these bodies of flesh there is a war going on between the flesh and the spirit, a battle of the wills you might say. Our will and the Lord’s will for our lives. Think of our bodies as having two hard drives, one that is programmed according to the flesh nature and the other according to the Spirit. Thus, we must choose which drive to use, each will work but the outcome will be completely different. You can’t live off the flesh drive or make it work better. God wants you to work off the Spirit drive and as you use the Spirit drive, it will make the flesh drive better and as we receive our new bodies, we get an upgrade of resurrection proportions!
To sum this all up, John MacArthur tells us:
In his Pilgrim’s Progress, John Bunyan describes Interpreter’s house, which Pilgrim entered during the course of his journey to the Celestial City. The parlor of the house was completely covered with dust, and when a man took a broom and started to sweep, he and the others in the room began to choke from the great clouds of dust that were stirred up. The more vigorously he swept, the more suffocating the dust became. Then Interpreter ordered a maid to sprinkle the room with water, with which the dust was quickly washed away. Interpreter explained to Pilgrim that the parlor represented the heart of an unsaved man, that the dust was original sin, the man with the broom was the law, and the maid with the water was the gospel. His point was that all the law can do with sin is to stir it up. Only the gospel of Jesus Christ can wash it way. “The power of sin is the law,” Paul declares; “but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor 15:56).
In this section Paul lists the works of the flesh into four different categories: sensual sins, religious sins, interpersonal sins, and social sins. It is not all-inclusive but it does cover a broad spectrum of fleshly sins that are works of the flesh.
A. SENSUAL SINS:
Adultery speaks of a violation of the marriage covenant by sexual immorality, having sex with someone who is not your spouse. Fornication comes from the Greek word PORNEIA and it speaks of sexual immorality in the broad sense. Sex before and outside of marriage is the idea here. Uncleanness is more of a general sexual uncleanness, the opposite of purity. Lewdness speaks of a person who flaunts their immorality.
B. RELIGIOUS SINS:
Idolatry is the worship of any god except the Lord God. Sorcery is from the Greek word PHARMAKEIA from which we get our English word “pharmacy.” This speaks of witchcraft and the use of drugs, especially hallucinogens that open the door to the spirit world.
C. INTERPERSONAL SINS:
Hatred is an attitude of the heart that may express itself in outward actions. Contentions speak of having a combative or argumentative spirit. Jealousies speak of desiring to have what is not ours. Outbursts of wrath speak of a sudden outburst of anger, losing control. Selfish ambitions speak of a service that is done for power or profit, only for you. Dissensions carry with it the idea of flying apart, dividing. Heresies deal with dividing over our opinions. Envy carries with it the idea of being bitter because someone else has what we want. Murders speak for itself.
D. SOCIAL SINS:
Drunkenness speaks of allowing alcohol to impart your judgment, not just passing out drunk! Revelries speak of unrestrained partying, no control!
E. AND THE LIKE:
Paul lets us know that if you are into something that is not mentioned, and it is not of God, it is still wrong; it is still a work of the flesh. You see, it is not just our actions that we battle the flesh with, but also our thinking. Paul put it this way in Romans 8:5-8, “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” It is a battle, so don’t set your mind on the things of the flesh, but on the things of the Spirit!
Here is the bottom line. If these things are your life, habitually speaking, then you will not inherit the kingdom of God, not because works save us, but they just are evidence of who is in control of our lives, who is on the throne of our hearts, a battle of the wills! Boice put it this way, “The tense of the verb (present) indicates a habitual continuation in the fleshly sins rather than an isolated lapse, and the point is that those who continually practice such sins give evidence of having never received God’s Spirit.”
VERSES
22-23
Notice that “works” is pleural and “fruit” is singular because the fruit of the Spirit is love and born out of that love are eight characteristics, eight attributes that are manifested in our lives. The word “love” is AGAPE in the Greek and it speaks of unconditional love and if we walk in the Spirit, then unconditional love will flow from our lives in joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control!
A. FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT IS LOVE AND MANIFESTED
WITH:
Joy is based in God and thus, that joy can never be taken away. Peace speaks of peace with God, peace with our fellow man, peace through the storms of life, the situations we face. It is not a freedom from trouble but a peace through it. Longsuffering speaks of tolerance, that you don’t allow others to get the better of you but you have a patient spirit. Kindness speaks of having a tenderness towards others. Goodness speaks of a sweetness, generosity. Faithfulness speaks of being trustworthy in all that you do, that you can be counted upon. Gentleness speaks of being meek. Self-control speaks of restraining passions and appetites.
The Law can’t manifest these qualities in us, only the Holy Spirit, for they are not natural for the natural man, but as we submit ourselves to the Holy Spirit, He will manifest these things in us. You can try to force people to act like this, but it will not be real, it will not work, it will not last!
VERSES
24-26
Don’t entertain the flesh, feed the flesh, play with the flesh, but crucify the flesh nature with its passions and desires to control your life. Here we must take the action and place that flesh nature on the cross to be crucified, we must be willing to give it to the Lord. And here, as Paul tells us to “walk in the Spirit” the word he uses for “walk” means “to keep in step with the Spirit” or be in tune to the Spirit’s leading, guiding. Follow Him, walk with Him, it should be the practice of our life.
Paul concludes this section with a warning, not to be conceited in your walk but yield to the Holy Spirit and allow the fruit of the Spirit to flow from your life! Let me leave you this evening with these words from Paul in Ephesians 5:13-21, as he tells us, “But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. Therefore He says: ‘Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light.’ See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of God.” Let us wake-up and be wise and as we submit to the Holy Spirit, the fruit of the Spirit, LOVE, will flow from our lives and manifest itself in many ways!