Bible Study Galatians 5: 1-15

 

Bible Study Galatians 5: 1-15

Our text:

Christ Set Us Free

5 [a]It was for freedom that Christ set us free. Therefore, stand firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.

2 Behold I, Paul, say to you that if you receive circumcision, Christ will be of no benefit to you. 3 And I testify again to every man who receives circumcision, that he is under obligation to keep the whole Law. 4 You have been [b]severed from Christ, you who are being justified by law; you have fallen from grace! 5 For we [c]through the Spirit, [d]by faith, are eagerly waiting for the hope of righteousness. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but faith working through love.

7 You were running well; who hindered you from [e]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 [f]in you in the Lord that you will adopt no other view. But the one who is disturbing you will bear his judgment, whoever he is. 11 But I, brothers, if I still preach circumcision, why am I still persecuted? Then the stumbling block of the cross would have been abolished. 12 I wish that those who are upsetting you would even [g]mutilate themselves.

13 For you were called to freedom, brothers; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14 For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 But if you bite and devour one another, beware that you are not consumed by one another.

Verse by verse commentary:

Verse 1: “It was for freedom that Christ set us free. Therefore, stand firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.”

Jewish literature of the time compares the law to a yoke to which the obedient submit. Paul does not want his Gentile readers to let the law take the place of Christ in their lives. Paul is fighting a battle against the Judiazers who were fighting the gospel of grace alone. We have the same fight today. The modern church (which really isn’t very modern as it employs the same methods Satan has been using since the Garden of Eden) wants to reject the sufficiency of the Word of God which proclaims that we are saved by faith alone, by grace alone, in Christ alone, all to the glory of God alone. Let us stand with Paul and resist all efforts to demote the gift of God in the Lord Jesus Christ that saves us as our Substitute.

Verse 2: “Behold I, Paul, say to you that if you receive circumcision, Christ will be of no benefit to you.”

Paul has made clear that circumcision is not required for salvation. The Judiazers want the requirement but Paul will not back down. Paul is a Sovereign Grace preacher! To Paul, to say that circumcision is necessary for salvation is the same as denying the sufficiency of Christ’s death for salvation. For those set free in Christ, to be circumcised for salvation is to undertake to do what they can never do, and to reject what Christ has done for them. It is to return again to the dominion of sin and the law’s curse. The last phrase is a warning. If you attempt to add a  “Plus One” (means to add anything to Christ’s complete work at the cross), you have lost the benefit of Christ’s substitutionary sacrifice for His sheep.

Verse 3: “And I testify again to every man who receives circumcision, that he is under obligation to keep the whole Law.”

God’s standard is perfect righteousness, thus a failure to keep only one part of the law falls short of the standard. It is all or nothing with the Law. You must obey it all in perfect obedience or it will condemn you. Paul wanted his message of grace to be crystal clear.

Verse 4: “You have been severed from Christ, you who are being justified by law; you have fallen from grace!”

That is, those that seek justification through their efforts to obey the Law would be renouncing God’s grace by no longer relying on it. In essence, they would be handing the cross back to Christ and say, “We didn’t need a substitute for our sins.” Those who are chosen in Christ will be kept from such a renunciation of the gospel, and Paul continues to have confidence that his warning will be heeded. There may be those, however, who appear to us to be true members of the body of Christ who will abandon the gospel. Let me be clear, I don’t believe those who have been truly born again, have felt the Holy Spirit conviction, knew their place in Hell, and saw that only Christ will ever save them, these sheep will never turn their back on Christ. They will persevere to the end. However, Paul will continue to warn on the dangers of apostasy. To the believer, we should stay true to the means of grace, e.g., prayer, Bible reading and study, communion, and church attendance, which will assist us to remain true to our calling and election.

Verse 5: “For we through the Spirit, by faith, are eagerly waiting for the hope of righteousness.”

The sure hope of righteousness by faith is in contrast to the false hope of righteousness by legal works or human will or effort. That same Spirit, being the Holy Spirit, is imparting to us the saving benefits of our risen Savior, and that is our foretaste of the fulfilled heritage in glory. We can see a glimpse of Heaven now as we experience our sanctification and being set apart daily for His Glory and Will.

Verse 6: “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but faith working through love.”

Paul is not arguing against circumcision itself, but against the attempt to make the rite a requirement for salvation. In essence, the Judiazers wanted converts to become Jews. Paul was very opposed to this and fought this heresy his entire evangelical life. The one who believes in Jesus Christ, and demonstrates the reality of his belief through a sanctified life, is saved. You will know who the saved are by seeing who their Master is. Those that rely on work are lost. Those that rely on anything other than faith are lost as well. Remember the principles of the Reformation: Christ alone, by faith alone, through grace alone, according to the Word of God alone, all to the Glory of God alone.

Verse 7: “You were running well; who hindered you from obeying the truth?”

Paul gives a compliment, “You were running well….” But, he asked the question, “who hindered you…?” The word translated “obeying” also means “being persuaded by.” I like the visual from this. When we are facing temptations, struggles, or challenges, what persuades us? Is it the truth of God’s Word, or the cultural influences of the world or our flesh? We need to be steadfast in our being persuaded by God’s Word.

Verse 8: “This persuasion is not from Him who calls you.”

By “persuasion,” Paul means salvation by works as opposed to by grace through faith. God does not promote legalism as a way of salvation. Any doctrine that claims His gracious work at the cross is insufficient to save is a false heresy and must be opposed at every turn.

Verse 9: “A little leaven leavens the whole lump.”

This was a common self-evident saying regarding the influence of yeast in dough. Leaven is often used in Scripture to denote sin because of its power to spread throughout the entire lump.

Verse 10: “I have confidence in you in the Lord that you will adopt no other view. But the one who is disturbing you will bear his judgment, whoever he is.”

Paul believed that the Galatians would ultimately reject the heretical teaching of the Judaizers. He says, “I have confidence in you” which meant that he believed that the Galatians would return to the true gospel of grace that was preached to them, and they would see that the teaching of the Judaizers was an intrusion, a heresy, and that it was leaven (represents sin).

Verse 11: “But I, brothers, if I still preach circumcision, why am I still persecuted? Then the stumbling block of the cross would have been abolished.”

We may assume that the Judaizers had falsely claimed that Paul agreed with their teaching making circumcision necessary for salvation. But he makes the point that if he was preaching circumcision as necessary for salvation, why were the Judaizers still persecuting him instead of supporting him? The Greek word for “stumbling block” can mean “trap,” “snare,” or “stumbling block.” Any theology of salvation that strips man of the opportunity to earn it by his own will or works breeds opposition. To be clear, there is no salvation without Holy Spirit conviction, a complete breaking down of the sinner’s will, the necessity of blood redemption by grace (all of grace), and making Jesus Christ the Lord of his or her life.

Verse 12: “I wish that those who are upsetting you would even mutilate themselves.”

Paul’s anger is a result of seeing young believers led astray by a false gospel. The Lord Jesus Christ had some equally strong words of warning for those who dared to lead others into error. Too often Christians are slandered if they respond to heresy with directness pointing out the error of the teaching. There is nothing “unChristian” about being firm in our standing for truth. The gospel is offensive and so will we be as well at times.

Verse 13: “For you were called to freedom, brothers; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.”

Christian liberty is freedom from sin, not liberty to sin. This is so important to grasp. Many charismatic preachers would have you think that being free in the Holy Spirit means you can do whatever you want, especially pleasing the desires of the flesh. It was God’s plan from before the foundation of the world, that He would have a people conformed to the image of His Son. Let us embrace the freedom to love the Lord and to serve Him. That is the freedom we have which will result in serving others. 

Verse 14: “For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”

The ethics of the former Old Testament law are the same as those of the New Testament gospel as indicated in the quote from Lev. 19:18. Both Testaments have the common to love your neighbor as yourself.  When a Christian genuinely loves others, he fulfills all the moral requirements of the Law of Moses concerning them. This is the ruling principle of Christian freedom, and it is relational. We cannot live the Christian life in isolation from others. We are to take our spiritual freedom and go and make disciples for the Lord Jesus Christ.

Verse 15: “But if you bite and devour one another, beware that you are not consumed by one another.” 

I have always wanted to preach a sermon on this text, and I would name it “Christian Cannibals.” I have seen this in operation first hand and in person. There are church members that think nothing of saying mean and hurtful words top other members in the name of God. Did you know that in many churches today the Christians bite, eat, and devour one another on a consistent basis? It is most sad that many in the world have passed by the church in our day because the world has watched how supposed “Christians” act toward each other. Paul warned against it, but many in the church today have ignored this verse. I have personally known examples of this. I know churches in which the Christians have no love for each other, but they bite and devour one another.