Galatians 5:1-6

                                                                     Galatians 5:1-6

For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.  Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you.  I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law.  You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace.  For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness.  For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.

Our lives and standing are dependent upon Christ.  What we do with Christ will determine every aspect of our present and future.  Since Christ is so vital, this is where false teachers will take aim.  They will do all they can to diminish the work of Christ and to promote self-reliance.  The only way to combat this is by pointing out reality.  This reality check from Paul is helpful to all of us.

  

THE TRUTH OF FREEDOM IN CHRIST: It is a wonderful blessing to have freedom in Christ.  This does not simply mean freedom from the Law; it means that we have freedom from sin.  In Christ, we are set free from the penalty, power, and presence of sin.  The Law was only effective at convicting of sin but has no power to set us free from sin’s grip.  In fact, the Law ended up inadvertently promoting sin because sinful men are stimulated to sin by the prohibition of anything.  Freedom has already been purchased by the blood of Christ; our responsibility is to stand firm in that freedom.

 

THE DANGER OF FALLING FROM CHRIST: Exclusivity in our faith in Him is the only demand of Christ.  The minute we try to add to faith in Christ by means of the works of the Law or circumcision; we make the Gospel of no effect.  We cannot simply try to add Christ to whatever we already believe.  Paul’s concern for the believers in Galatia was that they would fall away from Christ back into the pit of self-reliance.  This does not mean a loss of salvation; it simply demonstrates the lack of true salvation in the first place.  It is impossible for someone to be saved by grace while at the same time striving to earn salvation through the works of the Law.  Those who are exposed to the Gospel of faith in Christ but choose to reject Christ in favor of legalism have fallen from grace.  Since man is attracted to earning his own way; falling away from Christ is a real and present danger.

 

THE HOPE THROUGH FAITH IN CHRIST: All those who have placed their faith in Christ alone for salvation have the blessed hope of righteousness.  The Spirit of God makes us alive in Christ and He indwells every believer as a guarantee of our freedom in Christ and hope of glory.  Whether or not a person is circumcised or has followed the law; all who believe in Christ as their only hope for salvation will be forgiven and have the promise of eternal righteousness.  What the Law was powerless to produce has been freely offered through faith in Christ.

 

APPLICATION: Rejoice in the freedom we have from sin on every level through faith in Christ.  Be extremely careful not to fall away from the glorious grace of God by thinking that we can add to the Gospel through human effort of religious ritual.  Enjoy the hope of righteousness we have in Jesus.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Isaiah 54:1-17

Hope is a wonderful blessing from God, without which we would be vulnerable to all kinds of destructive tendencies in our lives.  Today’s society is marked by depression, anger, fear, anxiety and self-righteousness, in large part, because of the sense of hopelessness that prevails in our culture.  Isaiah writes to a people who are about to be taken into captivity because of their sin.  God knows that they will feel rejected, threatened and hopeless so He reveals His future plans for the nation in order to give them hope in the midst of the coming trial.  Hope is the expectation of good based upon the promises of God.  Many times when our lives are marked by the sins mentioned above it is because we have forgotten or failed to focus upon the promises of God’s Word. THE PROMISE OF GOD: From the very first day that God revealed His plan for the nation of Israel, He promised numerous descendants.  God chose Abraham, not because he was more righteous than a...
Read more

2 Timothy 1:3-7

I thank God   whom I serve, as did my ancestors,   with a clear conscience, as I remember you   constantly in my prayers night and day.    As I remember your tears,   I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy.    I am reminded of   your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and   your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well.    For this reason I remind you   to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us   a spirit not of fear but   of power and love and self-control. It is easy for us to forget many important things especially in the face of difficulty or danger.  Paul is in prison and Timothy is facing difficult times in ministry so there are important reminders that Paul wants to make sure that Timothy understands.  God has given us everything we need to face the difficulties He allows i...
Read more

2 Timothy 1:8-14

Therefore   do not be ashamed of   the testimony about our Lord, nor of   me his prisoner, but   share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God,   who saved us and   called us to a holy calling,   not because of our works but because of   his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus   before the ages began, and which now has   been manifested through   the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus,   who abolished death and   brought life and   immortality to light through the gospel, for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher, which is why I suffer as I do. But   I am not ashamed, for   I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until   that day   what has been entrusted to me.  Follow   the pattern of   the sound words   that you have heard from me, in   the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. ...
Read more