Paul has reached the last stage of his legal argument for the doctrine of justification by faith. During his missionary journey’s to the region of Galatia he had preached the gospel, and the Galatians were converted and he had established churches there for them. But then not too long afterwards certain men from Jerusalem had come to those churches and began to teach these new converts that they were not fully saved until they had become circumcised and adhered to certain ceremonial and legal requirements of Judaism.
So Paul wrote the letter to the Galatians refuting that false teaching and trying to set straight the ensuing confusion about the basis of salvation. And the gist of his argument is to correlate the false teaching of adding to salvation certain laws with slavery or bondage. And the truth of the gospel he correlates to being set free from that slavery. Now Paul takes 4 chapters to teach that, and we have discussed those chapters in detail, and I cannot possibly review all that has been said in our introduction today. But suffice it to say that Paul says that salvation is equivalent to being set free from slavery.
And to that point, he continues in chapter five vs one by saying, “It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.” Salvation has always been by faith. Abraham was saved by faith. The scriptures say, “Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness.” So from the beginning, the only way to God was by faith.
But God gave the law to His chosen people to be a tutor to teach them about God, to teach them about sin, to teach them about righteousness, and to teach them about the need for sacrificial atonement. The law was never given as a means by which to be made right with God. But the Jews had taken the law and tried to develop a system of law keeping by which they thought that they could be right with God, whereby they deserved special favor with God.
But when Christ came, the way to God was made clear. It was by faith in Christ as the lamb of God who by His sacrifice takes away the sin of the world as our righteous substitute, through His atonement on our behalf, by which we are made right with God. And through Christ’s death and resurrection, that which was taught by the law was fulfilled in Christ, so that we are no longer under the condemnation of the law. Those laws which could only condemn us, were fulfilled for us by Christ, so that we might be made righteous by faith.
So that is how Paul is able to say that Christ has set us free. He has set us free from the condemnation of sin, the condemnation of the law, and thus, the legal requirement of the law. Salvation then is really a tremendous gift of freedom. Human slavery represents but a poor illustration of this truth. But when slavery was abolished in the United States, it was done so by a war, and an emancipation proclamation made by the President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. He had the power and authority to make that proclamation because of His position as president. But it took winning the war to make that proclamation a reality.
In a far greater sense, Jesus Christ, as the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, has the power and authority to set men free from slavery to the law and sin. But it took a spiritual war which He waged in which He shed His blood in death and rose from the grave in victory before He could make that proclamation a reality. But just as it was in the case of slavery here in America, it was possible for the slaves to be set free, but yet not realize their freedom and remain enslaved. It was possible for slaves to prefer the security of slavery to freedom and remain enslaved. It was possible for slave owners to deceive some slaves and say that freedom could not be given to them and thus keep their slaves enslaved. And all of that is possible with spiritual slavery as well. And that is the point of Paul’s letter, to let these Galatians know that they had been set free, and they should not remain or return to slavery.
Now please understand that Christ did not die on the cross so that we might be set free to do anything we want with impunity. Grace is not a license to sin. Rom 6:1-2 says, “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?” We are not set free to continue in sin, or to practice sin, but we have been set free from the penalty of sin, and the power of sin over us. We have been set free from sin so that we might love God and follow Him. Not by following the letter of the law, but following the Lord from a changed heart that wants to do His will.
It’s also interesting to notice that Paul’s language in this verse is reminiscent of Peter’s statement in Acts 15:10, in which he was addressing the same situation, that of certain Jews requiring Gentiles to become circumcised in order to be saved. He says in Acts 15:10-11 "Now therefore why do you put God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they also are.”
So this is not just a Pauline doctrine which was at odds with the apostolic doctrine in Jerusalem. But I think Paul deliberately uses those words to remind his readers that the matter had already been settled in Jerusalem when the same false teaching had been encountered in Antioch, and they had brought the discussion to Jerusalem to be settled by the apostles. Peter calls the law, particularly the laws pertaining to Jewish customs and ceremonies, as a yoke which we were not able to bear. He uses a metaphor to describe the way an ox pulled a heavy load, or carried a heavy load by means of a yoke. And when the ox is free from the yoke the burden is lifted and he is free from it. So it was with the law. It was something they were yoked to that was a burden that they were unable to bear. Now that they are free from that yoke, why would they want to go back under it?
Not only is it not practical or reasonable to go back under that yoke, but Paul says it has an even greater danger. Vs 2, “Behold I, Paul, say to you that if you receive circumcision, Christ will be of no benefit to you.” This is a shocking statement that reveals the danger of legalism.
This is the danger: it’s either salvation through Christ or works. It’s either all Christ or no Christ. It’s either by faith alone or no salvation. Paul isn’t saying that there are two ways to God; one through Christ and one through works, and if you choose works then you have to go all the way with keeping the law. Not at all. Because there is no salvation through works, no salvation through the law. There never was. All that the law does is condemn you. Only faith in Christ, and Christ alone, can save.
When Paul says, “If you receive circumcision” that indicates that those who attempted to be justified before God on the basis of the law were in effect cancelling out the grace that was given through Christ. And grace is only one way to be saved according to Eph 2:8-9 “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, [it is] the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
There is another consequence of putting yourself back under the yoke of the law, and that is if you do that, then Paul says you are obligated to keep all of the law. Vs 3 “And I testify again to every man who receives circumcision, that he is under obligation to keep the whole Law.” In other words, you don’t get to pick some to keep and some to discard. If you’re going to chose the law, then you are under obligation to all the law. Someone has added up all the laws given to Moses and came up with the total number as 613. And then the Jews even added some more to those.
There are a lot of various churches out there that prescribe certain things as necessary, certain laws that we are required to keep. For instance the Seventh Day Adventists teach it’s necessary to keep the Sabbath. But these churches invariably choose to keep some laws and not others. Paul says that if you choose the law then you must keep all the law. And we know that no one is able to keep all the law perfectly. There was only one person who kept the law perfectly, and that is Christ. James says in James 2:10 “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one [point,] he has become guilty of all.”
Then Paul makes this graphic, shocking statement in verse 4: “You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.” That is just a shocking way of saying it, especially in the context of speaking about circumcision. You who are seeking to be justified by keeping the law, you have been severed from Christ. You are cut off from Him. You’re going to be judged by your works, not justified by Christ’s work.
What Paul is NOT saying is that you will lose your salvation. But that if you choose works you have fallen from grace. How are we made right with God? On the basis of grace through faith. Grace means gift. Salvation is a gift of God. Jesus was God’s gift to mankind. And those who by faith believe in Jesus as the Son of God, as their substitute, as their Savior and Lord, are given the righteousness of Jesus Christ. His righteousness is given to us. That’s grace.
What Paul is saying then is if you are standing at the judgment throne of God, and your eternal fate is at stake, you either claim the righteousness of Christ which was given to you, or you claim your works as the basis for your standing. If you choose works, you have fallen from grace, you’re dependent upon your works. And the Bible clearly teaches that no man will be justified by their works.
Romans tells us in chapter 3: 20 that “by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law [comes] the knowledge of sin. But now apart from the Law [the] righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even [the] righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus.”
If you go back to the law to try to be justified, then Christ profits you nothing, you’re a debtor to the whole law, you’re severed from Christ, you’re fallen from grace and finally in verse 5, you’re excluded from righteousness. The very righteousness you seek you will be excluded from because righteousness comes from the Spirit and not by keeping the law. Vs 5 “For we through the Spirit, by faith, are waiting for the hope of righteousness.”
Those walking in the Spirit wait for righteousness which comes as a result of their faith. They are converted, they are changed, they are given the Spirit of Christ to lead them in the paths of righteousness. They are not trying to earn their righteousness by keeping the law. No one becomes a legalist through the leading of the Spirit.
The word “waiting” speaks of an attitude of intense yearning and an eager reliance upon something. Here it refers to the believer’s intense desire for and eager expectation of a practical righteousness which will be constantly produced in his life by the Holy Spirit as he yields himself to Him.
There is a faith that works. There is a faith that is justified by their works. In other words, their faith is proven by their works. And those works are the works of righteousness which are the result of a Spirit filled life. Paul says in vs 6, “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but faith working through love.”
If you are in Christ, that means if you belong to Christ, you are truly saved by faith in Christ and His righteousness, then neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything. Paul himself had been circumcised, but he knew that he had been unconverted while circumcised, and he was saved only by faith in Christ. So in justification the works of the law accomplishes nothing.
But being saved, being in Christ does produce works of righteousness. It produces works born of the Spirit. The Spirit in us produces both a judicial righteousness and a practical righteousness. Judicially we are made righteous by being credited with the righteousness of Jesus Christ. But practically we do works of righteousness.
Ephesians describes this apparent dichotomy this way in Eph 2:8-10. “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, [it is] the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”
So our good works do not save us, keeping the law does not save us. But our faith which does save us produces works of righteousness in us by a new spirit, a new love for the Lord, and a new desire to serve the Lord and please the Lord.
Jesus said “if you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” So as Paul says, faith working through love is the evidence of being in Christ Jesus. Not keeping ceremonial laws that restrict the flesh, but doing the work of the Spirit who is in us is the evidence of our regeneration. If you love the Lord, you will want to obey Him. And the Spirit will lead you into good works, which God has prepared for us beforehand so that we would walk in them.
Finally, let’s briefly consider the last paragraph of this section as a summary of his argument. Vs 7, “You were running well; who hindered you from obeying the truth? This persuasion [did] not [come] from Him who calls you. A little leaven leavens the whole lump [of dough.] 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. But I, brethren, if I still preach circumcision, why am I still persecuted? Then the stumbling block of the cross has been abolished. I wish that those who are troubling you would even mutilate themselves.”
This last section really addresses the teachers of this false doctrine. Paul says they are not spokesmen for Christ. They had put a stumbling block before the Galatian Christians which had hindered them from obeying the truth. See, the putting away of the law does not negate the necessity to obey. We are to obey the truth. But a little leaven leavens the whole lump. What that means is that it doesn’t take much of a false doctrine to distort and corrupt the entire gospel. It’s so important that we preach the truth of the gospel and nothing but the truth. That every tenet of the gospel is correct. Because what seems to be but a small variance on your spiritual compass can actually end up taking you to the entirely wrong destination.
Paul says if he were preaching circumcision, then he would not be enduring persecution. The stumbling block of the Jews was the cross. And there was no need for the cross if justification could come on the basis of keeping the law. The whole point of Jesus dying on the cross was to say, “You can’t save yourself. I must die in your place or you have absolutely no hope at all.” When we trust in keeping the law, then we believe that we can, at least in part, save ourselves. The legalist’s view takes away the offense of the cross, the need for the cross, and the accomplishment of the cross.
Paul hated false doctrine so much that he spoke in what may be the harshest of terms in his last statement. He said rather than just be circumcised I wish these false teachers would actually castrate themselves. Paul knew that the worst thing for the church was to have this false doctrine give birth to what amounted to complete apostasy.
With such a dramatic statement, Paul has made one thing clear: legalism is no little thing in the eyes of God. It takes away our liberty and puts us into bondage. It makes Jesus and His work of no profit to us. It puts us under obligation to the whole law. It violates the work of the Spirit of God. It makes us focus on things that are irrelevant. It keeps us from running the race Jesus set before us. It isn’t from Jesus. A little bit will infect an entire church. Those who promote it will face certain judgment, no matter who they are. Legalism takes away the glory of the cross. In light of how serious all this is, it is no wonder that Paul says he wishes they would even cut themselves off!
But on the other hand, faith produces belonging to the Lord on the basis of the gift of His righteousness. We have a wonderful inheritance as the children of God, which is given to us a gift of God. We belong to Him, and He lives in us, so that we might work the works of faith through love. I hope that if you’re here today you are not trusting in any work of your own, no work of the law for your salvation. But trusting only in the finished work of Jesus Christ on your behalf. Salvation is a gift of God. Believe in Him and receive His righteousness and His Spirit and everlasting life.
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