Galatians – Part 8

Series – November 2022 – Grace & Truth Magazine

Galatians – Part 8

We continue our study of Galatians by looking at the first 15 verses of chapter 5. Verse 1 ( KJV ) says, “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.” Last month we were reminded that we are not children of the bondwoman but of the free (4:31); so now don’t give up your freedom. Stand fast in it. Don’t be carried away with the legalistic wind of doctrine, or any other, which brings men into bondage. The law was a yoke of bondage, as is loyalty to idols. Paul told the believers not to be entangled again with a yoke of bondage, but stand fast in the liberty with which “Christ hath made us free.”

Verses 2-6 say, “Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law. Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace. For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.”

One of the first things a man seeking to keep the law will do is to be circumcised, even if he is not a Jew by nature. The man who receives circumcision, not for health or hygienic reasons but for the Jewish religious order, has put Christ from him; Christ will profit him nothing. He has placed himself under legal obligation as a debtor to do the whole law, for he bears in his body the mark of a slave to the law. Christ is become of no effect unto him, because instead of submitting to and accepting the righteousness of Christ by faith, he has turned from Christ and His work. Instead, that man has gone off to seek to attain righteousness by his own works. To such a person, Christ has died in vain.

Not only so, but that man has fallen from grace: “whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.” To be fallen from grace means to leave God’s high and lofty principles He has given us by which we ought to live, serve and worship Him, and go down to the low level of the law.

Grace is far superior in every way and sense, holding us to a higher standard than the law, but also providing the power to live up to that standard. For instance, the law says, “Thou shalt not commit adultery,” but the Lord said that if you look at a “woman to lust after her,” in your heart you have already committed adultery (Mt. 5:27-28). Law says, “An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth,” but the Lord said, “Resist not evil; but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also” (vv.38-39). “And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away” (vv.40-42). This, my friends, is the language and spirit of grace. It matters nothing with God if you are circumcised or uncircumcised (Gal. 5:5-6). God looks at the heart, and He wants to see faith which works by love.

Let us move on to verses 7-12: “Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth? This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you. A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump. I have confidence in you through the Lord, that ye will be none otherwise minded: but he that troubleth you shall bear his judgment, whosoever he be. And I, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution? Then is the offence of the cross ceased. I would they were even cut off which trouble you.” How good to see an athlete that got a good start and kept up the momentum straight to the finish line, running according to all the rules. Many Christians have started well with Christ, but as they go on they fall back or commit a breach, and are disqualified from the prize.

We are exhorted to “lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Heb. 12:1-2). To run successfully, we must:

• Lay aside every weight,
• Lay aside sin,
• Run with patience, and
• Keep our eyes on Jesus (the prize).

If we do otherwise, we will run into trouble.

This antichristian persuasion the Galatians were following was not from Him who had called them. It was evidently a work of Satan to turn away the disciples from the true grace of God to a legal system, which would bring the saints into the bondage of law keeping. They were now reminded “a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump” (Gal. 5:9). Leaven in Scripture is always a picture of evil. The Lord Jesus spoke of the leaven of:

• The Pharisees – religious hypocrisies (Mk. 8:15; Mt. 23).
• Herod – political wickedness (Mk. 8:15; Mt. 22:16-22).
• Malice and wickedness – moral evil (1 Cor. 5:8).
• The Sadducees – doctrinal evil (Mt. 16:6, 22:23; Acts 23:8), as it was at Galatia.

Leaven’s presence had already defiled the group, and if left alone it would have spread to all the assemblies; the whole Church would soon become leaven. In order to stop it, the saints there would have to judge the evil taught among them, condemn it and forsake it, by separating themselves from the teachers and holders of the evil doctrine. It was such a serious matter that the apostle even desired these false teachers would be cut off. He told them, “He that troubleth you shall bear his judgment, whosoever he be.” God will judge every false teacher.

These false teachers were saying Paul had changed his view and was now going along with them. In response, the apostle pointed out, in verse 11, just one obvious fact: “If I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution?” The Jews were still persecuting Paul; if he was now preaching the law, they would have ceased their persecution of him. However, the preaching of the cross by Paul continued; so Paul was still being persecuted, the offense of the cross had not ceased, and there is no truth to the rumor that he was preaching law.

The words of God in Galatians 5:13-15 are: “For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.” Let us never forget that to be under grace is liberty, while to be under the law is bondage. The liberty that grace offers is not a license to sin. Rather, it is freedom to love and serve the Lord and each other. May we be doing so!

By Milton Jamieson

Look for Part 9 of this Series next month.