Freed To Be Like Christ Series

Gal 5:1-15 FREED TO BE LIKE CHRIST

Paul concluded chapter 4 emphasizing the truth that we, as Christians, are no longer living under the slavery to the law.

• We are children of the promise, living in the freedom that Christ has obtained for us through the cross.

• He uses the allegories of Hagar and Sarah to emphasise that we are free from the law and should not return to trusting it for our righteousness.

Paul summed it up with this beautiful line in 5:1 “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery.”

• FOR FREEDOM – that’s the goal of God in redeeming us through Christ, to set us free from the bondage of sin and its punishment, freeing us from death to life in Christ.

• CHRIST has set us free – only through Christ. Who set us free? Not the Law, not our efforts to keep the Law or the rites like circumcision. Christ alone redeemed us.

• STAND FIRM therefore and do not submit AGAIN to the yoke of slavery – which is to return to the practice of the law.

This verse can be used to sum up the whole book of Galatians. That is Paul’s theme for the book.

THE DANGER TO WATCH OUT FOR

Do not SHIFT from where you are – trust in Christ – and return ‘AGAIN’ to the previous practices of trusting the law for salvation.

• Paul has been belabouring this point at length in this book because false teachers have come and were enticing the Christians to return to Judaism.

• We could feel Paul’s concern in the text. Some believers might be contemplating returning to their old ways and Paul said, “No, stand firm.”

5:2 Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you.

5:3 I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law.

5:4 You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace.

THREE POINTS he made:

1. If you return to your old “faith”, then you do not need Christ. Christ is useless to you. You are cut off from Christ.

2. If you accept circumcision and decide to keep the law, then are obligated to keep the whole law, not some of it. Failure in one means you are a transgressor.

3. If you want to be justified by the Law, then you have fallen away from grace. You are either righteous by the Law or by God’s grace.

So, are you going to return to the works of the law for your salvation?

• Do you want to return to being “children of the bondservant Hagar” and try to achieve God’s purpose through human efforts? “Try to get a baby yourself?”

• Or are you the children of the promise, born again through a miracle and the gift of God?

5:5 For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness.

5:6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.

We are saved by faith in Jesus Christ through the help of the Holy Spirit. We have this hope of righteousness because of Christ.

• It does not matter whether you have been circumcised or not, Jews or Gentiles, we are all saved by faith in Jesus Christ, expressing itself through love.

Paul painted the choice starkly – either Christ is everything or Christ is nothing.

• You either trust Him completely (and that is under grace) or you are cut off from Him completely (under self-effort and without grace).

Our problem today might not be circumcision but other forms of beliefs or rites.

• We elevate some things to the same level as the work of Christ, like doing good works, giving to charity, or you need to be a member of a church to be saved.

• You need to live a perfect and sinless life before God can accept you.

• Or adding Christian rites like water baptism. We raise the importance of baptism to the level of being saved only when we are baptised. “Not baptised, not saved.”

• Or the reverse, when you are baptised, you are automatically saved. Then if I dump myself in the water more, I shall be ‘more saved’!

• Or the over-emphasis on the modes of baptism – which one saves you more - immersion, sprinkling or pouring of water.

Our trust is in Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ alone. He alone changes us.

THE DECEIVERS TO GUARD AGAINST

5:7 You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth?