Galatians 5:1-15 Freedom! Galatians 5:1 We were either enslaved to some vain pursuit of sin that could never deliver what it promised or we were imprisoned to a religion in which we were never good enough and could never do enough. Paul says both of those things are chains, prison, enslavement. But Christ, for freedom, set us free.
So, "stand firm and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." Stand firm in the faith that your acceptance by God was fully earned by Jesus. Stand firm in the faith that God declares you righteous and desires you and adopts you as his son or daughter and delights in you as you are today.
Stand firm in the faith that rescued you from slavery to lust or greed or chemicals. That you thought could help you cope or escape, but were a prison.
If you will take the time to meditate on the fact that through Jesus you have been declared righteous before God and that He delights in you, it will change your whole life.
Galatians 5:2-6 2. Dependence upon keeping the Law leads to devaluing the sacrifice of Jesus.
If you want to be circumcised, you must keep the whole Law. In legalism, you can never do enough. That's the point of the OT law. You and I cannot be good enough, so it chases us to Jesus Christ.
Legalism draws you away from Jesus and from grace.
Our faith is a confidence that we will stand before God declared righteous. This faith is generated by and sustained by the presence of the Spirit in us.
Doesn't matter if your circumcised/uncircumcised, raised in/out of church.
"The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love." In legalism I'm always comparing myself to other people. Am I'm farther along in my walk than they are? Am I'm walking in greater holiness than they do? Do I don't do the sinful things they do? Do I don't make the bad decisions they do? Stop! You're acting like a jealous sibling trying to outdo your brother or sister for dad's attention. That's where legalism leads you. It makes it all about your own ability. It's all about you! That's not Christianity. Legalism leads to comparison and condemnation of others; Christian faith shows genuine concern for other people. "The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love."
What does true faith in Jesus look like? It is an active love for other people.
Our eyes see differently in faith. Instead of looking at other people for comparison, "I'm not like them." Judging. We see people whom we can serve, "how can I help them, encourage them?"
Legalism grows more impatient and judgmental of people. Christian faith grows in an active demonstration of Christ's love for other people.
Galatians 5:7-12 Paul attacks the Judaizers here. They are causing the Galatians to stumble, infecting true faith with legalism. They will be judged. 11. Paul is defending himself, maybe to having Timothy circumcised (Acts 16)
Galatians 5:13-15 Now Paul addresses the idiotic argument. If we don't have to do anything but have faith in Jesus, not keeping to some religious morality, then people can do anything they want. We have been set free from the chains of legalism and sin - why would we go back to either prison? "Do not indulge in the sinful nature, rather serve one another in love."
In legalism, we compare ourselves to others, look down on others who we judge as not as far along as we are or look to people who are farther along than we are and hope that they stumble. Paul says, "Real faith in Jesus seeks to serve people in love."
Now he says the ditch on the other side of the road is licensure - where I do whatever I want, with no concern for other people, just my own selfish, sinful desire. Paul says, "Real faith in Jesus seeks to serve people in love."
A genuine faith in Jesus changes our hearts from self-centered self-righteousness and selfish sinfulness to genuine concern for people.