Galatians, Chapter 5
© Copyright 1998 Darroll Evans-all rights
reserved
Galatians,
Chapter 5
Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the
liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the
yoke of bondage.
"Stand fast" (Gr. steekete-sthkete) means
standstill, or be immovable.
This verse speaks of commitment.
Are you committed to Christ?
Or, are you ready to turn back to the bondage
of sin.
I know that I may be disagreeing with you
denominational standing concerning "backsliding," but the person who
has truly known Christ will not continually turn back to sin.
Christ made us free from sin.
Do you believe that?
Many Church attendees do not!
Salvation gives us the license to follow
Christ!
Some still proclaim that they are just “old
sinners” saved by grace.
If you are saved by grace, you cannot be an
old sinner, because you are a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17).
You have been born again!
It is also impossible for you to remain an
old sinner, because it is God who works in you both to will and to do of his
good pleasure (Philippians 2:13).
I do not subscribe to the “we all have free
will” theory!
Here, we find that those who are in Christ
are free!
Those who are not in Christ are dead in
trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1)!
The lost live in a state of rebellion!
They have no “free will” to do anything else!
I do not mean to say that the saved cannot
sin.
That would also be incorrect!
But, when we sin, we immediately run to
Christ seeking His forgiveness (1 John 2:1)!
We cannot remain in sin and be in Christ!
For a Christian to renounce Christ and return
to a sin filled lifestyle would require God to renounce Christ, because it is
God who controls the destiny of all Christians.
Here, Paul is telling us that we are not to
turn away from Christ and return to a sin filled, rebellious life!
Free (Gr. ἐλευθερόω-eleutheroō) speaks of being delivered (from sin)!
Those who are to just Church attendees have
not yet come to Christ!
Consequently they have not been delivered!
Many read this verse and try to co-ordinate
it with 2 Cor 5:17.
2 Cor 5:17 Therefore if any man be in
Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed
away; behold, all things are
become new.
Then, in their spiritual immaturity, they claim, “I am now perfect and cannot
sin!”
If you hear that from anyone, it is being spoken by an immature person!
The English translation of 1 John 3:9 complicates that.
1 John 3:9 Whosoever
is born of God doth not commit sin; for
his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.
The English is greatly misleading!
The Greek text fact is that this does not say that Christians cannot sin!
It says that they do not continually sin!
Christ gives us the power to turn away from sin!
Without Christ none of us has the power to turn from sin!
Rejecting God’s Messiah, Christ Jesus is sin!
When we come to Him we experience the newness of righteousness, but if you
think that being born again totally rejuvenates your body, soul, and spirit,
just look in a mirror!
That verse is speaking of the spiritual!
John 4:24 God is a Spirit:
and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
Immature
Christians lead immature lives!
Galatians 5:2 Behold, I Paul say unto you,
that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing.
Circumcision refers to the bondage of the Levitical law.
Following the Levitical
law is of no spiritual value.
Christians are led by the Spirit (Romans
8:14)!
Circumcision of the flesh is a useless
practice!
Circumcision of the heart is necessary!
Galatians 5:3 For
I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the
whole law.
If you are a debtor to the whole Levitical law, you will fail.
None of us can keep it.
Most do not even know what it means.
However, if you are Christ’s, he will lead
you into heartfelt love for the true law of God.
Galatians 5:4 Christ is become of no
effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the
law; ye are fallen from grace.
Commit this verse to memory.
When you are tempted follow legalism, recall
this verse.
Many suppose that they have been "saved
by grace and made righteous by the Law."
They have cut themselves off from Christ's
benefits and have fallen from grace!
The most legalistic group of supposed
Christians is the Roman Catholic Church.
They give limited lip-service to the teaching
of grace, but in reality have absolutely no understanding.
If any Pope had the least bit of
understanding concerning God’s grace they would have long ago renounced the
concept of purgatory.
Purgatory is not a false doctrine. Purgatory
is an utter, total, and unqualified anti-Christian doctrine!
Galatians 5:5 For
we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.
Due to faith, we wait eagerly for "the
hope of righteousness."
That hope is the return of Christ
Jesus.
Galatians 5:6 For
in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any
thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.
In Christ, the circumcision of the Jews and
the uncircumcision of the Gentiles means
nothing.
God looks at the heart. He judges according
to faith.
Galatians 5:7 Ye
did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?
Prior to their stumble, the Galatians
depended on grace.
In the vernacular, Paul asked, "What
went wrong?"
Galatians 5:8 This
persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you.
The deceptive persuasion was not from God.
Satan initiated it.
Galatians 5:9 A
little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.
Cooking 101: Kneading is an interesting
theological concept.
As yeast kneads through the dough causing it
to rise, a false gospel can knead through the Church causing Christians that
are weak in the faith to redirect their emphasis.
Galatians 5:10 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.
Troubleth indicates agitation, or a taking away of calmness.
The Galatians had been spiritually agitated.
Their peace had been disturbed.
Notice the word "but." Paul’s
confidence was qualified.
His confidence is not based in the Galatians,
but in the God that called, appointed, and anointed the Galatians.
Galatians 5:11 And
I, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution? then is the offence of the cross ceased.
If Paul had left grace and preached works,
the Jews would have left him alone. Since he preached grace,
persecution was ongoing.
Galatians 5:12 I would they were even cut
off which trouble you.
Paul made a not so veiled suggestion to those
who teach legalism.
Paul says that perhaps those who are
troubling the Galatians should be "cut off" (Gr. apokopsontai-apokoyontai).
That refers to physical castration.
Galatians 5:13 For,
brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an
occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.
Moral liberty is not license.
We are to use our liberty to lovingly
"serve one another."
Galatians 5:14 For
all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt
love thy neighbour as thyself.
Notice the word---"word" (Gr. logoo-logw).
As this commandment is considered a
"word," the Ten Commandments are considered Ten
words.
The Law of human relationship is fulfilled,
or crammed into one commandment, "You shall love your neighbor as
yourself."
Galatians 5:15 But
if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of
another.
Backbiting is not a Christian endeavor.
Galatians 5:16 This I say then, Walk in
the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the
flesh.
No matter how society views them, love and
lust are not synonyms.
They are not compatible.
Living in the Spirit will not lead us
into sin or conflict with the Ten.
Galatians 5:17 For
the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit
against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye
cannot do the things that ye would.
The lust of human flesh is contrary to God’s
love.
If you live in sin against God, you are not
exercising free will. You are a slave to sin.
Galatians 5:18 But
if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.
Those who find living great difficulty within
the Law are either not Spirit led, or immature!
Living within the Law of God is not
troublesome to God’s children, because they understand that they are not
"under" the Law.
God does not change and His rules of conduct
do not change.
Living in freedom does not mean that we are
free from the Law.
Instead, we are free to live according to His
words.
Galatians 5:19-21
19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery,
fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife,
seditions, heresies,
21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before,
as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not
inherit the kingdom of God.
These are works of the flesh, and none of
them is good.
They are adultery, prostitution, uncleanness,
lewd sexual desire, idolatry, drug addiction, alienation, bitter conflict,
envy, murder, drunkenness, and indulgence in boisterous behavior.
If any of these are being performed in our
lives, they are not there by the will of God. Furthermore, God does not condone
them.
Paul then goes counterclockwise to many that
teach Reconciliation.
He tells the Galatians that those committed
to these things shall not inherit the
If someone teaches that such conduct is
acceptable, he/she is a false teacher!
If you go to Church, consider yourself a
Christian and continue to openly commit these things, you are deceiving
yourself.
The sons of God are led by the Spirit of God
(Romans 18:14), and the Holy Spirit does not lead people to do these things.
Society follows deceivers who are nice, BUT lost!
Galatians 5:22-26
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering,
gentleness, goodness, faith,
23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and
lusts.
25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
26 Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one
another.
Here, Paul contrasts the works of the flesh
by listing the fruit of the Spirit.
The fruit of the Spirit of God is:
love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, benevolence, and
temperance.
Fruit (Gr. karpos-karpoV) is singular.
That indicates that this is a package
deal.
The fruit is ours when we live under the Law
of life in Christ Jesus.
But, as with all fruit, it needs to
ripen---mature.
There are no laws, no rules against, or
prohibition of the qualities exhibited by the fruit of the Spirit.
Indeed, the fruit of the spirit is lawful in
even godless societies.