5 Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. 2 Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing. 3 And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law. 4 You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. 5 For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love. NKJV
Today we are talking about Christian Liberty
Because of the word “therefore” in Galatians 5:1, we must establish what Paul was saying in the previous chapter. Remember in verses 29-31. Paul said: he who was born according to the flesh then persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, even so it is now. Those troubling these Galatian believers were persecuting those born of the Spirit by their words and enticements to come back under the bondage of the law. There can never be a compromise between the law and the Spirit. Many are confused about Jerusalem that is here on earth. Jerusalem served as a type and shadow of the real. After the resurrection, Jerusalem became the center for resisting “the new thing” God was doing through the redemptive work of Christ (see Isaiah 43:19). No longer is Jerusalem in the middle-east involved in the redemption process. As Paul states, that redemption through a “new birth” comes from Jerusalem above. All born of the Spirit have their birth from Jerusalem above, where Messiah is seated and ruling presently. Paul says that Jerusalem is the mother of us all, Galatians 4:26. Jerusalem above is the mother of true freedom. Jerusalem beneath is the place of bondage and work of the flesh.
Verse 30 continues; nevertheless, what does the Scripture say? “Cast out the bondwoman and her son, for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.” There is no room for a mixture of the bondage of trying to keep the law, and the receiving of the Spirit promised by God through Christ to those who by faith put their confidence in the Lord Jesus Christ as the only means of redemption. Yet, in the Lord’s church, there is a constant mixture over these two areas, the bond and the free. 31 “So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman but of the free” (NKJV).
There it is, Christian Liberty! Galatians 5:1, Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.
Stand fast! Picture a small circle, and you are standing in the middle. There is no room to move around, or you will fall outside the perimeter of the circle. This is what Paul means by “stand fast.” Like these Galatian believers, many come to Christ by faith and receive God’s presence in the Holy Spirit. They even walk a while in this newfound liberty. Then they begin to listen to others that add to the good news of the gospel of the kingdom of God. In some congregations, faith and faith alone is not sufficient. There begins to be additional requirements depending on the tradition of a movement or a particular group or perhaps a certain pastor’s requirements.
Paul uses the same language in Ephesians 6:13-14 when he says, “Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore. . .” Then he speaks about putting on the whole armor of God.
Many experience this new liberty challenged by “religious attitudes” that bring bondage. Soon the freedom that was known in the beginning fades away. The Christian walk begins to feel heavy. Some do not approve of your faith in Christ alone. You must be baptized in their tradition, and some might say you have to speak in tongues to be saved. Another group might say if you speak in tongues, your part of a radical group of Christians. These are just a few of the bondages that are out there today. The list of religious bondages is too numerous to list.
Let me be clear. There is an initiation process in the Christian faith. Repenting and confessing Christ is first, followed by baptism through Christ’s authority and receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit, who seals us in the promise of God. Search out the scriptures beginning in Acts 2:38, Romans 6, Acts 19:1-7, and many more, which outline the process of coming to birth in Christ. These Galatian believers had been through a proper initiation under Paul’s ministry. The issue for them was going back to the law as a means of righteousness.
Verse 2 Indeed, I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing. You just did not get it if you follow those who are saying, “you must be circumcised.” This is strong language Paul is using, “Christ will profit you nothing.” Can you see the confusion in the area of identity? You are identified with Christ, or you are identified with circumcision. In the current times, it could be a particular doctrine or maybe a specific group or denomination that your identity is wrapped up in.
3 And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law. Being a debtor to the law is a tough road to walk. Just look at Israel’s history throughout the Old Testament. Bondage after bondage! No man could endure that kind of bondage. It is important to note those of the Old Testament time that seemed to walk in great liberty walked by “faith” in regard to their understanding of what the “Law” was pointing toward. By faith, they saw beyond the strict practice of the law to a relationship of liberty in God. Just pour over the Psalms of David and learn what David had found in His relationship with the God of the Old Testament.
Psalm 1:1-3 Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; 2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night. 3 He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper.
Ps 2:7-8 “I will declare the decree: The Lord has said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. 8 Ask of Me, and I will give You The nations for Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth for Your possession.” Ps 2:12 “Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, And you perish in the way, When His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.”
Psl 3:1-6 “Lord, how they have increased who trouble me! Many are they who rise up against me. 2 Many are they who say of me, “There is no help for him in God.” Selah 3 But You, O Lord, are a shield for me, My glory and the One who lifts up my head. 4 I cried to the Lord with my voice, And He heard me from His holy hill. Selah 5 I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the Lord sustained me. 6 I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people Who have set themselves against me all around.” (NKJV).
4 You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.
es·tranged adjective (of a person) no longer close or affectionate to someone; alienated. “Harriet felt more estranged from her daughter than ever” (of a wife or husband) no longer living with their spouse.
You, who are close to Christ in your life, awaken with Christ in your heart each day. You live through each day trusting Christ in everything you do. You end your day as you lay your head down to sleep, and Christ Jesus is there with you. Jesus is present with the believer through the power of the Holy Spirit who has come to dwell in us. Can you even imagine life estranged from Jesus Christ?
Paul is speaking to believers that once had a very affectionate walk with Christ and with those who had the same relationship with Him. But now, they are estranged because they cannot serve the law’s demand and serve Christ at the same time. It is incapable, serving the law and serving Christ. You can’t be “justified” by the law. If you are trusting in obedience to the law in any form, “you have fallen from grace.” Falling from grace is going back to the law. It is not temptation; it is not committing some sin. But it trusts in the Old Testament requirements found in the law, such as circumcision of the flesh marking those who belonged to God. No longer is a circumcision of the flesh required because the “promised Seed” came and fulfilled the law’s requirements. He, in the power of His resurrection and in the filling power of His Holy Spirit, “circumcises our heart of stone and creates a heart of flesh.”
Ezekiel 11:19; Ezekiel 36:36; Jeremiah 31:33; Hebrews 8:10
“And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh,
Listen to Romans 2:28-29, “For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God.”
This agrees with everything that Paul teaches throughout his writings. It reveals the “one new man” in Christ. It speaks to the Holy Nation, the redeemed Israel of God. It brings clarity to the kind of heart for which the Father is looking.
5 For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.
The only legitimate waiting is “through the Spirit.” The flesh is not involved. The letter of the law is not involved in the process. In the Spirit, there is “eagerness” in the “waiting.” Waiting for what we are “hoping.” It is the “hope of righteousness.” That hope of righteousness is the bodily return of our great God and King. In His return, we will be just like Him according to the apostle John.
“Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure” (1 John 3:2-3 NKJV).
6 For in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything but faith working through love. Paul sums it up in verse 6. What more can be added?
Next lesson, we will study what more Paul had to say. Chapter 5 will lead us to a greater and greater understanding of the life we have received from Christ. A life fully lived by the Spirit.