You ran well. Who hindered you from obeying the Truth? 8 This persuasion does not come from Him who calls you. 9 A little leaven leavens the whole lump. 10 I have confidence in you, in the Lord, that you will have no other mind; but he who troubles you shall bear his judgment, whoever he is. 11 And I, brethren, if I still preach circumcision, why do I still suffer persecution? Then the offense of the cross has ceased. 12 I could wish that those who trouble you would even cut themselves off! 13 For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another! NKJV
In our last lesson, we spoke of the liberty where Christ has made us free. It is a freedom to serve one another by “love.” “
“You ran well.” We have been called into a race; a race that leads to the Throne of God. It is a race that has a prize. That prize is all that the Father has purposed for us in Christ Jesus His Son. “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. 20 Now to our God and Father be glory forever and ever Amen” (Philippian 4:19-21). Many are dancing around, avoiding the actual call. The call is to finish our course, run the race, and press into the prize.
Who hindered you from obeying the Truth? This is a vital question for each of us to consider regarding our race. Are we running the race or just dancing around the track? What are the hindrances in our path? As a former cross country runner, let me say that the obstacles can be many. First is being fit for the race. It takes discipline, along with difficult workouts and training. It takes courage, endurance, and knowing the course ahead of time. It takes the proper foot ware. It takes not being dragged down with extra weight. It demands staying in your lane and keeping your eyes on the road for things that could injure you, trip you up, and put you behind the other runners. Sometimes it took teamwork in helping another finish their race.
Here Paul is addressing “obedience to the truth.” He did not ask about what but “who hindered you from obeying the truth.” The Truth is eternal; it does not shift or change. I am sorry to say that many times an incomplete gospel is proclaimed. You may be asking, what do you mean? Look carefully at Paul’s message and Peter’s message as well. They both had the same message of Truth. The Truth being, the Gospel is about a King and His Kingdom, a King who has overcome the realm of darkness, a King who has overcome the sin nature, and a King who saves by His grace and love.
What does it mean to invite Jesus into your heart? Is it about you, and your going to heaven? Or is it about you becoming obedient to the one who is the Truth? He is “the way, the truth, and the life.” Without, which no one can come to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). Jesus spoke this understanding to His disciples in the upper room. The road was about to get very rough and challenging for Christ and His disciples. It is called the “Calvary Road.” The Calvary Road leads to the cross. It is also the road that leads to the grave and then to the victory of the resurrection. There was only one that could lead the way, Jesus, the Christ, God’s eternal King.
Verse 8, This persuasion does not come from Him who calls you. What persuasion? The persuasion by the Judaizers was to follow another way; the way of the law, the need to be circumcised to become a believer. In verse 9, Paul states an important principle, “A little leaven leavens the whole lump.” It does not take a lot of error to distort Truth. One of the most significant issues from the beginning of the New Testament is “Truth and Error.” Or you could say “mixture.”
The apostles of Jesus gave to us “pure truth.” Jesus had received the Word of the Father and gave that word to the men the Father had given to Him (see John 17:1-10). There is nothing more important for the Lord’s church than to recover authentic apostolic Truth, which those original early apostles understood.
Many today have a persuasion to another gospel which is the message of salvation as the primary message. Christ’s apostles understood that they carried the announcement of Messiah’s Day. That is the present rule and reign of Christ in the earth. The kingdom of God filling the earth through Messiah’s rule and reign (see Matthew 28:18-19). Also, look at Paul’s instructions in Acts 17:28-32.
Jesus is First King, and He rules above the kingdoms on earth, including the kingdom of darkness over the earth. Salvation flows out of the Gospel or good news of the King and His Kingdom. His kingdom is in the Holy Spirit (see Romans 14:17). His kingdom is now in the Holy Spirit and not some future event. He is enlarging His rule in the earth through obedient sons and daughters as they receive His indwelling Holy Spirit by Faith and obey His law of Faith and Practice in their daily life. He also is increasing His rule as His people take His Gospel of the Kingdom of God into the culture of the nations.
By repentance from dead works, by obedience to baptism, we stand to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, His life in the believer, and His gifts to empower us for the work He has called us to. That is the persuasion which He has called each believer to enter and work. It is the persuasion that makes possible the expansion of His Kingdom until “the earth is filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea” (Habakkuk 2:14).
Verse 9 A little leaven leavens the whole lump. It does not take a lot of error to “leaven” the Gospel. Just examine history. How did the church become so divided over doctrine? My simple answer is this: believers became more interested in defending what they believed rather than digging into what the Lord taught His disciples.
Verse 10 I have confidence in you, in the Lord, that you will have no other mind; but he who troubles you shall bear his judgment, whoever he is. It is always good to have confidence. If you have declared the Truth to someone, it gives you grounds to pray for them. It gives you a voice and responsibility to call them back to the Truth. It also gives you a right in confidence to speak strongly against the error being propagated.
Verse 11 And I, brethren, if I still preach circumcision, why do I still suffer persecution? Then the offense of the cross has ceased. We don’t speak about this often, but there is “an offense” in the cross. It is why some atheists hate the sight of a cross on a hill. When the offense is no longer there in preaching, you better double-check what it is that you are pushing; it may not be the true Gospel.
What strong language and strong teaching Paul is delivering, beloved! Listen to Verse 12 I could wish that those who trouble you would even cut themselves off! Paul did not have time for those who had set themselves against the Gospel he preached. There was no compromise with the apostle Paul. He was standing fast because Paul knew what he carried meant liberty to those who heard and obeyed! Even cut themselves off! This is a tough one to interpret. There are numerous ideas and understandings of what Paul means. I do not have the time here to inform you of all the opinions of scholars over the exact meaning. I have landed on an understanding that scholars agree. When looking at the original language, it’s meaning in Greek culture, and in the context of doctrinal reproduction. I believe that Paul is wishing that those troubling the Galatians over circumcision would “castrate” themselves. His wish is no doubt hyperbole, (exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally). Those troubling these Galatians speak of the “foreskin” needing to be cut off in the custom of circumcision. Galatians 5:2 Paul stated that “if you become circumcised it would make Christ of no effect” or “Christ would profit you nothing.” Paul wants this doctrine to be stopped so that it can’t reproduce itself and hinder the believer in Christ’s liberty.
Verse 13 For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. The liberty that Christ has accomplished and has given to each believer through Faith in receiving the Holy Spirit has its outworking in love. This liberty is not natural, but supernatural producing supernatural love which is manifested by serving others.
Consider how Paul so beautifully deals with the law in Verse 14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Consider how Jesus dealt with the Pharisees of His day. “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments” (Matthew 22:36-40).
Jesus took this one step further with His disciples in John 13:34 “ A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” Only Jesus could take the law or Ten Commandments, sum them up in two, and then give a new commandment that sums up what He and the Father did. Then He sealed it with the Holy Spirit living love out in His redeemed community.
Paul ends his thought in Verse 15 with a strong warning: But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another! NKJV
Look at church history and world events, and you determine how important this segment of Galatians might be. Denominationalism, segregation of churches, a priestly class of clergy over the laity, the love of money, self-promotion, personal kingdom building. Why settle for a “theory” when you could have the facts of the Gospel of the Lord’s kingdom.
“God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in His will not perish, but will have eternal life” (John 3:16).
“Therefore, having been justified by Faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by Faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us” (Romans 5:1-5).