So our trek through the book of Galatians has taken us many different places.

We’ve covered lots topics,

• The Judaizers
• The futility of Good works
• The purpose of the Law
• Divine sonship
• Our heritage of promise
• And that’s just to mention a few.

We’ve covered a lot of ground. But tonight we’ve finally reached the passage that contains the verse which inspired the name of our series. Pay attention and see if you can figure out which one it is.

I’ll start with a little bit of review so that we can get a running start into our passage tonight. Paul has spent the first three-ish chapters breaking down the anti-gospel nature of justification through the law. And now his angst has subsided and he’s starting to build the Galatians back up. 

We’re going to explore three different aspects of saving faith. At the beginning of chapter four, Paul reminded his readers about their divine sonship. Andrew taught on that several weeks ago in a fantastic sermon. And last time we were together Pastor Tony went through Paul’s explanation of the unique heritage of those who are in Christ.

Look at verse 28 of  chapter 4

Galatians 4:28 (ESV)

28Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise.

So Paul reminding the Galatians, and modern believers, that we are children of the promise. I love the parallel between the child of the free woman and the child of the slave. It’s such a perfect metaphor for someone who has attempted to achieve their justification through obedience to the law versus someone who rests in the work done by Christ.

Paul compares and contrasts two different children. The child who was born as an attempt to accomplish God’s will for Him and the child who was the product of God accomplishing HIS OWN WILL. It’s such a fantastic transition into chapter 5 with Paul rounding out the concept of freedom in verse 1 and continuing with a bit of comparison.

Let’s look at verse 1 of chapter 5

Galatians 5:1 (ESV)

1For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

For freedom, Christ has set us free. Free from what? Freed from the law. Paul is pushing the Galatians off from the dock. The rope that had moored them That had entangled and enslaved them was cut by Jesus. Paul points that out to believers, telling them “The chains are gone! you’ve been set free” Jesus' death and resurrection has freed you from the law.

That’s our first point for tonight.

Faith is … freedom from the law

And as Paul is offering this reminder to the Galatians it might be helpful to zoom out and view the bible as one big story. God is doing a new thing through Christ. I think it’s easy for us to lose sight of the grand story that God is telling.

There are many chapters in God’s story and the law was a big one. So we need to realize that the law had an intended purpose, but it’s not necessary anymore. That chapter is over. Sergio talked about the law’s purposes a few weeks ago. Listen to this point he made - 

“The Mosaic Law consists of commands and regulations that define righteous behavior.

However, it does not provide the means to actually fulfill these commands.”

The law had a specific purpose and accomplished that purpose, but can now be laid aside. Let me illustrate it like this Let’s pretend that God’s entire redemptive story is a rocket taking flight. There are lots of different stages in a rocket’s take-off sequence—checks, ignition, liftoff. The law is like the booster engines that provide the thrust to get the rocket off the ground. And as the rocket rises those booster engines detach and fall away - they’re left behind. And if those engines don’t detach the rocket won’t make it out of the atmosphere and the rocket will crash. Those engines, just like the law, served a vital purpose. But keeping them around would mean certain death for those aboard the ship.

The law is no different - it served a purpose and now Paul is urging the Galatians to lay it aside and trust in Christ. He calls observing the law a “yoke of slavery”. When you work for something and you have no other choice - you are a slave. That idea is disgusting to us who live in modernity.  We like to believe that we always have options. We don’t like to believe that we’re truly dependent on anyone.  We can take our business elsewhere Or we can find a different place of employment You can switch service providers Or move to another part of the world to avoid submitting to leaders you don’t agree with. But we all have a need that we cannot escape. We need to know that we’ll be alright after we die. We need assurance that everything is going to work out for us in the end.

Everyone has to figure out how they’re going to get that. And there are lots of options out there Lots of different systems or ideas willing to promise you assurance

You could believe in reincarnation

Where you just get put through the wash again and again until you’re clean enough to move on.

You could believe in moralism - if I’m a good enough person I’ll be fine after its all over.

You could be an atheist - which necessitates that your one life is all you have so you better live it up.

All of these theological frameworks are different forms of slavery. Each of these frameworks enslaves in different ways - but all of them control their victims’ behavior out of fear of what is to come. Fear of the future. None of these options offer freedom.

The Judaizers are leveraging that fear of the future to put the Galatians under the yoke of the law. How else could someone really really know that they were saved? How else could they ensure results? They may have even thought to themselves - “if it is to be, its up to me” Or maybe “if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself.” And by believing that they could obtain their justification through obedience to the law they fastened the chains on their hands and feet. Willingly - they thought they were doing a good thing. And all the while Jesus is offering the Galatians something so much better than slavery. Something so much better than fear of the future. He’s offering them freedom! 

Paul is telling them - You could be free. You could be free from fear what what’s going to happen after your death. You could be free from fear that you’re not doing enough in this life. If Jesus is your savior - you are free from trying to earn your salvation If Jesus is your savior - your justification is already accomplished!

Don’t get duped into believing that you can work for your justification! Don’t be a sucker! Don’t let someone treat you like a dumb ox. Putting a yoke on your shoulders, making you their beast of burden. 

It’s like somebody blindfolding you and giving you a single oar in a rowboat. “If you row as hard as you can you’ll get to shore.” We all know that’s not true. And that’s what Paul is telling the Galatians here. Christ has set you free!  Move forward in that freedom! Don’t go back to Egypt! Don’t go back to slavery. Trust in God for your justification and resist the yoke of slavery. 

Now the evil of the Judaizers’ messages is two-pronged. The first we just covered It places a yoke of slavery on the necks of their victims. And secondly it disqualifies the slave from any benefit that Christ offers.

Take a look at verse 2

Galatians 5:2 (ESV)

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

If you’re just dropping in tonight and you haven’t been with us for the rest of the study this verse might sound a little funny. Wham! All of a sudden we’re talking about circumcision. Let me give you a little bit of background if you don’t know how we got here.

Circumcision was a sign of a covenant that God made with Abraham in Genesis 17. The covenant involved God’s provision for future generations and also the submission of those future generations to the terms of that covenant. God stipulated that the male sexual organ, which is involved in the creation of these future generations, would bear the sign of this covenant.

Because it was the sign of such a foundational relationship between God and Israel, circumcision was a very big deal to those who followed the law. Paul sometimes uses the word circumcision as a kind of shorthand for relating to God through obedience to the law.

So with that let’s read the verse again

Galatians 5:2 (ESV)

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

Paul is saying “if you choose to trust the law you forfeit any benefit brought by Christ. It’s a fork in the road.  There are two options and you can only pick one. And to emphasize the gravity of this Paul is flexing his apostolic authority, reminding his readers of who is talking to them.

By saying “it’s me, Paul, I’m the one saying these things” And he continues driving the wedge between grace and law.

Let’s read on

Galatians 5:3 (ESV)

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

This sounds a lot like James 2:10

James 2:10 (ESV)

10For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it.

Pastor Tony brought up this verse recently and I think it’s helpful to consider it again. Partial obedience will not cut it. But the tragic part is that complete adherence is too much to bear. And Paul probably knows the true burden of the law better than most. He says in Philippians that he once lived under the law so perfectly that he was blameless. I believe that he was being a little hyperbolic in Philippians because back in chapter 3 he says 

Galatians 3:11 (ESV)

11Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.”

But he’s like a father trying to warn his children to not repeat his mistakes, Paul is warning them that they can’t bear the weight of the law. And to many that seems unfair. That God would give His people a law to follow that would be too difficult to fulfill. But again - that wasn’t the purpose of the law. It was never meant to be used as a tool of justification. The law pointed humanity to their need of Christ. It’s not a replacement for Christ.

I’ll prove it to you.

Let’s look at Romans 8:3-4

Romans 8:3–4 (ESV)

3For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 

4in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

The law, weakened by flesh could not fulfill God’s requirement of righteousness. Paul is telling those who are following the Mosaic law as a means of salvation - you can’t do it. And he’s telling that to us too.

I want to take a second and acknowledge that trying to earn salvation by following the Mosaic law isn’t a temptation for many people. I’ve met some Christians who have a fascination with the law and the rituals, but none of them would claim that salvation comes through the law. 

So while the mosaic law isn’t that popular anymore trying to earn salvation through moral living is alive and well. We’ve just replaced the law with “being a good person”. You can ask anyone involved in evangelism and they will tell you that one of the most common answers to the question of “Why should God let you into heaven?” is “Because I’m a good person.” It makes sense! That’s how much of the world works! There are rewards built into our society for being a “good person”. But I don’t want you be to under any illusions tonight. There has only ever been ONE good person. That person was God. Made flesh. Jesus Christ.

So if you think you’re going to earn your salvation by living a moral life, you’re telling God - I’m as good as your son, Jesus. I’m as good as Jesus. 

A while ago me and my wife were on vacation and we saw this guy sitting on the side of the road holding a sign. On it say the words “I’m Jesus”. I got curious and googled him and it turns out he claims to be the second incarnation of Jesus Christ. 

He’s had a few run-ins with the law and during one of his criminal trials he defended himself by saying “I’ve read the bible over 50 times and more importantly I do what it says.

I find it a bit ironic that he gave that defense in a criminal trial but I can’t think of a better illustration that shows the ridiculousness of us effectively telling God that we are responsible for our own righteousness. 

By asserting a righteousness that comes from our actions, apart from Jesus’s atoning death on the cross - we separate ourselves from Him.

Let me say that a different way. Removing your need for a savior removes you from Christ.

This is made crystal clear in verse 4

Let’s read

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

Paul isn’t he only one who talks about being severed from Christ In the gospel of John Jesus himself encourages His disciples to abide in Him. He uses the metaphor of a vine and its branches. 

He says in John 15:6

John 15:6 (ESV)

6If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.

He’s describing being severed from Himself. The branch after being severed doesn’t keep on living. It shrivels and dies. Eventually being burned with fire. 

I hope this is clear - Paul says - if you try to justify yourself with your works you are severed from Jesus. And Jesus says if you are severed from me You will be burned. With a flame that is never quenched. 

If you are going to try and earn your justification there is no grace for you. One slip up and you’re done. You’ve failed. So don’t try to get into heaven by being a good person. You can never be good enough.

I bet Paul knew that his letter would be read by some of the Judaizers. I wouldn’t be surprised if some of what he wrote in these opening 4 verses was intended for them. But these verses are for us too.

If you’re here and you’ve been trusting in your actions, in your moral life - I want you to feel how hopeless that is. If that’s your plan, if your eternal security rests on your earthly performance I want you to know that Paul, Jesus and all of God’s Word testifies to the hopelessness of plan.

But there is hope. Not in living a good life, but in Christ. Jesus came and lived a sinless life that we couldn’t live and he died the death of a sinner. And He did that so that we could exchange the spiritual debt incurred in our sinful lives with the righteousness available in his perfect life.

All that’s required is that you believe.

Do that tonight.

If you do believe the next few verses talk about what you have to look forward to and your present purpose on earth. 

Let’s read it together.

Galatians 5:5 (ESV)

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

It’s like Paul is taking a deep breath and now he begins the process of building the Galatians back up with truth.

I think it’s helpful to point out the fact that in verses one through four Paul is referring to justification being earned by those who work under the law. Justification meaning salvation - the moment of salvation. But verse 5 is talking about something else. He’s talking about something in the future - let’s read it again.

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

There are a few clues here that will help us understand what Paul is talking about.

Firstly he says “through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves wait.”

If you’re waiting in the spirit you are already justified.

Having the Holy Spirit is a mark of justification.

You can’t wait in the spirit if you don’t already have the spirit. So what are we waiting for if it’s not justification? What is the hope of righteousness? 

The hope of righteousness is our glorification - a future event. We wait for what Romans calls the redemption of our bodies. If you’re unfamiliar with the word glorification it’s the last stage of God’s redeeming of His people. 

First, they’re justified - which is a moment in time. This is salvation - being filled with the Holy Spirit and receiving a new spirit. And this - Justification - is brought about by faith alone - not works done by man.

Next is sanctification. This middle stage is what we’re all in right now. God is making us look more like His Son, Jesus. As believers grow and mature they start walk and talk more like Jesus.

The last stage is glorification. This is another “moment in time” stage. We can read about it in Philippians 3

Philippians 3:20–4:1 (ESV)

20But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 

21who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself. 

1Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.

We’re waiting in the spirit, we await for our glorification to come. The moment when God will remove all sin from us. And God through Paul is exhorting us to stand firm. Don’t forget the glorification that awaits. Don’t relax your grip. Don’t take your eyes off the hope of future glory. Faith is hope for future glory.

That’s our second point this evening. 

Faith is hope for future glory.

Verse 5 describes someone who is living in anticipation of what is to come. Their eyes are fixed on eternity and they’re eager to meet it. They’re leaning forward. Like sprinters who lean over the finish line to cross it.

We’re going to be made new! Every nagging reminder of your frailty. Every lingering injury. Every emotional knot. Every crater in your heart caused by death. All of it - wiped away. 

Revelation 21:4–5 (ESV)

4He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” 

5And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

If you are a believer and you're missing joy in your life, spend some time meditating on this reality.

Read Revelation 21 and 22.

I get teary eyed almost every time I read it. 

We are to be waiting eagerly for our future hope. But we’re not there yet. So what do we do? What do we do after we’ve received salvation? In between justification and glorification?

Look at verse 6 with me

Galatians 5:6 (ESV)

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

One final time our adherence to the law doesn’t count for anything. Your status as it pertains to circumcision doesn’t matter. But Paul tells us what does. Faith working through love.

Let’s break that down. Faith - which comes from Christ, un-take-away-able. Working - active, living, producing. Through love - in accordance with joyful affection and goodwill towards others.

I want to point out a tricky part of this phrase “faith working through love” See it would be easy to assume from this verse that our faith is purchased by our working. See that? You could misread it to say “the only thing that counts is our loving works which stem from our faith.” But that’s not it.

The phrase “working through love” is a descriptor of the faith that counts. The “working through love” is not what makes the faith count. The faith counts because its source is God. But the faith that counts is characterized by working through love. And this description of faith’s activity is in total contrast to the law.

The law is a hyper-descriptive step-by-step playbook for life. But we have another contrast here. Faith working through love. It’s vague, right?  This new freedom is such a departure from the slavish obedience that the law required.

Paul writes about this elsewhere in Romans saying

Romans 7:6 (ESV)

6But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.

We are released from the law so that we can serve in the new way of the spirit and not in the old way of the written law. We have been freed to serve God in a new way!  What is that supposed to look like? I don’t know. No truly - I don’t. 

There will of course be some attitudes and behaviors that we’ll share. But God has freed us from the old way of the written code. We’re free to serve in a new way. And you’ll need to let the Lord lead you to what that looks like. That’s one of the amazing aspects of our servant relationship with God. He leads us and we serve obediently in faith. 

It’ll look different for all of us. Some will raise kids in a way that glorifies the Lord. Some will joyfully work jobs that they don’t particularly love in order to provide for their families and witness to the world. Some will take care of aging parents. Some will take care of young children so their parents can work or go on a date. Some will give of their time or money.

No matter how you serve - no matter how you work - do it in love and with your eyes set on glorification. Because when eternity is in view our earthly comfort, or enjoyment of our circumstances becomes a lot less important.  When we eagerly await the hope of future glory it’s much easier to sacrifice here on earth. And in some cases our hard service may make us more eager for heaven. I don’t think that’s wrong. 

But there is no option for justification and then stagnation. Pastor Tony often brings up the Luther quote - “it is faith alone that saves, but faith that saves is never alone.”

And Galatians 5:6 agrees with that. The verse does not say the only thing that counts is faith that keeps to itself. The only thing that counts is faith working when it’s convenient. The only thing that counts is only faith working with a bitter heart.

Do a little inventory. Is your faith WORKING in love? If it’s working is it working IN LOVE, This is an opportunity to obey and feel the joy that comes with submission to God’s word. If you don’t feel it - ask for Him to change your heart. Ask for Him to change your desires.

It seems like the Galatians understood this at one time and then had a falling away.

That’s what Paul refers to in the next couple verses

Let’s read it

Galatians 5:7–9 (ESV)

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

8This persuasion is not from him who calls you. 

9A little leaven leavens the whole lump.

So at one point the Galatians understood this. And it seems they got off course. They left the straight and narrow road. And even though Paul asks “who hindered you?” he totally knows.

This is really just an exasperated rhetorical question. Like when a frustrated parent says to a child “what were you thinking?” He’s not actually interested in learning new information here.

He comments that the diversion from faith working through love is not God’s doing. When God called them, they were also fortunate enough to be taught by Paul. So it’s not God who is changing their direction here. This is kind of Paul stepping out from behind the pulpit to ask “What happened? Things were going so well?” 

And then he uses a great illustration of a leavening agent moving through a lump of dough. It doesn’t just cause a portion of the dough to rise - it works its way through the entire lump of dough. Paul is commenting here on the cancerous nature of the Judaizers’ message.

It starts out small with seemingly reasonable demands on behavior. But then moves through your entire theology and corrodes it. Just like we said earlier there is no partial obedience to the law. 

Remember what we read in James? 

10For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it.

The law demands complete submission. He’s warning the Galatians to not allow any amount, no matter how small, of this cancerous lie into their spiritual obedience. Now despite Paul’s concern for them he does seem to have hope that they will believe the truth and reject the lie.

Look at verse 10

Galatians 5:10 (ESV)

10I have confidence in the Lord that you will take no other view, and the one who is troubling you will bear the penalty, whoever he is.

Paul doesn’t spell out the penalty that awaits those who are attempting to deceive the Galatians, but Jesus said something about this in Matthew 18

Let’s take a look

Matthew 18:6 (ESV)

6but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.

What a picture. Something worse than drowning is in store for those who are deceiving the Galatians. Paul understands the gravity of Jesus’ words. God is a judge.  A righteous judge. His wrath is just against those who lead his children away. A wrath beyond what can be imagined waits for those who deceive his people. This is instructive for us.

Paul is mad. That’s very clear. And he’s speaking out against the hellbound doctrines of the Judaizers. He’s offering a fiery rebuttal, pointing out flaws, and speaking truth. But he knows that he’s not the judge.

He has confidence in the Lord that the one who is troubling the Galatians will bear the penalty. He trusts the Lord to mete out the judgement that’s necessary to make all wrongs right. It’s good for us to trust in the Lord’s judgement. God is omniscient and knows the truth of all situations. This fact probably gave Paul some comfort as he dealt with these challenges in his ministry and TO his ministry.

Verse 11 is evidence that rumors about Paul may have been circulating 

It says

Galatians 5:11 (ESV)

11But if I, brothers, still preach circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been removed.

He’s making the case that his message contains no requirement of circumcision. His persecution is proof of that! If he was still preaching circumcision the Judaizers would likely support him. 

Now scholars are actually unsure of the historical background of this verse. It’s obviously referring to some sort of drama, but there’s no documentation around specific accusations. The most plausible theory is that Paul was being accused of being inconsistent. Choosing to preach circumcision when it would be received well. And then choosing to preach freedom from circumcision when it was convenient.

Even though the historical background is a bit murky we know that the Judaizers found the message of the cross to be offensive. They felt that circumcision, ritual, and tradition represented cleanness and holiness. And the message of the cross flies in the face of that. It cleanses through grace and not works. The cross allows all kinds of people to enter God’s family.

The cross teaches that the most important change in a person’s life was in their heart and not in their physical body. This runs completely contrary to the message of the Judaizers. They hate this. Uncircumcised Gentiles are now deemed righteous. Mercy is extended to the masses and salvation is no longer restricted to those who lived under the law. They hated this. Legalists always hate grace.

The Judaizers hated the idea of faith-saving. They’re offended by it. If Paul had been preaching circumcision - they would have no reason to be offended.

That’s our last point for this evening.

Faith is offensive to legalists

It’s possible that the offense of the cross is what inspired those rumors about Paul. If the Judaizers were spreading lies about him being inconsistent that would seriously undermine his ministry. Those kinds of rumors would be damaging. And if you’ve ever had a rumor spread about you - you know that it can make you mad. And if you’ve read ahead you know that Paul is mad.

Let’s look at verse 12

Galatians 5:12 (ESV)

12I wish those who unsettle you would emasculate themselves!

This verse contains one of the most sarcastic and graphic biblical clapbacks. I haven’t heard of a spicier take than this one. Obviously, we’ve been talking about circumcision and how the Judaizers are foisting that upon the Galatians. And if you’re unfamiliar the process of circumcision involves cutting away the foreskin on a man’s penis. 

It’s a very routine procedure today and many choose to have their sons circumcised despite not following any religious traditions.

And here Paul says 

Galatians 5:12 (ESV)

12I wish those who unsettle you would emasculate themselves!

I think it’s pretty clear what he means, but I’ll spell it out for you.

Paul wants these guys to remove their ability to procreate. 

He’s saying “I wish they would just cut it all off”

Remove your ability to contribute to the gene pool.

Some versions say “I wish they would go all the way.” The gloves are off and Paul is swinging. If you weren’t already convinced that Paul despises these guys, now you have a little more proof. 

Now I would leave this kind of talk to the apostles. I understand the impulse to use a sharp tongue and a quick wit to embarrass and humble others. But I know for myself that I often lack the wisdom of Paul to dispense sarcasm like this in a righteous way. You’ll have to ask the Holy Spirit to guide you as you determine how you’ll use your tongue with those who dabble in false doctrine. 

I think the safer route in most situations would be to hold back your anger - remember that God is a just judge, and look forward to our glorious future. As you go this week remember that if you trust in Christ, if you believe the gospel, your justification has been accomplished and glorification always. Wait with eager, joyful anticipation.

Come quickly, Lord Jesus.