This is a long one, friends.
But the way I look at it – Galatians is worthy of an entire semester course. So spending only 2 days on it is impressively short.
In 4:21-31 Paul compares two covenants:
- The Sinai (Mosaic) Covenant with Israel
- The New Covenant with the Church
He uses the Greek word paidiske (slave-woman) 5 times to describe both Hagar and the Sinai Covenant. He uses the term douleia (slavery) 3 times. The third time is in chapter 5 verse 1.
“It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.”
Galatians 5:1 NASB2020
Notice that he uses the word “again.”
That should make us ask, “What yoke of slavery were they subject to before?”
He’s referring back to this:
“However at that time, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those which by nature are not gods. But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how is it that you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles, to which you want to be enslaved all over again? You meticulously observe days and months and seasons and years.”
Galatians 4:8-10 NASB2020
🤔 It sounds like he is comparing the bondage of Judaism to the bondage of idolatry.
That’s because he is.
He’s telling them, don’t trade one kind of bondage for another. That isn’t freedom. It’s just changing masters.
Think back to how Jesus called His own chosen people to come to Him, to trust and receive Him; to drink the Water of Life. And upon the whole, they did not. The leaders had Him put to death while the masses cried “crucify Him!” They were slavishly following the letter of the Law without knowing the God Who gave it to them or why He gave it. That is not freedom. It’s bondage.
Now that the Jesus Movement is bringing Gentiles to know the God of Abraham, the Jews think that it’s their job to tell the Gentiles how to be in relationship with Him. And I can understand why. That was their job for centuries. They were terrible at it, but it was their job. But now God has showed up and done the job Himself. He has revealed Himself in the person of Jesus Christ and made a “new and living way” (Heb. 10:19-20) IN Christ, for BOTH Jew and Gentile to be in relationship with Him. Jesus didn’t say, “The Torah is the Way…” He said, “I Am the Way.”
Mount Sinai does not trump Mount Calvary.
We have to have a firm grip on the overall argument Paul is making against the idea of Gentiles have to become Jews and keep Torah in order to be saved. Without it, we will miss-interpret the very next verse:
“Look! I, Paul, tell you that if you have yourselves circumcised, Christ will be of no benefit to you. And I testify again to every man who has himself circumcised, that he is obligated to keep the whole Law.”
Galatians 5:2-3 NASB2020
He’s talking about circumcision for salvation. We cannot take this verse out of its context.
Let’s see if some emojis will help…
👨🏻 Gentile Jim: I’m saved! I’ve been forgiven! Jesus makes me right with God!
👳🏽♂️ Judaizer Judd: But are you circumcised? Do you eat Kosher? Do you keep the Sabbath and the feasts?
👨🏻 Jim: Uh… no.
👳🏽♂️ Judd: Then you can’t possibly be right with God. Here’s a list of all the things you need to do. 📜 And here’s another of all the things you can’t do. 📜
👨🏻 Jim: So… if I do all these things 📜 and don’t do all these other things, 📜 then I’ll be saved?
👳🏽♂️ Judd: Yes. Trust me. I’m a Jew. We’re the only people on earth who know God.
🧔🏽♂️ Paul: Excuse me? You know God? Weren’t you in agreement with the men who had Messiah crucified? I know I was. Jesus had to literally knock me on my backside before I realized that He really was Yahweh in the flesh. And He told me to go tell the Gentiles the good news that they can be made right with Him by faith in Messiah. He did not tell me to tell the Gentiles they had to become Jewish. If we – who kept the Law! – rejected our Messiah, what good did it do? It didn’t save us. It’s not going to save the Gentiles either. And I will die on that hill.
👳🏽♂️ Judd: I can arrange that, you blasphemer!
🧔🏽♂️ Paul: Look, if you guys want to try to be made righteous by keeping the Law, fine. Go ahead. Good luck with that. If you ever break even one commandment, it’s over. Are you sure you want to take that path?
👨🏻 Jim: What’s the other option?
🧔🏽♂️ Paul: You can be justified by faith in the grace of God, just like Abraham.
👳🏽♂️ Judd: That’s it?! No Law?! Impossible! That’s way too easy! Why, that is scandalous!
🧔🏽♂️ Paul: Scandalous? Ooo, good word. Mind if I borrow it?
“But as for me, brothers and sisters, if I still preach circumcision, why am I still persecuted? Then the stumbling block of the cross has been eliminated.”
Galatians 5:11 NASB2020
“Dear brothers and sisters, if I were still preaching that you must be circumcised—as some say I do—why am I still being persecuted? If I were no longer preaching salvation through the cross of Christ, no one would be offended.”
Galatians 5:11 NLT
Salvation through the cross of Christ ALONE is scandalous. It’s too easy. Too generous. And it makes some people trip over it. Where is the penance? Where are the years of suffering under a heavy yoke of strict discipline to atone for my sins?
They aren’t there. Jesus paid it ALL. Salvation is just… free.
And THAT is why the Judaizers are SO angry about the Gospel. Angry enough to KILL.
👳🏽♂️ Judd: I STILL say Jim has to be circumcised!
🧔🏽♂️ Paul: Oh, go castrate yourself Judd.
😳
That’s actually what Paul said in verse 12.
🤓 You weren’t kidding when you said Paul got salty.
😳 Salty as the Dead Sea.
The Cross removes the Jewish leaders from being gatekeepers of the Divine. The Cross made holiness available to all, not just the elites at the temple. The Cross levels the field.
There is also a reasonable fear that people will abuse the grace of God. Without the threat of stoning and the Law hanging over our heads, what’s to keep people from just living utterly depraved lives then asking God to forgive them later?
🧔🏽♂️ Paul: I’ll tell you. The Holy Spirit. God Himself comes to dwell in the reborn Christian and HE keeps us from doing what the flesh dictates. His Love in our hearts causes us to fulfill the Law.
Legalism, License, and Liberty
Paul has been talking a lot about legalism – the idea that people have to keep the Law in order to be saved.
In 4:21 – 5:26 Paul talks about freedom from the bondage of legalism. But he also talks about the opposite of legalism, which is not liberty but “license.”
- Legalism – relies on human effort, rule-keeping, or moral performance to earn, merit, or maintain God’s favor, grace, and salvation.
- License (Licentiousness) – when people twist God’s grace into a “license” or free pass to sin without fear of consequences.
- Liberty – freedom from the bondage of both legalism and license. I can freely choose to limit myself out of love for others.
America’s founding fathers understood the idea of freely choosing to limit one’s self. If every citizen would love his neighbor and choose to limit himself out of deference to others, we wouldn’t need laws or police at all. We would police and govern ourselves. That is what self-governance is about. Sadly, many people think that “liberty” means “I do what I want.” That’s license, not liberty. And license is only another kind of bondage. Bondage to sinful desires. Men who do not govern themselves require other men to govern them if we are to have a functional society rather than anarchy.
The way to stay centered in liberty is to “walk in the Spirit.” The Holy Spirit will keep us from being nit-picky legalists with long lists of rules. And He will also keep us from giving in to the desires of our bodies.
SIDE NOTE…
Our bodies want things: food, sleep, sex, excitement, rest. But the body cannot be allowed to be in the driver’s seat calling the shots. The body is not redeemed yet. It cannot be trusted to lead us into righteousness. Just because the body wants something doesn’t mean it should have it. We are not animals to be led around by base instincts to survive and reproduce. That is the message the world has been teaching to several generations. And it shows.
Our souls want things too: love, respect, attention if we can’t get love or respect, comfort, pleasure… lots of things. If we let those desires be in the driver seat they will lead us on a merry (and endless) chase to try to capture a fleeting feeling in a bottle.
The Spirit of God is the One Who belongs in the driver’s seat of our beings. We look to the LORD. He fulfills us. The soul and body submit to Him. He keeps us centered.
Back to Galatians 5.
Before he gives the 9 “Fruit of the Spirit,” Paul gives the 17 “Works of the Flesh.” And since this list often gets glossed over and terms that we don’t know get skipped, we’re going to slow down and take them one at a time. I looked each one up.
- Adultery (Marital unfaithfulness – physical or emotional.)
- Sexual Immorality (Blanket term for prostitution, incest, porn, sex outside of marriage, indulging any unlawful lust – inside or outside of biblical marriage of one man and one woman.
- Impurity (moral uncleanness, but could also refer to physical uncleanness so maybe this is where the idea of “cleanliness is next to Godliness” comes from.)
- Lasciviousness (This fine old word is actually very direct. It means you can’t keep your pants on and your sexual urges restrained. It’s related to the idea of incontinence – where you can’t control your bladder. Only it’s not talking about the bladder.)
- Idolatry (Image-worship)
- Witchcraft (Greek: pharmakeia. Mind-altering drugs are used a lot in magic and sorcery. Broader than drug abuse. Related to potions and spell-casting.)
- Hatred (Hostility. Hmm… we never have hostility in the Church do we?)
- Variance (This is the state of being in ongoing disagreement; an unresolved quarrel, contention, debate, constant wrangling. Hmm… right up there with witchcraft.)
- Emulations / Jealousies (It’s the word for “zeal” but gone sour. It’s a heated competition with others, an ambition or endeavor to equal or excel others.
- Wrath (“Outbursts of anger” is a good translation. It literally means “to breathe hard.” Blowing up at someone and losing your temper isn’t “letting off steam.” It is proof that your flesh is in control and it’s a sin in the same list as murder and idolatry. No excuses.)
- Strife (The NASB has “selfish ambition.” The Greek word has to do with provoking others. To stimulate them to anger. To cause contention. Or, as my mom calls it, “causing hate and discontent.”)
- Seditions / Dissension (This means to cause disunion. It made the list of 7 things that God hates in Proverbs 6:16-19. It’s the last on the list: “He that sows discord among brothers.”)
- Heresies / Factions (This has to do with choosing a side, forming or joining a “sect” or basically waving a flag for a particular party while decrying all others as “wrong.” When people get in a political or doctrinal “camp” and point their interpretive guns at all the “outsiders” and shoot at them with labels like “heretic” that is SIN. When people gather around a particular doctrinal campfire- baptismal formulas, rapture/no rapture, gifts of the Spirit or cessasionist, Calvinism, etc ad nuseum– and they sing “Kum-ba-ya my Lord, we’re the only ones who have it right” THAT is a sinful work of the flesh.)
- Envy (The green-eyed monster. Envy is “I want what you have.” Jealousy is “I don’t want you to have what I have,” or “I don’t want you to have what you have.”)
- Murder (Apparently not on the list in newer translations but should be an obvious no-no.)
- Drunkenness (Intoxication. Probably includes the level we would call “tipsy.”Note that nowhere in scripture is alcohol consumption forbidden. Drunkenness is. If someone is tempted by alcohol, or they’re going to operate machinery, they would be wise to become a tee-totaler.)
- Reveling / Carousing (Sorry, Kevin Bacon, this is any “cutting loose” from wild dancing and mosh pit craziness to rioting or a family brawl on a Carnival cruise.)
- BONUS #18 “and things like these” (This is a catch-all, junk-drawer phrase for any other bad behavior in a similar vein to the ones above. Very handy for the things Paul could not have imagined like “nasty comments on social media,” “gossip via text and Snapchat,” “Instagram posts designed to curate an ‘image’ for yourself, ” “erotic AI bots,” and so on. Just all the things.)
Did any of these surprise you? Of course we’ve been guilty of some of these. The Christian life in this world is a constant battle with the flesh. It doesn’t mean “Here’s your handbasket, 🧺 you’re going to Hell.” It just means we need to repent, lean into the Gospel, and submit to the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives and walk in step with the Spirit.
It’s like adjusting your gait to walk with another person.
Did you notice that the flesh produces “works” while the Spirit produces “fruit.” The fruit is the character of Jesus. These are not works. They are qualities produced by the Holy Spirit, not by me trying harder.
🍑 Peaches come from a peach tree.
❤️ Love comes from a love tree.
God is Love. 🌳
Not rocket science.
How to handle Faults and Burdens
In the closing chapter Paul gives counsel on how to handle a situation when a Christian brother has lapsed into error or sinful behavior. Recovering legalists need mentoring on this because they are likely to come down hard on an offender.
“Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself.”
Galatians 6:1 NLT
We’re supposed to help him back onto the right path, not sit him down and read him the riot act, shame him before everyone, and shut him out. It’s done gently. Humbly. Recognizing that we too could slip into temptation.
There are two different kinds of “burdens” in chapter 6; one that we all help carry, and one that is our responsibility alone.
“Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor. For each will have to bear his own load.”
Galatians 6:2-5 ESV
The first “burden” that we help each other carry is this:
When there is a weight that is burdensome and would crush a person and cause him to “go down,” the rest of the saints are to jump in and help carry that load.
The big burdens are usually short-term: tragic loss, major change, life-altering uncertainty, big ministry work.
“Bearing one another’s burdens” is not suggesting a Christian socialist commune. It’s pitching in when a brother is going through a burdensome time.
The other “burden” or “load” is this:
These are the daily, routine tasks of life and Christian service.
If baros is a shipping container, phortion is a backpack. And we all have to carry our own backpacks. I don’t think Paul would approve of how most churches today have 20%-30% of the congregation carrying all of the backpacks of ministry while the rest just show up to unload their children and receive. Just sayin’.
Before he ends, Paul again hits on the topic of Gentiles being circumcised as a requirement for salvation. And he reveals a connection to suffering.
“Those who are trying to force you to be circumcised want to look good to others. They don’t want to be persecuted for teaching that the cross of Christ alone can save. And even those who advocate circumcision don’t keep the whole law themselves. They only want you to be circumcised so they can boast about it and claim you as their disciples.”
Galatians 6:12-13 NLT
Remember how Jesus told the Disciples that they would be thrown out of the synagogues for preaching His Gospel? That has happened. The Gospel opened up a huge rift among the Jews. Those who rejected Jesus jailed and persecuted those who received Him. Paul was a persecutor, then he became the persecuted. He’s already been killed (or nearly so) and beaten for preaching the Gospel. He’s had many attempts on his life that he has escaped. James and Stephen and many others were killed.
Some of the Jews liked the idea of Jesus as Messiah, but they didn’t like the idea of being on the receiving end of persecution. So instead of going all-in with the Gospel, they just took the parts they wanted and attached them to the Law. Paul would have none of it.
The Cross + nothing = salvation.
“It doesn’t matter whether we have been circumcised or not. What counts is whether we have been transformed into a new creation.”
Galatians 6:15 NLT
Not legalism. Not license. Liberty.
