Galatians 5

Freedom of the Believer

1 For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not be subject again to the yoke of slavery.

The Greek word for "be subject again" is ἐνέχω (enechow), a present middle imperative verb, meaning a command to not become ensnared in a yoke of slavery.

The yoke was the wooden harness that was placed around oxen who were plowing a field. Paul informed the Galatians that at one time, they were ensnared by a wooden harness who were plowing a heavy field. The load was too heavy for them. However, Christ came and set them free. He warned the Galatians to stand firm in the faith. The firmness comes from the study of the Word of God. If they would stay firm in the Word of God, then they would not be ensnared to the same slavery of their former condition. The slavery is the Mosaic Law. It is impossible to keep. It is a heavy burden that cannot be carried. The Galatians did not need to go back under this yoke, since Christ had set them free.

Carnal Christians do not appreciate freedom and education. They do not understand God's sovereignty. They do not understand their role in this life. They live for self instead of for Christ.

 

2 Listen! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no benefit to you at all!

The Greek word for "listen" is ὁράω (horaow), an aorist active imperative verb, meaning a command to immediately see with their spiritual eyes the divine viewpoint concept that Paul was about to teach.

The Judaizers falsely taught that the Galatians must believe in Christ, plus be circumcised for salvation. The Judaizers were adding to the Scriptures, which according to Galatians 1:8, placed them under the anathema curse. If the Galatians accepted this teaching, then the grace of Christ meant nothing. Why did Christ die and end the Mosaic Law if one must still be circumcised and keep the Mosaic Law? Galatians would not lose their salvation by being circumcised, but this choice showed their immaturity in the Word of God. If they understood the spiritual concept, they would not desire circumcision.

3 And I testify again to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law.

If a Galatian thinks that he must be circumcised in order to gain salvation, then he must keep all 613 commandments of the entire Mosaic Law. If he has one bad thought, then he has violated all 613 laws. If one time he does not do what God wants him to do, then he has violated all 613 laws. This decision would place them into the lifetime bondage of carrying a heavy burden that they could never carry.

4 You who are trying to be declared righteous by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace!

If one attempts to keep the law, then this is not grace. Attempting to keep the law will alienate one from Christ, because not accepting grace is living in sin. The believer is still saved for eternity, but he is out of the fellowship of God. When one is out of the fellowship of God, then he is a dirty vessel. God does not use dirty vessels.

The Greek word for "fallen away" is ἐκπίπτω (ekpiptow), an aorist active indicative verb and a nautical term, meaning for a ship to fall away from its original destination. When one is counting on his works rather than the grace of Christ for salvation, then he is like a ship that has falling off course. He is going down the wrong path of life that God had originally destined for him.

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

Righteousness does not come from keeping the Mosaic Law. Righteousness comes by the Holy Spirit breathing in life to the dead spirit of man so that he can hear, see, understand, and believe the gospel.

6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision carries any weight, the only thing that matters is faith working through love.

Circumcision will not save anyone. The only way that a person can be saved is through belief in the Lord Jesus Christ.

7 You were running well; who prevented you from obeying the truth?

Paul started the Galatians off in the race with proper bible doctrine and they were running the race very well. Then, some false teacher came in and prevented them from finishing the race. Paul asked the Corinthians for the identity of this thief. They had been hindered in their spiritual growth. Paul asked them, "Who did this to you?"

8 This persuasion does not come from the one who calls you!

The one who called them to salvation was the Holy Spirit. He was not the one who hindered them from finishing the race. It must have been someone else. Who hindered them?

9 A little yeast makes the whole batch of dough rise!

In the Scriptures, leaven is always a symbol of evil. The leaven here is legalism. Legalism falsely teaches that when Christ died on the cross 2000 years ago, that his atonement was not sufficient enough for salvation. Man must do something else to earn salvation. This is evil teaching. If this leaven gets into the church, then it will cause the entire loaf of bread to rise and expand. There is nothing that taste better than hot biscuits. Evil will rise and expand and the church will devour the leaven like tasty hot biscuits.

10 I am confident in the Lord that you will accept no other view. But the one who is confusing you will pay the penalty, whoever he may be.

As the Galatians mature in Bible doctrine, Paul is confident that they will see through these legalistic false teachings. As for the false teachers, they will be judged, most likely with anathema. The only way that they can escape anathema is if the Holy Spirit gets involved and opens up their mind so that they can see the truth.

11 Now, brothers and sisters, if I am still preaching circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been removed.

The gospel by itself is not acceptable to the natural man. He wants to add some kind of leaven to it to make it taste good. Paul was teaching others to devour the Word of God without leaven. However, this gospel did not taste good to the people, so they rejected Paul's teaching, persecuted him, and went to the Judaizers to receive more hot biscuits and butter. When people choose leaven over grace, then they are mocking the cross.

12 I wish those agitators would go so far as to castrate themselves!

Paul was not a seeker-friendly pastor who tickled the ears of his congregation. He gave some advice to the false teachers of the Judaizers. Instead of the Judaizers teaching the Galatians that they should mutilate their private parts in order to gain salvation, the Judaizers should castrate themselves. It would be better for these false teachers to castrate themselves than to face the judgment of anathema, which was promised to false teachers.

Practice Love

13 For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity to indulge your flesh, but through love serve one another.

When Christ died, the Mosaic Law was inoperative. It could no longer place a heavy burden upon its receipts. It could no longer condemn them to death.

Believers were called to freedom. However, they were not to use their freedom to sin. They were to use their freedom to stay away from sin. They were called to serve Christ by serving others. If a believer uses his freedom to continually sin, then his heavenly Father will spank him. If the spanking does not work, then God the Father may bring his child home.

14 For the whole law can be summed up in a single commandment, namely, “You must love your neighbor as yourself.”

One cannot love his neighbor unless he loves Christ. Christ said, "If you love me, keep my commandments. His commandments are Bible doctrine from the entire counsel of the Word of God. One cannot love Christ unless he studies Bible doctrine from the entire counsel of the Word of God and then applies them in the real world. When a Christian matures to this level, then he will love his neighbor.

15 However, if you continually bite and devour one another, beware that you are not consumed by one another.

If the believers refuse to mature, then they will remain as wild dogs who want to bite and devour other believers. Believers with strong bible doctrine  are a threat to the satanic world system. Satan wants to keep believers immature so that he can turn them against each other. Satan does not want Christians to fight against him and his work. He wants civil war inside of the body, so that it becomes ineffective. This is why so many seeker-churches are being formed. Satan desires that the teaching of the Word of God be replaced with music concerts, skits, plays, and entertainment. This keeps Christian weak in Bible doctrine, meaning that they will not be able to discern the true enemy.

16 But I say, live by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desires of the flesh.

The Greek word for "spirit" is Πνεύματι (pneumatic), meaning spirit, wind, or breath. There is no definite article in the Greek, so this most likely does not refer to the Holy Spirit, but to the new spirit that is in conflict with the flesh. A believer is to be guided by the wind or breath of God. He is to blow in the direction that God wants him to blow, so that he can move circumstances towards the will of God. The flesh is in conflict with this new wind that is blowing and guiding the believer along. The desires of the flesh turn face into the wind, wanting to go a different direction. Paul informed the Galatians to be led by the wind of God, not the desires of their flesh.

17 For the flesh has desires that are opposed to the Spirit, and the Spirit has desires that are opposed to the flesh, for these are in opposition to each other, so that you cannot do what you want.

The desires of the flesh are human viewpoint. The desires of the Spirit are divine viewpoint. When a person first believes, his soul (or personality) is filled with human viewpoint, which is dirty menstrual rags to God. As a believer studies the Word of God, he inhales more Bible doctrine into his soul (or his personality). As the believer matures, he can exhale more divine viewpoint, because his soul (or personality) has been changed by the Word of God.

It is interesting to note that the unbeliever has only one capacity, which is the capacity to fulfill his own desires. The believer has two capacities that are in conflict with each other. The one that is fed the most wins. Carnal Christians spend more time in the things of the world then they do in the Word of God. This makes them weak, ineffective, and carnal. They discredit Christ, weaken their family, and create an ignorant electorate who votes in human viewpoint governmental officials.

18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

Those who have strong bible doctrine are led by the Spirit. Since they know Bible doctrine, they will not place themselves underneath a law that has been made inoperative by the cross.

19 Now the works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, depravity,

The satanic world system of the Greco-Roman culture viewed all of these vices as normal living. The Galatians were to grow in Bible doctrine so that they could possess the internal spiritual strength to avoid these evil seductions. Sexual immorality, impurity, and depravity were all part of the religious rituals of this culture, practiced through the prostitution temples.

20 idolatry, sorcery, hostilities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish rivalries, dissensions, factions,

Those who are void of Bible doctrine will exhibit all of these vices. They cannot help it. As a bird flies, a fish swims, and a bear walks, the unregenerate human being is so totally depraved and evil, that he becomes the worst animal of all. A believer who does not feed himself the Word of God daily is also a starving animal who will practice all of these vices. The only defense against these seductions of evil is mastery of Bible doctrine.

21 envying, murder, drunkenness, carousing, and similar things. I am warning you, as I had warned you before, those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God!

Sometimes, believers will experience some of these sins, but they will have a new personality that is in conflict with this kind of behavior. Unsaved people exhibit these behaviors and have no remorse about it. They live for these pleasures and do not want to change. These unsaved people will not enter the Kingdom of God.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

Believers who possess strong Bible doctrine will produce a different kind of fruit. Their once depraved sinful nature will no longer do the things of the flesh that Paul just mentioned. Instead, they will experience love. Only a Christian can experience agape love, which is divine love. An unbeliever loves himself and will do everything for himself. A mature believer will love Christ first, his family second, and himself third.

23 gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Believers do not have to keep the Mosaic Law. Instead, they will be gentle and self-controlled, because they will not be enslaved by a heavy burden that they cannot carry.

24 Now those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

Positionally speaking, the believer is dead to the flesh. He has a new personality that is in conflict with these carnal passions and desires. However, there is still a conflict between the old and the new personality. Again, the new personality must be fed with the Word of God so that it has the strength to conquer the old personality. Those believers who do not feed themselves the Word of God daily do not have the strength and will power to defeat the old carnal nature. The dog which is fed the most, wins.

Unbelievers only have one nature. It is the only nature that they can and will follow. They will die in their sins in this condition and burn in the Lake of Fire, unless the Holy Spirit intervenes and changes their personality.

25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also behave in accordance with the Spirit.

The Greek word for "behave" is στοιχέω (stoicheow), a present active subjunctive verb and a military term, meaning to continually march together in military step as soldiers. Believers are to train themselves in military fashion so that they can march together in step. According to Ephesians 6, believers are actually soldiers. Bible doctrine is their sword and shield. The pastor-teacher is their drill sergeant. The assembling together on Sundays should not be a day of entertainment by a seeker-friendly pastor who wants to tickle the ears of his congregation. This type of training will create spiritual casualties in the ongoing angelic warfare. Instead, the pastor-teacher is to be a drill-sergeant who is preparing his soldiers to survive in the daily upcoming battles of the angelic conflict. The church has strayed off-course, as it is more motivated in adding numbers and revenue then it is in preparing soldiers that can do damage to the enemy and protect the homeland from attack.

26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, being jealous of one another.

The mature believes is not to seek worldly honor or attempt to gain bragging rights that will keep him from marching out of step with the other soldiers.