Slide 1
© 2002 By Default!
For Freedom Christ
has set us Free
Galatians 5
Faith energized by Love
A Free sample background from www.awesomebackgrounds.com
Strategy of
Galatians 5
• 1-6 We have been freed from the limits &
restrictions of the Law – don’t go back!
• 7-12 Don’t put up with the trouble makers who try
to persuade you to go back
• 13-15 Use your liberty to Love – even the Law
aimed at that!
• 16-26 Walk in the Spirit & show it by treating
each other with the fruit of the spirit
Freedom:
Gal 5:1 (2:4)
• 1Cor 10:29 Paul’s liberty to eat (2 Cor 3:17 –
“unveiled face”)
• James 1:25 perfect law of liberty (2:12)
• 1 Pet 2:16 don’t misuse liberty (2 Pt 2:19)
• John 8:32-36 Truth will make you free
• Rom 8:2 free from the law of sin and death (see
6:7, 18, 22) [Law of the Spirit of life = perfect Law
of Liberty]
What is this
Freedom?
The Law
Me
• Free from the daily rituals
– Sacrifices, washings, etc
• Free from the restrictions of the law
– We can help out on the Sabbath
• Free from legalism
– Our decisions now based on what’s best for people
• Free from slavery to Sin
• Free to serve God & others in love
Circumcision
• First given to Abraham (Gen 17)
– He will be father of many nations (v.5)
– Sarah will be mother of nations (v.16)
• Lesson: something in flesh that must be
cut off (evil desires of our bodies)
• Incorporated into the Law of Moses
Mistakenly used by Jews to glory in
their flesh and make them feel
better than other people
Fallen from Grace
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Try to be justified by law
Depend on the works of flesh
Debtors to keep the whole law
Estranged from Christ
Cast out like Hagar (4:30)
Saw salvation as
something earned from
the bottom up, not as
given from the top down!
Saved by
Grace
Falling
from
Grace
Valley of Sin
& Death
In Bondage
to Law
Faith working
through Love
“Working” – “energeo” – “energized”
• 1 Cor 12:6 Same God who works in all through
the manifestation of the Spirit
• Gal 2:8 He who effectively worked for Peter
• Gal 3:5 He who supplies the Spirit to you and
works miracles
• Eph 1:11 predestined according to the purpose
of Him who works all things
• Eph 1:20 which He worked in Christ when He
raised him from the dead
Faith energized
through Love
• Faith will cause us to be energized
in God’s service (James 2:18-26; Heb 11)
• The work we do will be guided by love – love
for God and love for each other
• “through love serve one another” (Gal 5:13)
• Rituals will not save anyone!
Faith is the power that will
turn us into children of God
Why is faith energized by
love more powerful than law
• Encourages us to do things for the
right reasons
• Leads to greater obedience to God
• Leads to serving one another in love
Law encourages obedience to rituals
Faith energized by love will promote
obedience to God, which leads to
loving service to each other
Amount of obedience
Both Law and Faith
do lead to obedience
To rituals
To God
To God
Law
Faith
Problems with man’s
use of God’s law
• We can develop an attitude of thinking
that we can earn our salvation
• Laws can become unintended limits – we only
do what the laws demand
• Many times when we hear laws, our minds try to
find ways around them
It’s very clear in children!
How does this apply today?
In Families, Ecclesias & Job
– Read and discuss the Bible together
– Discuss the work of angels in our lives
– Accept what God gives us
– Trust He knows what we need
– Serve one another in love
– Learn to rejoice and be excited
for good things happening to
others
How do we know if we are
living by rituals or by faith?
• Do we stress a ritual more than the principles it is
supposed to teach us?
• Do we depend on rituals to save us?
• Do we serve one another through love?
• Do we make decisions based on what’s best for those
who need help, or simply uphold the rules?
• Do we judge ourselves, or each other?
• Do we bite and devour one another?
• Do we display the fruit of the Spirit?
• Do we only attend classes because they are “official”
ecclesial activities?
What ordinances are we still
required to keep?
• Baptism
• Bread & wine
• Veils
• Prayer
• Bible reading
Any others we try to slip in ???
Ordinances are only valuable if they
remind us of the lessons behind them.
There is no value in the ritual itself.
we can run well and then mess
up!
• V.7 someone hindered
them from obeying the Truth
• V.8 this persuasion not of God
• V.9 bad influences are like leaven – spread
through the whole lump
Warning: we can be influenced
to turn away from God’s truth!
Some claimed Paul taught
circumcision is required! (v. 11)
 They misquoted and misrepresented Paul!
 Always best to go direct to source
 He had Timothy circumcised (Acts 16:1-3)
 So what is Paul’s proof that he doesn’t
preach that circumcision is required?
He still suffered persecution by Judaisers
because he did not require circumcision –
the offense of the cross
What caused the
Galatians to backslide?
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•
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V.7 Who hindered you?
V.8 This persuasion
V.9 A little leaven
V.10 He who troubles you
Leaven
(yeast)
• Just takes a little to spread throughout the
dough
• Once in the dough, it’s nearly impossible
to get it out
A little leaven
leavens the whole
lump (Gal 5:9)
• Possibly a short proverb
• Use again in 1 Cor 5:6
• Note the difference:
– Gal 5:9 is about doctrine
– 1 Cor 5:6 is about immorality
Paul’s play on
“circumcision”
Galatians 5:12
I could wish that those who trouble you would even cut
themselves off!
Philippians 3:1-3 (RSV)
1 Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the
same things to you is not irksome to me, and is safe for
you.
2 Look out for the dogs, look out for the evil-workers,
look out for those who mutilate the flesh.
3 For we are the true circumcision, who worship God
in spirit, and glory in Christ Jesus, and put no
confidence in the flesh.
Love: the ultimate motivation!
• V.6 Faith working through love
• V.13 Through love serve one another
• V.14 Even the law said: “love your
neighbor as yourself”
Love never fails (1Cor 13:8)
Walk in love, as Christ also has loved us (Eph 5:2)
If God so loved us, we ought to love one another
(1Jn 4:11)
“Love your
neighbor” (Lev 19)
• Quoted by Jesus
– Mat 19:19 – linked to 10
commandments
– Mat 22:39; Lk 10:27 – On
these 2 hang all the law &
prophets. Good Samarian parable.
• Rom 13:8-10 fulfills the law, sums it up
• James 2:8 fulfill the royal law
• Lev 19:18 Don’t take vengeance, don’t bear a ``
grudge!
• Lev 19:2 “you shall be holy”, “I am Yahweh your
God” (3,4,10,11,14,16,18, 25,28,30,31,32,34,36,37)
What happens when law &
ordinances motivate us?
• We focus on the ordinances and
outward appearance
• We compete with each other by rituals
• We compare ourselves with each other
• We lose our love for each other
• We bite and devour one another
• We end up consumed by one
another
Walk in the Spirit (16)
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Ezek 36:27 walk in God’s statutes
Rom 8:1-14 set minds on the Spirit
2 Cor 12:18 walk in the same steps
Gal 5:25 if we live in the Spirit
• 1 Jn 1:7 Same as John’s “walk in the light”
This is our offense and defense
against the works of the flesh!
Led by the Spirit (v18)
Same Greek words used in:
• Luke 4:1 Jesus led by the Spirit
• Rom 8:14 these are the Sons of God
• Gal 5:18 not under law
The Spirit is our Shepherd
All a Work of the Spirit
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4:29 Isaac born according to Spirit
5:5 we wait through the Spirit
5:16 walk in the Spirit
5:17 flesh lusts against the Spirit
5:18 we must be led by the Spirit
5:22 fruit of the Spirit
5:25 if we live in the spirit, we must also walk in
the Spirit!
• 6:8 if sow to the Spirit, reap eternal life
It’s all of God, not of ourselves!
Works of the Flesh
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Adultery
Fornication
Uncleanness
Licentiousness
Jealousies
Outbursts of wrath
Selfish ambitions
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Envy
Murders
Dissensions
Heresies
Drunkenness
Revelries
Those who practice such things will
not inherit the Kingdom of God
Fruit of the Spirit
• Fruit is the reproductive method
by which the tree spreads
• Takes time for tree to develop fruit
– Heb 12:11 later – chastening yields the
peaceable fruit of righteousness
• Fruit determined by the type of tree! Won’t get
gentleness & faithfulness from tree of flesh
• It’s the Spirit’s fruit! Not ours!
Fruit of the Spirit
Love
Joy
Peace
Patience
Kindness
Goodness
Faithfulness
Gentleness
Self-control
We need to work on them all!
Against such there is no Law
The Law cannot restrict these!
Those who are
Christ’s…
what do they do?
• Crucified the flesh (Paul – 2:20; 6:14)
• United with him in a death like his (Rom 6:5-6)
• You died….Put to death what is earthly in you
(Col 3:3, 5)
• Died with Christ from the basic principles of the
world (Col 2:20)
• Make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts
• Leaving you an example that you should follow
in his steps (1 Pet 2:21)
“Those who are Christ’s”
what does it mean?
• 3:27 have put on Christ
• 3:29 are Abraham’s seed, heirs
• Rom 13:14 put on Christ, make
no provision for flesh
Those who are Christ’s have
joined him in his war with Sin and
been adopted into God’s family
If we live in the Spirit
• If we get the benefits of the spirit
(3:5), then our way of life must be in
agreement with the way of the Spirit
• Cannot be conceited, provoking one another,
envying one another
– Think too highly of ourselves
– Pick on the specks in the eyes of others
– Jealous of others
God expects His spirit
to change how we live!
In Galatians 6 we
will find that our
freedom should
lead us to bear one
another’s burdens