The contents of the greeting ( Galatians 1:3a ) ii. Bondage is there; and He is a deliverer, but it is to God's glory, and for His own service in the liberty of grace. So far from this being the smallest allowance of Jewish prejudice, it was itself a powerful blow against it. He acts on this in faith; he understands it with an energy and a brightness that increased even in his Roman prison. Get Access To 3 Exclusive Articles (for FREE) Want articles like this one delivered straight to your email? The new creation is a present blessing that the soul already enjoys. devourthe substance by injuring, extortion, &c. (Hab 1:13; Mt 23:14; 2Co 11:20). The apostle does not say, if grievous wolves should enter in among you and not spare the flock; but suggests if they themselves should act the part of wolves to one another; having reference to their controversies about the law and circumcision, and the necessity thereof to justification and salvation; which were managed with great heat and bitterness, occasioned great contentions, and threatened them with divisions, parties, and factions; and were attended with envy and malice, with reproachful words, biting sarcasms, scandalous invectives, and injurious actions, which must be of bad consequence: hence he adds. When Jerusalem is humbled by the mercy of God, and betakes herself to her Messiah and the new covenant, she will "hear the law," and the prophets will be accomplished in her blessing, and in the largeness of love the present children of promise (even Christians, as being in a certain mystical sense children of Jerusalem) will be her boast. She did what any wife would have done in those patriarchal times and sent Abraham in to her slave girl, Hagar, to see if she could bear a child on her behalf. In verse 17 it is written, "In blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore." Exhortation to Stedfastness; Persuasives to Stedfastness. I could quickly get in trouble. Therefore law, sin, and death may not hurt you or drive you to despair. The consequence is, that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God; and this he proves, not only from the promise, but from the prophets. But the Jerusalem which is above is free and she is our mother. For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith." (Galatians 5:4-5) For kindness the word is chrestotes ( G5544) . Saints they may have been; and such, we know, moved about from Jerusalem. Such was the serious but necessary import of Peter's act. Not to the place of being ridiculous. A komos was a band of friends who accompanied a victor of the games after his victory. And it is given to me through my faith in Jesus Christ. By the Spirit of God, we're waiting for that hope of righteousness through faith. Help us to express our faith in love every day by loving our neighbor as ourselves. No doubt this might be provoking to human importance sometimes. Or are you inclined toward the easy-going yieldingness of Peter? It is the obligation to God. For the foundation was at stake. In our dealings with our fellow men we must reproduce this loving, forbearing, forgiving, patient attitude of God towards ourselves. It was ordained by angels, who had nothing to do with promise, which God gave direct to His friend. It will stand. The Jews will surely be exalted, as well as converted nationally, and they will then put down their enemies, being made the head when other nations become the tail. That is to say, after his flights of thought can he reduce it all to something that the ordinary man can understand and do? Now notice, works of the flesh, works plural. lest ye be consumed one of anotherconsumamini; Ah! It might seem entirely despising his brethren. You ought to be circumcised, you know." In Paul's case the Holy Ghost could go a step farther, and that step He seems to me to take. Such is the only possible way in which blessing can be brought in, in order that such souls as we are should be blessed and maintained in it. Thus a decisive blow is struck at the principle of connection with the law; and it was evident that they did not truly "hear the law." In other words, you did not get this from God. To impugn the one is to imperil the other. For they were saying that was it was necessary to be circumcised and to keep the law of Moses in order to be righteous before God, to be saved. Ritualism is the present most patent comment on the apostle's statement. That they should all strive against sin; and happy would it be for the church if Christians would let all their quarrels be swallowed up of this, even a quarrel against sin--if, instead of biting and devouring one another on account of their different opinions, they would all set themselves against sin in themselves and the places where they live. I just refer to it for a moment, because it adds much to the beauty of the reasoning in Galatians. And it is in the realm of the spirit where man meets God. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith," not by becoming proselytes of the gate, or entering on a legal basis, but "foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed." How wholesome is the language here, "Every one shall bear his own burden!" And when he went there, was it a question of receiving aught from the twelve? And it proclaimed the full and equally blessed standing of those who received Christ. Galatians 5:17 If ye bite and devour one another These Churches seem to have been in a state of great distraction; there were continual altercations among them. No effort, no work on your part. A little leaven leavens the whole lump. For if a man "keeps the whole law, yet he offends in one point, he is guilty of all" ( James 2:10 ). Had a man come down from the teaching of the twelve, albeit inspired of God to write, as we know some of them were, and all of them having a most truly apostolic place, he might have been startled by the teaching of St. Paul. Are you prepared for this searching judgment of what looked a small and indifferent matter? That is not what Christian liberty is about. Thus, the idea is, in their contentions they would destroy the spirituality and happiness of each other; their characters would be ruined; and the church be overthrown. Plutocracy means government by the wealthy and is justified by the claim that those who have the biggest stake in the country have a logical right to rule it. Democracy means government of the people, by the people, for the people. So it was, then, that the apostle presents his own wonderful relation to Christ. He begins with the works of the flesh, which, as they are many, so they are manifest. They are acting like animals, satisfying their own desires of the flesh, in order to get back at those who differ with them. Because I can't and haven't kept the whole law, I'm thankful that God accounts me righteous and I can have fellowship with the righteous God because of Jesus Christ and my faith in Jesus Christ. It describes what in regency England would have been called a rout. Thus, whether it be the Gentile without law, or the Jew with it, all are shut up under sin. "Yet not I, but Christ liveth in me." The word faith here is trusting. Interesting to me that heresies is here mentioned as a part of the works of the flesh. Thus all had been duly prepared of God, with a far-reaching wisdom, to make the call of Paul an evidently and entirely separate thing, to make his apostleship as distinct in fact as in form; to give him fresh communications, even as to the Lord's supper, and to convey anew the very gospel that he preached as the revelation of the Son in him. So here it is said that God was pleased to reveal His Son in him, that he might preach the good news of Him among the heathen. Here he comes to the positive blessing; for the Spirit cannot rest in what is but negative. Galatians 5:16. In my spirit, in the realm of the Spirit. To this he gives the most solemn asseveration: "The things which I write unto you, behold, before God, I lie not." it. remove, the candlestick out of its place. (vss. And what sort of life can this be? Paul has in mind the issue of circumcision. Or am I righteous by my simple faith in Jesus Christ? When He had anything unfailing to do or say, He loved to appear in grace; He said it Himself, and did it for Himself. Arabia was regarded as the land of slaves where the descendants of Hagar dwelt. If he wrote to the Romans;, it was transcribed, or at any rate written, by another. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh ( Galatians 5:24 ). I call your attention particularly to this, brethren, that an act apparently so simple as Peter's ceasing to eat with the Gentiles had such a solemn character in the eye of the apostle Paul, that he considered it a question of the truth of the gospel. Now, evidently these Paul people were saying, "Well, Paul was circumcised and he's preaching circumcision. It is predicated upon the work of God. In other words: "You have gained liberty through Christ, i.e., You are above all laws as far as conscience is concerned. Law is gone and grace ensures forgiveness anyway." He next announces the true secret of it all: "I am crucified with Christ." 19 the acts of the the acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and sinful nature debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits One of the encouragements, as we know, which God furnished to Abraham was, that he should have a seed like the sand of the sea, and like the stars of the sky. Again I give my word to every man who gets himself circumcised that he is under obligation to keep the whole law. AN OLD STORY AND A NEW MEANING ( Galatians 4:21-31 ; Galatians 5:1 ). To report dead links, typos, or html errors or suggestions about making these resources more useful use the convenient, Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament, International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, , . Oligarchy means government by the few and can be justified by arguing that only the few are fit to govern. It is quite obvious that there was a hindrance of some sort. The apostle accepts the fact in all its strength. The law in itself never produces such a result. 50.]. Thus He lived and moved here below. It is not only that we are put now where we can be the witness to grace in all its outgoings, but, besides that, we are where flesh might show itself. Let me press this gravely upon those who are here this night. Thank God Jesus Christ has set me free from my bondage to my flesh. It was used of the serenity which a country enjoyed under the just and beneficent government of a good emperor; and it was used of the good order of a town or village. He draws particular attention to this fact ere he closes: "You see how large a letter I have written unto you with mine own hand." Proud member Not so. It needs to be boistered by God's spirit. for want of love the Lord threatens to remove, and sometimes does At any rate, the Galatians, naturally fickle, were quick to take up prejudices. Every word he uses has a picture behind it. It had nothing whatever to do even with the Lord Himself, in the days of His flesh, when acting as minister of the circumcision in the land of Judea. The promise is therefore entirely distinct from the law, which was not heard of for four hundred and thirty years after. It is no question now of being subject to the Jews, who shall never possess the gate of their enemies, but be peeled and scattered and few, while the gospel is going forth. It was they who had changed, not he. For his own special call was an indisputable fact; and it is a great joy to the heart to think how Christianity (while it leaves the deepest and the highest space in all directions, so to speak, for the working of the Holy Ghost, while there is more room in it than anywhere else for the play both of the renewed mind and the affections that the Spirit of God gives, while, consequently, it admits of the richest possible exercises of both mind and heart), nevertheless, in its grand truths rests on the most patent and certain facts. If I am a mere man, a sinner, the end of that is (for responsibility is not like power, destroyed by sin) the eternal judgment of God. Strange as all this may seem to us, it enshrines one great truth. Consequently, without further preamble, and with an ominous silence as to their state (for, indeed, it could not be spoken of), he at once breaks the ground. He will gain transgression thereby; nothing more, nothing better. "You don't know how long I've been taking it, Lord. That there is in every one a struggle between the flesh and the spirit (Galatians 5:17; Galatians 5:17): The flesh (the corrupt and carnal part of us) lusts (strives and struggles with strength and vigour) against the spirit: it opposes all the motions of the Spirit, and resists every thing that is spiritual. This is best seen by turning to Genesis 22:1-24, where both facts are found in the same context. Next, we are told, wherein this consisted. We're about one degree off, but we hope to correct this in flight or something." I cannot soil a life which God paid for with his own life. Well, they thought that they had me convinced to their way of thinking. Euripides called it "the greatest of all diseases among men." That's what God accounts, the righteousness of Christ accounted to my account through my faith in Jesus Christ.Now, because I can't keep the first, I have opted for the second. In the latter part of this chapter the apostle comes to exhort these Christians to serious practical godliness, as the best antidote against the snares of the false teachers. And you keep dealing with me until I'll finally say, "Oh, God, I'm sorry. Paul cautioned both sides to love one another or they would consume each other. An undue regard to the approbation and applause of men is one great ground of the unhappy strifes and contentions that exist among Christians. The language would not have been applicable when the other apostles were called. He particularly recommends to us, love, to God especially, and to one another for his sake,--joy, by which may be understood cheerfulness in conversation with our friends, or rather a constant delight in God,--peace, with God and conscience, or a peaceableness of temper and behaviour towards others,--long-suffering, patience to defer anger, and a contentedness to bear injuries,--gentleness, such a sweetness of temper, and especially towards our inferiors, as disposes us to be affable and courteous, and easy to be entreated when any have wronged us,--goodness (kindness, beneficence), which shows itself in a readiness to do good to all as we have opportunity,--faith, fidelity, justice, and honesty, in what we profess and promise to others,--meekness, wherewith to govern our passions and resentments, so as not to be easily provoked, and, when we are so, to be soon pacified,--and temperance, in meat and drink, and other enjoyments of life, so as not to be excessive and immoderate in the use of them. (ii) There is the obligation to our fellow men. The sense is, if you contend with each other; and the reference is, probably, to the strifes which would arise between the two parties in the churches - the Jewish and the Gentile converts. Galatians 5:14. Am I going to yield to my flesh, or am I going to yield to the Spirit? It was not the worldly presumption of man, nor the slight which this would inevitably cast on apostolic authority, as well as on the order of the church, on morality even, at least on Christian morality, on the comely ways of brethren one with another in private as well as in their public assemblies. Generally speaking the word is not used of patience in regard to things or events but in regard to people. And if you do, you will not be fulfilling the desires of your flesh. Shall we turn now to Galatians chapter five. Alas! It was Paul's position that the way of grace and the way of law were mutually exclusive. And you find that these people espousing them are plagiarizing from other people who have espoused them, and it goes back and back and back. This he means here by "faith." 2. Christianity came into a world where sexual immorality was not only condoned, but was regarded as essential to the ordinary working of life. You who seek to get yourselves right with God by means of legalism have got yourself into a position in which you have rendered ineffective all that Christ did for you. And so I said, "All right, tell me, when Jesus was baptized, who spoke and said, 'This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" ( Matthew 3:17 )? The apostle turns this into an admirable piece of divine reasoning in defence of the gospel. It means unrestrained revelry. And now in Christ He has accomplished it I mean already. You see, if I weren't a child of God, He would just let me go. Now take care that you do not use your wonderful . Why did He do that? That you're not going to be otherwise minded.". 6) Psalm 90:14 (NIV) Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. It's amazing, isn't it, what difference being born of the Spirit really makes. The apostle states it with perfect calmness, and without comparing others. Paul had a characteristically practical mind. This is heavy. Paul says, "If you go on in this way, of which circumcision is the beginning, you might as well end up by castrating yourselves like these heathen priests." It describes the deliberate effort--which we can make only with the help of God--never to seek anything but the best even for those who seek the worst for us. There can be no compromise; but to be exclusive in any sense save as the expression of the truth in Christ would be in its own way an utter and heartless falsehood. But this is a future prophetic vision not touched on here. The contents of the greeting ( Galatians 1:3a ) ii. Here he takes up, not the mischievous troublers of the Gentiles, whom he does not hesitate to call "false brethren," but the highest in office he found there. Galatians 5:15 - John Darby's Synopsis It is in this liberty, the liberty of Christ, alluding to the free woman and Jerusalem above, that they were to stand fast, and not put themselves again under the yoke of the law. The names of the different forms of government are suggestive. And this life is sustained by the very same person who is its source. Rare in N.T. Uh-huh, you did that five minutes. 1. You remember as Paul defined love for us in I Corinthians chapter thirteen, he uses longsuffering. Only we must carefully bear this in mind, that in the epistle to the Galatians we never rise exactly to church ground. They had fallen from the grace of the Gospel; and, as Christ no longer dwelt in their hearts by faith, pride, anger, ill-will, and all unkind and uncharitable tempers, took possession of their souls, and they were in consequence alternately destroying each other. It is used of the athlete's discipline of his body ( 1 Corinthians 9:25) and of the Christian's mastery of sex ( 1 Corinthians 7:9). Can anything prove that it is not an old creation better than this that there is neither Jew nor Greek, bond nor free, male nor female, which last at least is an absolute necessity for the perpetuation of the race? Christian freedom does not mean that believers may do as they like. Nor is there a greater evidence of God's tender and considerate care for us than such a fact as this. For he comes to another and most cogent argument. Therefore, when a man is baptized, he is not, of course, baptized into his own death; there is no sense in such a thought. Now when Adam sinned, his spirit died just as God had warned, "In the day that you eat, you will surely die" ( Genesis 2:17 ). This would have flowed from Peter's conduct. (c) Most often of all it means being considerate ( 1 Corinthians 4:21; 2 Corinthians 10:1; Ephesians 4:2). But when we look toward Jesus we can find freedom. Hence it is that Rome, which most decidedly in principle rests on human succession (as all worldly religion must, to a certain extent, embrace the same principle) Rome, I say, seeks to derive her authority, as all know, from Peter. Thus, the idea is, in their contentions they would destroy the spirituality and happiness of each other; their characters would be ruined; and the church be overthrown. "The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life" ( 1 John 2:16 ). There was no believer, Jew or Gentile, who had not gladly submitted to that very blessed sign of having part with Christ, and of that which is made good by Christ. Not at all, says the apostle, you are returning straight into your old heathenism without knowing it yourselves. The apostle urges that all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Outline of Galatians 5:1-15. For every man shall bear his own 'burden." "Cast out the slave girl and her son, for the son of the slave girl must not inherit with the son of the free woman." It will create a lot of envy and a lot of provocation. Note, If we should approve ourselves to be Christ's, such as are united to him and interested in him, we must make it our constant care and business to crucify the flesh with its corrupt affections and lusts. And I was challenged by that for a while. And let's go on. It was through no such channel that he had his apostleship. And that's why Paul was persecuted by the Jews, because he was saying, "The law of Moses is not necessary for righteousness or for salvation. As we go down these things here, these are the things that God will exclude from His kingdom. In the meantime God had come and promised that Sarah would have a child, which was so difficult to believe that it appeared impossible to Abraham and Sarah; but in due time Isaac was born. But God has made you alive in Christ Jesus. Thus, clearly, in the law man becomes the prominent and responsible party, not God. 5:22-26 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, fidelity, gentleness, self-control. Have ye suffered so many things in vain, if it be yet in vain? And then concludes the chapter with a caution against pride and envy. In the epistle to the Galatians a deeper question was raised nothing less than the fountain of grace itself. . Help me, Lord, to just keep the right attitude." It was therefore not only for him, but for the instruction of the Galatians, and of us all. You see, laws are for unprincipled people. And they ate, giving over to their fleshly appetites and in so doing, the flesh dominated. I said, "Oh oh oh oh oh," you see, "A little leaven leavens the whole lump." Their main support then, as they thought Abraham, had two sons; but they stood, according to Scripture, on wholly different principles. (2.) True freedom; true Christianity (5:13-26). Let him alone. Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these ( Galatians 5:18-19 ).