What Freedom from the Law Means

Transcript

GR 2103
11/12/2017
What Freedom from the Law Means
Galatians 5:1-6
Gil Rugh

We are in the book of Galatians where Paul, under the direction of the Spirit, is passionately concerned that the purity of the Gospel not be compromised in any way. It is important for us to keep clear, good intentions do not count; good theology is what we look for. We sometimes think, well I think they are earnest, I think they are sincere, maybe that are not straight. That doesn’t mean we agree on every detail of interpretation of every passage but there are those things we have to be absolutely clear on. The foundation is let’s have correct hermeneutic principles, consistency in our approach to Scripture and the principles we use in interpreting Scripture.

I will make some comments in a moment about differences we have with other Bible believing Christians. It comes down to the bottom line. Well we believe that the Bible is the Word of God, even the inerrant Word of God, but if we don’t use good sound principles in interpreting the Bible we can be twisting it, undermining it and misrepresenting it.

That is why I emphasize often we follow a literal, historical, grammatical procedure in hermeneutics and the principles consistent with that and we don’t change them. Some say, “we interpret the Bible literally when it comes to doctrines of salvation but not literally when it comes to for example, eschatology.” That sooner or later catches up to you. Paul is concerned that the Galatians be clear and understanding on the Law.

I have broken the book of Galatians down into three major sections. The first 2 chapters were Paul’s personal defense. He gave a defense of his apostleship, a defense of the Gospel that he presented and was adamant that this was the truth. That was more personal in some ways there. Then he moved on to talk about the whole doctrinal issue of the Mosaic Law in chapters 3 and 4 where he started out in chapter 3, “You foolish Galatians who has bewitched you?” What has happened here to turn you away from your focus and commitment and understanding with clarity of the truth concerning Christ and His work. He made clear there that we are not under the Law. We don’t look to the Law as necessary for salvation. We don’t look to the Law as necessary for sanctification. We have been set free from the Law and it’s rule and control. It never was a way of salvation, even for the nation Israel. We have talked about it. It was to govern the conduct of the nation to bring them to a readiness to accept Christ but in their twisting of it, in making it necessity for salvation, it caught them off the track and when the Messiah does come they are not prepared for Him and ready to welcome and receive Him.

Chapters 5 and 6 where we move in our study now talk about the practical concerns, the application and through the first part of chapter 5 he is going to be reiterating some of the issues that are doctrinal and foundational but remember the Law was temporary. The Law was a unit. We shouldn’t get confused on this. Chapter 5 and 6 will have a lot to do with the area we call sanctification. How do we live now, our new life in Christ? What is the provision? Now Paul touched on this back in chapter 3, verse 2: “The only thing I want to find out from you – did you receive the Spirit by works of the Law or by hearing with faith?” Well you didn’t receive the Spirit by keeping the Law. “Are you so foolish having begun by the Spirit are you now being perfected by the flesh?”

So sanctification is no more accomplished by keeping the Law than justification was. So he is going to elaborate and we are well familiar with the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5 which we will come to in a future study.

So Paul is going to make clear. We don’t submit ourselves to the Law for sanctification any more than for salvation. I stress this and sometimes talk about reformed theology, covenantal theology. Many of those who hold to covenantal or reformed theology hold to the authority of Scripture but because of their inconsistent hermeneutical principles, they end up bringing confusion.

For example, they confuse Israel and the church and often think the church has replaced Israel. When you do that they also get confused on the Law. If the church and Israel are basically the same entity then the Law perhaps is binding on the church like it was on Israel.

They have expressions like there is only one people of God. If they use consistent literal hermeneutics they would recognize the distinction. This error comes up with the Law.

So I am going to read you some quotes from those just so you have an idea what they say about the Mosaic Law and it is an issue down to today. The reformers held the covenant theology. If you came out of a Lutheran Church, Presbyterian Church, any of the major denominations going back to the reformers, this would have been the kind of emphasis they would have had. They came out of Roman Catholicism, the Reformers did, and like Martin Luther and John Calvin and others have, as a background Roman Catholicism. So while they clarified the issue of justification by faith they never did get the other areas sorted out. That came later.

So here I have just taken a book that was produced relatively recently by a variety of writers. They are all reformed writers, covenantal but one who is dispensational in eschatology but has picked up some reformed ideas. But these are the kind of statements they say: “The believer continues to live under the Law as a lifelong penitence.” Note that. “We are not as believers ever out from under the authority of the Mosaic Law.” When they talk about the Law we are talking about the Mosaic Law. That is clear in their writings. “Calvin (the reformer John Calvin) taught that the primary use of the Law for the believer is as a rule of life. For Calvin, the believer needs the Law to direct him in holy living in order to serve God out of love.” The Puritans which were 17th century people following the reformers in the previous century but they were covenantal. “And the Puritans carried on Calvin’s emphasis on the normativity of the Law for the believer as a rule of life.” You see the continual emphasis. The Law is still in effect. We as believers are still under the authority of the Law. To quote a puritan here, “From the commandment as a rule of life, believers are not free.” Keep that in mind because chapter 5 of Galatians is going to begin “It was for freedom that Christ set us free.”

I appreciate much of the Puritans. I have many Puritan books in my library but they were confused on many areas. In fact they accuse us as dispensationalists of being anti-nomian. Anti we know – against. Nomian – nomos is the Greek word for Law, against the Law. So they say, “we are lawless.” They believe you can just live in all the sin you want because you have no Law. We don’t believe that. We don’t believe we are under the Mosaic Law but there are commandments and laws given to us in Scripture. The issue comes are we under the Mosaic Law.

Here is what they say about dispensationalists. “Under the influence of dispensationalism, a growing anti-nomianism developed in most conservative circles from American Christians.” They blame dispensationalists because we believe we are not under the Law as a result of using consistent literal hermeneutics. They say, “well, we have contributed to the Lawlessness that is present among believers.” For them if you are not under the Mosaic Law, you are lawless.

You have enjoyed that so much I will keep going. Here’s where dispensationalists get confused. Sometimes dispensationalists, who correct on their eschatology, back up and pick up areas of covenant theology without realizing they have abandoned the literal hermeneutics.

So one writer - and we have to be careful here. “Just what does the Apostle Paul mean when he says, ‘We are not under Law?’” There are two ways in which the Scripture clearly teaches we are not under Law.” Again he is talking about the Mosaic Law. It becomes clear here. Now wait a minute. He says, “The Scripture teaches there are two ways we are not under Law.” You know what he is saying? We are not completely freed from being under the Law but there are two ways that we are not under it. Other than these two ways we are still under the Mosaic Law. I say this because this person is a dispensationalist. Now he has brought the confusion of covenantal theology into the issue of the Mosaic Law.

The first way we are not under the Mosaic Law is we are not under the ceremonial law. You see what he is doing? He is breaking the Mosaic Law down into the ceremonial law and the civil law and the religious law. It is the governing, the moral law, and moral, religious and civil. The problem was, almost all commentators acknowledge the Jews never recognized a division like that. A later development, no problem was seen. There were different aspects in the Law but the fact is, the Law is a unit. You can’t pick out portions of it to say “That is binding on us” and disregard the rest. Then he says we are not under the law for justification. That is the two ways we are not under the Law. The ceremonial aspects so he says ceremonial parts of the law should never be brought into the church and we are not under the law for justification but we are under all the other elements of the law, Mosaic Law. He says, “Therefore to be under the law in Paul’s terminology is to be under the Law as a means of justification. When Paul says we are not under the Law he only means for our justification.” That is not true. He shouldn’t be confused like that.

Here is what some reformed people say, “Anti-nomianism emphasizes Christians’ freedom from the condemnation of the Law, at the expense of the believers’ pursuit of holiness. It accents justification at the expense of sanctification. It fails to see that the abrogation of the laws condemning power does not abrogate the laws commanding power. This is serious business with these men. We don’t understand how you are sanctified. You are not justified by the law but you are sanctified by the law. “Anti-nomians misunderstand the nature of justification by faith which though granted apart from works of the law does not preclude the necessity of sanctification. And one of sanctifications most important constitute of elements is the daily cultivation of grateful obedience to the law.” And if you don’t understand it, here is what he says, one of the writers, the editor of this book in concluding: “Obedience to God and His Law is the mark of a true believer.”

So since we don’t believe we are under the Mosaic Law, his view is there is doubt that we are saved because “obedience to God and His law” and if you read the book the Mosaic Law is what they are talking about when they talk about law. That is the whole issue, the Mosaic Law. “Obedience to God and His law is the mark of a true believer.” So if you read their writings about dispensationalism they cut no slack.

So I read that because we come here and want to understand this is an issue and it infiltrates into dispensationalism. We saw, “Yes, we hold to literal, historical, grammatical hermeneutics” but then they think that only has to do with eschatology. We have to be consistent with our hermeneutics and that distinction between Israel and the church understanding what God says about the law. These reformed writers at least are consistent in blending Israel and the church and putting the church under the law but dispensationalists are being totally inconsistent to do that because that doesn’t come out of consistent literal principles of hermeneutics.

Alright, with that we are ready to start chapter 5. “It was for freedom that Christ set us free.” Some commentators say this is the key verse in the book of Galatians. I would say it is one of the keys but this statement, “It was for freedom that Christ set us free.” Down in verse 13 he will build on that. “For you were called to freedom, brethren.” But freedom is not freedom to sin. That’s where he will go with verse 13 and following. So don’t get confused on what freedom means. Freedom from slavery to the Mosaic Law and its authority – we have been set free. We are not Israel and we have never been under the Mosaic Law as the church. Remember the law served until Christ came. It was a tutor for Israel until Christ came. The church never was under the Mosaic Law. The Mosaic Law never was given to Gentile nations and Gentile people. The only way Gentiles came under the Mosaic Law was if they converted to Judaism because they came to believe in the God of Israel. They wanted to become part by conversion, if you will, of the nation Israel. So that view of the Mosaic Law that thinks we are under it, that is why I say it is a total different set of hermeneutic principles that are inconsistent.

So “it was for freedom that Christ set us free.” We were set free. The Jews were set free. The Gentiles were set free even though they weren’t under the Mosaic Law, they had their own pagan religious systems. We have been set free in Christ because those who corrupted even the Mosaic Law, they all make it what? Based on a system of works and all the religious systems of the world are all based on one thing, what? It’s works, works, works. We have been set free in Christ. Now for the Jews the Mosaic Law never was a way of salvation but they had corrupted it into that. It was for freedom that Christ set us free.

Back in chapter 3 of Galatians, verse 13: “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law having become a curse for us.” What was the problem? Well verse 10. “For as many as are of the works of the law are under a curse for it is written, ‘cursed is everyone who does not abide by all the things written in the book of the law to perform them.’” That is the problem with somebody who says, “Well, we are not under the ceremonial part of the law but we are under the moral part.” Well wait a minute. What do you do then with this? “Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law.” You don’t get to pick and choose. You don’t get to say, “Well, we are not under the ceremonial but we are still under the moral.” Then you are cursed because once you put yourself under once portion you are under it all. You just can’t break it. If you offend in one you offend in all.

Come down to verse 26 of chapter 3: “You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.” Down in chapter 4, verse 5: “Christ in the fullness of time came that He might redeem those who were under the law.” We noted there. The Jews couldn’t be saved by the law because no one could perfectly keep the law as they start out sinners under condemnation and all the sacrifices of the law remind them in one way or another of that and so on.

So “Christ set us free.” The Jews had to be set free. The Gentiles had to understand this. Remember he kept emphasizing that. We Jews couldn’t be saved by the law. Now why would we be telling Gentiles now you have to keep the law which was what the Judaizers were doing coming to these Gentile churches in Galatia that Paul had established and saying, “Paul didn’t give you the complete Gospel and you know it is necessary for you to be justified. It is necessary for you to lead a holy life.” Christ set us free. Christ had to come to provide redemption for the Jews who were under the law. Indicating what? They couldn’t be redeemed by keeping the law.

Back up to verse 21 of chapter 2. “I do not nullify the grace of God.” A serious statement here. “For if righteousness comes through the law then Christ died needlessly.” They could not state it any clearer than that and to say Christ died needlessly would say it is blasphemy. God sent His Son to die but he didn’t have to. It was of no value because people could be saved by just keeping the Law. That is the whole argument. “It was for freedom that Christ set us free.”

So you Gentiles have been set free from condemnation and judgment not even being under the law but as we have looked at previously Romans 2, you are condemned as sinners whether you are under the law or not. “Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm,” present imperative, present tense command. “Keep on standing firm.” What happened? Paul established them in the Gospel. They believed it. They were cleansed. They received the Spirit. They entered into the freedom that Christ gives them now, new life in Christ and so on. “Keep standing firm.” Don’t be moved away from the stability of faith in Christ alone. You live in freedom.

It is the same argument as back in chapter 3 which we read, verse 3: “Having begun by the Spirit are you now perfected by the flesh?” Chapter 5, verse 1: “It was for freedom that Christ set us free.” Keep standing in that freedom. What kind of sense does this make? You receive the Spirit by faith and now you are going to put yourself under the law to live the life. Christ set you free and now you are going to put yourself under the slavery to the law to live out your new freedom in Christ. Is there something disconnecting here?

I read you some of these quotes from reformed theology. Something disconnected here trying to say that we ought to go under the law? What am I missing? “It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm.” This becomes a challenge.

Many of you here on a Sunday evening have been believers for some time. The challenge comes, “Keep standing firm.” Something happens over time.

I was reading another book this week, rereading one I had read a while ago but talking about to drift and the ultimate turning over of Christian organization, Christian churches, people because they say the life cycle for a Christian, whatever institution you want to talk about, 75 years then they will turn over. Well it doesn’t happen to every single one but it is a pattern. Stand firm. Stand firm. Stand firm. It doesn’t matter I was saved 50 years ago or whatever, stand firm.

Back up to I Corinthians chapter 16. The same command is given repeatedly by Paul; a present imperative of this same verb, standing firm. I Corinthians chapter 16, verse 13: “Be on the alert. Stand firm in the faith. Keep standing firm. Act like men be strong.” Men are to stand. Plant their feet though we live in a day where you are not supposed to make distinctions between men and women but that is their problem, not ours. Stand firm, act like men. Step up. Don’t be blown around. Don’t be moved off that stability. Keep on standing firm in the faith.

Come over to Philippians chapter 1; Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, chapter 1, verse 27. “Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the Gospel of Christ so that whether I come and see you or remain absent I will hear of you that you are (here we go,) standing firm in one Spirit with one mind striving together for the faith of the Gospel.” This is the challenge. Okay we are believers. We have been believers for a while, believers for a long while. “Stand firm.”

Over in chapter 4, verse 1: “Therefore my beloved brethren whom I long to see, my joy and crown. In this way stand firm in the Lord my beloved.” Keep on standing firm.

Back up to just before Philippians, Ephesians chapter 4, verse 14. We are to be well taught and grounded in the faith. Verse 14: “As a result we are no longer to be children tossed here and there by waves. Carried about by every wind of doctrine by trickery of men, by craftiness and deceitful scheming.” We are to have a stability. Everything that blows down the pike, you know and all of a sudden things begin to unravel. People are all – oh we wouldn’t do that. It happens again and again and again. Why do you think the Scripture tells us? This happened to the Galatians. That’s what Paul said, “You foolish Galatians. I taught you better.”

Come back to Galatians 5. “It was freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.” That is the negative of the positive command. You keep standing firm and another command in the present tense, “do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.” We are saved by faith. You escape one yoke of slavery for another. We were enslaved to sin. We are enslaved to the devil. We were enslaved to whatever.

Most of you before you were saved unless you were raised in a Christian home were raised in some kind of religion. I was a baptized Methodist. I was just a baby in my mother’s arms but it counted for something they said. My folks trusted them. They said you should do it. It was a relative doing so it had to work. What is this?

Some of you come out of Lutheranism or Catholicism or whatever, slavery entailed. “Don’t be subject again to a yoke of slavery.” And that’s what the law is. It is a yoke of slavery. How can I read you this from men who say that we are saved by faith in Christ alone but now we are sanctified by keeping the law? How do Christians get so confused? “Don’t be subject again to a yoke of slavery.” If you put yourself under the law you haven’t progressed you have regressed. They saw that in his arguments in chapters 3 and 4 about “we were enslaved to the law.” The Jews were enslaved to the law.

So for these Gentiles that came out of paganism to now think it is going to be progress now that I have trusted Christ I need to submit to the Mosaic Law so I can be more holy. He is going under a yoke of slavery again. You have abandoned the freedom in Christ and that He provided.

Come back to Acts chapter 15. This is a Jerusalem Council remember. You know we shouldn’t’ get discouraged, we shouldn’t be shaken from our firmness and stability by the relentless it seems tide of attacks and doctrinal issues and all the things that unsettle even believers.

Acts 15 we have a conflict remember. This is the council at Jerusalem. Chapter 15 opens up “Some men came down from Judea teaching the brethren. Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses you can’t be saved.” And remember they didn’t deny the other things about Christ but verse 5: “Some of the sect of the Pharisees who had believed (they had professed faith but they said) it is necessary to circumcise them to direct them to observe the Law of Moses.” This becomes the issue. We agree with you. Christ is the Messiah. He died. He was raised from the dead. You have to believe in Him but that is not enough. We sometimes try to narrow things down and say as long as you believe that everything else doesn’t matter. It does matter and Peter stands up and says here in verse 9 as we have looked at before that God made no distinction between us and them, us Jews and them Gentiles. Those Gentiles, but us and them is what he is talking about, “cleansing their hearts by faith.” Verse 11: “But we believe that we (we Jews) are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, ;in the same way as they (those Gentiles are.)” So same thing there but the devil is relentless. He keeps coming at us again and again and again.

So what does Peter say down in verse 10, just before what we read? “Now therefore why do you put God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear?” You see how he refers to the Mosaic Law. It is a yoke. That is what Paul says, “Do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.” That yoke that you know you put on the oxen to control them, to be their master. Peter says “we put them under that yoke. We couldn’t bear it.” All the law could do was condemn because we are sinners. We constantly broke it. So we are constantly coming back with our sacrifices. Why would you try to put the Gentiles under a yoke that we couldn’t keep? The law was given to us and we just continued to break it.

We had to be saved by the grace of God through faith in Christ and now that we do that and we have Gentiles who have done that we say now we want to put you back under the yoke that we couldn’t obey, same issue.

So come back to Galatians. He calls it a “yoke of slavery.” That doesn’t mean that the Jews weren’t bound to obey the law but it wasn’t a way of salvation. We have been through that. Nobody ever was saved by quote keeping the Ten Commandments. It was to govern the life of Israel and prepare them for the coming of the Messiah but they were saved by faith. We were through that with Abraham in chapter 3 of Galatians. 500 years before the law Abraham believed God. God credited it to him as righteousness. That is the only way anyone who has been saved has ever been saved or ever will be saved. So the law never was a way of salvation. It is not given for our sanctification.

Alright so back in Galatians chapter 5, verse 2: “Behold I Paul say to you.” This is what the Jerusalem conference was about. Remember in chapter 4, verse 30 in the illustration he used “Cast out the bond woman and her son. The son of the bond woman shall not be an heir with the son of the free woman.” You cannot mix the law and grace. So those who are teaching the error have to be removed. They don’t mix. “Behold I Paul say to you ‘that if you receive circumcision Christ will be of no benefit to you.’” That is a statement that we need to grasp and understand. Remember we just read in Acts 15 the Judaizers were saying “It is great to believe in Christ. That is necessary. But you must also be circumcised.” If you choose to go the law way of seeking righteousness Christ is of no benefit. You cannot mix the two. That’s why I just read chapter 4, verse 30: “Cast out the bond woman and her son. The son of the bond woman will not be an heir with the son of the free woman.” The illustration is there is no mixing here. They can’t live together so to speak. You can’t combine them.

Over time, somehow Christians get soggy, sloppy; we just sort of letdown. Paul was saying, “let’s make it clear. You have circumcision. You go the way of the law but remember there is no salvation under the law. You put yourself under a curse.” Again, you can’t pick out parts of the law. You put yourself under the law, its obligations, its penalty. Chapter 3, verse 10: “Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law to perform them.” That is what you do. So Christ is no benefit. You can’t mix it. You can’t mix law and grace.

That’s where a number of years ago we had evangelicals and Catholics together, a document that some who claim to be evangelical Christians signed with leaders from Roman Catholicism. We can go together. “Cast out the bond woman and her son. The son of the bond woman will not be an heir.” You can’t have salvation by works and salvation by grace and if you believe baptism is necessary for salvation and you are being baptized to be saved, you cut yourself off from the saving grace of God. That doesn’t mean they lose their salvation, what it means is they never did have an understanding. That’s why Paul started out the book of Galatians by saying “Even if an angel from heaven preaches another Gospel he is cursed to hell” because the Gospel is mixing works with grace. “Christ will be of no benefit to you.” You can’t mix law and grace.

Come back to chapter 2, verse 16 of Galatians. The contrast is verse 15: “We Jews by nature not sinners from the Gentiles.” So that clean, unclean. Remember Peter wouldn’t go to eat a meal with the Gentiles and so on. Verse 16, we are Jews, we have the law. We are God’s chosen nation. We are not sinners like the Gentiles. “Nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but through faith in Christ Jesus even we Jews have believed in Christ Jesus so we might be justified, declared righteous by faith in Christ not by works of the law (note) since by works of the law no flesh will be justified.” And then verse 21 which I read to you and we looked at earlier. “I do not nullify the grace of God. If righteousness comes through the law Christ died needlessly.” You nullify grace. It is either works or it is grace. It is not works and grace. There is no mixing.

Come back to Galatians, verse 3 and what we were saying Paul reinforces it. “I testify again to every man who receives circumcision that he is under obligation to keep the whole law.” Again it is not that circumcision or not circumcised is the issue. He will say down in chapter 6, verse 15: “Neither is circumcision anything nor uncircumcision but a new creation.” In other words that is a non-issue but when you make it an issue for salvation, require it for salvation then you are committing yourself to a works system. You can’t be part of that.

So it is like baptism. There is a place for baptism; if you are being baptized to be saved you have cut yourself off from grace as a way of salvation. Now there is a proper place for baptism as a testimony of the grace of God that has saved you but that doesn’t make you more saved. It is not necessary to complete your salvation. It is a result of your salvation; circumcision, whether you are circumcised or not is not an issue. And you note in verse 2 when he says, “If you receive circumcision” he is dealing with the Gentiles there because all the Jewish men had already been circumcised by eight days. So it is the Gentiles here that are being pressured to move over to Judaism and the law. He is not talking to Jews because Jewish boys were circumcised at eight days. Paul’s a circumcised Jew. So he is not, “Oh my, I can’t be saved,” but the point is now requiring something for salvation. You are under obligation to the whole law and it is taking this on.

Come over to James 2, James 2. We have read some verses in Galatians, just reiterate, James chapter 2, verse 10: “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point he is become guilty of all.” That’s why I read even the dispensationalists I read to you says “well we are not under the law for the ceremonial. We are not under the law for justification but we are under the moral requirements of the law.” The law is a unit. You can’t be under the law partially. So you get in there. We are going to sort out what are the moral, the civil and the reformed people are at least consistent. They believe the civil aspects of the Mosaic Law are binding and that’s what should govern our nation. That is why we call them magisterial reformers. They believed in using the magistrates. That was all mixed together because Israel and everything all confused together. You can’t bring in part of the law.

Alright come back to chapter 5 of Galatians. It is getting worse. Remember he started out with this severity. You are preaching another gospel you are anathema, condemned to hell. Look what he says in verse 4 of Galatians 5: “You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law. You have fallen from grace.” That is about as strong as you can get. Paul is contrasting two ways of salvation. This is foundational here. And once you are clear on the message of salvation the issue of sanctification should flow out of that because as we read back in chapter 3, verse 3: “Are you so foolish having begun by the Spirit are you now perfected by the flesh.” Oh, we are saved by grace through faith and now we are kept and sanctified and grow in holiness by our works. So you are cut off from Christ.

In other words there is only one way of salvation by grace through faith. If you are going to adopt a way of what, works? That is your way but it doesn’t end in heaven it ends in hell. That is the contrast. You have been severed from Christ. You were seeking to be justified by law. You have fallen from grace.

I don’t know how many times I have been told over the years of being in the pastorate and I will use an example of a Roman Catholic because of clarity. People say “Well I know a Roman Catholic. I think many of them are saved.” Not if you are a true Roman Catholic. Now if you are a disguised evangelical Christian, I don’t know. Maybe there are somebody there. You cannot believe Roman Catholic doctrine and be saved. You cannot believe Judaizing doctrine and be saved. Is there any confusion on this? Is the Word of God the final authority? If you believe what the Roman Catholic Church says and there official statement is: “If you teach and believe that salvation is by faith alone you are anathema.” Now which is it? Are those anathema those who believe that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone? Or at least they are clear. Anyone who teaches that you are saved by faith alone is anathema. Well, why would you say they are not saved? Why would they say I am anathema? I am not saved. Then we get things out here and in our conversation and people make themselves look more like evangelicals. Even the Mormons now want to be accepted as evangelicals. That is what happens when believers get confused. We don’t have to be the nasty narrows. We can accept other people who disagree with us. Paul says, “You have been severed from Christ you who are seeking to be justified by the law. You have fallen from grace.” That’s it. “You have departed from a grace way of salvation.” “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live but Christ lives in me.” Galatians 2:21 and “The life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”

Galatians 5, verse 5: “For we through the Spirit by faith are waiting for the hope of righteousness.” So you see now we are on the track. It is still what? “Through the Spirit by faith are waiting for the hope of righteousness.” So the road doesn’t change now that we have been justified by faith. I just read to you, quoted to you “I have been crucified with Christ. Nevertheless I live but Christ lives in me and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by keeping the law.” No, “I live by faith in the Son of God.” It is a life of faith that began when I believed in Him and the Spirit of God initiated that work in my heart and is now His indwelling Spirit is a result of believing in Christ which guides and directs me. That doesn’t mean there aren’t commands that I obey that He says to me but I am not under the Mosaic Law and some of the commands that God gives me as His child are consistent with what the Mosaic Law said.

I have to do a side comment from the book I quoted. You know one of the commands of the Mosaic Law was remember the Sabbath Day and keep it holy. You know, one of the Ten Commandments. They use that as the prime example of how important keeping the law is, keeping the Sabbath. Stop. You know what the Sabbath is, it is the 7th but God has changed that to the 1st so we show our allegiance to the law by keeping the 1st. I don’t even know what to say about that. You know the man gathered sticks on the Sabbath. That was the 7th day, Saturday. He was stoned to death. You know what happens when you gather sticks on Sunday? Nothing. So to say, “Well we show the importance of keeping the law for our sanctification because we keep the Sabbath but we have changed it. What do you mean? Then you don’t have the Mosaic Law anymore. This kind of theological gymnastics and they pride themselves in how scholarly they are. The Sabbath is the Sabbath is the Sabbath. We have the 7th Day Adventist – give them credit. At least they know what the 7th is. They are wrong by putting themselves under the law but at least they are not trying to say we keep ourselves under the law and by the way we changed it. You don’t get to change it. The man who gathered sticks on the Sabbath couldn’t say “Well that’s alright. I am going to observe Sunday, the 1st day as a day of rest; too late.

Alright, look at verse 5: “We through the Spirit by faith are waiting for the hope of righteousness.” That moves us to our doctrine of sanctification. We have trusted Him for our salvation and now through the Spirit by faith we are waiting for the hope of righteousness, that final realization, 1 John 3 that “we are now children of God.” But yet it is not clear what we will be because when Christ appears and we are in His presence we will be like Him. We will see Him as He is, so our glorification. That is the picture and the pattern. “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision mean anything but faith working through love.” So don’t call me an anti-nomian. I am not lawless. I don’t believe I am under the Mosaic Law in any way shape or form but I haven’t been set free to live my life the way I choose. I live my life as a slave of God and of righteousness, Romans 6 develops and we will get further into this.

Faith working through love. This is saving faith, then is a working faith and the Spirit at work in us, and we get down to the fruit of the Spirit and the first of it will be love. So faith through the Spirit here, faith working in love. It is the Holy Spirit at work in us now and we submit to the Spirit and draw upon His enabling power to live a life pleasing to God. I am not going back to a yoke of slavery. Why would I as a Gentile want to try to keep the Law? The Jews couldn’t do it, just to curse them. It was only God’s grace that could save them and now we have been set free. I am not going to try to earn my way. I am not going to try to put myself under the law. It is a great verse. You ought to have it marked. In Christ Jesus it is faith working through love. We are through the Spirit by faith. It is by faith, by faith, by faith. But faith works, faith produces. This is the James if you want to turn over to James that sometimes causes people confusion. Verse 14 of James 2: “What use is it my brethren if someone says he has faith but has no works? Can that kind of faith save him,” a faith that doesn’t produce anything. Well we are going to see. Saving faith produced what? The fruit of the Spirit where he is going in chapter 5, the first of which is love.

Verse 17: “Even so faith if it has no works is dead.” And he uses the end of verse 20 he says, “Faith without works is useless” and he used Abraham as an example and “Abraham offered up Isaac.” He demonstrated the faith he had when God declared him righteous in chapter 15 though he doesn’t offer Isaac until chapter 22. He is declared righteous by faith before Isaac’s conceived and born. So it wasn’t his works saved him. God had already declared him righteous. Verse 24 “You see a man is justified by works, not by faith alone.” In other words if you claim to have believed in Christ but your life doesn’t change and the Spirit is not working in your life to manifest the character of God you have a dead faith because the faith in Christ makes you alive, causes you to be born again. “If any man be in Christ he is a new creature, a new creation. All things have passed away. New things have come.” It is like a new baby, a newborn. He does certain things not to become human. He was born. That’s how you become conceived and born. That happens. Now he does certain things, characteristic of being human. How you are born into God’s family now you have certain characteristics of being a child of God.

Galatians 5: “For in Christ Jesus it is not circumcision. It is not uncircumcised. It is faith working through love. You were running well. Who hindered you?” So that is where he is going to go. You know it is frustrating. It was frustrating for Paul. It is frustrating for me as a pastor how people get off track. It happens. You get something and it diverts their attention. Wait a minute. Let’s focus down. You know sometimes in the confusion I just sit down at my desk and I say, “Lord I just have to focus on what is my responsibility. What have You said in Your Word?” These other things are rattling around here. Let me clear my head, clear my thinking, make sure I’ve got both feet planted here, that I am firm. This is what You said. This is what You said is true of me as Your child. This is what You have said I, as one who belongs to You, am to do.

Paul is concerned here. How did you get off the track when you were set free in Christ, the truth that you grabbed onto? I have shared with you sometimes people come and I say, “Why did you come here? What happened? When did you trust Christ? Let’s start at the beginning. How are you growing? Now what has changed? Why the confusion, why the problem? Why the disorientation?

You know these things have come into the Galatians and the devil is a great “confuser.” Go back here. Walk through step by step. You know we all need to do that. That is why we keep standing firm, keep standing firm.

Alright, I have to do it. Oh I would never get swept along, I never get turned. I’d never get confused. You have to stop and think, “Lord, what have You said? I know what everybody else is saying, what have You said? What is my accountability and responsibility to You? But so and so, you know they are pretty good people.” It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t mean we don’t learn from others, we don’t appreciate the input from others but I am a child of God. I have the Spirit to teach me and I have to measure things. Galatians needs to measure. Is what Paul told me true? The truth of the work of the Spirit in my life, true, yes He changed me. He made me new. Well then why would you be listening to someone who tells you to put yourself under the law? Well it sounded good. Well of course it sounded good. The devil is a good sounder. He just doesn’t tell the truth. He corrupts the truth. So the conflict and the battle goes down all the way to today. One way or another it is a relentless challenge to be faithful, stand firm. We want that to be true of us individually and as a church.

Let’s pray together. Thank You Lord for the truth of Your Word. Lord, even as the song writer put it, “We are prone to wander, prone to leave the God we love.” And Lord sometimes it is disappointing and discouraging how easily we get distracted, how easily the devil can bring confusion to our minds and lives, how easily we can justify even error. We want to be faithful to You. We want to stand firm. Lord that begins personally in our own lives individually. Lord if my heart is distracted, if my mind is confused that will begin to affect my life, my relationships. That begins to spread among us as believers. We begin to confuse one another. We become unsettled and in many ways we become like the Galatians, foolish, being moved off the firm foundation, things that we held so tightly and so true. It doesn’t seem as clear anymore. So Lord may we take the truths of Your Word to heart, may we grab on to them, may they mold and shape us and Lord by Your grace may we be committed in the power of the Spirit to live them. We pray that for the week ahead of us in Christ’s name, amen.