Galatians 5:1-15

Christ Has Set Us Free

1 For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

² Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. ³ I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. ⁴ You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace. ⁵ For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. ⁶ For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.

⁷ You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? ⁸ This persuasion is not from him who calls you. ⁹ A little leaven leavens the whole lump. ¹⁰ I have confidence in the Lord that you will take no other view, and the one who is troubling you will bear the penalty, whoever he is. ¹¹ But if I, brothers, still preach circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been removed. ¹² I wish those who unsettle you would emasculate themselves!

¹³ For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. ¹⁴ For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” ¹⁵ But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.

Today’s passage, Galatians 5:1-15, will be addressed as a whole unit. The theme is introduced in verse 5:1, which is freedom: “For freedom, Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” And then again in verses 5:13, the Apostle concludes his thought by repeating his thematic message once more, which is, again, about freedom: “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.” Our beloved Apostle is once again using a typical rhetorical device, whereby, his message is sandwiched between two repeated themes, like two bookends on a booksshelf. The bookends are attention grabbers for Paul’s audience, and the message is contained within.

And what an amazing attention grabber the Apostle uses: “For freedom, Christ has set us free!” I personally love this verse so much; and regretfully, I have used it out of context in various situations to make applicable applications for my life. Let’s consider a hypothetical situation as an example. A dear sensitive Christian who desires to serve Christ gets involved in an abusive relationship. The abuse does not necessarily have to be physical, but also could be emotional or spiritual abuse. This is extremely paralyzing for Christians as they think they are completely insane. Nothing they do can remedy the situation. But by prayer, God removes the abusive person. And now the young Christian has freedom. Yet, when the abuser wants to come back to rekindle affection, do not do it! For freedom, Christ has set us free! And do not go back and be yoked again with the same slavery you escaped. While the application may be applicable, the context of this passage in Galatians 5:1-15 is presented for theological truth. Therefore, when reading Scripture, we must consider its context and how it should be interpreted and applied to our lives. Our Confession of Faith states, in regard to the Holy Scriptures:

“We believe that the Holy Bible was breathed out, that is, inspired by God, written by men, and is a perfect treasure of heavenly instruction. It has God for its author, His glory for its end, and truth without any mixture of error for its matter; that it reveals the principles by which God will judge us and therefore is, and shall remain to the end of the world, the true center of Christian union and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and opinions should be tried (II Tim. 3:16-17; II Tim. 3:15; Proverbs 30:5-6; Romans 2:12; Phil. 3:16; I John 4:1).

The Westminster Confession of Faith of 1647 includes the following article on how the Word of God must be interpreted: “The infallible rule of interpretation of Scripture is the Scripture itself; and therefore, when there is a question about the true and full sense of any scripture (which is not manifold, but one), it must be searched and known by other places that speak more clearly.”

This being said, we go into our study of Scripture to see what Paul really meant regarding the freedom we have in Christ; for surely we do not have the freedom to continue in sin, as some believe who are misguided. Verse 5:2-12 is the crux of Paul’s message that he wanted to communicate. And once again, he is defending the Gospel of Jesus Christ by refuting the absurdity of submitting to circumsion as a means to keep the faith and please God. Paul lays out his argument in full detail by saying that if those accept circumcision as a means of grace, let’s say, then Christ will not be an advantage for them. It seems that Paul is going beyond the pomp and circumstance of a religious ceremony, and trying to get the Galatians to fully consider what is their anchor of faith; do they trust Christ or the fact they are now circumcised? Paul gives his expectation in verse 5:6, by saying, “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.” Here’s the situation; there are two people: one is Jewish and the other is a Gentile. They both came to faith in Christ by grace through faith. For both, it was not their circumcision nor their non-circumcision that was profitable, but only their faith in Christ. Therefore, both of them must continue in faith working through love [As a parathetical thought, a branch of Christianity relies on services and works so additional graces may be added to their dipleting stockpile of graces. Then at the end of their lives, depending on how many graces they’ve accumulated, they are either in or out! How sad to trust your hopes for eternal life and your present blessings from God on a workbased salvation paradigm that is unprofitable].

in verse 5:7, Paul commends the Galatians of running by faith at the start of their profession in Christ. So now, keep running by faith! And consider those who are trying to hinder you by subjecting you to leave your faith. Paul is thinking that maybe those who are subverting the grace of God, maybe they should be the ones to emasculate themselves if they really think they are right. But the core of the Bible’s message is this, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, ⁹ not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Standfast, therefore, in the freedom you have in Christ! And do not submit yourself to that yoke of slavery again. Only, use your freedom to serve one another through love, for this is the will of God for you. The Apostle clarifies and presents the clear essence of the law that others are foolishly neglecting to obey. It is not the ceremonial law that is necessary, but … “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Galatians 5:14, Matthew 22:37-39, Leviticus 19:18, 1 John 4:1, 1 Corinthians 13:1-3, and Romans 13:10).

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My Heavenly Father God, I praise and worship You, O Lord of Hosts, for Your eternal love You have for the world that includes me. Thank You for Your Son, Jesus Christ. Thank You, Jesus, for redeemping me from my sins and saving me from the wrath of God. I trust You completely that You will preserve and keep me for Your glory, and that You will lead and guide me in my walk of faith. And You will enable me to do good works so others may glorify God. Sanctify and keep me, Lord Jesus, In Your Holy Name, I pray, amen!

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Once For All, by Philip P. Bliss in 1871