The Lion Stands
Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
Psalm 37.5
We make our commitments, then our commitments make us. Once they are chosen, many other choices follow as a matter of course. (Douglas Rumford, SoulShaping)
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Ask most Christians today what kind of fruit God is looking for and you get a long list of don’ts.
Don’t lie.
Don’t steal.
Don’t covet.
Don’t commit adultery.
Etc, Etc...
The problem with this mindset is nothing ever gets sown. Just like can’t never could do anything, don’t never does anything. There is no action in don’t, just paralysis. It doesn’t take a dictionary to see that can’t and don’t are negative. Can and do on the other hand are positive. Can and do actually set out to accomplish something. There is a goal with can and do. There is purpose with can and do. Can and do also require commitment.
Don’t lie.
Don’t steal.
Don’t covet.
Don’t commit adultery.
Etc, Etc...
The problem with this mindset is nothing ever gets sown. Just like can’t never could do anything, don’t never does anything. There is no action in don’t, just paralysis. It doesn’t take a dictionary to see that can’t and don’t are negative. Can and do on the other hand are positive. Can and do actually set out to accomplish something. There is a goal with can and do. There is purpose with can and do. Can and do also require commitment.
Nowhere in the Bible is the struggle between the cant's and can’s more apparent than in the book of Galatians. Paul had visited many cities in the Roman province of Galatia situated in south east Asia, now modern day Turkey. While visiting those cities Paul shared the good news of the gospel as it had been presented to him by God. After Paul had planted the seed others came in and instead of watering sought to pluck up the seed.
Law Keeping
Paul’s message of grace through faith in Christ alone did not sit well with many Jewish converts to Christianity. In addition to accepting Christ they wanted the Gentile (non Jewish) believers to submit themselves to the law of Moses. For ease of identification we’ll call this Jewish faction the Judaizers. These Judaizers taught that Paul was perverting the truth by watering down the true message of the Gospel to the Gentiles and teaching them to disregard the law of Moses. As such not only was Paul a traitor to the Jewish religion but he was public enemy number one!
This conflict grew so intense that it threatened to undo all that Paul had taught and God had done in Galatia. The disagreement grew so fierce and wide ranging that it threatened to topple the little movement of Christianity before it got established. Upon hearing about the battle raging Paul took pen to paper and wrote what many believe to be his most confrontational letter. His tone is uncompromising and direct. He challenges the Judaizers, exhorts the believers, and gives all glory to God.
Paul begins the letter by defending his ministry and calling. He lets them know how shocked he is that they have turned away from his message of love and grace to embrace a false gospel of bondage and a life characterized by don’t. He even goes so far as to pronounce a curse on those who have infiltrated the church and preach a different doctrine than the one he first proclaimed. Having also been accused of currying favor with the Gentiles Paul says unequivocally, “For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.”
In the space of just a few verses Paul speaks of being the slave of Christ (1.10) and our freedom in Christ (2.4). In regards to this seeming dichotomy Martin Luther has said, “A Christian man is the most free lord of all, and subject to none; a Christian man is the most dutiful servant of all, and subject to every one.” He goes on to quote 1 Corinthians 9.10, “For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more.” (On Christian Liberty)
Unlike the Judaizers who sought favor by aligning themselves with well known teachers and rabbi’s, Paul next tells us that his message comes from Christ alone. Paul’s message is not some cleverly concocted plan deducted from mere human reasoning but a divine proclamation given by direct revelation from Jesus Christ. As such Paul did not rush to consult with any human beings for the first three years of his conversion but instead sought solitude with the Lord in Arabia. Only then did he set out to meet Peter and James and others within the faith.
Leashing the Lion
Paul then records, and Luke agrees, that his ministry was accepted and approved by the leaders of the faith in Jerusalem, not that he needed their approval, but Paul was compelled to meet with them by God and understood that agreement and harmony were important to further their message. Paul took with him Barnabas and Titus and while in Jerusalem some even rose up there and began to insist on Jewish law keeping. It’s important to note that Paul refers to these people as “false brethren.” The text hints at the possibility of a large plot by the Jews to infiltrate this tiny Christian sect and do it harm from the inside. Paul and many others stand firm however, “that the truth of the gospel might continue with you.” (Gal 2.5)
The leaders in Jerusalem added nothing to what Paul was preaching, this was and is a big statement. Paul shared the totality of his message with Peter, James, and the other leaders of the Church and nothing was found to be wanting. In other words they approved of his message wholeheartedly and commissioned him to do the work given to him by God, namely to preach to the Gentiles.
The scene changes to Antioch sometime later, when Peter arrives he apparently ate and visited with the Gentiles with no problem at all. Sometime later however a group of Judaizers arrives announcing their affiliation with James (we later find out in Acts 15.24 that James didn’t send them at all!). As soon as they arrived Peter backed away from the Gentiles apparently refusing to eat with them any longer. Paul confronts Peter’s hypocrisy and lays out the context for the rest of the book of Galatians:
To live in the Lion is far superior to living by the Law! If you will ever unleash the Lion in your life you will first need to tear down that old system by which you have enslaved yourself needlessly. The don’ts constantly condemn you, they heap requirements upon you that will wear you down and dog you all the days of your life. The Lion has come that you may have life and have it abundantly. The yoke of the Lion is easy and His burden is light. (Mat 11.30) Come to the Lion, allow him to live in and through you. Come to the Lion and forever be made right with God. Come to the Lion and the Lion will transform you.
As Paul confronts Peter you could have heard a pin drop! Paul accused Peter, who some considered the leader of the early church, of hypocrisy. In essence Paul is saying that Peter is saying one thing and doing another. If you read verse 14 closely you will notice that Peter had discarded altogether the Jewish laws and had begun living like a Gentile. So why when these newcomers had come in was Peter now trying to force Jewish traditions upon the Gentiles?
I love Paul’s use of irony in verse 15, he basically says, “see, yes, even we who are Jews and not those sinning Gentiles, understand that a person can NOT be made right with God by following (obeying, adhering) the law but only by faith in Jesus Christ.” And he continues by saying not only are we made right by faith but also through faith in Jesus Christ. We are/were unable to follow the law perfectly but Christ was able, as a result we are made right with God by the faithfulness of Jesus Christ who followed the law perfectly. Then notice how Paul leaves no room to misunderstand, “for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.” (Gal 2.16)
It makes you wonder why so many today are so eager to enslave themselves to a system that Paul declared void of any redemptive power over 2,000 years ago. There is no saving grace in the ceremonial, civil, or moral laws of Moses and adherence to those laws gains you nothing! Their purpose having been fulfilled in Christ now they only serve to enslave the people and leash the Lion. Notice in verse eighteen that Paul calls it a sin if a person tries to rebuild the old system (testament, covenant) that was torn down. The law only brings condemnation which is useful for the sinner, but is suffocating to the Spirit.
So how did Paul die to the law in verse 19?
Paul died to the law the same way you and I die to the law, when we come to Christ we die to sin, the law, and even ourselves, and live in, by, and through Christ (the Lion!). When we come to Christ and die, the law dies for us. Sin dies in us. We die to ourselves and live again only in Christ. This is the picture Romans 6 paints for us:
Freed from Sin! Yes, you read that right, once you have come to Christ you are free from the power of sin...if you want to be that is? Just as some Jews in the 1st century had a hard time breaking free of their traditions, so some today have a hard time letting go of their sin. Sin is a choice, it is not a guarantee. You do not have to sin, you choose to sin! Yet, thanks to Christ who died on your behalf, suffering the penalty you and I deserved for our sin, fulfilling the law by living a perfect life, you and I are freed from the power of sin, the law, and even death!
It reads like this, because we have been crucified with Christ, we have been raised with Him, because of this we have been reconciled with God, and now can grow in Christ’s likeness, and draw upon His power as we live in hope for the future. (Rom 6:4, Rom 6:5, 2 Cor 5:19, Rom 8.29, Eph 1:19-20, Col 1:27) 1
The life we now live we live by faith in Jesus Christ, NOT by faith in sin or the law. Many believe that once one comes to faith in Christ somehow the power of sin still has power over their lives, and they are destined to succumb to it again and again. I’ve even heard it taught that the power of sin is too hard for the Christian to overcome, and there are some addictions that are too strong to be resisted. This sounds defeatist to me and it also appears that person has more faith in the power of sin than the power of Christ! I would agree that a person cannot overcome sin or resist temptation in and of themselves, but with the power of Christ and the in-working of the Holy Spirit, nothing is impossible.
Paul continues in his letter to the Galatians reminding them that he had explained the meaning of the death of Jesus Christ clearly to them, and asked them how they had received the Holy Spirit? Did they receive the Spirit of God by obeying the Law of Moses? Or did they receive the Spirit because they believed the message they heard about Christ from Paul? They had of course received the Spirit because of what they believed. This is how faith has worked from the very beginning.
Faith and Hearing
In the Old Testament God told an elderly man and woman they would father a child and that ALL nations would be blessed through them. This man and woman were well past the age of child bearing and rearing. The woman was no longer capable of producing the egg that would be fertilized by the man. They heard this same promise 9 times spread over 25 years. And yet, they still believed! Galatians 3.6 quotes Genesis 15.6, “Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And what about the woman? Check out Hebrews 11.11 and the first woman mentioned in the “Hall of Faith,” “Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised.”
So it has always been the faith, which comes from hearing and believing God’s promise, that has saved. The Law was superseded by faith and never had any power to save, it was always faith! The Law can not save any Jew, and certainly can’t save any Gentile (those who aren’t Jews). The law was never meant for the Gentile, therefore those Gentiles who place themselves under the law do so by choice and not by the Word of God, in the same manner as they choose to sin.
Unleash the Lion by breaking free of the bondage of the law, and the enslavement of sin, and believe in the promise of God, that breaks these twin strongholds of condemnation.
Guardian, Bondwoman, and Slave
Continuing in Galatians, now in chapter 4, Paul compares the bondage of legalism to pagan worship! The rudimentary and basic principles Paul is referring to is the law. Some of the Gentiles in Galatia were trying to become Jewish and earn favor with God by observing certain Jewish days or festivals, Paul was shocked and was beginning to believe that his work there had been in vain. Then in verse 12 this “Hebrew of the Hebrews” officially breaks from the Jews:
By declaring his independence from the laws Paul also breaks from the Jewish nation. Jews followed the Law of Moses, and for a Jew not to, was considered blasphemy. Paul’s declaration of independence put his life on the line in more ways than one. Paul could have been stoned by the Jewish leaders for heresy. And even if this method was not chosen, Paul was certainly an outcast, who it would have been impossible to do business with. Thus Paul would have been relegated to a life of poverty and loneliness had he chosen to stay and live in Jerusalem. Luckily for us that was not his fate. He continued evangelizing and taking his message across the globe.
Paul uses three comparisons in Galatians to show us what the law is really like.
Law Keeping
Paul’s message of grace through faith in Christ alone did not sit well with many Jewish converts to Christianity. In addition to accepting Christ they wanted the Gentile (non Jewish) believers to submit themselves to the law of Moses. For ease of identification we’ll call this Jewish faction the Judaizers. These Judaizers taught that Paul was perverting the truth by watering down the true message of the Gospel to the Gentiles and teaching them to disregard the law of Moses. As such not only was Paul a traitor to the Jewish religion but he was public enemy number one!
This conflict grew so intense that it threatened to undo all that Paul had taught and God had done in Galatia. The disagreement grew so fierce and wide ranging that it threatened to topple the little movement of Christianity before it got established. Upon hearing about the battle raging Paul took pen to paper and wrote what many believe to be his most confrontational letter. His tone is uncompromising and direct. He challenges the Judaizers, exhorts the believers, and gives all glory to God.
Paul begins the letter by defending his ministry and calling. He lets them know how shocked he is that they have turned away from his message of love and grace to embrace a false gospel of bondage and a life characterized by don’t. He even goes so far as to pronounce a curse on those who have infiltrated the church and preach a different doctrine than the one he first proclaimed. Having also been accused of currying favor with the Gentiles Paul says unequivocally, “For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.”
In the space of just a few verses Paul speaks of being the slave of Christ (1.10) and our freedom in Christ (2.4). In regards to this seeming dichotomy Martin Luther has said, “A Christian man is the most free lord of all, and subject to none; a Christian man is the most dutiful servant of all, and subject to every one.” He goes on to quote 1 Corinthians 9.10, “For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more.” (On Christian Liberty)
Unlike the Judaizers who sought favor by aligning themselves with well known teachers and rabbi’s, Paul next tells us that his message comes from Christ alone. Paul’s message is not some cleverly concocted plan deducted from mere human reasoning but a divine proclamation given by direct revelation from Jesus Christ. As such Paul did not rush to consult with any human beings for the first three years of his conversion but instead sought solitude with the Lord in Arabia. Only then did he set out to meet Peter and James and others within the faith.
Leashing the Lion
Paul then records, and Luke agrees, that his ministry was accepted and approved by the leaders of the faith in Jerusalem, not that he needed their approval, but Paul was compelled to meet with them by God and understood that agreement and harmony were important to further their message. Paul took with him Barnabas and Titus and while in Jerusalem some even rose up there and began to insist on Jewish law keeping. It’s important to note that Paul refers to these people as “false brethren.” The text hints at the possibility of a large plot by the Jews to infiltrate this tiny Christian sect and do it harm from the inside. Paul and many others stand firm however, “that the truth of the gospel might continue with you.” (Gal 2.5)
The leaders in Jerusalem added nothing to what Paul was preaching, this was and is a big statement. Paul shared the totality of his message with Peter, James, and the other leaders of the Church and nothing was found to be wanting. In other words they approved of his message wholeheartedly and commissioned him to do the work given to him by God, namely to preach to the Gentiles.
The scene changes to Antioch sometime later, when Peter arrives he apparently ate and visited with the Gentiles with no problem at all. Sometime later however a group of Judaizers arrives announcing their affiliation with James (we later find out in Acts 15.24 that James didn’t send them at all!). As soon as they arrived Peter backed away from the Gentiles apparently refusing to eat with them any longer. Paul confronts Peter’s hypocrisy and lays out the context for the rest of the book of Galatians:
But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews? We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles, knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid. For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God. I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.
Galatians 2:14-21
To live in the Lion is far superior to living by the Law! If you will ever unleash the Lion in your life you will first need to tear down that old system by which you have enslaved yourself needlessly. The don’ts constantly condemn you, they heap requirements upon you that will wear you down and dog you all the days of your life. The Lion has come that you may have life and have it abundantly. The yoke of the Lion is easy and His burden is light. (Mat 11.30) Come to the Lion, allow him to live in and through you. Come to the Lion and forever be made right with God. Come to the Lion and the Lion will transform you.
As Paul confronts Peter you could have heard a pin drop! Paul accused Peter, who some considered the leader of the early church, of hypocrisy. In essence Paul is saying that Peter is saying one thing and doing another. If you read verse 14 closely you will notice that Peter had discarded altogether the Jewish laws and had begun living like a Gentile. So why when these newcomers had come in was Peter now trying to force Jewish traditions upon the Gentiles?
I love Paul’s use of irony in verse 15, he basically says, “see, yes, even we who are Jews and not those sinning Gentiles, understand that a person can NOT be made right with God by following (obeying, adhering) the law but only by faith in Jesus Christ.” And he continues by saying not only are we made right by faith but also through faith in Jesus Christ. We are/were unable to follow the law perfectly but Christ was able, as a result we are made right with God by the faithfulness of Jesus Christ who followed the law perfectly. Then notice how Paul leaves no room to misunderstand, “for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.” (Gal 2.16)
It makes you wonder why so many today are so eager to enslave themselves to a system that Paul declared void of any redemptive power over 2,000 years ago. There is no saving grace in the ceremonial, civil, or moral laws of Moses and adherence to those laws gains you nothing! Their purpose having been fulfilled in Christ now they only serve to enslave the people and leash the Lion. Notice in verse eighteen that Paul calls it a sin if a person tries to rebuild the old system (testament, covenant) that was torn down. The law only brings condemnation which is useful for the sinner, but is suffocating to the Spirit.
So how did Paul die to the law in verse 19?
Paul died to the law the same way you and I die to the law, when we come to Christ we die to sin, the law, and even ourselves, and live in, by, and through Christ (the Lion!). When we come to Christ and die, the law dies for us. Sin dies in us. We die to ourselves and live again only in Christ. This is the picture Romans 6 paints for us:
What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
Romans 6:1-4
For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin.
Romans 6:5-7
Freed from Sin! Yes, you read that right, once you have come to Christ you are free from the power of sin...if you want to be that is? Just as some Jews in the 1st century had a hard time breaking free of their traditions, so some today have a hard time letting go of their sin. Sin is a choice, it is not a guarantee. You do not have to sin, you choose to sin! Yet, thanks to Christ who died on your behalf, suffering the penalty you and I deserved for our sin, fulfilling the law by living a perfect life, you and I are freed from the power of sin, the law, and even death!
It reads like this, because we have been crucified with Christ, we have been raised with Him, because of this we have been reconciled with God, and now can grow in Christ’s likeness, and draw upon His power as we live in hope for the future. (Rom 6:4, Rom 6:5, 2 Cor 5:19, Rom 8.29, Eph 1:19-20, Col 1:27) 1
The life we now live we live by faith in Jesus Christ, NOT by faith in sin or the law. Many believe that once one comes to faith in Christ somehow the power of sin still has power over their lives, and they are destined to succumb to it again and again. I’ve even heard it taught that the power of sin is too hard for the Christian to overcome, and there are some addictions that are too strong to be resisted. This sounds defeatist to me and it also appears that person has more faith in the power of sin than the power of Christ! I would agree that a person cannot overcome sin or resist temptation in and of themselves, but with the power of Christ and the in-working of the Holy Spirit, nothing is impossible.
But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.
Romans 7.6
Paul continues in his letter to the Galatians reminding them that he had explained the meaning of the death of Jesus Christ clearly to them, and asked them how they had received the Holy Spirit? Did they receive the Spirit of God by obeying the Law of Moses? Or did they receive the Spirit because they believed the message they heard about Christ from Paul? They had of course received the Spirit because of what they believed. This is how faith has worked from the very beginning.
Faith and Hearing
In the Old Testament God told an elderly man and woman they would father a child and that ALL nations would be blessed through them. This man and woman were well past the age of child bearing and rearing. The woman was no longer capable of producing the egg that would be fertilized by the man. They heard this same promise 9 times spread over 25 years. And yet, they still believed! Galatians 3.6 quotes Genesis 15.6, “Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And what about the woman? Check out Hebrews 11.11 and the first woman mentioned in the “Hall of Faith,” “Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised.”
So it has always been the faith, which comes from hearing and believing God’s promise, that has saved. The Law was superseded by faith and never had any power to save, it was always faith! The Law can not save any Jew, and certainly can’t save any Gentile (those who aren’t Jews). The law was never meant for the Gentile, therefore those Gentiles who place themselves under the law do so by choice and not by the Word of God, in the same manner as they choose to sin.
Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator. Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one. Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law. But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.
Galatians 3:19; 21-22
Unleash the Lion by breaking free of the bondage of the law, and the enslavement of sin, and believe in the promise of God, that breaks these twin strongholds of condemnation.
Guardian, Bondwoman, and Slave
Continuing in Galatians, now in chapter 4, Paul compares the bondage of legalism to pagan worship! The rudimentary and basic principles Paul is referring to is the law. Some of the Gentiles in Galatia were trying to become Jewish and earn favor with God by observing certain Jewish days or festivals, Paul was shocked and was beginning to believe that his work there had been in vain. Then in verse 12 this “Hebrew of the Hebrews” officially breaks from the Jews:
Brethren, I beseech you, be as I am; for I am as ye are: ye have not injured me at all.
Galatians 4:12
By declaring his independence from the laws Paul also breaks from the Jewish nation. Jews followed the Law of Moses, and for a Jew not to, was considered blasphemy. Paul’s declaration of independence put his life on the line in more ways than one. Paul could have been stoned by the Jewish leaders for heresy. And even if this method was not chosen, Paul was certainly an outcast, who it would have been impossible to do business with. Thus Paul would have been relegated to a life of poverty and loneliness had he chosen to stay and live in Jerusalem. Luckily for us that was not his fate. He continued evangelizing and taking his message across the globe.
Paul uses three comparisons in Galatians to show us what the law is really like.
- a schoolmaster or tutor (3.24, 4.2)
- a bondmaid (4.22)
- yoke of bondage (5.1)
Paul then makes a startling statement, “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.” He goes on to say that all who have been baptized in Christ, have been united in Christ, and are now clothed with Christ. There is now no distinction between Jew or Gentile, slave or free, or even male or female, “for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.”
Christ has united us all under one banner. Now that we are His, no more distinction need exist. We are identified as Christians, followers of Christ, and now the only distinction that exist are those that follow Christ, and those that do not. The Jews no longer have an advantage over Gentiles, the Jews do not have a different route to Heaven than the rest of us, the only way to the Father is through the Son, either you take the Son or you do not (John 14.6). There are not different rules to follow or laws to abide by, we are all now children of Abraham, heirs to God’s promises.
Let’s return again to John 15, a careful reading will confirm what Paul writes. There is one branch. God is the gardener who prunes. What does He prune? He prunes those branches that don’t bear fruit. How does He distinguish which branches to prune? He prunes those branches without regard to race or nationality (Jews or Gentiles), employment (slave or free), or gender (male or female), there is only one consideration: does one bear fruit or not. If one does not bear fruit, they are considered useless and thrown out! If one does bear fruit they are considered true disciples who bring much glory to the Father.
Next, Paul compares the law to a bondmaid, namely Hagar.
You probably remember the story well. God promised Abraham and Sarah a son. After a few years, and a few promises, Sarah gave Abraham her slave, Hagar, to bear Him a son. Hagar did bear a son, Ishmael. But this was not God’s solution, God wanted to do the miraculous and give Abraham and Sarah their own son together. After more years and more promises Sarah got her miracle, a son named Isaac.
Paul takes this inspiring Old Covenant story and states that those who want to remain under the law are actually children of the slave, Hagar. Those that want to live according to the Spirit are children of the free woman, Sarah.
In Genesis 21.8-9 we read that Ishmael mocked Isaac at his weaning ceremony. Paul uses this to point out that those who follow the law have forever been persecuting those that live by the Spirit. What should be done? Paul answers with Sarah’s emphatic plea, “Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.” (Gal 4:30) In essence, throw out the law, for those that live by it and trust in it shall have no inheritance with those who live in, by, and trust the Spirit.
Finally, Paul compares the law to forced slavery. The covenant made with Abraham was a covenant of circumcision, the details of which are found in Genesis 17. This covenant was made with Abraham and all his descendants about a year before Isaac was born. Basically God promised countless descendants and a nation through Abram. To mark the occasion God not only changed Abram’s name to Abraham but also promised the land of Canaan for Abraham’s people to dwell...IF they kept their end of the bargain- each male born into or serving the family, whether from birth or not, must be circumcised (having the foreskin of the flesh cut off) as a sign of the covenant between God and Abraham.
Liberty or Legalism
Paul warns those in Galatia that if they still believe this Old Covenant requirement will save them after the sacrifice of Jesus Christ then they believe in vain! And then in verse 4, for no one will be made right with God through this observance or any other adherence to the law, and if they continue in it they shall be cut off from Christ. God the Gardener will prune them away! No longer will the grace of God protect them after they have counted the cost of Christ as nothing.
Just as man cannot serve two masters neither can he live by two natures! The purpose of the law has been fulfilled in the life, commandments, sacrifice, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Instead of a list of don’ts now we have do’s!
In this are now all the requirements of the law summed up by Him whom we should abide in. Do this and we shall Unleash the Lion. Do this and we shall bear the fruit of the Spirit! A fruit that is thirty, sixty, even a hundredfold as was planted.
So what kind of fruit is God looking for in us?
It is certainly not a strict adherence to an old covenant. There is no life left in those old, dry bones. There is only life found in Jesus Christ bearing the fruit of the Spirit which is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. If the Holy Spirit guides our lives we will be focused on these things. Paul states that the Spirit gives us desires that are the exact opposite of what our flesh desires. When we are directed by the Spirit we are under no obligation to fulfill the dictates of the flesh, or the law of Moses!
The Judaizers in Paul’s day warned that this new doctrine of grace replaced the law with a license to sin, believe it or not there are many who still believe this today, a closer look reveals something quite different. If one is concerned about sinning, which of the following is more likely to sin, the Christian free in liberty or the one bound in legalism?
The Christian who lives in liberty depends on God’s grace, yields to God’s Spirit, lives for others, and seeks to bring glory to God. The Christian who lives in accordance to the law lives in bondage, depends on the flesh to fulfill the requirements of the law, lives for self since adherence to the law brings self satisfaction and a sense of well being, and though they would deny it profusely, seeks the praise of others as further confirmation of their holiness.
In essence, legalism attempts to change the old nature and force it to obey the laws of God. (Wiersbe) Unfortunately, sometimes it works for awhile, bringing the unsuspecting adherent a sense of false security- then the flesh rebels! Consider the following and you can predict with 100% accuracy the outcome of each approach.
Christ has united us all under one banner. Now that we are His, no more distinction need exist. We are identified as Christians, followers of Christ, and now the only distinction that exist are those that follow Christ, and those that do not. The Jews no longer have an advantage over Gentiles, the Jews do not have a different route to Heaven than the rest of us, the only way to the Father is through the Son, either you take the Son or you do not (John 14.6). There are not different rules to follow or laws to abide by, we are all now children of Abraham, heirs to God’s promises.
Let’s return again to John 15, a careful reading will confirm what Paul writes. There is one branch. God is the gardener who prunes. What does He prune? He prunes those branches that don’t bear fruit. How does He distinguish which branches to prune? He prunes those branches without regard to race or nationality (Jews or Gentiles), employment (slave or free), or gender (male or female), there is only one consideration: does one bear fruit or not. If one does not bear fruit, they are considered useless and thrown out! If one does bear fruit they are considered true disciples who bring much glory to the Father.
Next, Paul compares the law to a bondmaid, namely Hagar.
You probably remember the story well. God promised Abraham and Sarah a son. After a few years, and a few promises, Sarah gave Abraham her slave, Hagar, to bear Him a son. Hagar did bear a son, Ishmael. But this was not God’s solution, God wanted to do the miraculous and give Abraham and Sarah their own son together. After more years and more promises Sarah got her miracle, a son named Isaac.
Paul takes this inspiring Old Covenant story and states that those who want to remain under the law are actually children of the slave, Hagar. Those that want to live according to the Spirit are children of the free woman, Sarah.
Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar. For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.
Galatians 4:24-26
In Genesis 21.8-9 we read that Ishmael mocked Isaac at his weaning ceremony. Paul uses this to point out that those who follow the law have forever been persecuting those that live by the Spirit. What should be done? Paul answers with Sarah’s emphatic plea, “Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.” (Gal 4:30) In essence, throw out the law, for those that live by it and trust in it shall have no inheritance with those who live in, by, and trust the Spirit.
Finally, Paul compares the law to forced slavery. The covenant made with Abraham was a covenant of circumcision, the details of which are found in Genesis 17. This covenant was made with Abraham and all his descendants about a year before Isaac was born. Basically God promised countless descendants and a nation through Abram. To mark the occasion God not only changed Abram’s name to Abraham but also promised the land of Canaan for Abraham’s people to dwell...IF they kept their end of the bargain- each male born into or serving the family, whether from birth or not, must be circumcised (having the foreskin of the flesh cut off) as a sign of the covenant between God and Abraham.
Liberty or Legalism
Paul warns those in Galatia that if they still believe this Old Covenant requirement will save them after the sacrifice of Jesus Christ then they believe in vain! And then in verse 4, for no one will be made right with God through this observance or any other adherence to the law, and if they continue in it they shall be cut off from Christ. God the Gardener will prune them away! No longer will the grace of God protect them after they have counted the cost of Christ as nothing.
Just as man cannot serve two masters neither can he live by two natures! The purpose of the law has been fulfilled in the life, commandments, sacrifice, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Instead of a list of don’ts now we have do’s!
Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.
Luke 10:27
In this are now all the requirements of the law summed up by Him whom we should abide in. Do this and we shall Unleash the Lion. Do this and we shall bear the fruit of the Spirit! A fruit that is thirty, sixty, even a hundredfold as was planted.
So what kind of fruit is God looking for in us?
It is certainly not a strict adherence to an old covenant. There is no life left in those old, dry bones. There is only life found in Jesus Christ bearing the fruit of the Spirit which is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. If the Holy Spirit guides our lives we will be focused on these things. Paul states that the Spirit gives us desires that are the exact opposite of what our flesh desires. When we are directed by the Spirit we are under no obligation to fulfill the dictates of the flesh, or the law of Moses!
The Judaizers in Paul’s day warned that this new doctrine of grace replaced the law with a license to sin, believe it or not there are many who still believe this today, a closer look reveals something quite different. If one is concerned about sinning, which of the following is more likely to sin, the Christian free in liberty or the one bound in legalism?
The Christian who lives in liberty depends on God’s grace, yields to God’s Spirit, lives for others, and seeks to bring glory to God. The Christian who lives in accordance to the law lives in bondage, depends on the flesh to fulfill the requirements of the law, lives for self since adherence to the law brings self satisfaction and a sense of well being, and though they would deny it profusely, seeks the praise of others as further confirmation of their holiness.
In essence, legalism attempts to change the old nature and force it to obey the laws of God. (Wiersbe) Unfortunately, sometimes it works for awhile, bringing the unsuspecting adherent a sense of false security- then the flesh rebels! Consider the following and you can predict with 100% accuracy the outcome of each approach.
Liberty
- set free in Christ; no longer under bondage to the law (Gal 5:1-12)
- realizes need for the Holy Spirit to guide their life from within (Gal 5.13-26)
- through the Spirit’s love desires to live for others and not self (Gal 6.1-10)
- lives to the glory of God (Gal 6.11-18)
Legalism
- seeks to obey rules to become a more spiritual person
- believes they have the strength to obey and improve themselves, does what they are told and measures up to others standards
- measures progress by obedience to their standards, compares themselves to others and measures their closeness to God with others based on adherence to law
- wishes others were more like them, assures themselves that God is fortunate to have someone so spiritual, wants to share with others so they too can become as spiritual as them (Wiersbe)
Thus far Paul has used two figures to compare the law, a guardian and a bondwoman, now he uses the yoke of slavery! Peter did the same in Acts 15.10:
Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?
Warren Wiersbe put it this way, “the unsaved person wears a yoke of sin, the legalist wears a yoke of bondage, but the grace filled Christian wears the yoke of Christ.”
Next, Paul warns against circumcision and this leads to a sober warning- if you become circumcised- “Christ shall profit you nothing!” If you become circumcised- you become “debtor to do the whole law!” If you seek to become justified by the law, ye are fallen from grace.”
Paul clearly states that you cannot serve the law and Christ, to follow one is not to follow the other. If you want to unleash the lion in your life, throw out the law and embrace Christ.
Paul finishes up this passage with an exhortation and a proclamation. In Jesus Christ, whether one is circumcised or uncircumcised carries no weight whatsoever, what does matter is that “faith which worketh by love.”
In verse 12 of Galatians 5 Paul makes a startling statement that should give even the most ardent of legalists pause. He wishes that those who taught circumcision, the mutilation of the flesh, would just castrate themselves! The imagery is clear and intentional. Those who taught such things were already cut off from Christ, so Paul wished they would remove themselves from the community of believers in like fashion.
Paul now turns from argument to application. It is one thing to know what God is looking for in us and quite another to know how to carry it out. Paul breaks it down in the verses to follow. He now spends the rest of this great book answering the question, “if we don’t keep the law then what will guide our conduct?” Until now the law was the leash that kept God’s people in line, Paul is about to reveal that Jesus cut the leash, and set His people free!
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