"For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery." --Galatians 5:1
At this point in Galatians, Paul has established a firm theological ground on freedom in the Christ. He has shared with the Galatians the reality of who Jesus is and who they are by faith in Christ. We call this the indicative of the Gospel. Most of Paul’s letters are structured with the indicative (information) first and the imperative (implications of the information) as a result of the indicative.
In other words, Paul is going to tell us that since
we have been set free in Jesus Christ, we can now live a life that reflects and
enjoys that freedom. People who have
come to faith in Christ are completely changed in their hearts, minds, and souls. Their lives look different. Plain and simple.
He begins in verse 1 of chapter 5 in this way, “For
freedom Christ has set us free; stand
firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” At first glance, when someone reads the
letter to the Galatians they might think that freedom in Christ means that they
can live their life any way that they want to.
After all, Jesus has wiped the slate clean and salvation has nothing to
do with their works or behavior. Their
ticket to heaven has been punched and verified!
But a life changed by the Spirit, who is now free from fear, free from
condemnation, free from religion, is a life that lives in gratitude and desire
to obey a gracious God.
We are free from the rules as a way of salvation, but
are also now free to obey out of our gratitude.
And this is not a yoke of slavery.
Obedience is the mark of a free man.
What is the motivation behind living in
obedience? In verse 5, Paul tells us
that we are to eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. In the Biblical context, hope means much more
than it does today. Today, we use the
word “hope” in a way that indicates uncertainty. We have no real assurance that what we hope
for will actually come to pass. But in
the time that Paul wrote, hope meant real assurance. In other words, Paul is saying that
Christians live in expectation of the righteousness that is already theirs and
will be theirs. The hope Paul speaks of
has no hint of uncertainty. Christians
are to live in light of certain glorification and very real justification.
We know what is ours.
We know what is ahead. We will be
with Jesus, like Jesus, and in perfect relationship with God. John writes in his letter, “Dear children, we
do not know what we will become, but we know that when he appears, we will be
made like him.” In the Bible, being with
Jesus and like Jesus is certain.
In turn, we live our lives in light of this
hope. God sees us eternally. He does not see us as the version of us that
we hope to be one day. God does not love
us less or more depending upon our behavior, but instead sees us as His eternal
children. Our lives must reflect this
knowledge. That is why we can live in
obedience and without fear and anxiety.
Our options are to live free or die trying. Paul makes this clear in the next verses when
he says that circumcision (moral obedience/religion) and uncircumcision
(paganism/irreligion) have no value at all.
That means that without Jesus our good works have no value. Tim Keller puts it this way, “Neither
moral exertion nor moral failure counts. Period.”
How can Paul say this? Whether you are religious or irreligious has
no weight on whether or not you can be saved.
It has no bearing on how much God loves you or his capability of saving
you. I often remind my children that I
do not love them more when they do good things and my love is not diminished
when they do stupid things. I can only
follow this imperfectly, although I want to believe that I am a perfect
father. But our Father in heaven is
perfect and His love is not based on what we bring to the table or what we leave
behind. His love is entirely based upon
the work of Jesus.
We have to hold to this truth and stand firm. When good things happen to us, we ought not
to believe that it is because of our good works, but rather because of God’s
good and perfect love. When bad things
happen, we ought not to think that God has now loved us less. Rather we must continue to believe that all
things are working together for God’s glory.
In verses 7-8 Paul interjects his thoughts with a
question, “You were doing so well. What
happened?” He warns them that religion,
morality, or pagan licentiousness is not from God. They had added just a tiny bit of bad
doctrine and now they were in danger of not finishing the race.
Paul finishes up his introduction to the practical
section of the letter by reminding the Galatians once more that they were
called into freedom from bondage. We
have been called into freedom and are now free to obey the Law – not as a means
of justification, but as a means of gratitude.
Christians live lives of gratitude under the Gospel when they obey
God.
The final verses show us what this looks like. We are not to use our freedom as an excuse
for sinful lives. Instead, we have now
been given the ability to choose what is right and to live in freedom and
obedience to God.
If you want to hear more about this you can download/watch/listen to the entire sermon here.
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CALLING ON THE NAME OF THE LORD?
ReplyDeleteWhat is the meaning of calling on the name of the Lord? Many assume that believing in Jesus and saying a form of a sinner's prayer constitutes, calling on the name of the Lord. The problem with that theory is none of the conversions under the New Covenant support that assumption. Not one time is anyone ever told to believe and say the sinner's prayer in order to be saved.
The apostle Peter on the Day of Pentecost quoted the prophet Joel, Acts 2:21 And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved." (NKJV)
The apostle Peter preached the first gospel sermon under the New Covenant. Peter did not tell the 3000 converts to believe and say the sinner's prayer.
Peter preached the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. He preached Jesus as both Lord and Christ. When they heard this they asked Peter and the rest of the brethren what they should do?(Acts 2:22-37) Peter told them what to do. Acts 2:38 Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.(NKJV)
How did the 3000 on the Day of Pentecost call on the name of the Lord and become saved?
1. They believed that Jesus was both Lord and Christ.
2. They believed that God raised Jesus from the grave.
3. They repented. Repentance is a change of heart. Repentance means to be converted so that God may forgive your sins. Repentance is to make the intellectual commitment to turn from sin and turn toward God. (Acts 3:19, Acts 2:38)
4. They were immersed in water (baptized) so that their sins could be forgiven.
How did the 3000 on the Day of Pentecost not call on the name of the Lord?
1. They did not say a sinner's prayer.
2. Not one person was asked to pray for forgiveness.
3. Not one single man was told to be baptized as a testimony of his faith.
4. No one was told that water baptism was a just an act of obedience.
5. No one was informed they were saved the very minute they believed.
6. Not one person was told that water baptism was not essential for the forgiveness of sins.
7. Not one person was told to be baptized so they could join a denominational church.
Jesus said he that believes and is baptized shall be saved. (Mark 16"16) Jesus did not say he who believes and says a sinner's prayer shall be saved.
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