Galatians 5:7-12

INTRODUCTION

Paul was concerned about the Christians in Galatia because false doctrine had penetrated their churches. The Galatians had come out of paganism. They had forsaken heathen practices and had accepted the freedom of salvation that comes with belief in Christ. They were, in fact, converts of the Apostle Paul himself, having received the Holy Spirit and manifested His fruit in their lives. Consequently, they had begun to make an impact on their community.

At a later date, the Judaizers arrived and told them it was not sufficient to believe in Christ alone for salvation. They were convincing the Galatians that it was necessary to obey the Mosaic ceremonial law. But that was nothing short of legalism--attempting to please God through works, rather than faith. Legalism is the belief that if you perform certain religious activities, God will save and bless you on that basis rather than on faith and the attitude of your heart. Salvation by works is precisely what Paul argued against in the epistle to the Galatians. Salvation is not a question of what you do; it's is a question of what you believe. It is a question of faith, not works.

In the first two chapters of Galatians, Paul established his right to preach the message of salvation by faith rather than works. In chapters 3 and 4, he established that the Old Testament teaches salvation by faith and grace. Finally, in chapters 5 and 6, he demonstrated how to live out the freedom of salvation and revealed that the life of faith is blessed of God.

REVIEW

Galatians 5:1 tells us that Christ set us free not to become bondslaves to a legal system, but to empower us to operate within God's moral law, which is still valid. In fact, Paul said, "The law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good" (Rom. 7:12). The difference as a Christian is that I do not look to my ability to keep that law to be saved. Salvation is a matter of faith and grace only. In Galatians Paul says that Christ has given us the freedom to walk in the Spirit to keep from fulfilling the lusts of the flesh. Being liberated doesn't mean a Christian can be free to sin whenever he wants and get away with it; it means he can overrule his compulsion to sin through the indwelling Holy Spirit. Christian liberty is being controlled from the inside, rather than being pressured from the outside. It is freedom to do what I want out of love, not bondage to do what I have to out of fear.

Paul exhorts the Galatians to continue to stand firm and not be oppressed by the yoke of legalism. In writing to the Galatians, he attacks both the false doctrine and the false teachers in verses 1 to 12.

I. THE WORK OF FALSE DOCTRINE (vv. 2-6)

A. You Are Not Profited by Christ (v. 2)

B. You Are Required to Keep the Whole Law ( v. 3)

C. You Are Fallen from Grace (v. 4)

D. You Are Excluded from Righteousness (vv. 5-6)

True faith produces good works. The works themselves do not save a person. They are merely the result of being transformed through faith. Colossians 1:10 helps clarify how good works relate to salvation: "That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work." God desires a Christian to be fruitful and productive in good works. The works of a Christian's life do not earn him salvation or favor with God; rather they indicate that he has been saved. When we become new creations in Christ, the Holy Spirit produces good works. The law, however, has a problem: It can't change people on the inside. But the Spirit who lives within us gives us the capacity to keep God's law. The law may restrict behavior, but it never changes people. Salvation by grace through faith internally changes people.

After condemning the false doctrine of legalism, Paul condemns the false teachers themselves.

LESSON

II. THE WORK OF FALSE TEACHERS (vv. 7-12)

A. They Hinder the Truth (v. 7)

1. The opponents of the truth (v. 7a)

"Ye did run well; who did hinder you?"

Paul commends the Galatians for having run the race of the Christian life so well. But some Judaizers had put legalistic obstacles in the track and hindered the good start and the fruitful progress of the Galatian churches. Therefore, Paul asks, "Who hindered you by moving in and draining you of your power?" More than wanting to identify the individual false teachers by name, he is making a statement of amazement: "I can't believe you could ever allow anyone to do a thing like that! Who could possibly discount my authority and claim to improve on the Spirit's work so that they could destroy what God began among you?"

The Galatians had been all God had intended until legalism entered their churches and their members began stumble. Paul is not asking them to name the ringleader. He is saying, "Before you continue to follow the false teaching of this group, you better consider what kind of persons they are." Paul wants his readers to evaluate the character of false teachers.

Paul had this to say about the kind of people they were: "As many as desire to make a fair show in the flesh, they constrain you to be circumcised .... For neither they themselves who are circumcised keep the law, but desire to have you circumcised, that they may glory in your flesh" (Gal. 6:12-13). They only wanted converts to add to their list of accomplishments. That is typical of false teachers: They want to get a following of people who support their aberrant teachings.

2. The obedience to the truth (v. 7b)

"That ye should not obey the truth?"

a) Explained

(1) Its reference to salvation

Obeying the truth can refer to the point of salvation. The Galatians may have actually begun to forsake the doctrine of salvation, coming to the place where they no longer believed in saving truth.

(a) Acts 6:7--"The word of God increased, and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith." Many priests also believed in Christ, which resulted in their salvation.

(b) Romans 2:8--To those who are "contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness [will come] indignation and wrath." Those who reject salvation will experience divine judgment.

(c) Romans 6:17--"God be thanked, that whereas ye were the servants of sin, ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you."

(d) Romans 10:16--"They have not all obeyed the gospel." The concept of obeying the truth often refers to salvation (cf. Rom. 15:18; 16:26; 2 Thess. 1:8).

(2) Its reference to sanctification

Obedience to the truth is not only an issue of salvation, but is also related to the Christian life. You may ask, "Is Paul talking to Christians or non-Christians in the fifth chapter of Galatians?" I think he is saying, "You started out right by obeying the truth of salvation and the truth of living in the Spirit, but someone is hindering you from being committed to those truths." The issue isn't whether he is talking to Christians or non- Christians; he is talking about principles that can apply in either case.

It is sad that a church founded by the Apostle Paul was forsaking the doctrines of salvation and sanctification. Throughout the world, there are many churches that propagate false truth regarding salvation, even though they may be part of the church. Sometimes Christians can find themselves falling into a pattern of legalism when they disregard the truths about the grace of God.

(a) 2 Corinthians 10:4-5--"(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds), casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ." The believer is to be obedient to Christ's leading in his life.

(b) Romans 6:16-18--Paul tells us that if we have yielded ourselves as servants of Christ, we ought to obey Him.

(c) 1 Peter 1:22--Peter talked to Christians about obeying the truth and loving the brothers.

Sometimes even well-meaning people can sell the church a bag of legalism--do's and don'ts that are supposed to be the equivalent of spirituality. When churches accept that, they are hindered from running well. When non- Christians on the edge of Christianity forsake the true doctrine of salvation, or when Christians exchange the truth of grace for legalism, the result is the same: The race toward spiritual maturity cannot be run in the shackles of legalism. There will be no fruitfulness when legalism is preached, because legalism prevents the listeners from applying truths that edify them.

b) Exemplified

(1) 1 Timothy 4:1-2--"Now the Spirit speaketh expressly that, in the latter times, some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their conscience seared with a hot iron." False teachers typically fail to live by the message they preach, a hypocritical practice that doesn't seem to bother them since their consciences are insensitive to the power of conviction. Their consciences had been rendered insensitive by scar tissue that developed because of their repeated refusals to heed the warnings of conviction.

(2) 2 Timothy 3:8--False teachers "resist the truth, [being] men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith."

(3) 2 Peter 2:1-2--"There shall be false teachers among you, who secretly shall bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them .... And many shall follow their pernicious ways, by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of." One common characteristic of apostates is that they deny the deity of Christ. Such teachers bring error and thereby hinder the truth.

B. They Are Not of God (v. 8)

"This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you."

The Galatians were not led by the Spirit into legalism. After all, it was the Spirit of God who had called them into freedom. Romans 8:30 tells us that God calls people to salvation: "Moreover, whom he did predestinate, them he also called; and whom he called, them he also justified; and whom he justified, them he also glorified." So Paul says that persuasion to follow legalism did not come from God. The God who called them to salvation through His internal, effectual, saving call does not propagate that kind of message.

In 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14, Paul said, "But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth, unto which he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ." God's saving call is administered through a presentation of the gospel. Because the false teachers among the Galatians churches were propagating a different gospel, they were not aligned with God, who had called the Galatians through the true gospel. Whatever voice the Galatians were hearing, it wasn't God's voice.

C. They Contaminate the Church (v. 9)

"A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump."

That was a very familiar proverb of Paul's day. Paul also used it in 1 Corinthians 5:6. Leaven is yeast. Only a little is required to get a great result. Just as a little leaven causes the whole lump of dough to rise, so a few false teachers can contaminate an entire group of churches.

Jude 11-13 describes false teachers: "Woe unto them! For they have gone in the way of Cain [the religion of human achievement], and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward [as a prophet for hire], and perished in the gainsaying of Korah [who usurped the role of a priest]. These are spots in your love feasts, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear; clouds they are without water, carried about by winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots; raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever." Jude was a picturesque writer! Just as it took only one worm to destroy Jonah's gourd (Jonah 4:7), or as cancer can spread from one small cell to the rest of the body, or even as one match can start a forest fire, so one false teacher can contaminate a church. Benjamin Franklin realized how something seemingly insignificant could have severe consequences when he said, "For want of a nail, the shoe was lost; for the want of a shoe the horse was lost; for want of a horse the rider was lost; for want of a rider the battle was lost; and for want of a battle the kingdom was lost. All this for want of a horseshoe nail" (a maxim prefixed to Poor Richard's Almanack [1758]). If you give in just a little, you may be asking for trouble. Needless to say, the priority of the leaders in the church is to watch and warn against false teaching because they can contaminate the church so rapidly.

D. They Will Be Judged (v. 10)

1. The confidence (v. 10a)

"I have confidence in you through [or, `in'] the Lord, that ye will be none otherwise minded."

Paul's hope is like a star glimmering in the dark night. He is saying, "If you Galatians are genuine believers, you will recognize your situation and remain faithful to the truth."

a) John 8:31--Jesus said, "If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed."

b) John 15:4-8--True disciples are fruitful branches that abide in Christ.

c) Philippians 1:6--"He who hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ."

Similarly, Paul tells the Galatians, "If you belong to Christ, I'm not going to worry that you will reject the truth. Your current brush with legalism is a passing fancy. I have confidence that you will stay with grace." Paul he knew if they were Christ's, Satan had no power over them. John 10:28-29 says that those who belong to Christ are hidden in His hand and the Father's hand; and no one is able to pluck them out.

2. The condemnation (v. 10b)

"But he that troubleth you shall bear his judgment, whosoever he be."

The false teachers who were troubling the Galatians would receive judgment. The word translated "troubleth" means "to throw into confusion." Paul is saying, "Whoever created this chaos and confusion is in trouble themselves." Many verses speak of the condemnation that will come on those who mislead God's people.

a) Matthew 23:33--Jesus condemned the scribes and Pharisees, saying, "Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?"

b) 2 Peter 2:1-14--"But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who secretly shall bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.... whose judgment now for a long time lingereth not, and their destruction slumbereth not. For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; and spared not the old world, but saved Noah, the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly; and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them with an overthrow, making them an example unto those that after should live ungodly; and delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy manner of life of the wicked ..., the Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished; but chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government [or, authority]. Presumptuous are they; self-willed, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities [or, angels]. Whereas angels, who are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against them before the Lord. But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not, and shall utterly perish in their own corruption, and shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to revel in the daytime. Spots they are and blemishes, reveling with their own deceivings while they feast with you; having eyes full of adultery and that cannot cease from sin." That description of false teachers indicates their certain judgment for having sought to mislead God's people--a most serious offense.

c) Matthew 18:1-6--"At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, and said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever, therefore, shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whosoever shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me. But whosoever shall offend one of these little ones who believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea." Jesus made it clear that you do not tamper with God's people without incurring judgment.

E. They Persecute True Teachers (vv. 11-12)

1. The defense of Paul's persecutions (v. 11)

"And I, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution? Then is the offense of the cross ceased."

a) The Accusation About Paul

(1) Expressed

Verse 11 is difficult to interpret at first glance, but it becomes easier to understand when you identify what Paul had been accused of. Apparently, the Judaizers were saying, "We're not so offbeat. Did you know that Paul also preaches circumcision? That makes Paul one of us." For evidence, they probably referred to the incident recorded in Act 16: "Then came [Paul] to Derbe and Lystra; and, behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a certain woman, who was a Jewess, and believed; but his father was a Greek. Timothy was well reported of by the brethren that were at Lystra and Iconium. Him would Paul have to go forth with him; and took and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those quarters; for they all knew that his father was a Greek" (vv. 1-3).

(2) Explained

You might wonder why Paul had Timothy circumcised. He certainly didn't do it to save him. He did it because Timothy was half Jewish and half Gentile. Everyone around knew his father was a Greek, so Paul figured that if Timothy would follow the rite of circumcision, those who knew Timothy would see that he purposely and willingly identified with Judaism. That made him all the more able to reach into the Jewish community and be accepted. Paul did it for the expediency of the ministry, not for Timothy's salvation. Paul wanted him to be a more effective missionary to Jews since they were the first people he approached when entering a new town and preaching in the synagogues. Timothy's acceptance of the sign of Judaism--a tradition he had a right to since he was half Jewish--enabled him to dialogue with those who otherwise might have rejected him.

When Paul is writing to the Galatians, however, he is not talking to Jews but to Gentiles. For them to assume circumcision was necessary to be saved would have been to violate the doctrine of salvation. When there was no biblical principle involved, Paul allowed for many things. In 1 Corinthians 9 he said, "And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews ... to them that are without law, as without law ... that I might gain them that are without law.... I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some" (vv. 20- 22). Without compromising biblical principles, Paul would accommodate himself to the situation. But apparently the Judaizers had cited the circumcision of Timothy to support their claim that Paul supported circumcision.

b) The Argument by Paul

Paul's argument is very effective. He says, "If I'm really on their team, why are they persecuting me?" The Judaizers persecuted him throughout Asia Minor and later in Macedonia and Achaia. If Paul had actually been teaching salvation by circumcision rather than through the cross of Christ, they wouldn't have persecuted him because the cross was a offensive concept to those who believed that salvation was earned by works. The offense of the cross to the Jew was not just a crucified Messiah; it was also that the cross superseded the entire Mosaic economy. The Jews had spent all their lives trying to keep the law. But when Christ died on the cross, thereby fulfilling the law, Paul could say, "It is no longer necessary to observe the entire law. What you need to do is believe in Christ and His work on the cross." They couldn't believe that one act of history at the cross could replace the Mosaic law. The cross basically made the legal system extinct. Fourth century church Father John Chrysostom said in his commentary on Galatians 5:11 that the cross was not as great of a stumbling block to the Jews as was the failure to require obedience to the ancestral laws. The example he gave is that when the Jewish religious leaders attacked Stephen, they didn't condemn him for worshiping Christ, but for speaking against the law and the holy place (Acts 6:13).

Paul himself persecuted the church before he became a Christian because Christianity seemed to have little place for Mosaic law. In Galatians 1:13-14, he said, "For ye have heard of my manner of life in time past in the Jews' religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it; and profited in the Jews' religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers." So the cross was an offense to them because it superseded the very system they refused to let go of.

Are you offended by the cross?

The cross has offended people throughout history for one basic reason: It obliterates all religions of human achievement, and strips every man naked in his own sin. People don't like to face the fact that they are naked before God in sinfulness without recourse. Peter stood before the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem after he had been arrested for teaching about Jesus and the resurrection from the dead, and said, "Neither is there salvation in any other; for there is no other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). There aren't many people who like the narrow way of salvation by grace because it destroys all human achievement. The cross is still unpopular because it unmasks sin and leaves no room for pride in thinking you can earn your way to heaven.

To preach Christ as the only way of salvation is to invite persecution because it declares every man a sinner. It's much less offensive to preach something like circumcision. You could tell a person, "You're a nice guy. If you'll just do thirteen more nice things, you will go to heaven." But if you tell a person that he is a sinner condemned to hell, and that the his good works mean nothing to God, expect him to take offense.

2. The denouncement of Paul's persecutors (v. 12)

"I would they even cut off who trouble you."

Paul closes his polemic on false doctrine and false teachers with one of the most shocking statements that ever came from his lips. He says, "I wish those people who are teaching circumcision would castrate themselves!" There is something about his statement I like: his passionate hatred of false teachers. He wasn't afraid to say what he needed to. Bordering Galatia was the territory of Phrygia, where the goddess Cybele was worshiped. It was the practice of the priests and devout worshipers of Cybele to be castrated. All the priests of Cybele were eunuchs. So Paul says, "If you're going to go the route of human achievement and get yourself circumcised, you might as well go the whole route and castrate yourselves and become a full-fledged pagan!" Law and grace as means of salvation don't mix.

In the Christian sphere, some people might say, "It's nice to believe in Jesus Christ to be saved, but you must also add baptism to that." No. If you're going to add baptism, you might as well become a pagan. When the Galatians read verse 12 of Paul's epistle, they were probably shocked because they lived next to the Phrygians and knew exactly what he was talking about.

CONCLUSION

There are only two choices: the religion of divine grace, or the religion of human achievement. Luke 18 illustrates them very graphically: "And [Jesus] spoke this parable unto certain who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a tax collector" (vv. 9-10). The holiest people in the thinking of many Jewish people were the Pharisees, and the most despicable persons were tax collectors, who were the puppets of the hated Roman government. "The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice in the week; I give tithes of all that I possess" (vv. 11-12). When we love to talk about our religious accomplishments, we border on Pharisaism. If we brag about our praying, our giving, or our ministry, we are practicing the religion of human achievement. I don't know why this Pharisee even bothered praying to God; all he wanted to do was report in about how good he had been. However, the tax collector recognized his need of divine grace and therefore received it: "And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. [Jesus said,] I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted" (vv. 13-14). The message of Galatians is very simple: Apart from the grace of God, there is no other means of salvation. No man ever comes to God on his own merit. God's arms are open; He graciously offers salvation to those who will believe in Him.

Focusing on the Facts

1. Explain what had happened among the Galatian churches that was concerning Paul.

2. What is legalism?

3. Explain how good works relate to the Christian life.

4. What had the Judaizers done to the Galatian Christians?

5. What two things can the phrase "obey the truth" (Gal. 5:7) refer to?

6. What happens when Christians exchange the truth of grace for legalism?

7. According to 1 Timothy 4:1-2, what do false teachers typically fail to do? Why does that not seem to bother them?

8. What is one reason the "way of truth" (Christianity) is spoken evil of, according to 2 Peter 2:1-2?

9. Who calls believers to salvation, according to 2 Thessalonians 2:13- 14? What is the saving call administered through?

10. How do we know the false teachers among the Galatians were not aligned with God?

11. Explain how the proverb about leaven applied to the false teachers. Consequently, what is a priority for church leaders?

12. Why was Paul confident about the Galatians (v. 10)?

13. What is promised to false teachers who mislead God's people?

14. What had the false teachers apparently accused Paul of that made it necessary for Paul to defend himself in verse 11?

15. Why did Paul circumcise Timothy in Acts 16? For what reason did Paul identify with others, according to 1 Corinthians 9:22?

16. What proved that Paul was not teaching salvation by circumcision like the Judaizers?

17. Why was the cross an offense to the Jewish person in general? Give two reasons.

18. Why do most people not like the narrow way of salvation by grace? Why is the cross still unpopular?

19. In the parable Jesus told in Luke 18, for what differing reasons did the Pharisee and the tax collector pray to God?

Pondering the Principles

1. It is important that Christians prepare themselves from being misled by false teachings. Read Ephesians 4:11-14. What has Christ given to His church to mature each member? What is the goal of that edifying process? What is the result of having unity of faith and knowledge of the Son of God? Is your church offering a steady diet of biblical doctrine? It is said that a bank teller learns to detect counterfeit money not by studying the counterfeits, but by being thoroughly familiar with the real thing. Do you know enough biblical truth to detect false or inaccurate teaching when you hear or see it? Besides examining the teachings themselves, evaluate the teachers who propagate them. What advice does Jesus give us about the relationship between a teacher's life and his doctrine, according to Matthew 7:15- 20? How might you help the members of your church to equip themselves against false teachers?

2. When comparing Paul's readiness to become all things to all men (1 Cor. 9:20-22) and his unwavering ministry of preaching the cross of Christ (1 Cor. 1:18--2:5) in the midst of opposition, there is a paradox: In his desire to win people to Christ, how could Paul identify with unbelievers, yet refuse to compromise the message of the cross even when it brought persecution? The issue is knowing what things can be compromised and what can't. Paul recognized that he could relate acceptably to unbelievers by accommodating himself to their various cultures. For example, if the situation called for it, he temporarily followed the ceremonial practices of the Jewish people, even though they were no longer binding (Acts 16:1-3; 18:18; 21:20-26). However, he never set aside the central truth of salvation by faith in Christ's death and resurrection. Examine Paul's sermon on Mars' Hill in Acts 17:22-34. He began dialoging at the level of understanding the Athenians had. Although he began in general terms, he didn't hedge when it came to telling them that God would judge the world through Christ, whom He raised from the dead (v. 31). Think of some people you know who need to hear the gospel. List some specific ways you might be able to identify with each of them to build a friendship. Before sharing Christ with them, think through how you could make the gospel relevant to them.