Galatians 5

My thoughts for the Itty Bitty Bible Study group on Facebook. (join if you’d like to get these in fb!)

I’ve shared my thoughts on

• Galatians 1:1-10
• Galatians 1:11-24 & 2:1-10
• Galatians 2:11-21
• Galatians 3:1-9
• Galatians 3:10-20
• Galatians 3:21-29
• Galatians 4

Galatians 5
1 For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

I believe that this is one of the key verses in Galatians!
I love the King James Version – it’s what I memorized as a young Christian!

Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

It’s not just chains…it’s entanglement!

From Marmion by Sir Walter Scott

The vision is that once entangled, it is very hard to unravel all the parts to be set free.

How are we set free?

John 8:31-32
31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples,
32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

John 8:36
36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

Because the issue of being entangled into the law is:

James 2:10
For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it.

Paul specifically points out the law issue of THIS letter – circumcision – to be counted as a child of God.

Galatians 5:2-6
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.

The historical background is in Acts 15.
Paul wrote about this experience with Peter in Galatians 2:11-21
My thoughts on the aspects of the danger of the law in IBBS Galatians 2:14-21; Galatians 3:1-9; Galatians 3:10-20; Galatians 3:21-29.

Paul pleads with the Galatians…with a bit of an interesting wish for those that were preaching the “other” gospel…aside from being accursed (Galatians 1:6-9)

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!

A little leaven leavens the whole lump.
in Galatians 2:11-21, Paul makes it evident that Peter’s hypocrisy affected others in the area to raise themselves up above the gentile believers.
One reason for our walking in the Spirit(later in this chapter) is that we do not cause others to stumble!

Mark 9:42
“Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea.

Matthew 18:6-7
6 but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin,[a] it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.
7 “Woe to the world for temptations to sin![b] For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes!

1 Corinthians 8:12
Thus, sinning against your brothers and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ.

1 Peter 2:15-16
15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people.
16 Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.

Called to Freedom – and the purpose is not to sin, but to love and serve one another.

Galatians 5:13-15
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.

Walking in the Spirit does NOT lend to itself to sin,

Galatians 5:16-17
16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.
17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the
flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.

Romans 6:1-2 –
1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?
2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?

One version says GOD FORBID!

Christians will be known by their fruit…their lives…their works!

Matthew 7:16

You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?

Being led of the Spirit – is to walk in liberty, not the law!

Galatians 5:18
18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

The works of the flesh…known by their fruit!

In Matthew 7, Jesus is talking about a lot of things!
It starts out in verses 1 – about Judge not that ye not be judged.

1“Judge not, that you be not judged.
2 For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.

In verses 13-14 he talks about the narrow gate:

Matthew 7:13-14
13 Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.
14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

Then,Matthew 7:15, he’s talking about judging false prophets!
Verse 16 –

you shall know them by their fruit.

We are to judge people BY THEIR FRUIT!

Matthew 7

15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.
16 You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?
17 So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit.
18 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit.
19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
20 Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.

In John 7:24 Jesus tells the leaders of the church to judge justly. Interestingly enough – his talk references circumcision being done on the sabbath, and that not breaking the law! There this sticky issue comes up, again!

We are to test the spirits of the prophets…1 John 4:1-3
How are we to know if we need to help a weaker brother, if we do not recognize the fruits of the flesh?

1 Thessalonians 5:14
And we exhort you, brothers: warn those who are irresponsible, comfort the discouraged, help the weak, be patient with everyone

Matthew 18, Jesus tells us how to address a brother or sister in sin –
Obviously, there is a difference between judging another in order to ignore a sin in our own life(hypocrisy), and recognizing that a brother or sister is having difficulty, and going to them in love to restore them to fellowship(love for the brotherhood).

Galatians 5:19-21
19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality,
20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions,
21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Based on the Matthew 7 chapter – first we need to take the log our of our own eye!

1 Peter 2:1-3
So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. 2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.

There are plenty of passages for putting off the sins of the flesh.
Even a few verses back!

Galatians 5:16-17
16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.
17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the
flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.

Why should we take heed to how we act and are?

1 Peter 2:15-17
15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people.
16 Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.
17 Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.

Why? To silence those that are outside the church. To not give them any reason to truthfully say evil against us, thereby the church, thereby the reputation of Jesus Christ. We are ambassadors – we are often the only Jesus someone will see.

Galatians 5:22-25

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.

Peter had something to say about this!

2 Peter 1:3-10
3 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence,
4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.
5 For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge,
6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness,
7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.
8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9 For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.
10 Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall.

Paul talked to Timothy about it in 1 Timothy 6

Titus 3:1-2
1 Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work,
2 to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people.

Colossians 1:9-14
9 And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,
10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;
11 being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy;
12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.
13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,
14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

In Revelation 2 and 3, the Apostle John is told to write, over and over and over “i know your works…”

James 2:14-26 talks about faith without works being dead.
Works IS THE EVIDENCE of faith!
We cannot SEE faith, but God, in His wisdom, has showed us how to grade ourselves…and how to take the temperature of others in order to love them back to the fold.

John 13:35
By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

This is Jesus speaking! The only way to know about someone’s love for another is to SEE it!

We were created FOR GOOD WORKS!

Ephesians 2:10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Paul describes love in 1 Corinthians 13 – and it sounds a lot like the fruit of the Spirit!

Jesus talked about the difference between following the law in Luke 10, comparing it to that of the Samaritan who showed HIS faith by HIS works, and was commended for his acts, or “work”.

We need to show our faith by our works – our fruit – our evidence!
We will be judged by our works:

1 Corinthians 3:12-15
12 According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled[b]master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it.
11 For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
12 Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw—
13 each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done.
14 If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward.
15 If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.

We are building upon the foundation – Jesus Christ. We are not adding to salvation, we are declaring our LOVE for HIM and our desire to HONOR HIM with our lives.

We will be judged by our words:

Matthew 12:36-37
36 I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak,
37 for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

John 15:8-10
8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.
9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.
10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.

The beauty of Christianity is not that we don’t have to walk circumspectly…it’s that God has made a way!

John 15
Specifically verse 5

I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

And he even promises us Joy for abiding in HIM!

John 15:11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

Fruit and works are similar –

​Galatians​ ​5:22-23
22​ ​But​ ​the​ ​fruit​ ​of​ ​the​ ​Spirit​ ​is​ ​love,​ ​joy,​ ​peace,​ ​patience,​ ​kindness,​ ​goodness,​ ​faithfulness,
23​ ​gentleness,​ ​self-control;​ ​against​ ​such​ ​things​ ​there​ ​is​ ​no​ ​law.

I looked up some verses about Love, Joy and Peace. Just the first three!

LOVE The only way to know if someone, if I, have the fruit of LOVE – is to see it. – it’s often said that Love is a verb. We can SEE it! (1 Cor 13; Mt 5:43-48, 22:39; Lk 6:27; Eph 5:2; 1 John 3;1 John 4 )

JOY – this should show on my face, even in times of despair…and I’m not talking about happiness that is based upon happenings around me. I’m talking about JOY that transcends what is going on, and is based in Jesus. (Mt 25:21; 1 John 1:4; Rom 14:17; Neh 8:10; John 15:11; Ps 16:11)

PEACE – it is obvious when someone has peace – or anxiety. (John 14:27; Eph 2:14; Phil 4:7; Heb 12:14; Isaiah 9:6)

 

I found a lovely coloring page for the Fruit of the Spirit from paper gifts for Estafany.

Galatians 5:26
24​ ​And​ ​those​ ​who​ ​belong​ ​to​ ​Christ​ ​Jesus​ ​have​ ​crucified​ ​the​ ​flesh​ ​with​ ​its​ ​passions​ ​and​ ​desires.
26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

We do not use our liberty to sin – but rather, rejoice in our liberty, wherewith Christ has set us free – and abide IN HIM, so that we are empowered to not become entangled again in the sins and lusts of our lives. Will we sin again? of course. Thank God for our advocate in Jesus Christ (1 John 1:9) But will we become entangled? Not if we abide in Christ!

1 John 5: 1- 3
1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him.
2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments.
3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome

Adding a little hope of joy and peace:

Romans 15:13
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

 

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

“The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His standard very clear.
If my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without hesitation.
If I hesitate, it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with Him, namely, myself.” – from My Utmost for His highest

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