Galatians 5

Wednesday, 18 May 2016

For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love. Galatians 5:6

Paul has used circumcision as the benchmark for his argument against pursuing deeds of the law. If a person was not circumcised, he was excluded from the covenant people. It didn’t matter if he did everything else the law required, if he weren’t circumcised then he would not be counted as part of the congregation. Because of this, it stands as representative of the entire law for Paul’s discourse.

What he tells the Galatians now is that this main tenet, upon which everything else followed, no longer mattered at all. The word “For” explains the words of the previous verse which said, “…through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.” The Spirit is contrasted now with the flesh by saying that “in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything.”

The division is complete. In Christ, circumcision, or the lack of it, has no bearing at all. If this is so, then any observance of the law also has no bearing at all. The law is a unified whole. It cannot be considered “the law” if any part of the law is overlooked or disregarded. Thus, with the setting aside of circumcision, the entire law is set aside. Why is this so hard for people to understand?

Instead of circumcision availing anything, Paul says that it is rather, “…faith working through love” which has practical power. Vincent’s Word Studies notes that the word “working,” being in the middle voice, does not mean “faith which is wrought by love.” It is not passive. In other words, as the Pulpit Commentary states, it does not mean “…faith through love doing works of beneficence,’ ‘but ‘faith evincing its vitality and power through the love which it begets in us.'” They continue by saying, “Love is not contemplated as a separate acting of the Spirit, added on to faith as it were by an extrinsic effort of the soul, but as a product of faith itself, by which faith exerts its own internal energy.”

Why is this important? Because if doing things produced faith, then we would be following the same principles as that of Roman Catholic doctrine. We could claim that by doing things we have earned our faith. This is not the case at all. It is clear that Paul was struggling with presenting precise and exacting words which could clearly show us what it means to have “faith working through love.” Our love of God and what He has done for us through the giving of Christ is what impels our faith forward. This is something that circumcision could never do.

Life application: Do you have faith in the promises of God at all times? Does your faith weaken at times? If so, then go back to the beginning and contemplate what Jesus did for you there on Calvary’s Cross. That should spur your faith back up to optimum levels of love!

Lord God, when our faith weakens and our hope seems to falter, all we need to do is turn back to the first moment when we realized that Jesus died on a cross for our sins. If we just sit quietly and ponder the cross, hope revives, faith is stirred, and our love increases once again! Remind us of this marvelous truth when life gets us misdirected. Remind us of the cross, O God! Amen.

Tuesday, 17 May 2016

For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. Galatians 5:5

The first word explains Paul’s intent for the rest of the verse. “For” (in Greek: gar) is setting this verse in contrast to the previous verse. Side by side, they read –

“…you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.”

This is in contrast to –

“…we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.”

Those who look for justification through the law by their own efforts are contrasted to those who trust in the operation of the Spirit for justification. The first is of human origin; the second is of divine origin. The first results in falling from grace; the second results in the hope of righteousness by faith. The first displays a lack of trust in Christ; the second displays a complete trust in Christ. There is an absolute divide between the two, and it again shows that works and grace are mutually exclusive.

Concerning the words “by faith,” according to Vincent’s Word Studies, they are connected to the word “wait” rather than the phrase “hope of righteousness.” In other words, the thought is, “…we through the Spirit eagerly wait (by faith) for the hope of righteousness.” Our hope is not in the law to grant us righteousness, but rather it is in the fact that the Spirit has acknowledged our faith, and our faith continues to be what we cling to. The hope of righteousness is the object of our faith.

Life application: The law cannot save anyone. But the fulfillment of the law can. What does that mean? Christ fulfilled the law and thus by faith in His accomplished work we have a sure and grounded hope that we will stand before God, having been declared righteous because of the work of Jesus. However, if we attempt to please God by deeds of the law, then our hope is in the law, not in Christ. One cannot have it both ways.

Lord God, we come to You with a sense of awe and wonder. At times, it is over the marvel of what Your hands have created. At times, it is how marvelously You have woven our lives together to bring us happiness, abundance, and joy. But the one thing that is greater than any other is that You have sent us Christ Jesus to grant us an even more marvelous eternity, fully restored to You once again. Thank You for Your kind hand upon us in all ways, especially in the giving of Your Son! Amen.

Monday, 16 May 2016

You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. Galatians 5:4

The words of Paul in today’s verse expand on the thoughts of the previous two verses. If one attempts to be justified by acts of the law, then the result is:

1) Christ will profit you nothing
2) You are a debtor to keep the whole law

Explaining it, so that even the dull can understand, he says that such an attempt to be justified by the law causes a person to “become estranged from Christ.” This means that His fulfilled work, and thus the grace of Christ, is voided in such a person. Works and grace are mutually exclusive. If someone is working in order to please God, then God’s grace has no meaning to them. The relationship of grace is voided by the works and a separation (an estrangement) between the parties is the result.

As this is so, then it shows that this pursuer of the law has “fallen from grace.” The word translated here for “have fallen from” is used in various ways. As a nautical term, it means, “to wander off course,” or to be “cast ashore.” One is no longer on the right route or even in the right ship. They are completely separated from the truth.

Understanding this, one would think that Christians would cling to the cross of Christ. It would seem that all followers of Jesus would be so grateful of God’s grace that they would write about it, sing about it, and cling to it. And yet, how many people simply forget what happened when they called out to Him at the beginning? Instead of trusting in grace, they trust in the lies of the devil. In so doing, they reject the only path to God which can bring about peace and harmony.

Life application: Whatever you add to the work of Christ will be counted as an offense against God. One cannot merit grace, and they cannot earn their place in heaven.

Lord God, it was grace that saved me the day I trusted in Jesus. So why should I think that something I do can keep on saving me now? If that were true, then my restoration with You wasn’t really grace at all! I trusted grace then, and I will trust grace now. What Jesus did is sufficient to save and it is sufficient to keep on saving. Thank You, O God, for the work of Jesus my Lord. Amen.

Sunday, 15 May 2016

And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law. Galatians 5:3

Paul now gives a second proclamation as an avowed testimony to the precept he just stated. Taken together, they read –

“Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing. ³ And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law.”

Some scholars see the word “again” as referring to a time when he preached this word to them, recalling it to mind now. Others see this as a second form of solemn witness. The second seems the most likely:

1) Indeed I, Paul, say to you…
2) And I testify again…

The Pulpit commentary further defines the thought –

“The word ‘again’ points, not to the substance of the subsequent affirmation, as if it were a repetition of that mode in the preceding verse, which in fact it does not appear to be, but to the solemnity with which he makes this fresh affirmation.”

In other words, he is making two distinct affirmations:

1) If you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing.
2) Every man who becomes circumcised is a debtor to keep the whole law.

The two thoughts complement one another. In the act of being circumcised according to the Law of Moses, Christ and the work He accomplished is set aside. In setting aside His work, one then becomes a debtor to the entire law. It is a self condemning act. First, man is born with a sin debt (Psalm 51:5). This is something the law could never remove. But even more, James 2:10 says –

“For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.”

The fact is that no-one can keep the whole law. The need for a Day of Atonement within the law itself proved this. Paul has already shown that no one can be justified by the law in Galatians 3:10. Therefore, Paul’s repeated statements are given to emphatically show that falling back on the law, demonstrated by the outward act of allowing oneself to be circumcised, is a self condemning act. Christ is of no value to such a soul. They will be judged accordingly.

Bible scholar Bengel notes that, “The use of the present tense intimates that the warning is not aimed at isolated acts, but at the introduction of a systematic practice involving a virtual transfer of allegiance from Christ to the Law.” In other words, Paul’s note about circumcision, as was seen in the commentary on verse 2, is speaking about being circumcised for the specific purpose of attempting to be justified by deeds of the law. This then would be an external sign, like baptism is for the follower in Christ. Being so circumcised then would have the intent of showing allegiance to the system of the law.

Life application: Align yourself with the law, and you are bound to the entire law (the stupid choice). Align yourself with Christ, and you are granted the fullness of His grace (the smart choice). Which choice interests you?

Lord God, I am overwhelmed by Christ in me, the hope of glory. Amen.

Saturday, 14 May 2016

Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing.  Galatians 5:2

In the previous verse, Paul implored the Galatians to stand firm in the freedom by which Christ had made them free. He further warned them to not allow themselves to be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. He was specifically speaking of adhering to deeds of the law as a means of being pleasing to God. Now he says, “Indeed I, Paul…”

He dogmatically asserts, under the authority of his apostleship, that what he is about to say is to be held to as absolutely assured, and it is to be taken as the strictest of doctrine for the New Covenant believer. It was he who first preached to the Galatians, bringing them the message of Christ whom he had personally encountered. He was a circumcised Jew and a meticulous adherer to the Law of Moses before that day. But now he had come to realize what faith in Christ involved. With that knowledge, and with his divinely appointed commission, he now will give words of warning.

They are words which resound throughout the ages in this precious epistle – “…if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing.” Paul uses circumcision as the standard for his argument against adhering to the Law of Moses. It was so intricately tied up with the law that it was comparable to baptism for the New Covenant believer. If one were to say, “I will be circumcised in order to please God as the Law of Moses says,” then it would indicate that the work of Christ, in fulfillment of the law, was of no value at all to that person.

Circumcision was a sign which only pointed to the coming Christ. Eventually, it became a mandate of the law itself. As He fulfilled the picture which circumcision formed, and as He fulfilled the mandate of circumcision found in the law, then there was no need for the rite any longer. Its purpose was fulfilled. As this is so, then it is a rite which was to no longer be practiced for earning points with God. It was no longer a sign of covenant life.

Having said this, Paul’s mentioning of circumcision is given in relation to the law. He is not saying that someone couldn’t get circumcised as a cultural aspect of life, nor is he saying that a person couldn’t get circumcised as a standard of health as is practiced today. For such reasons, there is no limitation or warning. Paul is speaking of being circumcised as a means of obtaining justification in addition to the work of Christ.

Life application: If someone tells you that your uncircumcision needs to be corrected in order for you to be pleasing to God, tell them, “Circumcision… we don’t need no circumcision! We have Christ!”

O God! Your word tells us that circumcision of the heart is what makes us pleasing to You. The types and pictures of the Old Covenant only pointed to the coming Christ. Well, He came! In Him is fulfilled every type and every picture of ages past and of a law which is now set aside in Him. Thank You for the grace of Jesus Christ who has set aside the law which stood against us. Thank You for worship in Spirit and in truth! Amen.