~
1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
2 Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. 3 Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law.
Paul says Christ has made us free from the law. Don’t turn and go back into the slavery of the law. The Greek word used here meant to be caught up or entangled in.
Paul then goes back to the issue at hand, circumcision. He tells them if they allow themselves to be circumcised, then Christ’s sacrifice was for nothing! He then gives them a warning: if you allow yourselves to be circumcised because you believe in the law, then you must follow the ENTIRE law. You can’t pick and choose which parts of the law you will obey. You either obey all of it or none of it.
Paul isn’t saying we shouldn’t obey any of the laws. Obviously God gave the law for good reason. But we mustn’t obey the laws with the idea we will be saved by doing so.
4 You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. 5 For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.
If we try to earn salvation through the law, then we will be cut out of the inheritance and we will fall from grace, being placed outside the scope of divine favor, because gaining God’s favor by observing the law and receiving it by grace are mutually exclusive. We who believe and follow Christ have the true hope and await it eagerly. Here Paul is referring to God’s final verdict of ‘not guilty’, which is assured to the believer by faith and by the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit. We will be made right with God through His Spirit—by faith. When a person is in Christ Jesus, it doesn’t matter if he is circumcised or not. The only important thing is faith—the kind of faith which works through love. Faith is not mere intellectual acceptance, but a living trust in God’s grace which expresses itself in acts of love.
Last week while eating at a Chinese restaurant, I got a fortune cookie. What was written on that little piece of paper was among the best descriptions of “faith” I’ve ever seen. It said, “Faith is a bird that feels the light and sings while the dawn is still dark.”
When our lives are at their darkest point, our faith is being tested. This is when we must be strong enough to allow God to carry our burdens and lead us through the darkness while we continue singing His praises. We may not be able to see the light, or God’s presence, but we should feel it, like the bird, by having the faith it is there none the less.
7 You were running a good race. Who cut in on you to keep you from obeying the truth? 8 That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you. 9 “A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough.”
Paul says they were going the right direction and obeying the truth. Who persuaded them to stop? Whoever it was, was NOT from God. Be careful! Just a little bit of yeast makes the entire batch of dough rise.
Whenever ‘yeast’ is used as a symbol in the Bible, it indicates evil or false teaching. Paul is saying something small can become a very big problem.
10 I am confident in the Lord that you will take no other view. The one who is throwing you into confusion, whoever that may be, will have to pay the penalty.
Paul tells them he knows somebody is upsetting them with new ideas and whoever it is will be punished. He also says he trusts them NOT to believe those ideas.
11 Brothers and sisters, if I am still preaching circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been abolished. 12 As for those agitators, I wish they would go the whole way and emasculate themselves!
He uses the term “Brothers and sisters” which is an endearment showing Paul still loves these people as family. He makes the point if he was preaching circumcision, as the Judaizers were claiming he was, then why was he still being persecuted?
Paul then speaks of the embarrassment to the Jews who crucified Christ—if what the Judaizers were teaching was true, the Jews had done nothing wrong and would have no reason to be embarrassed by the crucifying of Christ. Paul becomes a bit sarcastic here by saying he wishes these people who are upsetting them with their ideas would also insist on castration, meaning to cut themselves off.
13 You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. 14 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
In contexts like this, the Greek word for flesh (sarx) refers to the sinful state of human beings, often presented as a power in opposition to the Spirit. This word is also used in verses 16, 17, 19, and 24, then again in chapter 6:8.
Just because you are not under the law does not mean for you to use your freedom as an excuse to do all the things your physical body wants. Instead, you must serve each other in love. The entire law is made complete in this one command: Love others the same way you love yourself. Paul quotes scripture found in Leviticus 19:18.
15 If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.
Be careful. If you continue hurting each other and tearing each other apart, you might completely destroy each other. Seeking to attain God’s acceptance through the law breeds self-righteousness and a critical spirit. How often do we find these things within churches?—where people are being critical of others who aren’t dressed just right or aren’t ‘their’ type of people.
16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
Live by following the Spirit. The Greek word used here for ‘live’ means habitual conduct. Living by the power and guidance of the Spirit is the key to conquering sinful desires. Then you won’t do those selfish and evil things you are tempted to do by your human nature. Human nature wants things which are against the Spirit; the Spirit wants things which are against human nature. These are two opposing forces. Because of this, you can’t do whatever you want. But if you allow the Spirit to lead you, then you will not be condemned by the law.
19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Paul lists some of the acts caused by our human nature, things that are wrong. Notice Paul uses the plural, “acts” here. Acts of the sinful nature is plural, indicating a division of different things, causing confusion.
- committing sexual sins not being pure
- having orgies worshiping false gods
- practicing witchcraft hating people
- making trouble being jealous
- becoming too angry being selfish
- making people angry with each other causing divisions
- envying others getting drunk
- having wild parties and other such things.
Paul says people who do these things will NOT inherit God’s kingdom.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
When Paul lists the things produced by the Spirit, he uses the singular “fruit”. Fruit, being one singular thing, indicates unity, a close tie between the things listed—a sort of bond.
The use of the word ‘fruit’ was not accidental. These virtues grow within us when we are fed by the Spirit just as fruit is produced on trees.
The Spirit produces:
- Love joy peace
- Patience kindness goodness
- Faithfulness gentleness self-control.
There is no law against these things.
24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.
Those who belong to Christ have nailed their own human nature to crosses, along with its feelings and selfish desires. Since we get life from the Spirit, we should follow the Spirit. The Greek word used here literally meant to ‘walk in line with’. We must not be conceited or make trouble for each other. Neither should we be jealous of one another.
Other lists of vices of the human nature are found in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 and Revelation 22:15.
1 Corinthians 6:9-10: Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
Note: The words "men who have sex with men" translate two Greek words that refer to the passive and active participants in homosexual acts.
This is not “politically correct” today, but God’s laws do not change at the whim of mankind.
Revelation 22:15:
Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.
Other lists of virtues of the Spirit filled are found in Ephesians 4:2, Ephesians 5:9, and Colossians 3:12-15.
Ephesians 4:2: Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.
Ephesians 5:9: (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth)
Colossians 3:12-15:
Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.
Let’s concentrate this week in communing more closely with the Holy Spirit so we may produce more virtuous fruit in our lives and character.
I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! May God bless you and yours.
No comments:
Post a Comment