Galatians: A Study of Christian Freedom
Lesson 14: Peril and Promise! Galatians 5:2-5:12
One semester at seminary I had Dr Jesse Northcutt as a preaching professor. Dr Northcutt had an unusual system for grading sermons. He used letters, but not A-B-C-etc. Instead, as I recall, a really good sermon received an “E,” a moderately good sermon received an “S,” and a poor sermon received a “P.” I’m not sure what Dr Northcutt would say about the quality of this message but I think he might suggest it should be designated “MA” (for mature audiences) or maybe a PG-13. I’m not saying this just to get you to pay attention but to give you a heads-up about what is coming.
In all seriousness, one thing passages like this teach us is that the Scripture writers were real people shaped by the communication styles of their day and capable of using that style to express themselves with real feelings.
Paul has just declared the Galatians to have been “born free.” And, being born free, they ought to live free.
But, knowing the seductive nature of legalism, he issues a warning. He follows his clearest declaration of Christian freedom with the most stark declaration of the peril of legalism—of any attempt to win God’s favor by human effort.
Again, his passion runs high. The frustration that prompted him to refer to those who had succumbed to the heresy as “stupid Galatians” now becomes the raw outrage that prompts him to graphically suggest to the false teachers what they could do to themselves.
2 Listen! I, Paul, am telling you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no benefit to you. 3 Once again I testify to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obliged to obey the entire law. 4 You who want to be justified by the law have cut yourselves off from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.
Just to make sure his readers know the source of the warning, Paul begins with “I, Paul….” He didn’t want there to be any doubt about the source of the warning; perhaps he was even concerned that the legalizers might somehow try to co-opt Paul’s name to give legitimacy to their claims. This isn’t as likely as the likelihood he just wanted to give authority to his words.
He is very blunt in his warnings. In fact, he sees three significant consequences for a believer submitting to circumcision. Remember, the very nature of this warning suggests it was addressed to the Gentiles in the Galatian congregations (who wouldn’t have been circumcised); although, it might be possible that Paul used circumcision as a synecdoche or token of the entire law. If so, the warnings would also be addressed to those Jewish-Christians who might be considering returning to a law-based salvation, returning to the position that says salvation is based on Jesus+plus. Here are the consequences.
1. Be circumcised and suddenly Christ has no value to you.
The Voice translation puts it this way: “if you undergo the rite of circumcision, then all that the Anointed accomplished will be lost on you.” Think back to the enormity of Christ’s sacrifice, to the great work he did on the cross; Paul is saying that that sacrifice and that work does nothing to aid the one attempting to win God’s favor through self-effort. You don’t struggle up the mountain so far and God pulls you up the rest of the way.
Paul seems to be saying that there is no middle ground. Salvation is by faith (period).
2. Committing yourself to a little of the law means committing yourself to all the law.
The law is not a moral buffet line where you can pick and choose what you want to accept as binding. Paul is revisiting a point he made before in chapter three: “Whoever seeks to be righteous by following certain words of the law actually falls under the law’s curse [because] cursed is everyone who doesn’t live by and do all that is written in the law.” Violate one demand of the law and you might has well have violated all of them.
So, no one could say, “Well, I’ve been circumcised, so I’ve taken care of my obligation to the law.” No one could say, “Bacon cheeseburgers are off my menu permanently, so I’ve got the law covered.” No one could say, “I’m faithful to my wife, I don’t have anything to worry about; I can sell cars on the Sabbath with a clear conscience.”
Okay, anyone who would say such things is pretty shallow. But the point remains, living by the law means living by the law. There are no loopholes when it comes to the law.
It is a return to the drudgery we knew before the coming of grace.
3. Attempting to redeem ourselves through self-effort puts us in the frightful position of being fallen from grace, cut off from Christ.
This is a frightful situation but it is even more frightful when we see that it is something we have done to ourselves. One commentary cites John Wesley who imagines Paul saying to those who are returning to the law-way, “‘You hereby disclaim Christ, and all the blessings which are through faith in him’ (Notes, 5:1; BBC, 18:84). [Greek scholars] Arichea and Nida emphasize that it is not that ‘grace has been taken away from them, but . . . that they have turned their backs on it’ (p. 108).”
The literal translation is “you have cut yourselves off from Christ.” The idea is to render something ineffective. So, Christ becomes ineffective for those who cut themselves off from him.
One of the ancient symbols of the Christian faith is the Anchor. Remember the old gospel song, “I’ve anchored my soul in the haven of rest, I’ll sail the wild seas no more.” It speaks of safety and security. As we try to understand what Paul is saying, think of a Christian safely anchored to Christ suddenly severing the anchor rope.
We can leave it to the theologians to debate about whether Paul is speaking hypothetically or literally of falling from grace; for us it is enough to admit how agitated he had to be to use such language.
Having issued that warning, he turns to the blessing of clinging to salvation by faith.
5 For through the Spirit, by faith, we eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything; the only thing that counts is faith working through love.
Harsh as he could be at times, Paul seems to have preferred talking about God’s great scheme of salvation.
Verse 5 reminds us that the Spirit is at work in our salvation. In any scheme of salvation based on our own efforts we’re are left to our own devices. We have to make ourselves holy enough to please God and Paul has already shown that to be a lost cause.
Instead, we have the Spirit at work in us. The Spirit is at work in us, moving us to a final and perfect state of righteousness—perhaps not in this world but in the next. Paul would tell the Ephesians, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (2:10), so our good works are the product of God’s good work in us. And, again, he would tell the Philippians, “For I am sure of this very thing, that the one who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus,” (1:3) implying that we aren't yet all we will be but God is at work in us.
It’s a relief to know that having begun our Christian walk through the Spirit we are not expected to complete that walk by our own efforts (Gal 3:3).
This reality gives us the proper perspective toward matters like circumcision.
Listen again to verse 6: “As far as our relationship to Christ Jesus is concerned, it doesn’t matter whether we are circumcised or not. But what matters is a faith that expresses itself through love.”
Paul is reminding us that we may be blessedly indifferent to many of the outward expressions of religiosity. Here Paul is speaking of circumcision. Earlier he spoke of holy days and elsewhere he speaks of diet being unimportant to our spiritual advancement. Paul is obsessed with Christ and so won’t let himself be obsessed with anything else. He understands the difference between excess and moderation; he would tell the Ephesians “do not be drunk with wine” and tell one who would become the pastor of that church “drink a little wine to help your stomach.”
I have known those who felt they could judge the quality of your spiritual commitment by what was in your refrigerator or the movies you attended; some would even question your commitment if you attended movies. We may not encounter as many such people as we once did but they’re still around, along with those who would judge your spirituality by your bumper stickers. Paul would have never played that game.
These things may not be important but there one thing that is, “a faith that expresses itself through love.” This theme is going to shape much of the remaining letter.
7 You were running well; who prevented you from obeying the truth?
These verses once again reflect Paul’s concern for the Galatians. His concern is genuine but he refused to succumb to pessimism.
He begins by declaring “you were running well.” As he looked back at the birth of the church in Galatia, he recalled a time of excitement in their new faith and anticipation of great things to come. But something or someone “prevented them from obeying the truth.”
Doubtless Paul knew who was behind the effort to derail the young church but his focus is on the enormity of what they were attempting to do. When he speaks of them being “prevented” or “hindered” he is using a military term for interfering with the forward advance of troops. The effect of this action by the false teachers was to stop the Galatians “from being influenced by the truth.” Those who had fallen under the spell of the false-teachers had stopped “obeying” or living in light of the truth of the gospel.
Please understand, Paul was not concerned that there might be those who choose to practice circumcision or observe certain dietary practices as part of their cultural heritage or to help them win an audience for the gospel. His concern focused on what people believed about these practices. The false teachers claimed these practices somehow contributed to their status before God; in fact, they seems to have claimed that salvation was dependent upon these things. In short, the false teachers had corrupted a core element of the Christian message.
This had a negative impact on the Christian community in Galatia. Paul uses two terms to describe the character of that impact. He tells the Galatians the false teachers “confused you” and that they “unsettle you.” In the Greek, both words suggest creating doubt and anxiety. The false teachers had caused the Galatians to begin to wonder who they could believe. And, on a deeper level, they began to question the efficacy of Christ’s sacrifice and, consequently, to wonder if they were really saved.
That being so, Paul felt the need to once again make something very clear.
8 Such persuasion does not come from the one who calls you.
The term “persuasion” suggests a way of thinking, especially a changed way of thinking, as in the New Century Version: “This change did not come from the One who chose you.”
These false teachers by no means represented Paul’s gospel. They didn’t so much corrupt his gospel, as they replaced it.
Verse eleven: But my friends, why am I still being persecuted if I am still preaching circumcision? In that case the offense of the cross has been removed…seems to hint that at least some of the false teachers were claiming to be teaching under his authority or preaching the same gospel he preached. He wants it to be clear that this is not so. As evidence he points to the trouble he has everywhere he goes. If he were to include circumcision as a requirement to become a Christian, that trouble (at least from the synagogues) would stop. Why? The offense of the cross would be removed. The cross is offensive, in part, because it tells us both of the enormity of our sin and our inability to anything to win God’s favor. The legalists were saying you could win God’s favor by being circumcised and adopting Jewish diet and holidays. Paul refused to change the message of grace, so he continued to face persecution.
But Paul wants something more important to to be clear: these new notions didn’t come from God, either. God had called the Galatians to freedom, the false teachers were calling them to bondage. God had not changed his original message to include legalistic demands. This is why Paul had taken such pains to show that justification by faith was God’s way of dealing with people as far back as Abraham. Nothing had changed about that.
That the Galatians my think so, prompts his warning.
9 A little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough.
Using a homespun example, Paul warns that erroneous teachings tend to spread and will eventually corrupt the whole community. This is why he couldn’t sit by and allow the false teachers to go unchallenged. Had he done so, the error might have quickly created a problem that could not be resolved with one letter. Indeed, we might even argue that it wasn’t completely resolved since legalism is alive and well.
Paul would write the Romans, “If possible, to the best of your ability, live at peace with all people;” but sometimes that just isn’t possible.
He could not ignore false teaching. Now, having so thoroughly addressed the problem, he wants to offer the Galatians a word of encouragement. [He also has a few words for the false teachers.]
10 I am confident about you in the Lord that you will not think otherwise.
Paul believes that in the end truth will prevail in the churches of Galatia. He has this confidence because he knows that God is still working among them; God hasn’t abandoned the Galatian churches. God had already begun to work to correct the problem by inspiring Paul to write his passionate letter.
He also has a certain confidence about the future of the false teachers.
But whoever it is that is confusing you will pay the penalty.
In the Old Testament, false prophets or false teachers who led the people astray faced the severest judgment. Paul doesn’t spell out what will happen to these teachers but his words surely suggest they will face some manner of chastisement from God.
The word translated “penalty” carries the idea that the action involved is an expression of justice. So, Paul is saying that whatever God may visit on the false teachers will be appropriate.
[11 But my friends, why am I still being persecuted if I am still preaching circumcision? In that case the offense of the cross has been removed.]
Paul has one more word regarding these false teachers. It’s what makes this lesson PG-13.
12 I wish those who unsettle you would castrate themselves!
You should know that the majority of modern translations present the verse in these terms. Paul’s words seem harsh and they may cause some to ask, “Did he mean it?”
Let me make some observations.
1. It was very unlikely the false teachers were going to follow his suggestion. In fact, his words are filled with sarcasm. It’s as if he were saying, “Those guys claim to be committed because they’re circumcised, how about their showing some real commitment.” Public speakers were expected to be witty; that’s what Paul was doing. (Keener)
2. Paul came from a culture that often used hyperbole and exaggeration in addressing opponents. Remember, “May the flies of a thousand camels invade your tent!” Paul’s readers would have known he wasn’t being literal.
3. Paul’s words had a special significance to a Jewish audience. Those who had been castrated (such radical surgery), either deliberately or accidentally, were forbidden to enter the synagogue. Perhaps Paul was thinking of how good it would be if those false teachers couldn’t enter the synagogues to prey on the new believers who were just learning the faith.
At the same time, some of the priests in the pagan religions did just this in an effort to show their commitment. Paul may have been saying the false teachers, though of Jewish background, deserved no more attention than would be given to a pagan priest.
4. Finally, Paul’s words may have had a symbolic meaning. Obviously, those who had had such a radical surgery could not reproduce. Maybe Paul was thinking of how good it would be if there weren’t any more of these false teachers around, at least not a second generation of them.
The shock value of Paul’s words is probably increased in our age because we don’t always take the notion of heresy and false teaching very seriously. Paul took it seriously. He believed souls were at stake in this debate.
If Paul were a more modern person, one who didn’t take doctrine all that seriously, he might have answered the Philippian jailer’s question differently. He might have responded to “What must I to to be saved?” with, “Be as good as you can and trust Christ for the rest.”
Some Implications:
- We need to be concerned with doctrinal integrity.
That’s probably obvious from what I’ve just said.
Earlier in the letter, Paul had expressed amazement that the Galatians had “so quickly” turned to error, abandoning the gospel as it had been presented to them. This kind of defection does not always take place quickly; sometimes it takes several generations. In the past two centuries, some Christian groups have, like the false teachers in Galatia, corrupted some core elements of the Christian faith.
Without naming names there are denominations that once were committed to historic Christian truth that have abandoned that message for one that reduces Jesus to an exemplary teacher and reduces his message to “Be nice,” with no suggestion of our need to repent and be born again. In the minds of some, Jesus has become a “Life Coach.” The impact on those churches has been devastating. Some of those denominations are struggling to keep once large churches afloat and have a worldwide missionary presence that numbers in the hundreds when it once numbered in the thousands.
[The following material comes from a lecture on 20th Century Missions I presented in a course on modern church history.
In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, new views of the Bible and Christianity led to the development of theological liberalism. It represented an attempt to be "modern" and intellectually suited to a new era.
Many of the chief doctrines of Christian orthodoxy were gutted by liberalism. The Bible was just another religious book, not part of God's special revelation to humankind. The threat of eternal punishment for those who did not repent and become Christians was laid aside in favor of greater toleration and openness. The gospel message was reduced to "the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man." H. Richard Niebuhr, in a model of brevity, defined the overall impact of liberalism in a single sentence: "A God without wrath brought men without sin into a kingdom without judgment through the ministrations of a Christ without a cross."
Of course, the liberals weren't denying Christ died on the cross; they simply denied his death was needed for our salvation. It was an example to us, not a sacrifice for us.
Inevitably, this would impact the cause of missions. Ruth Tucker writes, "By the end of the [19th] century, carrying the title of missionary was no guarantee that an individual was orthodox in his Christian beliefs." (p. 283)
As the 20th century progressed, more and more mainline denominations expressed a new attitude toward missionary work.
Some mainline churches gave up the notion of evangelizing the “lost” and the tradition of evangelism. While the World Council of Churches was born in 1910 out of a desire to more efficiently reach out to non-Christians, by the end of the century it was focused on improving the living conditions of the world’s poorest (embracing some of the tenants of liberation theology) and dialoging with members of other religions. The old impulse to evangelize was quashed, forgotten, and sometimes apologized for.
For instance, one mainline denomination with historical and spiritual ties to the Moravians, the most missionary-minded group of Christians since the first century, has only 305 missionaries in the world. (Some critics within the denomination claim that figure is inflated and the true number is closer to 165.)
This material was not presented in the sermon as I preached it.]
2. There is good reason to embrace hope regarding the future of the church rather than despair.
This seems to be what Paul has chosen to do. That hope is apparent in verse 10. He believes they will accept his warning and instruction. The truth will prevail.
While some congregations, denominations, or even churches in certain regions may not merit such confidence, I think we can have confidence regarding the church at large. There are three reasons for this:
—Christ, who gave himself for the church, has promised to preserve it. Speaking of the church, Jesus said “I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.” When he sent his people into the world with his message he gave them the promise, “I am always with you until the end of time.” He has given his church the Spirit to empower and instruct it.
—Christ has given the church a message that is still “good news.” Nothing has changed that. We are no more able to solve the problem of sin than the Galatians were; we still need God’s grace.
—Christ has provided the church with messengers who are committed to its health. Paul was one of these. And, in every age, there are those who help the church rediscover its identity and mission, who call it back to its great work.
For these reasons we can be confident.
