Chapter 19

THE IMPORTANCE OF FAITH

(Galatians 5:1-6)

Before we begin our short study about the importance of faith let us pray,

Dear Heavenly Father,

Holy Father we come before You in the Name of Your only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Father, please open our ears, our eyes and our heart to see and understand the importance of keeping faith in Your Son Jesus Christ. Father, help us to stay away from the tendency to look to laws, traditions and rituals to justify ourselves to You. Help us to truly believe in Your love for us and help us to completely rely upon Your Son, Jesus, and the saving work He did for us.

Amen

Let us begin our study by reading the following verses from Paul's letter to the churches in Galatia,

Galatians 5:1-6

"[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. [4] You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. [5] But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit 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."

For this particular study we will explore some of the key points contained in each verse. We begin with,

GALATIANS 5:1

"[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."

Let us notice that:

"It is for freedom that Christ set us free."

As we reflect upon the above Scripture and our previous studies we acknowledge that Christ has set us free from trying to follow various laws, traditions and rituals to justify ourselves before God. However, as we study the New Testament, we discover that the most important freedom Jesus Christ purchased for us was the freedom from the power of sin and Satan. In other words, He redeemed us from our bondage to sin. To see this let us read a conversation Jesus once had with some Jews who believed in Him.

John 8:31-36

"[31] To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. [32] Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." [33] They answered him, "We are Abraham's descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?" [34] Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. [35] Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. [36] So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed."

Let us notice the following verses,

31(a) …Jesus was speaking to some Jews that believed in Him.

31(b) … If we hold to Jesus' teaching then we are really His disciples. Notice, being a disciple of Jesus Christ is more than just saying so. We must hold, that is do what He says, to be His disciple. Hence, the question: "What is the teaching of Jesus that we are to hold to?" The answer to this question is recorded in,

John 13:34-35

""[34] A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. [35] By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.""

With this in mind let us return to the eighth chapter of John and explore verse,

32 … Jesus told the Jews and now us that if we hold to His teaching will know the truth and the truth will set us free.

33 … The Jews responded by saying they were never slaves to anyone. This is an interesting reply. The reason being is that at this time in history they were being occupied by the Roman army. Thus, in effect they were held as hostages to Caesar. Hence, one can conclude that the Jewish people believed that, yes, physically they were enslaved by the Romans; however, their minds and spirits were not enslaved. That is they still held to their faith, traditions and rituals. Obviously Jesus would know this. This leaves us with two questions: (1) What is the truth that would set them and us free? And (2) What were they and us being set free from?

We begin by noting that,

JESUS IS THE TRUTH

To see this let us read from,

John 14:6

"[6] Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

And, as we read the New Testament we find that amongst others things, such as the forgiveness of sins and teaching us about God the Father, Jesus also came to this earth to set us free from the power of sin. In other words,

JESUS IS THE TRUTH WHO SETS US FREE FROM THE POWER OF SIN

To see this truth let us return to the eighth chapter of John and explore verse,

34 … Jesus told the Jews then and now us that those who commit sin are a slave to sin.

35 … A slave is not a permanent member of a household. However, a son or child of the parents are.

36 … Through faith in Jesus Christ we become born again of the Holy Spirit. As we discovered in previous chapters, one of the benefits of being born again is that we become a child of God. Thus, we have been set free from slavery and are now permanent members of God's household.

Given the significance of this freedom, let us enhance our understanding of it by reading Paul's exhortation to the Romans to keep themselves from sin. This instruction is recorded for us in,

Romans 6:3-14

"[3] Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? [4] We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. [5] If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. [6] For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin-- [7] because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. [8] Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. [9] For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. [10] The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. [11] In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. [12] Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. [13] Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. [14] For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace."

Let us notice the following verses,

3 … Those baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death, that is our old self was crucified with Him.

4 … We, that is our old self, was buried with Him in the waters of baptism. We did this so as Jesus was raised from the dead, we also may now live a new life.

6-7 … So that we should no longer be slaves to sin, our old self was crucified and buried with Jesus Christ. Hence, those who have been born again of the Holy Spirit and baptized into Jesus Christ have been set free from the power of sin.

11 … We are to consider ourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. This leaves us with the question of: "How?" "How does one do this?" The answer to this question lies in the principle by which the Apostle Paul lived his life. It is recorded for us in,

Galatians 2:20

"[20] I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."

Thus, if we are a true born again believer and live our lives by faith in Jesus Christ to live His life in and through us, we will discover the truth of the following Scripture in our lives,

Romans 6:14

"[14] … sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace."

With all this in mind, let us now reread the following verse,

Galatians 5:1

"[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."

Now that we have a better appreciation for the freedom that Jesus Christ purchased for us, let us read the instruction Paul wrote to those who were contemplating circumcision. His instruction is recorded in,

GALATIANS 5:2

"[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."

Question: Is the Scripture against circumcision? (or) Is the issue one of insisting that circumcision is necessary for salvation?

For our answer let us read about what happened at the council in Jerusalem. This event is recorded for us in,

Acts 15:1-11

"[1] Some men came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the brothers: "Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved." [2] This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question. [3] The church sent them on their way, and as they traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria, they told how the Gentiles had been converted. This news made all the brothers very glad. [4] When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and elders, to whom they reported everything God had done through them. [5] Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, "The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to obey the law of Moses." [6] The apostles and elders met to consider this question. [7] After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: "Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. [8] God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. [9] He made no distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith. [10] Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of the disciples a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear? [11] No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.""

Let us notice the following verses,

1-2 … The issue was whether or not circumcision was necessary for salvation.

5 … Some of the believing Pharisees believed that circumcision was necessary for salvation.

9 … Through faith, God purified the hearts of Cornelius and his household.

10 … The Israelites were not able to bear or comply with all the requirements of the Law.

11 … The judgement: It is by Grace, that is God's unmerited favor towards us, through Jesus Christ that we are saved.

In reflecting upon the above, one might be left with the question as to: "Is circumcision the only issue?" (or) "Is circumcision just one of many?" To find out let us read what Paul wrote to the Colossians on this subject.

Colossians 2:16-23

"[16] … do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. [17] These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. [18] Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you for the prize. Such a person goes into great detail about what he has seen, and his unspiritual mind puffs him up with idle notions. [19] He has lost connection with the Head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow. [20] Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules: [21] "Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!"? [22] These are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings. [23] Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence."

Let us now move on and read from,

GALATIANS 5:3

"[3]Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law."

In other words, if a person looks to circumcision or any other law, tradition or ritual as necessary for salvation, then it will be necessary for them to follow the whole law. This brings us to the following question:

"If they are bound to the law in its entirety, what happens if they fail in just one little point?" To find out let us read from,

James 2:10

"[10] For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it."

Let us now consider the following questions. If a person looks to the compliance of the Law as necessary for salvation and not completely and totally to Jesus Christ, what do they do or where do they go to be free from the guilt of the sin they have committed? Let us remember Peter told us that neither he nor his fellow Israelites were able to comply with all the demands of the Law. Let us also remember the penalty for sin,

Romans 6:23

"[23] For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Will the sacrifice that Jesus Christ made on the cross still bring them forgiveness and cleanse them from their sins? To find out let us read from,

GALATIANS 5:4

"[4] You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace."

Wow! What happens to them now? Are they forever and irrevocably condemned to spend eternity in Hell?

No, to be saved from their sin, they must repent. They must change their view and stop looking to the Law to justify themselves. They must come to Jesus Christ, seek His forgiveness and receive His Grace and Mercy. To see this let us consider the following,

Acts 3:19-20

"[19] Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, [20] and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you--even Jesus."

THE MESSAGE

The point or message of this study is provided to us in,

Galatians 5:5-6

"[5] But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit 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."

CLOSING

Let us close our study by reading from,

Colossians 3:12-17

"[12] Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. [13] Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. [14] And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. [15] Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. [16] Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. [17] And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."

Amen and Amen

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