Galatians Study, Part 4

 

I'm continuing to make my way through an in-depth study of the book of Galatians, Paul's letter to the Christian  people of Galatia. This is a summary of Chapter 5. Quotes in bold type are from the study guide. 

Paul begins the chapter as a basic summary of Chapters 3 and 4.  Remember:  this is a letter and would have been written as one, not divided up into "Chapters". 

The basic summary of chapters 3-4 is that the gospel is all about setting sinners free!  But that freedom is under a threat: people try to flood it, throttle it and undo the freedom found in Christ. Paul wants the Galatians to resist that and stay free. 

The false teachers claim Paul was "soft on sin" but the book of Galatians is not saying we're free from the law so that we can sin freely (see v 13) 

It's saying God has provided a better solution for sin than the Old Covenant That law was never intended to be a solution for sin. 

"The law highlights the sin problem, but it doesn't solve it." 

Paul took sin more seriously than the legalists.  He knew sin comes from within us----it's a much deeper problem than just behavior.  God's solution (Jesus) addressed the heart of the human problem of sin: the human heart!!

"Any solution that does not address the heart does not truly deal with sin." 

The law serves a purpose but it doesn't solve the problem because it can't create righteousness in anyone. 

The gospel make us righteous and compels us to goodness. In verses 2-4, Paul explains why a shift to law-keeping is dangerous:  "if they choose to accept circumcision as the entry point into a supposedly righteous and godly lifestyle, then there's two consequences that will follow:  first, Christ is of no value to them and then they'd be obligated to follow the whole law. Jesus Christ is a complete Savior. He's God's beloved Son and the promised Deliverer who was born under the law to pay the price for our sins and set us free. " 

He (Jesus) is the Way that we can now receive the Spirit and so that our hearts will cry "Abba" (Father) as joint heirs (sons/daughters) alongside Jesus.  Because of Jesus, we can have fellowship with the Trinity!  This is to fully live!!

Our other option is to stay in a performance-based, self-focused life. 

In verse 5-6, we see the positive side of Paul's message:  Faith in Christ really is enough. Here's a basic summary of that: 

• The gospel is by faith. True faith does work.  Paul show us in verse 6 that fiath  works itself out through love. 

• The gospel faith is in Christ---the "hope of righteousness".  A true believer trusts in Jesus--they don't trust in themselves.  This means religious moralism (circumcision) nor irreligious licentiousness (uncircumcision) can not generate what the gospel does through faith in Jesus. 
• Gospel faith is an ongoing reality. We wait for Him and our faith continues to work through love. 
• The ongoing gospel life is lived out "through the Spirit" who is the key to the Christian life. Living in step with the Holy Spirit is the counterpoint to living a sinful life. 

The Christian life begins by faith and continues by faith. The Spirit of Christ brings intimacy with Christ and this leads to us eagerly waiting for His return and to love others. 

"The New Covenant is God's plan to turn sinners into lovers of a loving God. "

In verses 7-12, Paul is warning the people of Glatia that "balancing truth with error never improves the truth"!!

He uses the running analogy to ask who has cut in on them to keep them from following the truth of the gospel. He wants them to see the impact that their false teachers have had on their faith. They had been following Jesus but now they were persuaded to go in a different direction.  In verse 9 he quotes a proverb about the yeast. He knows the people will probably pursue some balance:  a little legalism and a little grace; a little of God and a little of self. Balance isn't always good. A little bit of error will destroy the truth!

Verse 10 is Paul's confidence in God speaking out. He knows God can convince them of the gospel truth because it happened to him! This is an example for us when we can't control situations we care about. 

"the heart of the human problem is the human heart" 

In verse 16-21, Paul encourages us to live and be led by the Spirit.  If we live by the flesh, we are prone to all kinds of ungodliness. This list of sins isn't just tempting to non-believers, but also those within the body of Christ!!  The flesh and spirit are in conflict.....choose to be led by the Holy Spirit!

Now we move on to a summary of the Fruit of the Spirit: 

 "The Spirit's work in a believer is to change their desires so that out of the heart flow the characteristics of Christ."

Like real fruit, the fruit of the Spirit grows gradually.  The first fruit Paul names is Love: This is the defining attribute of God! The love of God that overflows from our hearts toward God and others results in other Christ-like qualities:  (the rest of the fruit): 

• Joy and Peace: we can celebrate the goodness of God and His loving rule in our chaotic world.
• Patience and Kindness: we can be authentic and react to others in a way their actions don't deserve---just like Jesus did. 
• Goodness and Faithfulness: we can manifest a self-giving love and loyalty in reflection of Christ's character.
• Gentleness and Self-control: our lives aren't stirred by fleshly self-protective aggression, but by humility, tender love and resolute holiness that characterized Jesus. 

What is needed for us as Believers is a heart change not renewed focus on the law. The law never changes hearts. But changed hearts can fulfill the law!  

Simply put:  Love God, love others. 

That wraps up my study of Chapter 5.  What about you?  What of the various fruit is difficult for you?  what is easy??