Drew Boswell

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“Freedom To Live For God” Galatians 5:13-25

Grace Abounds

A Sermon Series Through the Book of Galatians

“Freedom To Live For God”

Galatians 5:13-25

Introduction

“The Christian life is a life lived under the direction and by the power of the Spirit.”

Freedom to Live For God (vv. 13-15)

13 For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.”

Old Testament followers of God believed that mankind was given the law because, without it, humanity would seek to fulfill every desire of his corrupt heart. Mankind would run fully toward destruction so there needed to be guard rails and boundaries put in place and the consequences so severe that in fear they kept these laws. The law was to keep people from fully exploring the evil of their hearts – to restrain sin.

So when Paul says you can be free from the law, the Jewish world resists that because they know how corrupt the human heart is. But, “they did not realize that becoming a Christian involves having Christ’s own nature and the Spirit in personal residence and that motivation to obey the commands and restrictions of the New Testament is therefore not external. The Christian has the glorious privilege of living under the internal guidance, restraint, and power of the Holy Spirit, who energizes him to obey the will of God.”[1]

We have within us two things that war against each other. One is the Spirit of God that now lives within you and your transformed heart that should desire to pursue godly things. Then on the other side, is that part of your heart that seeks only to fulfill the desires of that part of your heart (the flesh). “Christ does not give freedom to believers so that they can do what they want but so they can. Instead, for the first time, Christians can do what God wants, because of love for Him.”[2]

 We are free to live for God in a way that pleases Him.

You have been freed from ceremonies, rituals, dietary restrictions, etc. now that those things have been removed, what then fills the empty space? Ephesians 4:22-24 “to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, 23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.”[3] If we take off the law, then what do we put on? You put on Freedom expressed in selfless love.

Matthew 22:34-40 “But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. 35 And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

Resist the desire to turn from godly things (loving and serving your neighbor), to the desires of your flesh (including devouring “one another.”) “Our liberty in Christ is freedom to do right, not freedom to do what our old nature desires and dictates. Liberty in the Lord is not license to sin.”[4] The new nature within us hates sin and loves the righteousness of God.[5]

Jesus and Paul both teach that we don’t do away with the moral law, but now you are free to choose to seek after the law (honor your parents, do not covet, put God first in all things, love your neighbor, etc.) The grace we have received from God will lead us to love others.

“The Galatians were not saved to be a group of isolated individuals. And neither are we. We are brought out of bondage to live in community.”[6] Christ saved us so that we can be committed to others, to love and serve others.

Christians are set free – free from using people (sexually, needing them to make us feel better about ourselves), free from needing their approval. We are set free from needing to self-promote ourselves – We know who we are, we know our value, and we know why we have been set free – all of these things are found in Christ. (v. 15) There is no need to devour and consume each other in a climb to the top – Christ gives us our worth, not a comparison to other people.

 How Do We Live in the Freedom Given? (vv. 16-26)

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

(v. 16) “walk by the Spirit,” – (v. 25) “keep in step with the Spirit” this is a regular action, a habitual way of life, and it is a command – there is no option for the Christian. Walking implies progress, going from where one is to where he ought to be. As a believer submits to the Spirit’s control, he moves forward in his spiritual life.[7]

We have two natures that wage war within us; The Spirit and the sinful nature. And at any moment we “walk by” one and “not gratify” the other. The sinful nature, the flesh, the part of our heart that the Holy Spirit has not renewed yet fights against the part of us that desires to do the will of God.

Ephesians 4:22-24 describes this as “the old self” (pre-Christian) and “the new self” (post-Christian), “to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, 23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.”

There is an all-controlling drive and longing. Paul says this in Romans 7:22-23 “For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, 23 but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.” The Spirit wants to show us Christ and to make us into the image of Christ. And ultimately, because we are Christians this is what our heart wants as well. We want to be like Jesus. Yet the flesh within us continues to present competing desires which we can give in to.

(v. 18) “But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.” When a person has the Holy Spirit living within them, seeking to make them into the image of Christ, and guiding them away from sin, they will reject seeking to live by their own righteousness moving them away from the law. “Our motivation for our disobedience is a lack of trust in God’s grace and goodness, and a desire to protect and guard our lives through self-salvation.” [8]

The old part of us has a motivation to attain the sinful things that the untransformed heart desires. It is focused on something (that may even be good in itself,) but it turns it into an idol to seek its’ salvation. “If I have this _____, then this will complete my brokenness.”

A Picture of an Untransformed Heart (vv. 19-21)

19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Paul groups works of the flesh into four areas: These are things that originate within a person (not from Satan, or the outside world). These are things that a person wrongly desires and habitually does/practices. The unregenerate person occasionally does humanly good things, and the regenerate person occasionally falls into sin. But the basic character of the unregenerate is to practice the evil deeds of the flesh and the regenerate person to bear the good fruit of the Spirit.

“sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality,” – these first three words deal with areas of sexuality. Sexual intercourse between unmarried people, unnatural sexual practices and relationships, and uncontrolled sexuality.

“idolatry, sorcery,” – These are very specific occult and pagan religious practices. They are an inadequate substitutes for God, and they are works that fake the work of the Spirit.

“strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy,” – The next set of words describe how the flesh destroys relationships. The first words are bad attitudes (selfish ambition, self-seeking, envy, coveting, jealousy and hatred). The other words describe the results (discord, picking fights, fits of rage, outbursts of anger, dissentions, parties warring eachother).

“drunkenness, orgies,” – The last two words deal with substance abuse. Orgies are not sexual orgies, but drinking orgies, “One of the works of the flesh is addiction to pleasure-creating substances and behavior.”[9]

“those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” – Paul is referring to habitual practice, rather than infrequent, and repented of, lapses. If a person continually indulges in the sinful nature without battling against it is to show that the Son has not redeemed them, and that the Spirit as not renewed them.

The things listed are “are evident” for all to see, and have less to do with the individual sins listed, (there are other lists Paul gives such as Romans 1:29-31; 2 Timothy 3:2-5 that have different items mentioned), he even says, “and things like these” but its more about a life that is unchaste, unholy, uncharitable, and undisciplined.

It is a picture of a heart that has not been regenerated and is not walking with the Spirit of God. Those that walk with God and are led by His Spirit will shed sin over time. “People who make a regular practice of vice need to repent of their sins and leave their old lifestyle behind, lest they fall into eternal judgement.”[10]

The person who professes Christ will have a transformed life – The Holy Spirit promises it.

A Picture of a Transformed Heart (vv. 22-23)

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

If you are a Christian, then you desire to be more like Christ. To be “led by the Spirit,” is to be changed, it is to be brought closer and closer to be the person we want to be (Christ-like). But this growth, the change is slow and gradual. Think of a man picking fruit on a ladder in an orchard. From the ladder he drops the fruit to a person below – the person with the basket must desire to catch the fruit. A Christian will grow in the fruit of the Spirit if they walk close to God and desire to change.

If you compare the spiritual gifts that the Holy Spirit gives to a person at salvation,[11] they are plural. One person may receive the gift of giving, and another the gift of leadership. Here the “fruit of the Spirit” is singular. All of the fruit of the spirit is made manifest in the life of the believer.

And all of the fruit grows together. Jesus described those who were pretending to be Christian, verses those who were genuine in their walk with the Lord, “You will recognize them by their fruits. Matt. 7:16.” Again, the idea is not to give an exhaustive list, but to paint a picture of what a person, led by the Spirit would look like.

The evidence that a person is saved is the growing of the fruit of the Spirit in their lives.

How Can A Person Grow In the Fruit of the Spirit?

24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.

“crucified the flesh,” – There are idols in our lives that need to be taken apart, strangling sin at the motivational level. It is a cooperation between a person and the Spirit, together wanting to drive sin out of our lives.

Its more than saying, “I won’t do this anymore.” Instead, we understand that the sinful behavior is where we are not trusting God to keep His Word, or to have faith in His Word. Why must we have this sinful thing in our lives? Because it is our attempt to fix our own brokenness, instead of trusting God to do it.

The most effective way for a Christian to oppose the desires and deeds of the flesh is to starve them to death, to “make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts” (Romans 13:14). The surest way to fall into a sin is to allow oneself to be in situations where there is temptation to it. On the other hand, the safest way to avoid a sin is to avoid situations that are likely to pose temptations to it.

We Grow Spiritually by Walking With the Spirit and Crucifying Sin In Our lives.

 Conclusion

One spring a family was driving from Fort Lauderdale to Tampa, Florida. As far as the eye could see, orange trees were loaded with fruit. When they stopped for breakfast, and ordered orange juice with their eggs. “I’m sorry,” the waitress said. “I can’t bring you orange juice. Our machine is broken.” At first they were dumbfounded. They were surrounded by millions of oranges, and they had oranges in the kitchen–orange slices garnished our plates. What was the problem? No juice? Hardly.

They were surrounded by thousands of gallons of juice. The problem was they had become dependent on a machine to get it. Christians are sometimes like that. They may be surrounded by Bibles in their homes, but if something should happen to the Sunday morning preaching service, they would have no nourishment for their souls. The problem is not a lack of spiritual food–but that many Christians haven’t grown enough to know how to get it for themselves.

________________________

[1] MacArthur, 145.

[2] MacArthur, 146.

[3] See also Matt. 12:44-45

[4] Lehman Strauss, Devotional Studies in Galatians and Ephesians (Neptune, New Jersey; Loizeaux Brothers Publishing, 1974) 80. See also Romans 6.

[5] See Romans 7:14-25.

[6] David Platt and Tony Merida, Christ-Centered Exposition, Exalting Jesus IN Galatians (Nashville, Tennessee; Broadman & Holman Publishing, 2014) 105.

[7] John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary, Galatians (Chicago, Illinois; Moody Publishing, 1987) 152.

[8] Timothy Keller, Galatians For You (United States; The Good Book Company, 2013) 148.

[9] Keller, 149.

[10] Philip Graham Ryken, Reformed Expository Commentary, Galatians (Phillipsburg, New Jersey; P&R Publishing, 2005) 232.

[11] See 1 Corinthians 12.

“The Enemy of Freedom” Galatians 4:21-5:12

Grace Abounds

A Sermon Series Through the Book of Galatians

“The Enemy of Freedom”

Galatians 4:21-5:12

Introduction

The enemy of Christian freedom is legalism. Legalism defined is “treating something that is good as something that is essential.” We preserve our freedom when everything is properly placed in our lives. What is essential to God is essential to us, everything else is kept in its place. The Christian has to resist placing things in too high a priority in their lives. When we allow legalism into our hearts or allow it stay there we begin to lose sight of what ultimately counts.

We will begin to insist that good things remain as ultimate things – eventually there are is no such thing as priority, everything is of equal importance, or what is really not that important becomes paramount. Churches can even begin to find their identity in these misplaced priorities, instead of finding their identity in Jesus.

The Appeal of Allegory (vv. 21-27)

21 Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not listen to the law? 22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave woman and one by a free woman. 23 But the son of the slave was born according to the flesh, while the son of the free woman was born through promise. 24 Now this may be interpreted allegorically: these women are two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery; she is Hagar. 25 Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia; she corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. 26 But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother. 27 For it is written, “Rejoice, O barren one who does not bear; break forth and cry aloud, you who are not in labor! For the children of the desolate one will be more than those of the one who has a husband.”

Paul reaches back to the OT story of how Ishmael and Isaac were born. God had come to Abraham and promised him an heir when he was 86 and she was 76 years, old. Then another 10 years passed, and growing impatient he had a son with a servant girl named Hagar. Ultimately, the couple would have to wait twenty-five years before Isaac (the son of promise) would be born, and Abraham would be 100 years old. Paul uses this story as an allegory. This was a very common teaching practice with Jewish rabbis.

Allegory: “a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one.” “Pilgrim’s Progress is an allegory of the spiritual journey”

(v. 23) “the son of the slave was born according to the flesh, while the son of the free woman was born through promise,” – For Ishmael to be born there was no need for miraculous intervention, “according to the flesh,” but for Isaac to be born, God had to miraculously intervene “born through promise,” because Sarah and Abraham were very old, and she had been barren her whole life. When Isaac was born Abraham was 100 and Sarah was 90 (Gen. 17:17; 21:5).

He says, “these women are two covenants,” Christians (Jews and Gentiles) are children of the promise as Isaac was. (v, 24) “One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery; she is Hagar. 25 Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia; she corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children.” Sinai is where God gave Moses the ten commandments, and the law.

From the law was born a nation under the law, and the law enslaved the people. In Paul’s allegory this is pictured as Hagar, the slave woman who gave birth to a son who was not the son God promised. “Ismael symbolizes those who have only natural birth and who trust in their own works. Isaac symbolizes those who have had spiritual birth because they have trusted in the work of Jesus Christ.”[1]

“One difference was their status in the eyes of the law. Although the boys had the same father, they each had a different mother. From their respective mothers they inherited two different legal standings. Ishmael’s mother was a slave, so he was born a slave. Isaac, on the other hand, was born free, the heir of a free woman.”[2]

(v. 26) “But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother.” – But this new birth, like Isaac’s had to be supernatural (from above), “the Galatians are the fulfillment of Isaiah’s promise in that they are Isaac-type children, for they represent the spiritually and supernaturally born children of Sarah.[3]

Think of how controversial this would have been to the Jewish teachers who were pushing the Galatians to observe the law – the law following Jews were Hagar and Ishmael, and the foreign Gentiles were Sarah and Isaac! The crucial question is, “Who is your mother?” (Hagar or Sarah) – that determines whether you are a slave or free.

Sarah and Abraham did not believe that God would give them a child (a lack of faith) so they decided to take the situation into their own hands, they came up with their own plan, and a child was born – but it was not the child of promise from God. When we try to please God by taking our own lives into our own hands, we do not trust that God will save us by grace (or keep His promise).

In Genesis 17:15 God comes back to Abraham and promises again that Sarah will have a son. But Abraham wants God to accept Ismael as his son, but God says no, “I will give you a son and you will name him Isaac.” “In effect Abraham says that they did not need a son because he and Sarah had already taken care of that problem. . .

Abraham began with faith, “and it was credited to him as righteousness,” but later faltered by not trusting that God would keep His promise and had a child with Hagar. The Galatians also began in faith by the Spirit and have lapsed into seeking “to be made complete by the flesh” (Gal. 3:3).”[4]

 In the eyes of God everyone is either an Ismael or an Isaac. Do we seek our salvation by trying to be a good person (some other means other than Jesus), or do we seek God’s grace through faith?

The Appeal to Be Rid of Legalism (vv. 28-31)

28 Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise. 29 But just as at that time he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so also it is now. 30 But what does the Scripture say? “Cast out the slave woman and her son, for the son of the slave woman shall not inherit with the son of the free woman.” 31 So, brothers, we are not children of the slave but of the free woman.

If you are a slave, then you will always be a slave, unless you are redeemed. If you keep all of the law, you still remain a slave. Like a horse grinding grain in a circle – the harder you pull, the faster you go, you still remain in attached to the mill grinding grain. The law is a brutal master, when you have done everything, it whips you to keep on going. You have no means to be free from the law.

Since salvation comes by grace, then the church cannot tolerate graceless (legalism, self-righteous moralism) works. Legalism has no place in the church. Paul then gives them a solution to the false teachers being in their ear, “But what does the Scripture say? “Cast out the slave woman and her son,” – we must pray and cast out legalism from our hearts and our churches.

Salvation is by faith in Jesus alone; this is why all other religions, Judaism, Hinduism, Islam, Mormanism – are all slave religions. It is never about what we do for God; Christianity is about what God has done for us. You cannot become a child of God by being a slave (working your way into heaven) – He has to adopt you as His child by grace (redeem you through the cross). You must be born from above.

The Appeal to Live Free (5:1-13)

5:1 For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

The reason Christ died, rose again, endured the suffering and pain was so that a person could be free, “For freedom Christ has set you free,” later in 5:13 he says, “For you were called to freedom,” – The state that Jesus wants you to have is one of liberty. God’s grace is what frees us from sin, and it is grace that sustains us. When Paul cries out for God to answer his prayer, God responds back, “My grace is sufficient for you,” (2 Cor. 12:9). His grace is sufficient to save us, and to get us through this life. God’s grace has an effect upon us (freedom). We deprive ourselves of that freedom when we seek to be self-righteous.

2 Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. 3 I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. 4 You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace. 5 For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.

If you seek to be justified (made free from your sin) by keeping the law, then, “he is obligated to keep the whole law.” By not trusting in Christ’s work on the cross, a person is cut off from Christ, and that they have fallen away from the grace Jesus offers. Either go back to the law, (all of it), or have the gospel; you can’t have both. Fallen is from a word (ekpipto) that means to be separated or loosed from, it is to lose one’s grip of something.

(v. 4) When Paul says, “You are severed from Christ,” the same word and idea is used in Romans 7:2 “For a married woman is bound by law to her husband while he lives, but if her husband dies she is released from the law of marriage.” You are cut loose from Christ by your going back to works righteousness. Is this talking about losing your salvation? He is not talking about eternal security of the believer – but that grace and the law cannot be mixed together.

It deals with the freedom that comes from the assurance of our salvation. You are set free from the prison of, “have I done enough? And “Am I good enough?” Assurance of salvation is not possible if we think we must earn or even maintain our salvation by our efforts. If we keep ourselves saved by good living, how could we ever be sure we were being good enough to retain God’s favor?”[5]

Also, there is no spiritual growth for a person who began in receiving God’s grace through faith, but then turning back to self-righteous moralism. You stop relying on God’s grace and move to trusting your own self-effort – when that happens you stop growing spiritually.

 “Contrary to justifying grace, sanctifying grace is interruptible. Living by the flesh interferes with living by the Spirit, and living by the flesh may even involve doing the right things for the wrong reasons, or in the wrong way. For example, To witness to a person while trusting God to convict and convert him is to live by the Spirit. To witness with the intention of converting a person thorough our own knowledge of Scripture and powers of persuasion is to live by the flesh.”[6] When we try to live the Christian life in our own strength we forsake the grace of Christ.

(v. 5) “For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness.” Everyone who has faith in Jesus has the righteousness of Christ. In heaven, we will be without sin. We eagerly await a time when we won’t have this battle raging within us. But for now, we wait and seek to be guided by the Spirit, and we seek the grace of God.

Also, while we wait, we are waiting eagerly for the arrival; we are not waiting with anxiety for the arrival. So we see three characteristics of a godly life – a life lived through the Spirit rather than the flesh, a life lived by faith rather than works, and a life lived in patient waiting rather than in anxiety and bondage to the law.

children waiting from dad to come home from work. https://www.youtube.com/shorts/dVHjZFU7VRg

(v. 6) “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.” If you have the love of Christ, you don’t need the law to tell you right from wrong. If you love a person then you won’t murder them, or commit adultery against them, or dishonor them, or steal their stuff. When you love with a Christ-like love, guided by the Spirit, you will naturally keep the law.[7]

Reject Those Who Hinder Your Walk With God (vv. 7-12)

7 You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? 8 This persuasion is not from him who calls you. 9 A little leaven leavens the whole lump. 10 I have confidence in the Lord that you will take no other view, and the one who is troubling you will bear the penalty, whoever he is. 11 But if I, brothers, still preach circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been removed. 12 I wish those who unsettle you would emasculate themselves!

“You were running well.” When the Galatians accepted the false message, they disbelieved the truth. “Had they continued to believe God they would have continued to obey God, for obedience is the only possible evidence of a heart-belief in God. In the case of the Israelites their disobedience is said to be the evidence of their unbelief.

Hebrews 3:18-19 “And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.” They didn’t believe that God would get them into the Promised Land. The disbelief led to disobedience. Abraham didn’t believe that God would provide a child, so he disobeyed and had a child another way.

“Who hindered you from obeying the truth?” Back in the 1990s every home had a house phone with a phone line. If you were talking with someone on the phone, another person could pick up a second phone in the house and listen, or “cut in”[8] on the conversation, “ok, Drew it’s time to say goodnight.” Someone is cutting in on the Galatians running with Christ, trying to trip them up, and pull them away from salvation by grace through faith. (v. 9) “A little leaven leavens the whole lump,”[9] – leaven in the Bible is a picture of corruption and sin. A little legalism if allowed to stay will grow and grow into much legalism.

Conclusion

Nothing can choke the heart and soul out of walking with God like legalism. Rigidity is the most certain sign that the Disciplines have spoiled. The disciplined person is the person who can live appropriately in life.

Consider the story of Hans the tailor. Because of his reputation, an influential entrepreneur visiting the city ordered a tailor-made suit. But when he came to pick up his suit, the customer found that one sleeve twisted that way and the other this way; one shoulder bulged out and the caved in. He pulled and managed to make his body fit. As he returned home on the bus, another passenger noticed his odd appearance and asked if Hans the tailor had the suit. Receiving an affirmative reply, the man remarked, “Amazing! I knew that Hans was a good tailor, but I had no idea he could make a suit fit so perfectly someone as deformed as you.”

Often that is just what we do in the church. We get some idea of what the Christian faith should look like: then we push and shove people in to the most grotesque configurations until they fit wonderfully! That is death. It is a wooden legalism which destroys the soul.

_____________________________

[1] MacArthur, 124.

[2] Philip Graham Ryken, Reformed Expository Commentary, Galatians (Phillipsburg, New Jersey; P&R Publishing Company, 2005) 183.

[3] Jason C. Meyer, NAC Studies In Bible & Theology, The End of the Law: Mosaic Covenant in Pauline Theology (Nashville, Tennessee; Broadman & Holman Publishing, 2009) 133.

[4] Meyer, 135.

[5] Timothy Keller, Galatians For You (United States; The Good Book Company, 2013) 134.

[6] MacArthur, 136.

[7] See also Romans 13:8-10

[8] Robertson, 310.

[9] 1 Cor. 5:6

“Being Made Much of” Galatians 4:12-20

Grace Abounds

A Sermon Series Through the Book of Galatians

“Being Made Much Of”

Galatians 4:12-20

 Introduction

John 8:31-32 “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” The false teachers in Galatia were saying that they needed to add the law to grace through faith in Jesus. There is a good chance that when they sat down in fellowship at meals, the Gentile Galatians were forced to sit at a different table until they were circumcised and were following the law. But freedom comes from resisting any claim (apart from the true gospel) that promises God’s displeasure unless we submit to said claim.

There will come a time in your lifetime when well-meaning Christians will recommend various systems of “godly” “child-rearing, financial management, Scripture memory, prayer, missions involvement, coping with health problems, etc. – we should evaluate if whether they conform to Scripture and common sense, and use them if they are beneficial. They should not become activities that in our imagination cause God to love us more. If we find ourselves taking pride in such activities and internally condemn those who do not participate with us in them, we are on a dangerous path not unlike the Galatians were traveling and that caused Paul such distress.”[1]

The Appeal of Affection (vv. 12-16)

12 Brothers, I entreat you, become as I am, for I also have become as you are. You did me no wrong. 13 You know it was because of a bodily ailment that I preached the gospel to you at first, 14 and though my condition was a trial to you, you did not scorn or despise me, but received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus. 15 What then has become of your blessedness? For I testify to you that, if possible, you would have gouged out your eyes and given them to me. 16 Have I then become your enemy by telling you the truth?

In Paul’s attempt to persuade the churches in Galatia to his argument (salvation is by grace and not works) he appeals to their previous common experiences. He first calls them “Brothers,” We are in the same family of God, and he says, “become as I am, for I also have become as you are.” He is telling them that “there was a time in his own life, as a devout Jew, be observed all of those Mosaic rites to which the Galatians were turning now.”[2]

He had kept the feast days and observed the Passover and looked upon certain foods as clean. But when he came to them, he had been set free from the Law of Moses. But now, he pleads with them, “become as I am,” free from trying to earn salvation by keeping the law and free from having to live by outward symbols, ceremonies, rituals, and restrictions.”[3]

(v. 13) “though my condition was a trial to you, you did not scorn or despise me, but received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus,” When Paul first came to them there was something about his physical condition that would have made his acceptance harder than normal. He doesn’t say exactly what happened, but it was because of this condition that caused him to originally preach to them.

2 Corinthians 12:8-9 “Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Galatians 6:11 “See with what large letters I am writing to you with my own hand.”

2 Corinthians 11:24-28 “Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; 26 on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; 27 in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. 28 And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for pall the churches.”

Paul’s physical condition would have been a man whose body was scarred and wrecked. Think about it from the Galatian perspective, “you want me to believe in Jesus as the Savior, the Son of Man, God in the flesh – and this is what he allows his followers to go through? For Paul, getting the gospel to other people was all worth it. Paul could see eternity even if he couldn’t see across the room.

But whatever it was they accepted him, warmly received the truth of the gospel, he even says that, “if possible, you would have gouged out your eyes and given them to me.” He loved them, and they loved him. They received the truth of the gospel, in spite of Paul’s physical condition. There was something about Paul’s condition that was revulsive, unsightly, but they accepted him anyway, “you did not scorn or despise me.” Literally “they did not spit at him.”

“During the first trip to Galatia, persecution had been severe, and Paul had even been stoned and left for dead by those hostile to the gospel (Acts 14:19). But as he later returned to Antioch with Barnabas, one can imagine how he must have marveled over the vastly contrasting love and kindness be had received from believers.”[4] So in spite of Paul’s difficulty, health problems, etc. God used all of it to get him to the Galatian churches to preach the gospel. God uses our problems to achieve His purposes.

(v. 15) “What then has become of your blessedness?” – There was an excitement and an openness to receive the gospel of grace, salvation by faith. But now, there is a strong resistance to the truth. What happened? The gospel of legalism had become more attractive to them than the gospel of grace, and the man who had been their beloved friend had become to them like an enemy. (v. 16) “Have I then become your enemy by telling you the truth?”

Their blessedness was being replaced with Self-righteous law following.

 Joy is replaced with hard-heartedness.

Our ability to receive the truth of God’s Word is directly related to our sense of needing it in our lives. If we become self-righteous we become hardened to the truth and even those who seek to tell us the truth.

The Warning of Too Much Appeal (vv. 17-20)

17 They make much of you, but for no good purpose. They want to shut you out, that you may make much of them. 18 It is always good to be made much of for a good purpose, and not only when I am present with you, 19 my little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you! 20 I wish I could be present with you now and change my tone, for I am perplexed about you.

The Galatian churches were people who were sought after – for Paul, he sought after them for the purpose of sharing the gospel to them, and he has said several times of his love for them, and calls them “my little children.” Paul went there originally because of his desire to share the gospel with them (even if it was because his others plans were changed).

He is explaining that there is another group of leaders who is pursuing them also. They will also, “make much of them,” But their ultimate goal is to get them to give over to legalism and once they have done so, they will then look to these leaders for “the rules,” “that you may make much of them.” Paul was self-giving, these false teachers were self-serving.

Jesus put it this way in reference to the Jewish leadership of his day, Matthew 23:15 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.” These religious leaders don’t really care about them, they only want their praise; these Judaizers have no love or concern for them as individuals, only that they be counted among their numbers and agree to their doctrine.

There are some spiritual leaders that only care about your wallet

and your head counted in the room.  

Genuine spiritual leadership is concerned about your spiritual growth. 

John 11:45 “Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what he did, believed in him, 46 but some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. 47 So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the council and said, “What are we to do? For this man performs many signs. 48 If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.” These leaders were only concerned about how people’s beliefs would affect them.

(v. 19) “until Christ is formed in you,” – Paul’s opponents wanted to change people, and Paul wanted to change people. Paul’s message was salvation by grace through faith in the work of Jesus on the cross. The false teachers way of change was to get them away from grace, and to add the law and works to Jesus (Jesus plus the law). Which of these approaches transforms a person to be more of what God desires?

Conclusion

Paul has given multiple arguments to the Galatians for the sake of their receiving the true gospel: in spite of illness he went there and preached the gospel, 1) his authority as an apostle 2) the gospel is from God, (a revelation) not from men (or angels) and those that preach another version are accursed 3) the other apostles and church leadership agree with Paul, 4) an example from church history (Paul confronting Peter), 5) their own personal experience, “did they receive the Spirit by work?” 6) Biblical history, theological study (Abraham received righteousness by faith before the law was ever given) 7) Theological arguments (Christ became the curse for us), 8) law arguments (God’s covenant with Abraham), 9) cultural examples of how the law was a guardian and its purpose as a prison, 10) How a person becomes a child of God (we are adopted) 11) and here today, yet another allegorical argument of how we have one of two mothers, another point from the Old Testament, and we still have two chapters to go.

Paul does not just give one argument – he gives example after example, argument upon argument. Why go to such trouble, why not just make an effort and when they (in their stubbornness won’t listen), just move on? Look at Paul’s physical condition (he is wrecked) If anyone deserved a retirement party, it was Paul – look at his zealousness, bulldog push to not let go of these churches – why?

The world enslaves people, we have been entrusted with the truth of how Jesus through faith gives freedom. Also, when their relationship was damaged because of doctrinal differences, He does not back down from the truth, but he does pursue the relationship (argument upon argument). He doesn’t give up the truth for the sake of the relationship, be does both at the same time.

People need to hear the truth about Jesus.

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[1] Frank Thielman, Expository Commentary, Volume X, Romans – Galatians (Wheaton, Illinois; Crossway Publishing, 2020) 632.

[2] Lehman Strauss, Devotional Studies in Galatians and Ephesians (Neptune, New Jersey; Loizeaux Brothers Publsihing, 1974) 61.

[3] John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary, Galatians (Chicago, Illinois; Moody Bible Institute, 1987) 114.

[4] MacArthur, 116.

"For by grace you have been saved through faith." Ephesians 2:8

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