Galatians 5:1-6
Stand Fast

We move into the last section of Galatians.
   Chapters 1-2 - Defense of the Gospel
                   Paul was not a rogue.
                   He received by revelation.
                   The churches at Antioch and Jerusalem accepted him.
                   Peter encouraged his readers to obey Paul.
                   Peter was rebuked by Paul.
                   Paul mentions dozens within the church.
   Chapters 3-4 - Understanding the Law
                   The Law never saved anyone - Abraham, David, others.
                   Law was School Teacher and Governor.
                   Paul calls that time BONDAGE.
                   Jews are no longer under the bondage.
                   The Seed has come.
                   They are now SONS not SERVANTS.
   Chapters 5-6 - Walk in the Spirit

    I. \\#Gal 5:1-6\\ The Command
        A. \\#5:1\\ Through this book, Paul has been encouraging the people to
            stay in the freedom of their Sonship.  Now, he commands it.
            1. According to the context, what is LIBERTY.
                a. Liberty is not a ruleless life.
                b. Liberty is a workless salvation.
                c. The work for salvation was done by Jesus Christ.
            2. BONDAGE is trying to keep the Law to somehow earn salvation.
        B. What do we give up if we do not maintain our salvation by grace?
            1. We are again under bondage.
                a. \\#Gal 3:24, 4:2\\ That means returning to the system of the
                    School Teacher and Governor. (i.e. the sacrifices, the holy
                    days, and the penalties of the law)
                b. That means we must keep all the law.
                    1. A works salvation does not allow you to pick and choose
                        the laws you will keep.
                    2. A book has never been written which would contain all the
                        sins you would to avoid and all the things you would have
                        to do to be perfect.
                c. The barrier between the Jew and Gentile would be back up
                    \\#Gal 3:28, 5:6\\
            2. Faith and grace will not help us.  (Paul states and restates
                this several different ways.)
                a. \\#5:2\\ Christ shall profit you nothing.
                b. \\#5:4\\ Christ is become of no effect unto you.
                c. \\#5:4\\ Ye are fallen from grace.
                d. These terms are not saying we can lose our salvation. They are
                    descriptions of us abandoning grace not grace abandoning us.
            3. We lose the Holy Spirit. (\\#Gal 4:6-7\\ Sonship gave the Holy
                Spirit not servanthood.)
            4. We might also point out that we lose heaven.  (Old Testament
                saints went to Paradise.)
            5. For that matter, we would lose salvation itself since there is
                only one gospel \\#Gal 1:6-7\\ and what the Galatians were
                turning to is not it!

   II. \\#Gal 5:7-12\\ The Influence
        A. Again, throughout this book, Paul has spoken of the Judaizers’
            influence on this church.
            1. \\#7\\ These believers started out well, but they are no longer
                obeying the truth.
            2. When you are not obeying the truth, you are sinning.
        B. \\#9\\ Such sin spreads.
            1. It had spread through the church at Galatia.
            2. It was spreading through all of the churches.
            3. It will lead to other "philosophical sins."
        C. \\#10,12\\ Paul prays that judgment would come to those Judaizers.
            The preferred judgment seems to be that they would be removed.

  III \\#Gal 5:13-26\\ The Rule - The danger of not being under a strict legal
        system is that we may behave wickedly. Just because we are not under the
        law and its penalties, that does not mean we have no rule to control
        us. We are actually under a higher rule.
        A. \\#13-15\\ The rule of love
            1. \\#5:15\\ Here, Paul mentions the possibility of God’s children
                trying to devour one another.
            2. \\#5:14\\ The solution is to LOVE ONE ANOTHER.
                a. Our Lord told us that this was the 2nd greatest of the
                    commandments. \\#Matt 22:39\\
                b. Any action that is not of love is not of grace and could be
                    sinful.
       B. \\#16-26\\ The rule of walking in the Spirit.
            1. \\#17\\ There is a war between the flesh and the Holy Spirit.
                a. \\#17\\ These two are complete opposites.
                b. \\#16\\ You can only be lead by one at a time.
                c. \\#18\\ Similarly, you can not be lead by the Law and the
                    Holy Spirit at the same time.
           2. Paul describes the contact of the flesh \\#19-21\\ and the Holy
               Spirit \\#22-23\\.
                a. \\#21\\ Paul points out that those who are fleshly are not
                    going to heaven.
                b. \\#23\\ Paul points out that to walk in the Spirit, will not
                    break any Old Testament laws.
           3. \\#24\\ The true Christian is already dealing with the flesh.
               a. He has and is killing the flesh.
               b. That was begun at the point of salvation, else there was no
                   salvation.

From this chapter, we understand that liberty is not us doing whatever we want.
It is two fold:
   1. Liberty is enjoying a workless salvation.
   2. Liberty is doing the things that we Spirit and love direct us to do.

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