There is a glorious liberty that God has called every believer to walk in. The enemy of our soul has done much to pervert men's understanding of the precious liberty Jesus provided. May we return to the preaching of the cross and make it our exclusive boast. Oh, that men would know the preaching of the cross and all the benefits it provides to every believer.
Standing Fast in Liberty the Cross Provided.
Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.
Christ has made us free! Notice Paul has written this in the past tense. Because we have moved away from the preaching of the cross many believers have not experienced the sweet liberty Jesus has provided. Because of entanglement with a yoke of bondage many believers long for the precious liberty found exclusively in Jesus.
1 Corinthians 1:17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect. 18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
Those walking in bondage need to come back to the cross of Christ so it can be made effective to their own freedom. The message of the cross is the power of God for salvation.
1 Corinthians 1:21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. 22 For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; 23 but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
The message of the cross of Jesus Christ and Him crucified is our freedom from sin. It is the liberty Paul was preaching in Galatians 5:1. Like the Galatia church men have tried to institute the law and other traditions to bring freedom; it may even have an appearance of wisdom but offers no power over the indulgences of the flesh. Freedom from sin is exclusively in the cross.
1 Corinthians 1:27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; 28 and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, 29 that no flesh should glory in His presence. 30 But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God; and righteousness and sanctification and redemption; 31 that, as it is written, "He who glories, let him glory in the LORD." 2:1 And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. 2 For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
Paul made a determination not to know anything among the Corinth church save Jesus Christ and Him crucified. We the church will do well to heed the wisdom of God that Paul was demonstrating. Our hope needs to be exclusively in the cross of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ has become for us wisdom from God, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. Those who try and get any of these attributes any other way are departing from the liberty found exclusively in Jesus Christ. Jesus and the cross has provided us with wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption. All our rights, privileges, and inheritance in the kingdom of God come exclusively through the work of the cross.
Galatians 5:2 Indeed I, Paul , say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing. 3 And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law. 4 You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. 5 For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love. 7 You ran well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? 8 This persuasion does not come from Him who calls you. 9 A little leaven leavens the whole lump.
Paul talks about circumcision but could have picked any practice of the law or traditions of men. If you become a debtor to one part of the law you are a debtor to the whole of the law. Have we received the grace of Jesus Christ in vain? Finding righteousness, sanctification, and redemption outside of Jesus Christ’ crucifixion is a fall from grace. A little leaven leavens the whole lump; the law or traditions of men must not be brought into the picture. It must be Jesus Christ alone.
Galatians 5:10 I have confidence in you, in the Lord, that you will have no other mind; but he who troubles you shall bear his judgment, whoever he is. 11 And I, brethren, if I still preach circumcision, why do I still suffer persecution? Then the offense of the cross has ceased. 12 I could wish that those who trouble you would even cut themselves off!
The gospel message of the cross is offensive to those who trust in their own performance to make them right with God.
Galatians 5:13 For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
Those who have this precious liberty have been birthed from the love of God. Paul warns the believer not to misuse their liberty for an opportunity for the flesh. Instead use your liberty to love one another. The liberty that Christ brings is the source for loving your neighbor as yourself. Outside of Christ there would be no hope to love one another to this degree.
Galatians 5:15 But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another! 16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
Walking in the liberty that Christ provided is the way to walk in the Spirit. Men seeking justification by their own works are some of the most miserable people you would want to meet. One sure sign is they bite and devour one another. The brothers and sisters are judged by some set of rules and there is the different classes of people. The perceived great performers, those who desperately try and hid their weaknesses, and those who love to point out the weaknesses’ of others. It becomes a church of great façade and little life. The true liberty found exclusively in Jesus brings us to being lead to walk in the Spirit.
Galatians 5:19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
Here is a compare and contrast of those who are walking in the liberty of Jesus Christ or those walking in the performance of the law and traditions of men. The true liberty of Jesus Christ produces the fruits of the Spirit. Those walking outside of liberty produce the works of the flesh. Those living in the works of the flesh will not inherit the kingdom of God . Bold, blatant and true! Liberty is found exclusively in Jesus Christ and produce in the believer love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
Galatians 5:24 And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.
If you belong to Christ you have already crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Those who have not died to sin have yet to be born again. If we belong to Christ let us live from the new creation Christ has made us. Those walking outside of the liberty of Christ have become conceited and the fruits of the Spirit are stopped up.
Romans 6:6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. 7 For he who has died has been freed from sin. 8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. 10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. 11 Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Our liberty is found exclusively in the crucifixions of Jesus Christ. Our sinful nature died when it was crucified at the time we came to Jesus Christ. We died to sin; we are freed from sin! Our source of freedom is Jesus setting us free and may never be anything else. Knowing that you died to sin when you were born again brings you to righteous living. As the 11th verse of this passage declares, we like Christ need to reckon ourselves dead to sin once for all and present ourselves as alive from the dead. It is time for the believer to declare their freedom from sin based exclusively upon the authority of the Word of God!
John 8:34 Jesus answered them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. 35 "And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. 36 "Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.
This is the exclusive truth that sets a man free! When Jesus sets you free you become a son of the house and you are free indeed!
John 8:32 "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."
It is a specific truth that sets men free! It is the truth found exclusively in Jesus Christ. Until we grasp hold of the truth we can not walk stead fast in the liberty that Jesus calls us to live in. Yes, this is the abundant life indeed.
Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.
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