Have you ever heard a really good musician play or sing? I mean reaallly good. We marvel at the freedom they have to pick up their instrument and play whatever music they like. Do they feel like playing classical music? Well, OK then! Jazz? No worries. Rock? Pop? Easy. Fast, slow, high, low… doesn’t matter, they’re up for it. And it’s like they don’t even have to think about it, like they could, if they felt so inclined, be playing a game of chess and reading a book on the side! What wouldn’t you give to have that kind of freedom?

What did they give for that freedom? In most cases, that freedom has come at the cost of long hours of practice, tuition, practice, performance, practice, theory, practice and study. Oh, and did I mention practice? Many of us will have started down the path of learning an instrument, a language, a sport, or some other skill. Sometimes this is at the prompting of our parents, part of our schooling, or simply following a fad (yo-yos anyone?). But unless that skill finds a resonance within us, unless we come to a place where the discipline to continue flows from within us, we will never be truly free.

In the same way, the freedom of the Christian life must spring from the Holy Spirit within us; it cannot be imposed from without by the law, or by anything else. Yet that does not mean that we will not do what the law commands. Both the musician who enjoys her music and the one learning at the behest of her parents go through the same routines – practising and performing – but for the one this is freedom and for the other a kind of bondage. So, too, Christians will naturally do the things that the law requires; but for them it is an exercise of freedom rather than bondage. They are not freed from the law, but freed to fulfil the law.¹

But what does that look like? In Galatians 5:13, which we looked at last week, the Apostle Paul wrote:

You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.

In these two sentences, Paul describes the Christian life both negatively and positively: do not indulge the sinful nature, but do serve one another in love. We looked at the first part of this last week, from Galatians 5. This week, in chapter 6, we return to the idea of serving one another in love.

Serving one another in love (Gal 5:14; 6:1-6)

When Paul says ‘serve one another in love’, the verb means ‘to perform the duties of a slave’.² What a paradox: we Christians are called to be free… to be slaves to one another.³ This doesn’t seem to fit easily into our category of ‘freedom’; but, then, neither would practising scales, or kicking goals, or memorising verbs. Yet all of these contribute to freedom in their own way.

In Galatians 6, Paul gives us examples of serving one another in love. In verse 1 he describes a Christian being ‘caught in a sin’. Sad to say, Christians do fall into temptation and sin. But we, as a loving Christian community, are called to ‘restore’ them, a word used for setting a fractured bone,⁴ or mending broken nets (Matt 4:21 // Mark 1:19). This action is both positive and active.⁵ Our response should not be to condemn them, saying, ‘It serves them right.’ Nor should we stand aside with the excuse, ‘It’s none of my business.’ We should not gossip to others, ‘Did you hear what Frank did?’ We are not even called to report them to the pastors or elders.⁶ No, we are instructed to ‘restore’ him or her, to assist them in getting back on the right path. When a bone is broken, it must be set, bound up and reinforced with splints and casts; so too when a Christian is engulfed in the brokenness that sin brings, they will need to be set right and offered support.

Who is responsible for this restoration? Paul addresses the command to ‘you who are spiritual’ (Gal 6:1). Given that Paul has just finished instructing the Galatians to ‘keep in step with the [Holy] Spirit’ (Gal 5:25), the ones who are ‘spiritual’ are the Galatian Christians and, by extension, all Christians.⁷ That means you and me. And we are to do this ‘gently’; in fact, only Christians are characteristically gentle, for gentleness is one of the fruits of the Spirit described in the previous chapter.⁸

We are also instructed to do this watchfully, lest we also be tempted (Gal 6:1). I do not think Paul is only referring to us being tempted to sin in the same way as the one we are restoring, though this is also possible. If we are helping someone to repent of unfaithfulness, or greed, or violence, or pornography then the folly of these things is clearly before us in the brokenness of the one we are helping. More insidious is the temptation to be judgmental, or self-congratulatory that you have not failed in the same way (or, perhaps, you’ve just hidden it better?). Paul jumps on these things straight away:

If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else, for each one should carry his own load. Gal 6:2-5.

Christians can be self-deceived about their own work and worth in two ways. The first is comparison, where we find someone who is ‘worse’ than us, and say, ‘Gee, aren’t I doing well by comparison – I must be a wonderful Christian’; or we find someone doing ‘better’, and say, ‘They’re doing so much better than me – I must be a terrible Christian.’ Either way, we deceive ourselves, because God does not assign worth in such ways.

The second way Christians deceive themselves is by failing to test their own work. I am a software engineer, and it is a well known maxim amongst engineers that, ‘If it’s not tested, it’s broken.’ Testing is how we find out when something is defective or broken. This is not a new concept. In fact, the Greek word used here for ‘test’ was often applied to the purification of gold. The gold is melted, and any impurities within it simply burn away. Thus the testing is both the means and the proof of quality and purification.

But what is the standard for such testing, if not comparison with others? Paul offered us a number of useful markers of a high-quality Christian life – that is, a spiritual life – in Galatians 5: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Ask yourself honestly, do you see these things in your life? Are you growing in them? Do they characterise your relationships with others? Test your life and works against this standard, and see how they fare.

It is vital that we do this testing, otherwise we will either neglect to bear one another’s burdens or to bear our own load.⁹ Note that there is no contradiction here, for two different words are used, translated ‘burden’ and ‘load’ respectively. The context here suggests that the first is a load too big to be borne alone, whereas the second is rightfully the responsibility of the person who carries it. In fact, the latter is often used of a soldier’s pack or knapsack. We are to bear one another’s ‘burdens’, which are too heavy to be carried by one person alone, but there is one burden that we cannot share, and that is responsibility for our own actions.¹⁰ Even when we are receiving help from the believing community, we are still responsible for what we do or don’t do. We cannot rely upon other members of the church to read the Bible for us, to pray for our families, to teach our children, or to steward our resources. Though we may receive help in all of these areas, the responsibility is upon us to do it.

The same may be said of the church as a community. If we spend our time comparing ourselves to other churches (‘They have more people,’ or ‘We are more involved in mission,’ or ‘Wouldn’t it be nice to have their resources,’ or ‘They teach some rubbish there,’ or whatever) then we may fail to partner with them in burdens that should be borne together, or fail in carrying the load we ought to be responsible for. We cannot leave the work of global or local mission to other churches, just because they have more people, or more money. We must contribute to the work of Scripture teachers in our schools, we must participate in things like Operation Christmas Child, Live Below the Line, 40 Hour Famine and so on. These are burdens that are too big for one church to bear alone. But we must also meet our own responsibilities. We cannot sit back and wait for someone else to disciple and teach us, or to care for the needs of our congregation. If our ministry depends on us employing pastoral staff (Gal 6:6), having a church building, and sending out missionaries, then we must take ownership of those things. When someone in our church is sick, or grieving, or suffering, we as a church are to be at the forefront of meeting that need for it is our responsibility. These things are our ‘load’ to carry as a church.

Life in the Spirit is community life: we are called to care for others, to serve one another in love, to bear one another’s burdens. But we are also instructed to carry our own loads.

Growing in service: sowing and reaping (Gal 6:7-10)

But how do we become individuals and a community that does these things? Paul says that what you sow determines what you reap. ‘It is not the reapers who decide what the harvest is going to be like, but the sowers.’¹¹ If we want to become people who are spiritual, who live life in the Spirit, we must sow the things that are of the Spirit. If, however, we sow the things of the sinful nature, we should expect to reap a life and a community of the same kind, one where people are ‘conceited, provoking and envying each other’ (Gal 5:26).
How do we know which are which? Back in chapter 5, Paul gave us some examples of both acts of the sinful nature and fruits of the Spirit. Every time we wallow in self-pity, or nurse a grudge, indulge in impure fantasies, envy our neighbour, lash out in anger or snipe about someone behind their back we are sowing to the flesh. Rather than a good harvest, such a farmer should expect only a harvest of weeds, good only for the fire (Matt 13:24-30).¹²

This lines up with our own experience doesn’t it? When we think and act in sinful ways, the consequences tend to be sinful as well. Speaking harsh words produces enmities. Gossiping results in ill will. Lust grows sexual impurities. Worse still, ancient farmers would use a portion of their crop as seed for the next year’s crop. But if we keep planting weeds, pretty soon we will have nothing but weeds to plant!

I read a book some years ago that describes the same problem from a different angle. Speaking of doing battle with sexual temptation, this book describes our sex drive as a sumo wrestler. In one corner is Mr Sex Drive – fed up on ‘a billion meals of lust and fantasy’.¹³ In the other corner… you. Things don’t look good – he’s many times bigger than you, and consistently, effortlessly, sends you flying out of the ring. The book goes on to explain that the only way to overcome is to ‘Starve the sumo’. By cutting out the sumo’s food – sexy movies, TV, music, websites etc. – you can reduce his power over you, and even the odds in those contests in the ring.¹⁴

What is true of one appetite is true of others as well. The more you ‘feed’ them, the stronger they become; you must learn to deny them their desires. Starve that sumo! Work out what it is feeding on, and do whatever you need to to eliminate or avoid those things. Is it drunkenness? Don’t hang out in pubs. Is it pornography? Don’t use the computer in your bedroom, or leave the door open. Do you struggle with negativity or gossip? Choose carefully who you spend your time with. Remember from last week Paul’s declaration and promise: ‘Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.’ Crucifixion may be a slow death, but it is a certain one. Stop sowing thoughts and acts of the sinful nature into your life, because what you sow controls what you reap.

But it is not enough just to stop sowing bad things. We must also start to sow the good things, the things that please the Spirit. Again, Paul gave us a list of examples in Galatians 5:22-23: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Sow these things into your life. Do you have the opportunity to make peace with someone you’ve quarrelled with? Do it! Is your neighbour struggling with their children, groceries or housework? Give them a hand! Forgive those who have wronged you, and seek forgiveness from those you have wronged. When you sow the things of the Spirit, you can expect a harvest in kind. And just as farmers use one harvest as seed for the next crop, so you will be able to replant this harvest. It has been truly said, ‘Sow a thought, reap an act; sow an act, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character; sow a character, reap a destiny’.¹⁵

For these reasons, Paul’s command is to sow, and keep on sowing. The only thing that can threaten the one who sows Spiritual things is ‘weariness’ that causes us to lose hope and ‘give up’ (Gal 6:9).¹⁶ Crops do not spring up overnight, sumos are not starved in a day; and an instrument is not mastered in an instant; neither does Christian character magically appear straight away. But if you are tired of sowing, and leave half your field unsown you will only reap half a crop.¹⁷ We must be patient, knowing that the fruit of our harvest lies in the future rather than immediate gratification, yet is no less valuable for that. Sow the word of God (Gal 6:6). Sow into your own life, sowing to please the Spirit (Gal 6:7-8). Sow into the lives of all people, and particularly fellow believers (Gal 6:10).

Friends, ‘as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people’ (Gal 6:10), not as a way of earning salvation but in response to the salvation and promise already received, the hope of a ‘harvest if we do not give up’ (Gal 6:9).

Boast in Christ (Gal 6:11-18)

As he comes to the conclusion of this Epistle, Paul leaves off dictation and takes up the pen to write the final paragraphs in his own hand (Gal 6:11). In so doing, he returns to the topic of circumcision, exposing the motives of those who are promoting it. These motives are: (1) making a good impression; (2) avoiding persecution; and (3) having grounds for boasting. Let’s examine these in turn.

As already noted, the desire to compare ourselves to others stops us from loving one another and bearing one another’s burdens. Well, so does the need to ‘make a good impression’. When caught up in this way of life, we get so focused on how we can impress our ‘audience’ that we don’t stop to consider whether our actions are loving or not. We may bear someone else’s burdens, but only if it makes us look good, if we think we might get credit for it. In the case of the Galatians, the circumcision party were clearly looking to impress other Jews: ‘Look how many have converted to Judaism because of our preaching.’ Possibly the ones tempted to agree to being circumcised wanted to show off their devotion and piety. In both cases, the result was alienation from Christ (Gal 5:4) and slavery imposed and received respectively. Modern day equivalents might be those who exult in the number of baptisms or church members they have, their association with other famous Christians or churches, participation in certain conferences or singing certain music.

Who are you trying to impress? Do you want your Christian friends to notice how you’re always talking about Jesus, how you go to church twice on Sundays, you know all the words to all the songs, how well you know your Bible and so on? Or perhaps it is your non-Christian friends who are on your radar. Is it important that they know you give to charity and that you care about the environment? To my shame, when I was in uni, I used to try and distinguish myself from the ‘super-Christians’ on campus by being almost aggressively non-evangelistic, in order to convince my non-Christian friends that though I was a Christian I was alright to hang out with. I invite you to stop and think about the way you relate to others: what is it that drives your behaviour? Is it the fruit of the Spirit growing within your life? Or is it just you trying to make a good impression?

The circumcisers were also trying to avoid persecution. Paul himself had been an avid persecutor of the church, as he relates in Galatians 1:13-14, 24, and there were doubtless many other Jews out doing the same. Perhaps there was also security in being part of a recognised religion, protected under Roman law. Whatever the case, Paul himself was evidence that persecution was a normal part of the Christian life (Gal 6:17). It is to be expected. As we learned last week, the Christian life is one of conflict between the forces of the sinful nature and those of the Spirit.

It also seems likely the circumcision party were attempting to minimise or make up for the ‘offense of the cross’ (Gal 5:11). The cross is the ultimate symbol of human failure, man’s inability to meet God’s requirements on his own. This is still an unpopular message today, and proclaiming it is likely to result in both offense and persecution. Try telling a non-Christian that they do not, indeed cannot, match up to God’s standards. Try explaining to them that any attempts on their own part at closing the gap actually make it worse. In most cases, the initial reaction is one of offense, often followed by persecution. Yet we must not try to ‘tone down’ the cross in an effort to make it more palatable and less offensive. We cannot afford to compromise, for to compromise is to be alienated from Christ (Gal 5:4).

The third motive for law-keeping is a desire to boast. Not all boasting is bad. In fact, Paul contrasts two different types of boasting in these closing verses. ‘Once more, at the end of his letter, he returns to the antithesis of cross and circumcision, setting them forth this time as representing respectively the true and false ground of boasting’.¹⁸ Negatively, Paul says that the circumcisers are looking to boast about the Galatians’ flesh, much as David offered up 100 Philistine foreskins in order to become King Saul’s son-in-law (1 Sam 18:25-27).¹⁹ Yet they are hypocrites, who for all their enthusiasm about others obeying the law, fail to keep it themselves!

Over against this example, Paul set himself. Where the Judaisers boasted about the law and the benefits of circumcision, Paul boasts about the cross of Christ. The circumcisers claim a wound in their flesh as their badge of honour; Paul, though he bore that same wound, boasts in the far more profound wounds of crucifixion (Gal 6:17).²⁰ Back in chapter 5 Paul said:

In Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. Gal 5:6

Here he reiterates:

Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is new creation. Gal 6:15

The cross of Jesus Christ was the means by which God has brought about new creation.²¹ The cross marks an absolute break between the old and the new world, and the distinction between circumcision and uncircumcision belongs to the old world. What matters is that you belong to the new creation.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, if you are looking for something to boast about, make sure it is this:

• Jesus Christ lived the life we could not live, in complete fulfilment of the law, and nothing we can do can compare to that.
• Jesus Christ died on a Roman cross to pay the penalty for our sins we could not pay, and nothing we can do can add to that.
• Jesus Christ rose from death, bringing new creation and new life to all who believe in him, and nothing we or anyone else can do will take away from that.

The Christian life is not about boasting in what we have, can or will do; it is boasting about what Jesus has done!

Bibliography

Arterburn, Stephen, Fred Stoeker, and Mike Yorkey. Every Young Man’s Battle: Strategies for Victory in the Real World of Sexual Temptation. 1st ed, The Every Man Series. Colorado Springs: WaterBrook Press, 2002.

Boice, James Montgomery. Galatians. Edited by Frank E. Gaebelein and J. D. Douglas. Accordance electronic ed, Expositor’s Bible Commentary. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1977.

Bruce, F. F. The Epistle to the Galatians: A Commentary on the Greek Text. Accordance electronic ed, New International Greek Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1982.

Cole, R. A. The Letter of Paul to the Galatians : An Introduction and Commentary. 2nd ed, The Tyndale New Testament Commentaries. Nottingham: Inter-Varsity Press, 1989.

Fung, Ronald Y. K. The Epistle to the Galatians, The New International Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1988.

Keener, Craig S. The Ivp Bible Background Commentary: New Testament. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1993.

Longenecker, Richard N. Galatians. Accordance/Thomas Nelson electronic ed, Word Biblical Commentary. Waco: Word Books, 1990.

Schreiner, Thomas R. Paul, Apostle of God’s Glory in Christ : A Pauline Theology. Leicester: Inter-Varsity, 2001.

Stott, John R. W. The Message of Galatians. Accordance electronic ed, The Bible Speaks Today. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1984.

Endnotes

1. ‘Freedom in Christ does not entail freedom from ought (Gal 5:1, 13); it provides freedom to carry out what ought to be done.’ Thomas R. Schreiner, Paul, Apostle of God’s Glory in Christ : A Pauline Theology (Leicester: Inter-Varsity, 2001), 231.
2. BDAG, s.v. δουλεύω.
3. John R. W. Stott, The Message of Galatians, Accordance electronic ed., The Bible Speaks Today (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1984), 142. R. A. Cole, The Letter of Paul to the Galatians : An Introduction and Commentary, 2nd ed., The Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Nottingham: Inter-Varsity Press, 1989), 206.
4. James Montgomery Boice, Galatians, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein and J. D. Douglas, Accordance electronic ed., Expositor’s Bible Commentary (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1977), n. p.
5. Stott, Galatians, 160.
6. Though this would clearly be appropriate in the event of criminal wrongdoing, as would notifying the relevant secular authorities.
7. Richard N. Longenecker, Galatians, Accordance/Thomas Nelson electronic ed., Word Biblical Commentary (Waco: Word Books, 1990), 273.
8. Stott, Galatians, 161-2.
9. Boice, Galatians, n. p.
10. Stott, Galatians, 159-60.
11. Ibid., 166.
12. F. F. Bruce, The Epistle to the Galatians: A Commentary on the Greek Text, Accordance electronic ed., New International Greek Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1982), 265.
13. Stephen Arterburn, Fred Stoeker, and Mike Yorkey, Every Young Man’s Battle: Strategies for Victory in the Real World of Sexual Temptation, 1st ed., The Every Man Series (Colorado Springs: WaterBrook Press, 2002), 132.
14. Ibid., 132-4.
15. We should also note in passing that it is also true that the more you sow, the more you reap. If you sow generously, you will get a large crop; if you sow sparingly, your crop will be small (2 Cor 9:6).
16. Cole, Galatians, 230.
17. Stott, Galatians, 171-2.
18. Ronald Y. K. Fung, The Epistle to the Galatians, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1988), 300.
19. Boice, Galatians, ad loc.
20. Craig S. Keener, The Ivp Bible Background Commentary: New Testament (Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1993), ad loc.
21. Fung, Galatians, 308-9.

On the first of January, 1863, the American Emancipation Proclamation came into effect. By it, all of the black slaves in the United States were set free. Yet a strange thing happened, for many continued to live in slavery. When an Alabama slave was asked what he thought of Abraham Lincoln, the Great Emancipator he replied, ‘I don’t know nothin’ ’bout Abraham Lincoln cep they say he sot us free. And I don’t know nothin’ ’bout that neither’.¹

It is not enough to declare someone as being free if they ‘don’t know nothin’ ’bout it’ – instead, they must be taught and shown what it means to be free. And, as we shall see, this is very close to the Apostle Paul’s heart, for he spends the final two chapters laying out his vision for the freedom a Christian is to enjoy. It is a freedom bought at great price, and not to be squandered. It is a freedom to pursue a different kind of service: not the forced servitude of slavery, but the willing service of love for one another. It is not a freedom characterised by the indulgence of the sinful nature, but of growth and health and goodness. Above all, this freedom that Paul speaks of is a spiritual freedom, of walking in step with the Holy Spirit, of standing firm in the midst of conflict and cooperating with the Spirit’s work in our lives.

Tonight we will survey spiritual freedom under the following headings: purpose, origin, interruption, nature and battle.

The purpose of spiritual freedom (Gal 5:1)

A study done some years ago found that nearly 60% of smokers undergoing surgery for heart disease continue to smoke after their procedure.² Even though this was exactly the action that led to them requiring surgery in the first place, they have somehow failed to understand the purpose of their newly restored health. Why were they cured? So they could be healthy, of course; not so they could destroy their health all over again.

We sense some measure of frustration in Paul, akin to a cardiologist doing a follow up with a patient who smells of nicotine. ‘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’ (Gal 5:1 NIV, emphasis added). In ancient times, one of the ways a slave might be freed would be that his master sold him to one of the pagan gods; in such a case, the former slave would be presented with a document stating he had been freed ’for freedom’, and ‘let no man henceforth enslave him’. Technically he remained the slave of the god, but in the eyes of men he was a free man.³

It seems strange to our ears to hear of smokers returning to smoking, or of slaves returning to slavery. Why do they do it? Perhaps, like the Israelites in the wilderness it is a question of comfort: they remember the familiar things, the things they enjoyed, and block out the negatives. ‘Better the devil you know’, they say or, ‘We may have been slaves, but at least we knew where our next meal was coming from.’ And in so saying, they forget that they were slaves, subject to oppression by cruel masters. Or maybe it is just old habits, like an alcoholic ordering a beer or a gambling addict turning to the form guide, forgetting for the moment that they have left those things behind.

Friends, if you belong to Jesus Christ, you have been redeemed from slavery. I don’t know the specifics of the slavery that you have been redeemed from. Perhaps your life was characterised by pride, envy or bitterness; maybe you lived for the approval of others, or your own ambitions; or was it greed? anger? lust? Or, perhaps worst of all, maybe you were saved from your own religiosity, your attempts to prove yourself a Christian by church attendance, giving an outward appearance of Christian character and behaviour. Whatever it was, there will be times when those things seem pretty attractive, or when you act out of habit. The Apostle’s instruction is clear: don’t forget that they are slavery, that you have been set free, so stand firm.

The origin of spiritual freedom (Gal 5:2-6)

In the case of the Galatians, they were not actually returning to the same slavery they had been redeemed from, but were being sold a new kind of ‘freedom’.⁴ Jewish boys were circumcised in order to show their obedience to the law of God, hence claiming for themselves the covenant promises God made to Abraham (Gen 17:10-14). Perhaps the argument went that the Galatians could not be granted the ‘freedom’ as sons of Abraham unless they were first circumcised, as Abraham’s sons were.

But Paul is intent to show that this ‘freedom’ is not really freedom at all, if it is founded on this rite and the law that goes with it. To this end, he mobilises every scrap of his authority as an apostle:⁵ ‘I, Paul,’ the circumcised Jew and expert in the law, proud of my heritage as a Jew;⁶ ‘I, Paul,’ the apostle who brought the Gospel to Galatia, who has undergone the pains of giving birth to you not once but now a second time (Gal 4:19); ‘I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all.’ And, in case you missed it back in chapter 3, when I said that ‘All who rely on observing the law are under a curse’ (Gal 3:10),⁷ ‘Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law.’ In the original language here, the words translated ‘value’ and ‘obliged’ sound similar; we might get something of the contrast by translating, ‘You will not profit from Christ but will be in debt to the law.’⁸ Obligation and debt is not the way of freedom!

Paul continues, arguing that those seeking to be justified by law have driven a wedge between themselves and Christ. Jesus provides unlimited help to those who trust in him; those who seek to bypass his saving work and make themselves acceptable by other means receive no help at all from him, for they have fallen away from grace.⁹

This is a warning for us. It is true that, if you belong to Christ, he has promised to keep you by his grace. But just like road signs and guard rails that help keep us safely on the road, warnings like this remind us to keep putting our trust in Christ.¹⁰

The answer, Paul says, is not what you do, but what you hope for. ‘But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope’ (Gal 5:5). Note the vicious circle: lack of faith or lack of hope makes us want to ensure our own salvation now; but such attempts are ever uncertain or, rather, certain to fail, so faith and hope are destroyed.¹¹ Turning this around, however, when we put our faith in Jesus our hope is certain and secure, for there is nothing uncertain about hope in the New Testament.¹² If you belong to Christ Jesus, his obedience to God in his life and in his death have won for you the title ‘child of God’ (Gal 3:26), and if you are a child then you will share in the inheritance (Gal 3:29; 4:7). Because you are a child of God, he has sent his Holy Spirit into your heart (Gal 4:6) and it is through this same Spirit that we await the future proclamation of our righteousness.

Friends, there is a clear choice before you: on the one hand, you can choose to try and achieve your own righteousness, in which case Christ is of no value to you, and you have no hope; or you can put your faith in Christ, in which case neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. True freedom comes from faith in Jesus Christ.

The interruption of the Galatians’ spiritual freedom (Gal 5:7-12)

At some point, the Galatians must have understood this. For Paul, taking up again one of his favourite metaphor of the Christian life,¹³ says, ‘You were running a good race’ (Gal 5:7). This image, taken from the ancient athletic track, illustrates Paul’s image of freedom well. There is a clear goal (the finish line), and we must keep moving towards that goal. Yet there are also lanes that mark out the direction, and failure to keep within these lines results in disqualification. Paul suggests someone has left their lane, disqualifying themselves in the process, and ‘cut in’ on the Galatians preventing them from running towards the goal.

Who were these navigationally challenged competitors? The people who had come to Galatia trying to convince the Galatians to accept circumcision. In fact, ‘cut in’ here may well be double entendre, referring to both the race metaphor and to circumcision itself.
A question arises, though: If, as Paul has said, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is of any value (Gal 5:6), why not be on the safe side in case circumcision really does matter to God in the end? This is what some people want to do today, deliberately speaking in language of ‘spirituality’ or of ‘god’ in such vague terms that it might include the God of the Bible, Allah, Buddha, Vishnu, Mother Nature, the Divine Self or even the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Kind of an each-way bet.

Paul has already offered a number of arguments against this line of thinking: circumcision means abandoning Christ (Gal 5:2), and being obligated to obey the whole law (Gal 5:3). Here he offers another two arguments. Firstly, the persuasion does not come from the one who called them (Gal 5:8). This may refer to Paul himself, but in view of what he says in chapter 1 about the Gospel originating with Jesus, I believe he probably means Christ here. ‘Even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned!’ (Gal 1:8) Indeed, here he says ‘The one who is throwing you into confusion will pay the penalty’ (Gal 5:10).

The second argument offered again circumcision is that ‘a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough’ (Gal 5:9). Yeast was a common image for sin in the Old Testament: hence in preparation for OT feasts such as passover, the Israelites were instructed to eat only bread baked without yeast. Here the point is that allowing even a little sinful thinking or action into our life and the life of our church results in the whole thing being contaminated. A friend of mine told me recently about having spent some time preparing a baking tray ready for baking. Having completed this, however, his wife decided to take out the trash and, in the process of removing the garbage managed to drip ‘bin juice’ into the baking tray. I can’t imagine there was a vast quantity of ‘bin juice’; yet a little bin juice would spoil the effort! And sin spreads. We treat cancer as soon as it is detected, even if it is very small and inconsequential at the time, because it is the nature of cancer to grow and to spread.

There is an important lesson here: when it comes to sin, do not compromise. Do not allow it a foot in the door. Do not tell yourself that it is ‘harmless’ because it doesn’t directly impact anyone else, and no-one else needs to know. Examine what you are taught carefully: is it consistent with the Gospel? does it come from the one who called you, that is, Jesus Christ? If not, don’t mess around, don’t dip your toe in. Don’t even settle for ‘I guess he or she is entitled to their opinion’; Paul certainly doesn’t. In verse 12 he says, in effect, ‘So cutting a little bit off makes you holy? Why not go for the big-time and cut it all off!’ Some scholars have suggested that Paul is also inviting the consequence pronounced on the emasculated: removal from the community (Deut. 23:1).¹⁴ If this is so, it is an echo of the curse pronounced upon anybody promoting a different ‘gospel’ (Gal 1:8-9).

The nature of spiritual freedom (Gal 5:13-15)

In strong contrast to the circumcisers, upon whom Paul has pronounced a curse, he continues, ‘You, my brothers, were called to be free’ (Gal 5:13).¹⁵ Disappointed and astonished as he is with their behaviour, the Apostle expresses his confidence that they will return to their calling: freedom.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, you are called to freedom! This is what it means to be a Christian, and it is a glorious truth. The tragedy is that so many don’t understand this. The common image people have of Christianity today is not freedom, but a cruel bondage. This is, I suggest, because the world has a vastly different definition of freedom.

Here are some common, worldly definitions of ‘freedom’:

• President Roosevelt spoke in 1941 of ‘freedom of speech everywhere, freedom of worship everywhere, freedom from want everywhere and freedom from fear everywhere’;¹⁶
• The Rolling Stones sang:
  

  I’m free to do what I want any old time
  I’m free to do what I want any old time
  So love me hold me love me hold me
  I’m free any old time to get what I want

• We pester our governments for freedom of information;
• We claim our ‘free will’ as the highest authority over our actions.

So what kind of freedom is the Christian called to? Paul offers an answer in two parts: it is not for indulging the sinful nature; it is for serving one another in love. He then goes on to expand on these, describing the battle with the sinful nature for the rest of this chapter, and then describing how we can serve one another in love in chapter 6. Since we will look at chapter 6 next week, for now I will just note how strange it is that freedom should be defined in terms of service (or, literally, slavery)!

The battle of spiritual freedom (Gal 5:16-26)

The phrase ‘indulge the sinful nature’ in verse 13 might more literally be translated, ‘offer an opportunity to the flesh’.¹⁷ The word ‘opportunity’ is used in military contexts for a place from which an offensive is launched, or a base of operations. The point being made is similar to the one about the yeast in the bread, above, but transposed into the language of battle rather than the language of the home.

Make no mistake: the Christian life is a battle. But, unlike other battles, the outcome is never in doubt. Paul promises straight away that if you ‘walk by the Spirit… you will not gratify the desires of the flesh’ (Gal 5:16, emphasis added).

Picture the image of two armies at war: on the one side are arrayed the forces of the flesh, and their desire is destruction; on the other side are those who walk by the Spirit, following his leadership. Once, you fought on the side of the flesh. Perhaps you were a volunteer, or perhaps you were simply drafted, but the fact was you fought and lived for the flesh. And the following the way of the flesh is the road to destruction. But now, in Christ, you have been rescued from that, set free to fight alongside the one who freed you, to ‘walk in step’ with him. ‘Follow the orders of your general’, Paul says, ‘and the enemy will not, can not, accomplish his goal of destroying you.’ You are no longer ‘under law’,¹⁸ but you are under orders, and those orders emanate from the Spirit.

Yet sometimes soldiers offer an ‘opportunity’ to the enemy, whether by negligence, incompetence or disobedience to orders. Paul offers us a means for keeping tabs on our actions and constantly assessing whether we are acting according to the Spirit’s orders.

The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. (Gal 5:19-21)

These are the acts of enemy agents, seeking to sabotage the army of the Spirit. And what do we do with enemy agents? Paul’s instruction is blunt: crucify them! No slap on the wrist; no, ‘you seem like a nice bloke so I’ll let you go’; no mercy; no pity; no opportunity for rationalisation or justification. Clear and simple: crucify them, put them to death, nail them to a cross and make sure they don’t come down until dead. A theologian once wrote, ‘be killing sin or it will be killing you’.¹⁹

This means that we have a responsibility to act when we recognise the acts of the sinful nature in our lives. We must confess and repent of our sin, both before God and before those we have sinned against. The trouble is that crucifixion, whilst a certain death, is also a lingering death.²⁰ Too often, we hang around at the foot of the cross, to pity it, to long for its release. We need to learn to leave those sins there.

When some jealous, proud, malicious or impure thought invades our mind we must kick it out at once. It is fatal to begin to examine it and consider whether we are going to give in to it or not. We have declared war on it; we are not going to resume negotiations. We have settled the issue for good; we are not going to re-open it. We have crucified the flesh; we are never going to draw the nails.²¹

Being in an army means fighting alongside others. We are not lone warriors, but are joined together in support of one another. But how do we know who is on our side? How do we tell which orders are coming from our general, and which are planted by the enemy?

Changing metaphors, Paul speaks of the ‘fruit of the Spirit’: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Gal 5:22-3). The thing about fruit is that it grows according to the species of the tree. Apple trees produce apples. Grape vines produce grapes. And so on. Do you think my son will have to work hard in order to grow tall like me? Or will my daughter have to strive to grow as beautiful as her mother? Of course not. These things will happen naturally, for they are part of their genetic makeup.

These fruits or, rather, this fruit (for it is singular), is the means by which we can recognise our allies in the fight. They are the uniform, the passwords that authenticate the orders we receive. We must learn to recognise friend from foe. And we must learn to trust one another. As one author writes:

Since the ultimate goal of salvation is for us individually to belong as a growing, contributing, edifying member of the people of God, others in the body exist for the same purpose, and thus should serve you in the same way. Don’t try to be a lone ranger Christian, slugging it out on your own. Seek out those in the community to whom you can be accountable and let them join you in your desire to grow into Christ’s likeness.²²

When Paul writes, ‘Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit’ (Gal 5:25), he is speaking of soldiers marching in formation, of drawing up in battle lines together to face the enemy.

Friends, take advantage of the resources of this army of God. Join with other Christians to learn from God’s word, to sing praises to our God, to offer prayers for one another and to carry out the mission assigned to us. This can be in large groups (like coming to church) but I recommend getting together with a small group as well, because this is where the rubber really hits the road, in all of these areas.

I believe this message is a really practical one for us. War, rather than perfection, characterises the normal Christian life; if we are engaged in the conflict then we should not become downcast. Instead, we should look to the Spirit who leads us, trusting that he is in control, and that his strategy will ultimately prevail. We are called to march in step with him.

Conclusion

In closing, I can do no better than to offer again the words of the Apostle Paul:

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. (Gal 5:1)

You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. (Gal 5:13)

Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. (Gal 5:24-5)

Bibliography

Boice, James Montgomery. Galatians. Edited by Frank E. Gaebelein and J. D. Douglas. Accordance electronic ed, Expositor’s Bible Commentary. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1977.

Bruce, F. F. The Epistle to the Galatians: A Commentary on the Greek Text. Accordance electronic ed, New International Greek Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1982.

Cole, R. A. The Letter of Paul to the Galatians : An Introduction and Commentary. 2nd ed, The Tyndale New Testament Commentaries. Nottingham: Inter-Varsity Press, 1989.

Dunn, James D. G. A Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians. Massachusetts: Hendrickson, 1993.

Fee, Gordon D. Paul, the Spirit and the People of God. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1996.

Fung, Ronald Y. K. The Epistle to the Galatians, The New International Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1988.

Martin, Ralph P. Reconciliation : A Study of Paul’s Theology, New Foundations Theological Library. Atlanta: John Knox Press, 1981.

McWilliams, David B. Galatians, Mentor Commentary. Tain, Great Britain: Christian Focus Publications, 2009.

Morris, Leon. The Apostolic Preaching of the Cross. 3rd Revised ed. Grand Rapids,: Eerdmans, 1965.

“Most Smokers Continue to Light up after Heart Surgery.” American Heart Association, http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1998/11/981112075613.htm.

Owen, John. Overcoming Sin&Temptation. Edited by Kelly M. Kapic and Justin Taylor. Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway Books, 2006.

Schreiner, Thomas R. Galatians, Zondervan Exegetical Commentary Series on the New Testament. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 2010.

Stott, John R. W. The Message of Galatians. Accordance electronic ed, The Bible Speaks Today. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1984.

Swindoll, Charles R. Swindoll’s Ultimate Book of Illustrations&Quotes (Formerly Tale of the Tardy Oxcart and 1501 Other Stories: A Collection of Stories, Anecdotes, Illustrations, and Quotes), Swindoll Leadership Library. Nashville: Word Pub., 1998.

Endnotes

1. Charles R. Swindoll, Swindoll’s Ultimate Book of Illustrations&Quotes (Formerly Tale of the Tardy Oxcart and 1501 Other Stories: A Collection of Stories, Anecdotes, Illustrations, and Quotes), Swindoll Leadership Library (Nashville: Word Pub., 1998), 524-5.
2. “Most Smokers Continue to Light up after Heart Surgery,” American Heart Association, http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1998/11/981112075613.htm.
3. Leon Morris, The Apostolic Preaching of the Cross, 3rd Revised ed. (Grand Rapids,: Eerdmans, 1965), 14. cf. Deissman, cited in R. A. Cole, The Letter of Paul to the Galatians : An Introduction and Commentary, 2nd ed., The Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Nottingham: Inter-Varsity Press, 1989), 185. Note, however, Martin, who claims this has failed as a satisfactory explanation of the verse, Ralph P. Martin, Reconciliation : A Study of Paul’s Theology, New Foundations Theological Library (Atlanta: John Knox Press, 1981), 39.
4. This verse is the first clear indication that the issue at stake was circumcision. Thomas R. Schreiner, Galatians, Zondervan Exegetical Commentary Series on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 2010), 312.
5. Betz, cited in Ibid., 313.
6. 2 Cor 11:22 ; Phil 3:5-6
7. Ibid., 311.
8. James D. G. Dunn, A Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians (Massachusetts: Hendrickson, 1993), 265.
9. F. F. Bruce, The Epistle to the Galatians: A Commentary on the Greek Text, Accordance electronic ed., New International Greek Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1982), 229.
10. Schreiner, Galatians, 319.
11. Morris, The Apostolic Preaching of the Cross, 283.; David B. McWilliams, Galatians, Mentor Commentary (Tain, Great Britain: Christian Focus Publications, 2009), 188.
12. Cole, Galatians, 192.; Dunn, Galatians, 270.
13. 1 Cor 9:24-26; Gal 2:2; Phil 2:16; 2 Tim 4:7.
14. Ronald Y. K. Fung, The Epistle to the Galatians, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1988), 242.
15. Note the emphatic position of Υμεῖς at the beginning of the sentence. James Montgomery Boice, Galatians, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein and J. D. Douglas, Accordance electronic ed., Expositor’s Bible Commentary (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1977), ad loc. and Fung, Galatians, 244.
16. John R. W. Stott, The Message of Galatians, Accordance electronic ed., The Bible Speaks Today (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1984), 139.
17. So ESV. cf. Ibid., 140.; Cole, Galatians, 204.
18. Paul uses ‘under’ elsewhere in Galatians (Gal 3:10, 22, 25; 4:3, 4, 5, 21) always negatively. cf. Schreiner, Galatians, 345.
19. John Owen, Overcoming Sin&Temptation, ed. Kelly M. Kapic and Justin Taylor (Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway Books, 2006), 50.
20. Stott, Galatians, 151.
21. Ibid., 152.
22. Gordon D. Fee, Paul, the Spirit and the People of God (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1996), 138.

This is part II of an ongoing discussion of Jonathan Edwards’ A Treatise Concerning Religious Affections. In case you missed it, please see Part I. Also see the contributions from my friend and conversation partner Andrew Starkey: Part I and Part II.

Q: What is this section about as a whole?

In Part 1, Edwards argued that true religious affections are a necessary component of true religion. However, this raises a question: how may one determine whether such religious affections are ‘true’ or not? Edwards begins to answer this question negatively in part 2, outlining many possible methods for making such a determination, but concluding that each of them is ultimately deficient. In this way, Edwards is clearing the detritus from the building site in order to lay a firm foundation.

Q: What is being said in detail, and how?

Edwards traces 12 possible, but ultimately faulty, rubrics for assessing religious affections. These twelve are surveyed one by one, particularly in the light of Scripture and practical reason, and each is finally rejected. The twelve possibilities are:

1. The magnitude of the affection;
2. The magnitude of physical effects upon the body of the one affected;
3. The affectee is fluent and fervent in talking about religion;
4. The affection is apparently from an external source;
5. The affection is accompanied by Scripture texts being brought to the mind;
6. The affectee presents an appearance of love;
7. Many affections are intertwined and accompany one another;
8. Comfort follows conviction;
9. The affectee is zealously engaged in religion;
10. The affectee praises and glorifies God;
11. The affectee is convinced that their experience is divine; and
12. The affectee has the approval of other saints.

These are not ordered according to any discernible system, though one notes a certain overlap particularly between 3, 9, and 10. Edwards’ method on each point is commonly to argue that the sign is consistent with either true or false religious affections. So, an overwhelmingly large affection may well be a component of a ‘true’ affection; but likewise a ‘false’ affection may be exceedingly powerful in its impact for our enemy is able to simulate such things. Thus, since the sign is consistent with either true or false affections, its presence is insufficient evidence in either direction. What is not clearly discussed is whether the sign’s absence is evidence against the truth of the affection, a point I will return to in the next section.

This idea of ‘counterfeit’ runs like a thread through many of the points Edwards makes. He writes:

It may be observed that the more excellent anything is, the more will be the counterfeits of it. Thus there are many more counterfeits of silver and gold, than of iron and copper: there are many false diamonds and rubies, but who goes about to counterfeit common stones? Though the more excellent things are, the more difficult it is to make anything that shall be like them, in their essential nature and internal virtues; yet the more manifold will the counterfeits be, and the more will art and subtlety be displayed, in an exact imitation of the outward appearance. (969)

Thus, since it is ultimately to the enemy’s advantage to influence the church by means of his own ‘false’ affections, he will work very hard to imitate – in as many particulars as he can – ‘true’ affections. After all, ‘Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.’ (2 Cor 11:14 NIV) But this leaves us with a question that I hope will be answered in the rest of Edwards’ treatise: what are the attributes of true religious affection and experience that cannot be counterfeited?

Q: Is the section true, in part or in whole?

Edwards’ method is sound, and his conclusions seem supported by the evidence. I thus consider that this section is true. However, as mentioned above, I am left to wonder whether the absence of any of these signs should be taken as evidence against the authenticity of the experience. In particular, if the affectee has no appearance of love (6) or is disapproved by other saints (12) shouldn’t these tell against authenticity?

Q: What of it?

I need to go back and consider my own practices of spiritual discernment. As we have previously discussed, the signs listed above are generally external (although some require revelation by the affectee to become so, such as where certain texts of Scripture are brought to mind), suggesting that the focus is on discerning the affections of others, but I believe that they ought to be practiced on oneself first, and only secondarily on others. As I think over my own life and experience of God, what criteria am I using to evaluate? If any of the points listed above, then that should trigger alarm bells and a closer scrutiny.

Pick a city. Any city in the world, so long as you have never been there. Got one? OK, hands up if you can name a Christian in that city? Two? Five? Ten? As Paul reaches the conclusion of his epic letter to the Roman churches, churches in a city that he has never been to, he greets no fewer than 24 people by name! Some are people he has worked with, or been in imprisoned with. Some are family or close friends, others he may know only by reputation. Men and women alike are greeted with respect and affection. Paul is obviously intimately aware of the goings on in the churches in Rome.

This passage is all about people. Which is not surprising, really, since Paul has been talking about people and how Christians relate to other people – both Christians and non-Christians – since chapter 12. In that chapter he wrote about the renewing of the mind, and how that leads us to have transformed attitudes, actions and reactions to one another. In chapter 13, he spoke about the need to submit to authorities, which might not seem to be about relationships at first glance until the first person decides that traffic lights are simply providing suggestions of guidelines at which time relationships are both formed and broken very quickly. In 13:8 Paul wrote about our ‘continuing debt to love one another’. In chapter 14, and through into the first half of chapter 15, Paul is arguing very strongly that those who are ‘strong’ should nevertheless care for those who are ‘weak’ by not trampling their consciences.

From there to the end of the epistle, including the passage we are looking at tonight, Paul is recounting his own pastoral efforts on behalf of the church at large, and continuing to model his love for his fellow Christians, not least those in Rome. Where the previous chapters were about relating to people in general, this final chapter is very personal and specific, as reflected by the number of people addressed by name. Paul was a real person, writing to real people about real problems, and this is a fact we do well to keep in view as we read his epistle to the Romans.

Tonight, we’re going to consider Paul’s love for the Christians in Rome under three headings: (1) the foundation of love; (2) the promptings of love; and (3) the actions of love.

Love fellow believers because Christ has loved us and rescued us

On the 5th of August, 2010, a mine in San Jose, Chile, collapsed. 33 men were trapped 700 metres underground and 5 kilometres from the entrance to the mine they were working in. It was 17 days before those on the surface could even confirm the presence of any survivors. These men spent a record 69 days underground before their rescue could be effected. When they reached the surface, they all shook hands, waved goodbye, went home and never talked to one another again… What?

Of course, that’s not how the story ended at all! There was, in fact, great joy. An entire nation had collectively held its breath during the whole time they were underground; friends and relatives doubly so. For them, the response was great relief and joy at being reunited. But what about amongst the 33 men who had been trapped? These men, who were all but dead, had been rescued… together. I don’t know this, but I can easily imagine that the bonds formed underground were strong indeed. They had shared a terrible, harrowing experience and emerged from the other side of it alive. One thinks also of those who have survived wars, earthquakes, tsunamis and so on. Shared experiences, and particularly those charged with great danger or suffering, draw us together in a way that few other things can.

Paul recalls many shared experiences with those whom he greets, but the most repeated one may be seen in the phrases ‘in the Lord’, ‘in Christ’. These phrases are not empty, nor are they mere religious jargon. In fact, it is no exaggeration to say that Paul’s entire epistle has been developing the theme of how and why anyone can or should be ‘in Christ’.

Christians have been rescued from a much greater peril than being stuck underground. They faced the death of their bodies; we faced the eternal death of our souls. It may have taken an entire nation to rescue those miners, but it took the God of the universe to rescue us! The foundation of love between Christians is the action of God in Christ to rescue us. We are to love our fellow believers because Christ has loved us and rescued us.

Do you think those Chilean miners ever talked about their experience again? I reckon they did. Why are we Christians so shy, then, about reminding one another about what we have been saved from, how and by whom?

Remind each other of God’s grace in your shared experiences

Paul does not stop short at recalling our shared experience of salvation, however. God has saved us in Christ, and this is the foundation of our love for one another but, sinful as we are, we often require further promptings to love one another. Paul has a good solution for this: with those he has had personal interactions with, he regularly makes brief reference to some way in which God has blessed one or both of them through their interaction. So, with his good friends Priscilla and Aquila he recalls their shared work together and the fact that they risked their lives for him. This is an expression of love, because he is reminding them of God’s grace to him through them. Similarly, Paul greets Andronicus and Junia who were imprisoned with him, thus reminding them of God’s grace in setting them free. And there are many other examples packed into these short verses.

By recalling these things, Paul is encouraging those he is addressing, but the encouragement is also for the rest of the church who are hearing this letter read, who can experience God’s grace second hand, and be encouraged to look for it in their own lives also. We should be encouraged as well. God provided ‘fellow workers’ for Paul, to help him in the mission that he was called to, and God will provide such people for us as well. Rufus was indeed ‘chosen in the Lord'; we have been also. You may be imprisoned for the sake of Christ, as Paul was, but God will provide encouragement for you in the form of fellow believers such as Andronicus and Junia. Be encouraged by the faithfulness of people who have been Christians for longer than you have, such as Epenetus. Rejoice in the service of Mary, Tryphena, Tryphosa and Persis, and those who faithfully host house churches like Aristobulus and Narcissus.

Let’s be enthusiastic about reminding one another about God’s gracious working in our lives.

Turn your love into action

But, as the old saying goes, love is a verb. Paul does not just remember old times in order to ‘feel’ love toward these people. No, he uses these experiences as a motivation to ‘do’ love toward them. What kind of actions result from Paul’s love? Well, writing this epistle for a start!

Most obviously, Paul instructs his readers to ‘greet’ one another 13 times in this passage. Paul is physically separated from these believers, so he relies upon others to convey and express his love.

Yesterday morning, I was upstairs getting ready to face the day, whilst the rest of my family were downstairs having their breakfast. At least, Katrie and Elyana were downstairs. Aedan was having great fun coming up the stairs to see me before promptly asking ‘where’s Mummy and Baby Elly’ and heading back downstairs to look for them. After the first couple of times he did this, I suggested he go and tell Mummy and Baby Elly how much Daddy loves them. Then I sent him to give them each a kiss from Daddy. And so on. By doing this, Katrie and Elly were receiving expressions of my love for them. But, just as important, Aedan was learning about my love for them, and learning appropriate ways of expressing his own love for them.

So it was with Paul. He was unable to come to Rome and greet people in person. He did not have the opportunity to give Ampliatus a hug to reinforce his words of love. He could not sit down and have a beer with Urbanus and Stachys. And so he relied on others already in Rome to do these things on his behalf. And in standing in for Paul, these people were learning about Paul’s love for them and how to express it, much like Aedan learning about my love for Katrie and Elyana.
But they were also forming relationships with one another. It is hard to ‘greet’ someone – especially to greet them with a kiss, as commanded in verse 16 – without forming some measure of relationship with them! I used to be a part of a church where the two pastors made a particular effort to introduce people to one another, as the first step towards building relationships within the church. Paul does a bit of this too, introducing Phoebe (who was probably the person carrying this letter to Rome) and asking them to provide for her needs. I believe this is a good reminder to us to not be shy about introducing people to each other, particularly where we can see they can help each other in some way.

But… wait… kissing? Really? What’s with that? Kissing was the standard way of greeting a close family member. Paul is reminding us that we are family to one another, and our greetings and relationships should reflect that. So, if kissing is not appropriate for your family today, then what is? Find some healthy way of expressing the love that is appropriate amongst family members. We lose so much when cut physical interaction out of our relationships.

Let me ask, what do we do to promote relationships between Christians in this church? Let’s try an experiment. Introduce yourself to someone in the church you don’t know, and say, ‘The apostle Paul told me to greet you in the Lord.’ Do you know everyone? Go find someone in one of the other congregations… or another church… or a student fellowship group… or at Livewire… or somewhere else. Or else find someone you know well, and remind them of some way in which God has shown grace to both of you.

I also wonder what we can do to promote relationships with Christians in other parts of the world. It amazes me that, in a day where any news had to be carried by messenger that Paul could be so informed about the church to which he was writing, but we who can send a message to the other side of the world are so uninformed. What can we do to become partners for the gospel with those in other places? If you’re not already, why not make the effort to find out about how life looks for one (or more!) of our link missionaries? Who is in their church? What are their needs? What is God doing in their midst? How can you pray for them?
In these ways, you will be sharing Paul’s love but, more importantly, you will be sharing Christ’s love. Because, like Paul relied on the Roman churches to embody his love, Christ relies upon us to be his ‘hands and feet'; it is through his ‘body’ that Jesus expresses his love for his people and for the world.

So let’s love our fellow believers we have all been rescued together by Jesus Christ. This is the foundation of love. Let’s remind one another of God’s grace to us; these things are the promptings of love. And let’s turn our love into action, becoming the embodiment – the incarnation! – of Christ to one another.

Amen.

Be Free! (Gal 5:1)

Translation & Textual Notes

The Law is of no benefit (5:2-4)

Translation & Textual Notes

Structure:

• Declaration:
  • Circumcision is not an asset (2)
  • Circumcision is a liability (3)
• Relying on the law separates you from Christ (4)

Purpose: For the first time in this Epistle, Paul directly addresses the issue of circumcision, though it was no doubt clear to the Galatians that he had been building towards this all along. In particular, he has expounded the theme of freedom in chapters 3 and 4, ending in the climactic exhortation of 5:1: ‘To freedom Christ has set us free; therefore stand firm and do not be burdened again by the yoke of slavery.’ In 5:2, he turns from theory to practice by applying what he has said to the Galatian situation. This marks the commencement of the parenetic section of the Epistle.

Gal 5:2. ἴδε is common in the gospels, but is found only here in the rest of the NT. It is used to draw attention to something.¹ This, along with the lack of a conjunction joining this verse to the previous, requires a pause from the reader, lending great weight to what follows. This is amplified by the solemnity of Paul’s address. In supplying the superfluous personal pronoun, ἐγὼ, and his name, Paul is mustering every ounce of his apostolic authority and pouring it into this declaration: being circumcised negates the value of being in Christ.

The form of Paul’s declaration is akin to an oath, an impression strengthened by his repetition and use of the verb μαρτύρομαι in the next verse. Clearly Paul is ‘on trial’, as has been the case throughout the Epistle, and here the forensic language is particularly strong. Thus he demands a verdict from the Galatians, which will serve as the basis of the parenesis that constitutes the remainder of the Epistle.

Gal 5:3. The Apostle goes on to provide the grounds for this statement: submitting to part of the law requires submission to all of it. He thus argues from a specific case to a more general rule, taking circumcision as representative of the requirements of the law in general.

Paul punctuates his point with rhetorical word-play. Circumcision means the Galatians do not profit (ὠφελήσει) by Christ, but are rather in debt (ὀφειλέτης) to the whole law.

Much ink has been spilled over the latter half of the verse. The key issues are: (1) what is the frame of reference when Paul speaks of τὸν νόμον? (2) Did Paul believe it was possible to do (ποιῆσαι) the entire law? On the first, we may note at once that τὸν νόμον must include at a minimum the Pentateuch, since it is circumcision that is at issue here. Gal 4:10 may also give us an indication that this extended to the OT canon at large. It seems unlikely, however, that Paul would acknowledge the Pharisaic traditions, which he refers to as παράδοσις in 1:14, as νόμος here. As for whether Paul believed ‘doing’ the ‘whole’ law possible, the direction of his argument suggests not. For he moves on to speak in verse 4 of falling away from grace as a foregone conclusion. The two verses form an enthymeme, with the unstated minor premise that it is not possible to do all the law.

Gal 5:4. This verse draws the required conclusion from the previous verse. Those who seek justification have ‘severed’ (κατηργήθητε) themselves from Christ and ‘fallen from grace’ (τῆς χάριτος ἐξεπέσατε). δικαιοῦσθε may be passive (‘be justified’), or middle (‘justify themselves’) but the emphasis is on the ineffectuality of the act, rather than the agent, and the point remains the same in either case.

This verse accounts for proponents of the NPJ who claim that Paul has here misunderstood (or at least misrepresented) Judaism as a works-religion, when it was actually based on ‘covenantal nomism’. Jews, so the argument goes, did not require absolute perfection in obedience to the law. The OT cultus was provided as a means of ‘grace’, with atonement being made for imperfections. Observance of the law was required as a means of remaining within the covenant of grace, much in the way that the Israelites were required to remain within their homes during the first Passover. Quite apart from the difficulty inherent in believing that a such an advanced student of Judaism (1:14) should have so fundamentally misunderstood the religion for which he was so zealous, it is clear from this verse that if Paul had once considered OT sacrifice as a means ‘of grace’, he did so no longer.

Parenesis

Translation & Textual Notes

Endnotes

1. BDAG, “ἴδε”, 1

Translation and Textual Notes

Translation and Textual Notes

Translation and Textual Notes

Allegory of Hagar and Sarah (4:21-31)

Narrative (4:21-23)

Translation and Textual Notes

Structure:

• v21. You want the law, but do you not know the law?
• v22. The law prescribes two kinds of sons:
  1. v23a. Slave sons, born of a free woman by the flesh;
  2. v23b. Free sons, born of a free woman by a promise.

Purpose: This section develops the theme of being sons of Abraham. It is not enough just to be a Son of Abraham, for he had two kinds of sons. In particular, we see two nexuses: flesh and slavery on one hand; and promise and freedom on the other. Ultimately, Paul’s objective is to associate the former pair with the Law, and the latter with the Spirit.

v21: The strong imperative, λέγετέ μοι, coupled with an interrogative, signals a return to Paul’s ‘interrogation’ of the Galatians (FIXME – left off where?). He is asking the Galatians to give an account of their beliefs. They are to be both witness and judge.

Whilst it is possible that οἱ ὑπὸ νόμον θέλοντες εἶναι refers to the ‘agitators’ this is unlikely, since Paul nowhere else in this Epistle directly addresses them. His concern is to encourage the Galatians to return to the Gospel they were taught at first. He has no brief for engaging in dialogue with the ‘agitators’ themselves; his attitude to them is much more direct (5:12)!

v22: In spite of the citation formula (γέγραπται γὰρ ὅτι) there does not appear to be a specific quotation here.

Paul continues to draw on the example of Abraham, which he has been doing since 3:6. More specifically, he elaborates upon the idea of being ‘sons’ of Abraham by giving the examples of Abraham’s two most prominent sons. Neither mothers nor sons are named, however, signalling that this is more than simply a narration of biblical history.

The contrast developed here between slave and free is related but distinct from the image used at the beginning of the chapter of a heir who is ‘under guardians and stewards’ (Gal 4:2). There the image is a dynamic one, where one naturally progresses from child to adult and, consequently, from ‘slave’ to free. Here, the image is much more static: one’s freedom (or otherwise) is determined by the one who gave them birth, and the means by which they were conceived. In the language of the Fourth Gospel, one must be ‘born again’ (John 3:3) of a different mother, and according to promise, if they are to be free.

Is there a reference here also back to the τέκνα μου of verse 19? The question is implicit: if the Galatians are ‘children’ of Paul, with which son are they to be identified? This can only be answered by consideration of the source and mechanism of their conception.

v23. Notably, neither son is named or identified as either slave nor free. There are likely two reasons for this:

1. Paul has already indicated In Gal 3:28 that there is ‘neither slave nor free’. His emphasis here, then, is on the mothers;
2. By leaving the identifications vague, Paul leaves room for the dramatic reversal that is to come: the Jews are to be identified with the slave woman!

‘Flesh’ is here contrasted with ‘promise’ as the mechanism of conception/birth. One might have expected ‘spirit’ instead of ‘promise’, but the two have already been identified as coextensive (‘the promised Spirit’ 3:14). Of all Paul’s epistles, only Colossians has a higher frequency of occurrence for flesh-related words.¹ However, the majority of Colossians references are either positive or neutral, whereas Paul’s usage in Galatians is overwhelmingly negative. Thus he consistently uses σάρξ (Gal 1:16; 2:16, 20; 3:3; 4:13–14, 23, 29; 5:13, 16–17, 19, 24; 6:8, 12–13) with the more neutral σῶμα in Gal 6:17.²

Interpretation (4:24-27)

Translation and Textual Notes

Application (4:28-31)

Translation and Textual Notes

Endnotes

1. Based on searching for terms in Luow & Nida “A Body (8.1–8.8)”, Colossians registers 9.25 occurrences per 1000 words, Galatians 6.86 and 1 Corinthians 6.76.
2. Does this suggest a negative connotation for the phrase σαρκὶ καὶ αἵματι (Gal 1:16)?
3. Bruce M. Metzger, A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament (2d, Accordance electronic ed. New York: United Bible Societies, 1994), 527.
4. So Metzger, who quotes Zuntz: ‘gives the text a broader, pastoral application, but obscures Paul’s distinction between the ‘chosen ones’ and the ‘sons of Hagar” (Metzger, 528.; cf. Philip W. Comfort, New Testament Text and Translation Commentary (Accordance electronic ed. Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, 2008), 570.
5. So Metzger, 528.; Comfort, 570. Comfort also notes the frequency with which the two pronouns (ὑμεῖς and ἡμεῖς) were confused.
6. Comfort, 570.