Galatians 5

Galatians 5:13-6

8 VII SPECIAL AND Galatians 5:13-6:18. This discussion commences with Galatians 5:13. Throughout the rest of this chapter there are warnings against false conclusions from the doctrines of justification by faith apart from works. The first warning is that our liberty is not to be construed or used as a license to do any kind of evil. The liberty referred to is freedom from the law, which does not mean freedom from the law as a standard, but it is freedom from the law as a way of life. This same subject comes up again for discussion in the letter to the Romans where Paul avows that he has liberty to eat meat offered to idols since these idols are no gods to him; that personally it would not hurt him, but he said that we would refrain from it if it was harmful to other people.

One of the most infamous propositions ever made was that made by a Baptist preacher who said that when a man and a woman were engaged they could commit a sin for which they would not be held responsible. This is exactly what Paul warns against: “Ye were called for freedom; only use not your freedom for an occasion to the flesh.” The Arminians and Romanists unite in denying the doctrine of salvation by grace through faith and not of works, because they say it is demoralizing in its tendencies; that a man will draw false conclusions from it; that he will use the liberty wherewith Christ made him free as a license to do evil. Just at this point Paul raises his first warning cry in the letter to the Romans. He puts it in the form of an answer to a supposititious question. He had affirmed that grace abounded above sin, then the questioner says, “Shall we sin the more that grace may abound still more? And in reply to that he said, “God forbid,” or as he very strongly presented it in the letter to Titus (Titus 2:12; Titus 3:4-8).

I once heard an Antinomian (that means, anti, “against,” noma, “the law” – against the law) preach. He was one who believed that a Christian is free from all law – that is he is not even under the law to Christ. I had to follow him that afternoon. He took as a text Titus 3:4-7 : “But when the kindness of God our Saviour, and his love toward man, appeared, not by works done in righteousness, which we did ourselves, but according to his mercy he saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, which he poured out upon us richly, through Jesus Christ our Saviour; that, being justified by his grace, we might be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” His theme was the grace of God that bringeth salvation. That afternoon I took my text from Titus 2:11-12 : “For the grace of God hath appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us, to the intent that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly and righteously and godly in this present world.” He presented the grace of God, but he presented a conclusion that the grace of God does not teach. I showed that that very grace of God that he commended so highly taught that right here in this present evil world we should live soberly and righteously and godly.

He stopped at Titus 3:7, and I read on a little: “Faithful is the saying, and concerning these things I desire that thou affirm confidently, to the end that they who have believed God may be careful to maintain good works.” So I preceded his text with Titus 2:11 ff., and followed it with the next verse and caught him between the upper and nether millstones and ground him to powder. Finding that he was irreformable, I never did rest satisfied until that Baptist preacher was out of the ministry.

I would not make the impression for one moment that we are not saved by grace through faith and that not of ourselves; it is the gift of God, and our works must not be associated with grace in order to our justification in God’s sight but I would teach that this doctrine of salvation by faith has this end in view, that the justified man should perform good works; that we are created unto good works. So those are the first warnings. I might select another scripture: “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creation.” There was an old man that he derived through Adam. In Christ there was a new man. Having shown that by the creative power of God’s Spirit, we pass from the old man to the new man, he immediately adds, “put on therefore the new man in righteousness and holiness.” It is easy to see as a conclusion from this salvation by grace, that we should render loving service to each other. We are children of God by faith.

What then? Shall we fight?

Shall we devour each other, or shall we render to each other the service of love? Those Galatian churches were as much noted for fighting each other as the Irishmen at a wake are said to be – a regular “Kilkenny cat” fight. Paul says that that is a false deduction from the doctrine he had been teaching. While on that point he used this expression, “The whole law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” What is meant there by “fulfilled”? Does it mean that if I love my neighbor that I have obeyed the commandment, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart”? If it doesn’t mean that, what does it mean?

The whole law is filled up, filled full in this, “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself” that is, this is the last part of the summary that Moses gives. The first part is, “Love the Lord thy God, etc.,” that is, we fill it full if we love our neighbor as ourselves.

It is the commonest thing to hear people that want to evade duty to God say that religion consists of being honest, paying our debts, etc. But that is not the sense of this “fulfill.” It completes, fills full the other half of it that had been filled before. For instance, if it takes four pecks to make a bushel, the fourth peck fills the measure, if the other three have been put in. There is a remarkable passage misinterpreted by Alexander Campbell, viz.: 1 Timothy 1:5 (King James Version): “But the end of the commandment is love out of a pure heart and a good conscience and faith unfeigned.” What is meant by “the end of the commandment”? When we say the end we are not denying that there is a beginning. The end of a commandment is love out of a pure heart, out of a good conscience, out of faith unfeigned.

There we get the other element that shows the idea of filling up, filling full. The love that the outsider talks about is unknown in the Bible.

Here it is – a love that springs from faith; faith brings a good conscience and that good conscience leads to a pure heart and a pure heart leads to love. So the end of the commandment is love out of a pure heart, out of a good conscience, out of faith unfeigned.

The third warning that he gives is that being justified by faith our walk must be in the Spirit not in the flesh. We are not justified by faith if we walk after what is fleshly and not the spiritual, and if we have drawn from the doctrine of justification by faith any such conclusion as that, then we have misinterpreted the doctrine.

He presents two kinds of fruit, as follows: “Walk in the Spirit but not in the flesh.” What is it to walk in the Spirit? “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness) goodness, faithfulness, meekness, self-control; against such there is no law.” What is the fruit of the flesh? “The works of the flesh are manifest, which are these: fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousies, wraiths, factions, divisions, parties, envies, drunkenness, revels, and such like.” And to cap the climax he says that the man that does these things shall never enter the kingdom of heaven. He is saying to them, “You must not make the mistake that by mere intellectual perception of doc trial truth you have therefore exercised the faith of the gospel.”

We may put it down as settled that no religion is worth a cent that does not make a man better than he was before; a son a better son, a father a better father, a mother a better mother, a daughter a better daughter.

If it doesn’t produce good fruits, John the Baptist tells us that “every tree that bringeth forth not good fruit shall be hewn down and cast into the fire.”

We now come to Galatians 6, which is divided into two paragraphs. The first paragraph is Galatians 6:1-10, and presents a case of discipline, or a case where the man, though a Christian, has committed an offense: “Brethren, even if a man be overtaken in any trespass, ye who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; looking to thyself, lest thou also be tempted.” We must not draw the conclusion that because Paul said just before, “I forewarn you that they that practice these things shall not inherit the kingdom of God,” he means that to step aside once is fatal. As proof that he doesn’t mean that, he supposes a case of a man that has been overtaken by a fault.

I was at a church conference once and three cases were presented, all of which claimed to be cases “overtaken in a fault.” They asked my opinion and I said, “Brethren, there is such a thing as being overtaken by a fault, and there is such a thing as a man overtaking a fault; when he sees it plainly and follows it until he overtakes it then he is not overtaken in a fault. One of your cases is a case of ‘overtaken by a fault,’ another case the fellow overtakes the fault, and your third case is a mixture. It reminds me of a McClelland saddle. We don’t know when we see it whether we are meeting it or overtaking it. It is the same in the rear as in the front.”

The second thing is to harmonize Galatians 6:2 with Galatians 6:5 : “Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ . . . For each man shall bear his own burden.” Is there any contradiction in the meaning? One case is evidently different in the meaning from the other case. What is the difference in the meaning?

The third point that he presents is this – Galatians 6:6 : “But let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things.” Or I will put it in plainer language: “Let the church member who is spiritually instructed contribute in money or kindness, to the one that instructs him.” There are some people who are so afraid of being misunderstood – that what they preach will be assigned to a motive that they do not have, they leave it out of their preaching.

I heard a man say once, “I just simply can’t preach on the money question; I will be misunderstood. If the brethren want to help me they can do it; if they don’t want to help me, then it can go.” Paul was Just as sensitive a man as we are, and he knew that they that preached the gospel should live of the gospel. One of the principal things that the Galatians were trying to do was to stop this collection. He says, “See that ye abound in that grace as well as those other graces.” I have seen Christians that could shout, “Fly abroad, thou mighty gospel,” and when the contribution box was passed around they shut their eyes for fear they would see the wings with which it is to fly.

A man is sent with a message for God and the responsibility on him is not to vary one jot or tittle on that message. He ought to be able, as Paul said he was, to be free from the blood of all men because he had not shunned to declare the whole counsel of God.

They accused him of manipulating a big collection; while he did not do it himself, they said he did it through Titus. He knew these questions would arise because those who are evil-minded do suspect. They would suspect the Lord or the angels from heaven.

We cannot evade being suspected of evil. We are to take pains to live right, and so live that we may appear to live right, but that will not exempt us from being criticized.

I have oftentimes wondered at the goodness of this man, that he could say upon that subject what he did concerning the crowd that hated him, even the church at Ephesus. See 1 Timothy 6:17 : “Charge them that are rich in this present world, that they be not high-minded nor have their hope set on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy.” And he charges them, “that they be ready to distribute, that they be willing to contribute.” It took pluck to preach that to these people, for they were high-minded, because they were rich, but he was to present that to them as if putting them on their oath: “ O rich man, in the name of Christ, I put you on your oath before God, be not high-minded but rich in good works as well as in money. Be ready to distribute as well as to make the money.” Plucky man!

The next thought is in Galatians 6:7-8 : “Be not deceived.” A point upon which we might be deceived is what follows that doctrine. “Be not deceived; God is not mocked.” He is not fooled. “For whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap.” We can’t reverse the natural law, and we can’t reverse the spiritual law. In both the spiritual and the natural realm there is a crop between the sowing and the harvest. If we sow weeds we cannot look for a barley crop. The crop is going to be according to the seed that we put in the ground, and let us not be deceived; we can’t fool God. He applies that: “He that soweth unto his own flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; he that soweth unto the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap eternal life.” The harvest is going to correspond with what we sow.

He advances to another thought of incalculable importance. We are justified by faith, and in view of that justification by the grace of God which teaches us not only to live soberly and righteously and godly in this present world, but also to do well, he exhorts; “Be not weary in well doing, for in due season we shall reap if we faint not.”

I remember once preaching from that text on an important occasion. We had just had a great meeting; hundreds of people had sturdily commenced to do right from a motive of love to God. Then they began to drop off; they got tired. “Let us not weary in well doing.”

It is that great persistence that wins, notwithstanding that it is an uphill path; notwithstanding that we have wind and tide against us. Anybody can float down stream, a dead fish can do that, but it takes a live fish to go up stream. “Let us not be weary in well doing.” He gives the reasons: first, we shall reap; second, we shall reap in due season. We may not reap tomorrow, or next week or next year, but at the appointed season (and every seed has its season), in due season we shall reap.

Having expounded that section I associate it with 1 Corinthians 15:58 : “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not vain in the Lord.” Then with that I put the psalm which says, “They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.” I comment on that passage in Psalms. First, there is activity; the people go forth; we must venture out. Second, they went bearing precious seed; we must go out with the word of God, which is the seed – “he that goeth forth bearing precious seed and weeping.” We must go in earnest. Some people think tears are unmanly, and some tears are, but not all. “Jesus wept.” Did Christ o’er sinner weep, And shall our cheeks be dry? It was one of the most glorious testimonies of Henry of Navarre by Macaulay: He looked upon the foeman and his glance was stern and high; He looked upon his comrades and a tear was in his eye.

That is his exhortation against weariness in well-doing, because the labor is not in vain. We may fail in other things, but if we take the gospel, if we take it earnestly, if we sow in tears, the heavens may fall, but our harvest will come without a shadow of a doubt. “Doubtless he shall return, bringing his sheaves with him.” It is that harvest home, when the laborer comes bringing his sheaves with him, to which the mind of the preacher should be often turned.

Paul says to the Thessalonians, “Ye are my crown of rejoicing in the time of Jesus Christ” – “bringing his sheaves with him,” not coming up to heaven empty-handed. Coming up he says, “Lord, this man in yonder world I led to thee; Lord, this broken heart I healed; Lord, this orphan I comforted, bringing his sheaves with him.” His association with him of every rightful tear that is shed, every good deed that he has accomplished, is one of the most precious things in connection with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Then he says, “As we have opportunity, let us work that which is good toward all men, and especially toward them that are of the household of the faith.” “As we have opportunity.” Opportunity! Dr. Richard Fuller, in a great sermon before the Southern Baptist Convention, gave a picture of opportunity as with swift wing, no bird of the air flying so fast, passing by and never coming back. “Wherefore as we have opportunity” means that we must be wide-awake.

We come now to the last paragraph, and what is the meaning of it? “See with how large letters I write unto you with mine own hand.” The King James version says, “You see how large a letter I have written, etc.” Galatians isn’t a big letter, but what Paul says is, “See with how large letters I write you with mine own hand.”

I have been very much amused in contrasting the views of Farrar and Lightfoot. Generally, Lightfoot is much better than Farrar, but Farrar gets the best of him on the meaning of that passage. Lightfoot says the meaning is “I am writing to you about weighty matters, and I wrote you a great big letter.” He had to force that into it. It isn’t there. Paul’s acute eye trouble is evident from a previous expression. He says, “You would have taken your eyes and given them to me, if you could.” He was writing with his own hand, and a man that is nearly blind has to make big sprawling letters, and there is a touching thought in it. “Do you remember why I have to write with large letters?

Don’t you remember when I was groping in my blindness, and your sympathy was so tender you would have given me your eyes? Now you see with what large letters I am writing.” I think Farrar’s explanation much more reasonable. Quickly Paul takes up his argument! He would take up an argument in the midst of his “amen” if he thought of something that he should have said that he had not said. He is giving a contrast between himself and these that insist on being circumcised. He says, (1) that they do this to avoid Jewish persecution, (2) that they do it that they may glory in the flesh, and (3) that they don’t do it from love of the law, for they know that they don’t keep the law; that circumcision obligates one to keep the whole law.

Then he represents his glory in contrast with theirs: “But far be it from me to glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world hath been crucified unto me, and I unto the world. For neither is circumcision anything nor uncircumcision.” Then he adds, that they should so walk according to this canon (canon means rule) and as they should walk by this rule, circumcision or uncircumcision would avail nothing, but a new creature, everything.

“Henceforth [that is, having presented this attack on me in 2 Corinthians, and in Galatians, and having made this reply 1 let no man trouble me,” as if to say, “I don’t want to go into this matter any more.” “Now why ought not ye trouble me?” “Because,” he says, “I bear branded on my body the marks of Jesus.” In other words, “I am covered all over with scars; the Roman lictors have smitten me with rods; the Jews have scourged me and left me for dead; once I fought with wild beasts in the arena, and I count these marks of Jesus as Christ’s brand of ownership.” It is a very beautiful thought.

1. What warning does Paul give against false conclusions from the doctrine of justification by faith?

2. What is antinomianism?

3. Give several scriptures which disprove it.

4. What is meant by “fulfilled” in “The law is fulfilled in ‘Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself “?

5. Explain “end of the commandment” in “The end of the commandment is love.”

6. Contrast the fruits of the flesh and the fruits of the Spirit.

7. Explain “overtaken in a fault.”

8. Harmonize “Bear ye one another’s burdens” and “Each man shall bear his own burden.”

9. What is the teaching here on ministerial support?

10. Give the law of sowing and reaping.

11. Take Galatians 6:9; 1 Corinthians 15:58; Psalms 126:5-6 and give a brief outline of an evangelistic address.

12. What is opportunity? Illustrate it.

13. What is the meaning of “large letters” in Galatians 6:11?

14. Give three reasons for circumcision on the part of those who were troubling the Galatians.

15. Contrast Paul’s glory with theirs.

16. What the meaning of “henceforth let no man trouble me”?