Thursday, March 27, 2025
Freedom in Christ – Galatians 5:7-14 Submitted by Kay Crumley
The United States is ‘the home of the brave and land of the free’ according to the lyrics of our National Anthem. We were freed from the laws and control of the British government because we, our forefathers, were brave enough to fight for that freedom. Paul, in his letter to the Galatians, reminded them in verse 1 of Chapter 5 that ‘For freedom, Christ set us free. Stand firm, then, and don’t submit again to a yoke of slavery.’ In the first four chapters of Galatians we see that the group of legalistic Jewish Christians were trying to persuade the Gentile Christians they had to follow the Jewish laws to be true Christians. Paul is admonishing them that the true gospel is based of faith in Jesus Christ, not in the law. We have a new covenant in Christ. The law had a purpose, but it was not to provide salvation, rather, to demonstrate our need for salvation. We cannot do enough or be good enough or avoid sin, thus we must have someone who can pay the ransom for our sin. Jesus made that sacrifice enabling Him to have the power to redeem us from the debt we owe for our transgressions. We are free from the law not because we earned our freedom but because Christ set us free, he won the battle.
Here he is encouraging and correcting them in following the path of truth. They were following the true gospel. But someone came in and changed their path to a false gospel. The One who called them was not Paul but God. Paul is confident the confusion did not come from Him.
7 You were running well. Who prevented you from obeying the truth? 8 This persuasion does not come from the one who calls you. 9 A little leaven leavens the whole batch of dough. 10 I myself am persuaded in the Lord you will not accept any other view. But whoever it is that is confusing you will pay the penalty. 11 Now brothers and sisters, if I still preach circumcision, why am I still persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been abolished. 12 I wish those who are disturbing you might also let themselves be mutilated!
While the number of Judaizers were fewer than the Gentile Christians, it doesn’t take much or many to persuade them to turn away from the truth to the false teaching that sounded so plausible. Paul wished for those who were leading them astray to be punished or judged. He knew he only taught the cross and Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection as truth. Paul would not have been beaten, stoned, and run out of town because of the truth he taught. Had he simply agreed with this false doctrine he would not have been persecuted. He would do nothing to take away from the benefits we received because of the offense Jesus suffered on the Cross for us. Paul wished for those who held circumcision in such high regard that they would complete the operation and emasculate themselves. That sounds harsh but remember, these false teachers were confusing the truth and leading these believers into confusion and misunderstanding.
Now Paul completes this passage by reminding them of what is necessary. As believers, we are free from following the law of the Old Testament. However, we are to not allow that to open a path to living a sinful life.
13 For you were called to be free, brothers and sisters; only don’t use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but serve one another through love. 14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one statement: Love your neighbor as yourself. 15 But if you bite and devour one another, watch out, or you will be consumed by one another.
Instead, we have one law or rule to follow, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” What would that result in if we truly followed that way of life. We would treat others the way we want to be treated with respect, consideration, kindness, loyalty, and love. We would not wrong anyone by our words or deeds if we genuinely loved others as we love ourselves. The flip side of that is that if we treat others wrongly, we will be consumed by the hateful way we treat one another.
John put it this way in 1 John 4:7 Dear friends, let us love one another, because love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. We will be known by our love for one another. Christian freedom does not open the door to selfish or prideful behaviors, it enables us to ignore laws that separate us and frees us to love others, especially those who are in the family of God.
