THE BOOK OF GALATIANS – CHAPTER 5:12-15 - MESSAGE 19 – FREEDOM BRINGS EXTRA RESPONSIBILITY – HOW TO LOVE ONE ANOTHER, AND CHRISTIAN CANNIBALISM
Galatians is a powerful book. Perhaps in this letter Paul’s emotions and spirit are turned over more than in any other letter as he combats the false teaching that has ensnared his dear people in the Galatian region.
Satan and his agents are the major tare sowers and their darnel is spread through the whole world in conjunction with the preaching of the gospel. Christians, and especially the preachers and teachers of the good seed, must be aware of this and take the correct steps to prevent it, just like a farmer does to protect his sown seed.
I think if I could select a gross failure of the Christian church through the ages, it is the fact that the church has been slack and has entertained the enemies of the cross among them and have taken no action against them. One amazing fact we encounter in the Old Testament is this incident regarding Tobiah, the enemy of Israel –
{{Nehemiah 13:4-9 “Now prior to this, Eliashib the priest, who was appointed over the chambers of the house of our God, being related to Tobiah, had prepared a large room for him, where formerly they put the grain offerings, the frankincense, the utensils, and the tithes of grain, wine and oil prescribed for the Levites, the singers and the gatekeepers, and the contributions for the priests, but during all this time I was not in Jerusalem, for in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I had gone to the king. After some time, however, I asked leave from the king, and I came to Jerusalem and learned about the evil that Eliashib had done for Tobiah, by preparing a room for him in the courts of the house of God, and it was very displeasing to me, so I threw all of Tobiah’s household goods out of the room. Then I gave an order and they cleansed the rooms, and I returned there the utensils of the house of God with the grain offerings and the frankincense.”}}
The priest with an important role actually allowed the enemy Tobiah, not only access to the Lord’s house, but had allowed him to have his living quarters there. What a scandalous thing. I am so sorry to say it, but too many churches allow Tobiahs to take up residence in their churches. Let us pursue the truth of our confession, and cast out the bondwoman, and the Tobiahs, and deal with the false teachers.
The role of a shepherd is just as much important in PROTECTING the sheep as it is in FEEDING THEM. Where are the true shepherds of the sheep today? Thank God for the ministry of men like John Macarthur and Justin Peters who look out for the protection of the sheep.
Systematically the Apostle has been working through his arguments and demolishing both their false teaching and reinforcing the saints to combat the error in which they had become entangled.
We will continue from last time and begin with Paul’s attack against these false teachers.
[A]. DO TO YOURSELVES WHAT YOU ARE DOING TO OTHERS
{{Galatians 5:12 “Would that those who are TROUBLING YOU would even mutilate themselves.”}}
This statement comes from a deep concern and compassion for the Galatians. Those false teachers who were trying to force circumcision on to the Galatian believers, Paul clearly says they can go and mutilate themselves.
This is strong language. The AV translation does not bring out the meaning. Some translate as to make themselves eunuchs, in other words, “cut them out”. The Church fathers Jerome, Ambrose, Augustine, and Chrysostom, explain it, "Would that they would even cut themselves off," that is, cut off not merely the foreskin, but the whole member: if circumcision be not enough for them, then let them have excision also” . . . in other words, “take off the lot”.
Such strong language comes form part anger at what had happened and part from the travesty of what had happened.
Gill takes a lesser view and says this, “the sense of the apostle is, that it was his will and desire that these men should be cut off from the communion of the church.”
Today false teachers trouble the true saints of God. They will be cut off by the Lord, excluded from heaven.
[B]. I AM SAVED SO I CAN DO WHAT I LIKE WITH MY BODY AND LIFE
{{Galatians 5:13 “You were called to freedom, brethren, only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another”}}
O NO YOU CAN’T! Take note of these verses well – {{1 Corinthians 6:16-20 Do you not know that the one who joins himself to a harlot is one body with her for He says, “The two will become one flesh?” but the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him. Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body. Or do you not know that YOUR BODY IS A TEMPLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own for YOU HAVE BEEN BOUGHT WITH A PRICE? THEREFORE GLORIFY GOD IN YOUR BODY.”}}
When we are liberated from the bondage of sin, all the past shackles fall off and we are new creations in Christ Jesus. That is what believers’ baptism by immersion signifies. We are dead to the old life and have risen to a new life. I think it is lamentable that believers’ baptism is so lightly thought about when it was so fundamental to preaching and practice in the early church.
When we were saved the Lord moved us into His sheepfold of freedom. We must live and function in that freedom, not start sniffing the outside air through the fence, and worse still, jump the fence to a life of shame and one that brings no glory to the Lord; the old life that did you no good.
“an opportunity for the flesh” means reverting to the old terrible live of sin to satisfy all the base desires of the sinful man. Yes, Christians are capable of this, it is sad to say. Worldly and licentious Christians are a fact, but they live in disobedience. They try to serve TWO MASTERS – the Lord and the old nature; or if you like, the new nature and old nature.
That is an impossibility. Jesus Himself stated that – {{Matthew 6:24 “No one can serve TWO MASTERS, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will hold to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”}} That was the same problem the Israelites had in Elijah’s time. {{1Kings 18:21 Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you hesitate between TWO OPINIONS? If the LORD is God, follow Him, but if Baal, follow him,” but the people did not answer him a word.}}
The people could not serve the LORD and Baal. It was one or the other. The Christian can not serve the old nature and the new nature. It is one or the other. We know the old nature rises up to try to take mastery, but we must not let it. I know I won’t get this illustration correct, but a China man said once these two natures are like two fighting dogs at war with each other. “Well,” asked friend, “which one is winning?” The answer was, “The one I feed the most.”
There is a lot of truth in that. Feed the old sinful passion and it takes control over your mind and heart. Feed the new nature with the word of God, and prayer and fellowship with God’s people and you are on the winning side.
One positive about Paul’s writing is that he often combats the negative with the positive. He does that here in this verse. Paul says (here the negative) not to turn your freedom into a chance for the sinful flesh to gain control, BUT (now the positive) through love serve one another. He does the same here as you will see – {{Ephesians 4:28 “Let him who steals, steal no longer, BUT rather let him labour, performing with his own hands what is good, in order that he may have something to share with him who has need.”}}
And again, in the next verse we have the idea again – {{Ephesians 4:29 “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, BUT only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, that it may give grace to those who hear.”}}
“Through love serve one another” - How do we serve in love? Firstly, we must make sure we are Christians in the first place. I saw so much of a certain denomination trying to teach young boys how they should be living a Christian life and yet not a word about being saved or becoming Christians. You can’t live as a Christian unless you are one to begin with.
Serving in love means to put others before yourself; others’ interests before your own; to care for them in need and pray for them in their problems. I know from experience we get so caught up with our own problems that we don’t have (or find time) for the problems of others. That is not right and the opposite of what the Lord teaches us.
Yes, a lot of us have an introverted view and we live that way (I am the come who counts; first priority is ME). We must have the extroverted view where we see outwards and not inwards all the time. These are difficult times and in the western world, persecution will certainly come for the committed Christian, but we need to be strong in the mission we have to serve others in love. Difficult times for some means the streak of selfishness comes to the fore. That is not Christian practice. The “dog in the manger” is not of God.
In addition to the above, Barnes has said – [[ (1) “There was a strong tendency in all converts from paganism to relapse again into their former habits. Licentiousness abounded, and where they had been addicted to it before their conversion, and where they were surrounded by it on every hand, they were in constant danger of falling into it again. A bare and naked declaration, therefore, that they had been called to liberty, to freedom from restraint, might have been misunderstood, and some might have supposed that they were free from all restraints.
(2) it is needful to guard the doctrine from abuse at all times. There has been a strong tendency, as the history of the church has shown, to abuse the doctrine of grace. The doctrine that Christians are "free;" that there is liberty to them from restraint, has been perverted always by Antinomians, and been made the occasion of their indulging freely in sin. And the result has shown that nothing was more important than to guard the doctrine of Christian liberty, and to show exactly what Christians are freed from, and what laws are still binding on them. Paul is, therefore, at great pains to show that the doctrines which he had maintained did not lead to licentiousness, and did not allow the indulgence of sinful and corrupt passions.” ]]
[C]. THE TRUE REASON FOR THE CONTENTS OF VERSE 13
{{Galatians 5:14 for the WHOLE LAW is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOUR AS YOURSELF,”}}
Scripture must confirm what we are saying. The Bereans were held up as noble people because of what they did – {{Acts 17:10-11 “The brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea and when they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, EXAMINING THE SCRIPTURES DAILY, TO SEE WHETHER THESE THINGS WERE SO.”}}
This does not mean as some I know do, that whatever is said must be looked at so critically that it becomes “nit picking”. These people are into legalism. What I am inferring is that a preacher must have scriptural basic for saying what he does. That is where the quoting of scripture is so important as confirmation of an argument. We see Paul did that over and over in both Galatians and Romans, both books dealing with Law and grace and false teaching from the Judaisers.
The Galatians had just been told to serve one another in love and that must have justification and verse 14 is that justification. It is a quote from the Old Testament, and an important one for the Lord Jesus also used the same quote -
{{Matthew 5:43-44 You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOUR, and hate your enemy,’ but I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you.”
Matthew 19:19 “Honour your father and mother and YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOUR AS YOURSELF.”
Matthew 22:36-40 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOUR AS YOURSELF.’ On these two commandments depend THE WHOLE LAW and the Prophets.”}}
How easy is it to love one another? It is not. Why is that? The reason is the old nature that still resides in us. Let us look at a non-Christian setting, eg., a Committee meeting or some board management at a sporting club. There can be such bitterness and seething resentment. It may not always boil over, but discord is under the surface.
Is it like that in churches? I am afraid it is. We say we love one another but do we really mean that? Do we tolerate one another? Does it mean we put up with one another while trying to exercise patience and tolerance?
Some people are hard to love. We have to admit that. Some are filled with criticism and bitterness, even in churches. One difficulty I faced in years gone by was a constant irritation in all meetings caused by one I would describe as a “contra-suggestive.” He had to oppose any matter and cause trouble. In fact I am not even sure he was a Christian.
We are still in verse 14. This is a fitting time to ask a question, “Who is my neighbour?” The verse tells us to love our neighbour as we love ourselves. Do you know, there are some people who have so many burdens in life and so much beating down, that they can’t love themselves? If they can’t love themselves, how can they love their neighbors? And how are we to understand the word “Neighbour?”
We don’t have to speculate over this one because the Lord answered that very question – {{Luke 10:29 but wishing to justify himself, he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbour?”}} From that question we have one of the very best known parables of the bible, The Good Samaritan. It was the Samaritan who showed love to his neighbour, and who was that neighbour? It was a man “from the opposite side” who was a considered enemy, but the Samaritan went out of his way to care for him.
I think what the parable shows is that our neighbour is much wider than our immediate close friendship group, or fellow members in a church, or the person who lives next door to us. I would conclude any discussion on this subject with the fact that a person without the help of the Holy Spirit is unable to do that properly. Only with God’s help can we love our neighbour.
[D]. CHRISTIAN CANNIBALISM IS DESTRUCTIVE
{{Galatians 5:15 “but if you bite and devour one another, take care lest you be consumed by one another.”}}
Once a group – be it rats or human beings, turns in on itself it will lead to destruction. Often in the animal kingdom this happens because of food shortage and rats will eat each other. What a terrible thing it is when this happens in “the human kingdom,” and there are gruesome stories of this happening, even in a biblical setting. Do you remember this – {{2 Kings 6:28-29 The king said to her, “What is the matter with you?” and she answered, “This woman said to me, ‘Give your son that we may eat him today, and we will eat my son tomorrow,’ so we boiled my son and ate him, and I said to her on the next day, ‘Give your son, that we may eat him,’ but she has hidden her son.”}}
What Paul is meaning here is the interaction among Christians. It almost seems this verse is out of context with the arguments in this chapter. It may be likely that the great divisions among the Galatians Christians caused by the false teaching among them, could have fermented nastiness and problems and there were all the problems associated with infighting.
They were behaving in the exact opposite from the way they should have been. The word
“edify” is an essential word for Christians – {{1 Corinthians 10:23-24 “All things are lawful, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful, but not all things edify. Let no one seek his own good, but that of his neighbour.”}}.
We are to build one another up in our wonderful faith, not pull others down. Church business meetings can be very problematic, and bring out the cannibalism that can lurk in the dark recesses of the soul. We need to be surrendered to the Lord and then we deal with each other properly.
