The Life of Liberty

I. THE IMPORTANCE OF LIBERTY (Galatians 5:1-6)

A. The Danger of Liberty (Galatians 5:1)

1. It requires a fast stand
a. Fast being a shortened version of fastened
1.) In the faith (1 Corinthians 16:13)
2.) In the liberty (Galatians 5:1)
3.) In one spirit (Philippians 1:27)
4.) In the Lord (Philippians 4:1)
5.) Note: Liberty left undefended becomes bondage
b. The stand is in liberty
c. The liberty is a gift from Christ (John 8:36)
2. It requires the avoidance of entanglement
a. Though there is a yoke for Christians (Matthew 11:29)
b. It is not a yoke of bondage (Galatians 4:3, 9; Acts 15:7-11; 2 Peter 2:19)

B. The Replacement of Liberty (Galatians 5:2-4)

1. With something unprofitable (Galatians 5:2)
a. If ye be circumcised; That is, if you are dependent upon your circumcision for righteousness or salvation (Galatians 6:15)
b. Christ shall profit you nothing
2. With something creating debt (Galatians 5:3)
a. Every man that is circumcised; That is, those who are trusting in their circumcision (Galatians 3:10; James 2:10)
b. Is a debtor to do the whole law
3. With something of no effect (Galatians 5:4)
a. Whosoever of you are justified by the law
b. Ye are fallen from grace
c. Christ is become of no effect unto you (Galatians 2:21)

C. The Facilitators of Liberty (Galatians 5:5-6)

1. The Spirit (Galatians 5:5)
a. We through the Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:17)
b. Wait for the hope of righteousness by faith
2. Faith (Galatians 5:6)
a. Circumcision nor uncircumcision avail anything in Christ
b. But faith which worketh by love

II. THE ENEMIES OF LIBERTY (Galatians 5:7-12)

A. Their Plan of Attack (Galatians 5:7-9)

1. To hinder (Galatians 5:7)
a. The Galatians had run well
b. The enemies hindered them
c. Yet, the Galatians did not obey the truth
2. To persuade (Galatians 5:8)
a. The persuasion was not from God; Note: That is the persuasion to disobey. In fact, the practice implemented here is one of common use…hinder the saints until such time that you can convince them of your correctness.
b. Instead, the persuasion was from those who had invested interest in the corruption of the Galatians
3. To leaven (Galatians 5:9; 1 Corinthians 5:6-8)
a. A little leaven
b. Leaveneth the whole lump

B. Their Judgment to Come (Galatians 5:10)

1. The apostle’s confidence
a. I have confidence in you through the Lord
b. That ye will be none otherwise minded
2. The enemy’s judgment
a. He that troubleth you
b. Shall bear his judgment
c. Whosoever he be

C. The Present Distress (Galatians 5:11-12)

1. Paul’s persecution (Galatians 5:11)
a. If I yet preach circumcision
1.) It seems that Paul’s doctrine was somewhat manipulated by the enemies of the gospel in order to use him as an authority for their teachings.
2.) Maybe this goes back to his circumcision of Timothy (Acts 16:1-3)
b. Why do I suffer persecution?
1.) If they used Paul as an authority to approve their doctrine; Note: A man who frequently uses another man as his authority has no authority of his own.
2.) Why was Paul still suffering their persecution?
c. Then is the offence of the cross ceased (1 Corinthians 1:18, 23; 1 Peter 2:8-9); Note: In a day when men are trying to make the gospel more palatable we need to remember that the gospel is an offence.
2. Paul’s wish (Galatians 5:12)
a. I would they were even cut off (Galatians 1:7-9)
b. Which trouble you

III. THE PRACTICE OF LIBERTY (Galatians 5:13-15)

A. Serving One Another (Galatians 5:13)

1. The call unto liberty – “ye have been called unto liberty” (Galatians 5:1)
2. The concern for liberty – “only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh” (1 Corinthians 8:9; 1 Peter 2:16; 2 Peter 2:19)
3. The choice of liberty
a. By love
b. Serve one another

B. Loving One Another (Galatians 5:14)

1. All the law is fulfilled in one word (Romans 13:8-10; James 2:8-11)
2. Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself (1 Timothy 1:5)
3. Liberty enjoys the fulfillment of the law (Galatians 6:1-2)

C. Preserving One Another (Galatians 5:15)

1. The choice of the flesh – “if ye bite and devour one another,”
2. The end of the flesh – “take heed that ye be not consumed one of another”

IV. THE WALK OF LIBERTY (Galatians 5:16-26)

A. The Work of the Spirit (Galatians 5:16-18)

1. The walk of the Spirit (Galatians 5:16)
a. The cause for the admonition – “This I say then,” (see Galatians 5:13-15)
b. The content of the admonition – “Walk in the Spirit” (Romans 8:1, 4; Galatians 5:25)
c. The care of the admonition – “ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh” (Romans 13:14); Note: This is not a statement of possibility. Rather, it is a promise.
2. The warfare of the Spirit (Galatians 5:17)
a. The participants of the warfare
1.) The flesh lusteth against the Spirit.
2.) The Spirit is against the flesh.
b. The purpose of the warfare
1.) These are contrary the one to the other.
2.) So that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
3.) This ties back to the doctrinal treatise on the two natures given by the apostle Paul in Romans (Romans 7:14-25).
3. The leading of the Spirit (Galatians 5:18)
a. If ye be led of the Spirit
b. Ye are not under the law

B. The Works of the Flesh (Galatians 5:19-21)

1. Their identity (Galatians 5:19-21; Matthew 15:19; Mark 7:21-23)
a. Adultery (Proverbs 6:32; Matthew 5:28)
b. Fornication (1 Corinthians 5:1, 9-11; 1 Corinthians 7:1-2)
c. Uncleanness (Romans 1:24)
d. Lasciviousness; unrestrained lust (Ephesians 4:19)
e. Idolatry (Colossians 3:5; 1 John 5:21)
f. Witchcraft
g. Hatred (Titus 3:3; 1 John 2:9-11; 1 John 3:15; 1 John 4:20)
h. Variance; a quarrelsome spirit (Matthew 10:35)
i. Emulations; jealous desire for superiority
j. Wrath (2 Corinthians 12:20; Ephesians 4:31; Colossians 3:8)
k. Strife (Romans 13:13; 1 Corinthians 3:3; 2 Corinthians 12:20; Philippians 2:3; James 3:13-16)
l. Seditions; dissension or rebellion
m. Heresies
n. Envyings; resentful dislike of another (Romans 13:13; 1 Corinthians 3:3; 2 Corinthians 12:20; Galatians 5:26; Titus 3:3)
o. Murders (Matthew 15:19; Mark 7:21; 1 John 3:15)
p. Drunkenness (Ephesians 5:18)
q. Revellings; disorderly feasting or celebration (1 Peter 4:3)
r. And such like
2. Their consequences (Galatians 5:21b)
a. The common confusion
1.) Entrance into the kingdom
i. “Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20).
ii. “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 7:21).
iii. “Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3; Mark 10:15; Luke 18:17).
iv. “A rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 19:23-24; Mark 10:23-25; Luke 18:24-25).
v. “Ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in” (Matthew 23:13).
vi. “It is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire” (Mark 9:47).
vii. “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (John 3:5).
viii. “We must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22).
2.) Inheritance in and of the kingdom
i. “Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you” (Matthew 25:34).
ii. “The unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians 6:9-10).
iii. “Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians 15:50).
iv. “They which do such things [see earlier portion] shall not inherit the kingdom of God” (Galatians 5:21).
v. “No whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God” (Ephesians 5:5).
b. The common misteaching
1.) Suggesting that works will impact entrance into the kingdom
2.) Suggesting that folks guilty, either past or present, of the listed sins cannot enter into God’s kingdom; Note: Folks who do this often underestimate their own guilt in the sins listed.
3.) Instead, the passage spells out that inheritance is based upon action (Colossians 3:24; 1 Peter 3:9).
4.) More importantly, the inheritance is plainly chronicled in the verses that follow…(Galatians 5:22-23; see Romans 14:17 and Luke 17:20-21)

C. The Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) [See special series on The Fruit of the Spirit]

D. The Life of the Spirit (Galatians 5:24-26)

1. The positional crucifixion (Galatians 5:24)
a. Their identity (see Romans 8:9)
1.) “They that are Christ’s” (1 Corinthians 15:23; Galatians 5:24)
2.) “Ye are Christ’s” (1 Corinthians 3:23)
3.) “He is Christ’s” and “so are we Christ’s” (2 Corinthians 10:7)
4.) “If ye be Christ’s” (Galatians 3:29)
b. Their position (see Romans 6:2, 7, 8, 11, 13; Colossians 2:20; Colossians 3:3; 2 Timothy 2:11)
1.) “They…have crucified the flesh”
2.) “Our old man is crucified with him” (Romans 6:6)
3.) “I am crucified with Christ” (Galatians 2:20)
2. The practical crucifixion (Galatians 5:25)
a. Our position in Christ—“If we live in the Spirit” (see Romans 8:9)
b. Our practical challenge in Christ—“Let us also walk in the Spirit” (see Romans 8:4-5; Galatians 5:16)
3. The resulting practice (Galatians 5:26)
a. The avoidance
1.) Avoiding selfish glory—“Let us not be desirous of vain glory”
2.) Avoiding evil provocation—“provoking one another”
3.) Avoiding envious behaviour—“envying one another”
b. The message
1.) True spiritual Christianity is not a competition.
2.) True spiritual Christianity creates gracious Christians.