Lessons From Galatians – Lesson 5
Paul finishes dealing with the false teachers in verse 12. He will have one more brief thing to say about them at the end of the letter but after verse 12 Paul switches gears.
Gal 5:12 I would they were even cut off which trouble you.
Cut off is very strong language. Let’s look at a couple of examples of how the Bible uses the term cut off.
The first time it is used in in Gen 9:11
Gen_9:11 And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth.
This is talking about Noah’s flood. The term cut off is used in connection with everyone who was not on the ark being killed. So the first mention of cut off means killed.
Let’s look at another example in Exodus.
Exo_31:14 Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you: every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death: for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people.
This is a parallel type of definition. The same thing is said back to back but using different words. This is one of the ways that the Bible defines what the words mean.
Shall surely be put to death and that soul shall be cut off from among his people is two ways to say the same thing. So here the Bible defines that cut off means you die.
Now read Gal 5:12 again with that understanding.
Gal 5:12 I would they were even cut off which trouble you.
Woa! Paul is not just talking about wishing they moved to another town.
Verse 12 really makes it clear just what Paul thought about false teachers and how dangerous they are.
Paul is not advocating killing them. He is not advocating that they take punishment into their hands.
Paul has already talked about that and how God will make them reap what they sow in His timing and how justice upon them is guaranteed from God.
When Paul says I would that they were even cut off, I think it is like he would rather see God cut them off sooner than later. So not only would they no longer hurt the Galatians but that they would not hurt any others also.
So if Paul was pastoring a church today and some false teachers show up and try to teach some heresy or other, do you think that Paul would be accepting? Tolerant? Or say something like everyone is entitled to share their own opinion?
Or we have an open door policy and everyone is welcome here? I don’t care what they think everyone is welcome?
I have seen and heard far too many pastors today who do say exactly those types of things.
Paul would not say any such things. It would be more like hit the road and don’t come back. Paul would tell them verse 12 I would that you were even cut off.
Paul would not take any other action against them. Leave it in the hands of God to make them reap what they sow in His timing and in His way. So Paul would not lift a hand against them but he would run them off and let them know of their evil ways.
That is actually the most loving thing you can do for your congregation. And actually believe it or not it is the best for the false teachers. Why? Because maybe God will bring conviction and maybe they will rethink things.
And since you kept them from hurting your congregation then you saved them from having to suffer judgment for hurting your congregation.
And after the strong statement in verse 12 Paul is now going to transition into dealing with what they should be focusing on.
We often see this principal in the Bible. It is the take off and put on principal. The quit doing that and replace it with doing this. Don’t think about this list and instead think about this other list of things.
A well-known saying that I am sure you all know is nature abhors a vacuum. Anytime you quit some things, something else wants to fill that empty space in your life.
So Biblically speaking, do not leave that filling to chance. Choose what to fill it with. Take control of that process.
So here in Galatians it is quit listening to and quit being involved in and quit supporting false teaching. And replace that with the things Paul is going to mention in the end of this letter.
The first two things are you are called unto liberty so do not use liberty to feed the flesh. And number 2 is love and serve one another.
Gal 5:13 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.
Here is a truth that you will see several times in the New Testament. Liberty is not license.
Do not put off the bad you were doing and fill it with different sins. Choose wisely. Don’t use the Liberty we have in Jesus as an excuse to fill your life with more sin.
And the second thing is by love serve one another.
Gal 5:14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Gal 5:15 But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.
So like Paul does so often after he mentions a subject then they drills down into it. He gives more information and instruction on that. He has mentioned do not use liberty to feed the flesh and by love serve one another.
So how do you do that? In a real practical way, how to do achieve that? Where do you find the guidance and the strength to do that? And not just for a few minutes but consistently all the time.
Paul is going to answer those questions and tell us the best way to do that. Actually it is the only way to do it. Especially consistently and long term.
You need to walk in the Spirit.
Gal 5:16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
Gal 5:17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
The flesh of the old man and the Holy Spirit that indwells all believers are not compatible. They do not get along and they do not agree on anything.
They are complete opposites in every way in all things. That is what it means “and these are contrary the one to the other.”
The conflict is so great that both cannot be in control at the same time. At any given moment you cannot be 50% in the flesh and 50% walking in the Spirit. They do not get along. You cannot be 20% in the flesh and 80% walking in the Spirit at the same time.
When you try to fulfill the flesh even a little bit the Spirit backs off and lets you. Do not get me wrong the Spirit will bring conviction. He will speak in that still small voice about it. But He will not override your choice and force you to walk in the Spirit.
God does not work that way. God is after your heart and what you do for the Lord and how close you walk with Him is voluntary and must be voluntary.
If it was forced it would not mean anything because it would not be real.
Gal 5:17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
At any given moment you must choose one or the other. What does he mean by so that ye cannot do the things that ye would?
Say you decide you want to walk in the Spirit and do God’s will. Jesus said without me ye can do nothing. And you really want to be used of God and do things that matter for Him.
This is in your heart to do. And that is a great thing.
But this work in your life and in your heart and in the lives of others and any works you want to do for the Lord, they must be empowered by Jesus. And that happens thru the Holy Spirit in your heart.
God is the one who works thru you. He is the one who works in the hearts and lives of others. He wants to use you in that process.
And you want to, but the second that you fulfill the lust of the flesh the Holy Spirit takes His hands off. The very second. And so when you fulfil what the flesh wants you actually cannot do the things that ye would.
Gal 5:18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.
The Spirit of God will never lead you to sin. He will never lead you to go against God’s Word.
If that is true then why doesn’t the Spirit lead us to hunt down witches and stone them? Or someone who picks up sticks on Saturday?
Because those are laws of first mention type of things. God was showing a picture of what justice without mercy would look like on those sins. He was showing what He thinks about those sins and what they deserve in Eternity.
He was teaching that the wages of sin is death. They were a picture of eternal death that unforgiven sins get in hell.
After the picture was shown God does not do that again. An example is the picking up of sticks on Saturday. The first guy got immediate judgment and was killed. Later when Nehemiah came back almost the entire city was involved in “Picking up sticks” and worse on the Sabbath.
God did not have any of them stoned. The picture was already shown. The lesson was already taught and recorded in God’s word.
After the picture was shown the first time man gets time to get right with God and get forgiveness and get saved and get the gift of eternal life.
The penalty for the sin that is not forgiven does not go away it is only delayed. So today if the witch does not repent and find forgiveness. If she does not repent and trust Jesus and call upon Him to save her she still gets the penalty of death, but it is the eternal death in the lake of fire.
This is why the Spirit will not lead us to hunt down witches and stone them today even though it is in God’s Word.
While we are not to hunt witches we can still learn from that being in the Old Testament. We learn how horrible witchcraft is. We learn it is empowered by the Devil. We learn it is hurtful to a society. There are things we learn from these being in the Old Testament but we are not to be practicing hunting witches today.
One way to tell if something is in the Old Testament like that and we are not to be doing it today is it will not have any New Testament authority, instruction, or command for us to do it.
The Spirit will never lead us to sin and He will never lead us to do something in the Old Testament that is not reinforced in the New Testament.
I go into all of that because it is an issue with many today. Both the Catholics and the Eastern Orthodox for example bring the idea of priests from the Old Testament without any New Testament authority to do so.
The Mormons bring the idea of special underwear from the Tabernacle without any New Testament authority.
Another one you see a lot is women preachers. They claim Deborah from the Old Testament as their authority to preach even thou the New Testament speaks directly against that.
And the list goes on and on.
So it really is a big issue. The Holy Spirit will never lead you to go against God’s Word and He will also never lead you to do something from the Old Testament that had a place and a purpose back there but has no New Testament authority.
The Holy Spirit will leave that practice back in the Old Testament where it belongs.
Gal 5:18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.
The Holy Spirit will always lead you to do right and will always lead you in God’s will.
Since man is very good at deceiving himself how do we know if we are not walking in the Spirit?
What are the tell tail signs that we are fulfilling the flesh and not walking in the Spirit?
Paul goes into that next.
Gal 5:19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
The difference between Adultery and fornication is adultery is sex with someone other than who you are married to. Fornication is sex between people who are not married.
Uncleaness is both filthiness and it is also defilement by sin.
Lasciviousness is indulgence of lustfulness, it is the tendency to excite lust.
The outward signs of fulfilling the flesh goes on.
Gal 5:20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
Idolatry is the worship of idols or images or anything made by hands that is not God. It is the bowing down either physically or in the heart to images.
Catholics and their statues and images of Mary and their bowing to other things is the very definition of idol worship. Even in our neighborhood they will make an image of their cookie and hold it up and parade it around for blocks and worship it.
The Catholic system is full of idol worship. They will do all sorts of mental gymnastics to try to deny it. But the fact remains it is idol worship. And the Word of God is telling us here that idol worship is a manifestation of the works of the flesh.
Idol worship can also be an excessive attachment of anything as a replacement for God.
Money can be an idol that is worshipped. I have seen with some people it is work or even football. They become an idol. They become more important in their life than God.
Variance is disagreement; dissension; discord. Strife is contention for superiority.
Hatred, wrath, strife and seditions are all manifestations of the flesh. Walking in the Holy Spirit will not manifest any of those.
The last one in verse 20 is heresies. It should be very obvious that the Holy Spirit will not lead, be involved in, or empower, teaching that goes against the Word of God, which the Holy Spirit actually wrote using holy men of God.
What are the outward manifestations of fulfilling the lust of the flesh, the list just keeps going.
Gal 5:21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
Paul now does the evidences of the other side. How do you know you are walking in the Sprit? What are the evidences?
Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Gal 5:23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
Several of us here sat thru a series years ago on Wednesday nights on verse 22 and 23. It was 2 or 3 messages on each word. It took something like 6 months. It was an ordeal as in not good.
I will not do that to us. Most of these are very self-explanatory.
Love here is biblical love which is not any kind of empty sentimental feeling only kind of love. Biblical love works and does. It is meanful and real and practical. For God so love He gave.
Joy is not happiness. Happiness is dependant upon circumstances. Joy is not. Joy is something that the Spirit produces. It is dependant only upon God and upon who He is and what He has done. Joy is independent of circumstances. You can be going thru the worst circumstances and still have joy in God and in your future and in what He has done for you.
Peace is peace with God and peace in your heart.
Longsuffering is bearing injuries or provocation for a long time. It is patient and being not easily provoked.
Gentleness is mildness of temper and kindness and tenderness.
Goodness is talking about being moral according to God’s standard.
Faith is believing the truth of what God has revealed. Faith is to believe, and to obey. Faith is trust in the Lord. Faith is resting on the truth declared by God and on His authority and in who He is and without needing any other evidence than what God has given.
Meekness is not weakness. Moses was meek. Moses was a very strong man he endured a lot. Jesus was meek. Meekness is power under control.
Temperance is moderation. Temperance is keeping indulgence of natural appetites and passions under control.
These are the evidences of walking in the Spirit.
Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Gal 5:23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
And notice it is not fruits plural. It is fruit singular. The singular fruit that the spirit produces in your life has many characteristics but it is one fruit.
The Spirit will work to produce all of these at the same time. You cannot have the fruit of the Spirit and totally lack love. Or totally lack longsuffering.
It is not a cafeteria line. You cannot pick and choose. You cannot tell the Spirit I will take a double helping of joy and skip the longsuffering.
It is His fruit that He produces and He will work on producing all of the characteristics of that fruit in your life.
And when you see God helping you and producing in you longsuffering and temperance then that is a sign, a manifestation that you are walking in the Spirit.
And this is the way that we are supposed to voluntarily chose to live for Jesus.
Gal 5:24 And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
Gal 5:25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
Gal 5:26 Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.
Paul now instructs us that there are two different types of burdens.
There are burdens that you are to help others with and that would also mean that you need to let others help you when you have these burdens.
Gal 6:1 Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.
Gal 6:2 Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.
Gal 6:3 For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.
So you are to help your brother with the type of burdens that can overtake a man in a fault. And a why is given. Because if circumstances were different that could be you. And if it was you, you would want someone to help you. And while it is not you today it might be a year from now, so help your brother with those type of burdens.
And there are some burdens that are yours alone to bear.
Gal 6:4 But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.
Gal 6:5 For every man shall bear his own burden.
This is talking about your service for Jesus. Your good works that you do in His name. Those must be done by you. If I tell Richard do that good work for me in my place. Guess what Richard will get the credit for it by God because Richard did it.
So your burden for any works that you chose to do for God is a burden that is yours to carry.
Gal 6:6 Let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things.
Gal 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
Gal 6:8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.
That is an unescapable universal law that applies to everything and everyone. Saved or lost. God is not mocked, a man will reap what he sows.
So if you walk in the flesh you will reap from that and if instead you walk in the spirit you will reap good from that.
Gal 6:9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
Gal 6:10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.
So do good. Walk in the Spirit, and love thy neighbor as thyself. And do good to all men. That means all men and includes lost men. And people of all nations and languages and races.
Help the fatherless. Help give the poor not a hand out but a hand up. Be a blessing to others. Be a giver. And you will reap good from that in due time.
And this doing good is for all men, but there is an emphasis put on those who are of the household of faith.
This whole section is the things you are to put off and the things you are to replace them with. And gives you a yardstick so you can easily see if you are actually walking in the Spirit or if you are fooling yourself.
And now Paul wraps the letter up.
Gal 6:11 Ye see how large a letter I have written unto you with mine own hand.
Gal 6:12 As many as desire to make a fair shew in the flesh, they constrain you to be circumcised; only lest they should suffer persecution for the cross of Christ.
Gal 6:13 For neither they themselves who are circumcised keep the law; but desire to have you circumcised, that they may glory in your flesh.
Paul gives another reason why the false teacher does it. It is so they may glory in what they got you to do or believe. They do it so that they may glory in your flesh. They do it for pride and power.
Paul says they don’t keep the law. They are hypocrites, but they glory in getting others to keep the law.
Paul says we should only glory in the cross of our Lord.
Gal 6:14 But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.
Gal 6:15 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.
Gal 6:16 And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.
Gal 6:17 From henceforth let no man trouble me: for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.
Gal 6:18 Brethren, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.
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