Morning Message: A Little Leaven

Bobservations Column

Titled - "A Little Leaven"
Written by: Pastor Bob Lawrenz

In the last several years, we have watched the movement to defund the Police. Bail reform laws have followed. Our inner Cities are now the strongholds of violence and death, and those that oppress others who simply want to live in peace.

The Apostle Paul has been teaching the churches about a balance between the Law and Liberty. No population can live in liberty without there some semblance of enforceable laws, for without laws and those that enforce them, society is reduced to a free-for-all. And as we have seen in the media, with the hands of the police tied, the public is now often afraid to go out at night when it’s dark.

God promised to write His law on the fleshly tablets of the believers’ hearts. When that happens to an individual, all the law is fulfilled by “Love thy neighbor as thyself. The heart of a true believer takes into consideration how his actions might affect his neighbor. With the law engrained within us (Jeremiah 31:33 & Ezekiel 11:19,20), and carried out across society, there might not be a need for Police, or the Courts at all.

But it’s time for a reality check, for not everyone has been born again and received that law to love their neighbors as themselves. Not the mention, there is evil in this world. Please do not consider this as a political piece, for Paul’s Epistle is written to people who desire to be under the Law again. It’s simply easier to know what is acceptable and what is not when there is a law to follow. And therein lies the problem: it’s difficult to “police” one’s self. And it’s very difficult when all around us are evil doers. I would be remiss if I did not remind you all that even within the peaceful religion of Buddhism, there is a militant element of them that persecutes non-Buddhists, and practices the caste system in their culture, persecuting the lower castes, even confining them to limited regions.

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” - Matthew 5:16

This is why evangelism is so important as an out-working of our faith, rather than an in-working of the Law.

Bobservations' Column:  Audio Version

Sunday Morning Message:

Galatians 5:1-15 - "A Little Leaven"

Summary/Additional Commentary & Definitions:

Galatians chapter 5 is packed with powerful truths about living in the freedom Christ gives us. In this chapter, Paul contrasts the works of the flesh with the fruit of the Spirit.

He urges believers to walk by the Spirit and not gratify the desires of the flesh. When we live by the Spirit, we’ll experience love, joy, peace, and other wonderful qualities in our lives.

Paul reaches the climax of this epistle, stating what can properly be called the theme of his letter: "Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage."  He follows with dire warnings about the consequences of seeking to be circumcised and justified by the Law. He then reminds them that the hope of righteousness is for those who through the Spirit eagerly wait for it with a faith working through love.

The next few verses continue with warnings about allowing others to hinder their progress, with Paul's harshest words reserved for those trying to impose circumcision. Yet Paul does not want anyone to think that liberty in Christ means license, and encourages them to use their liberty in order to serve one another in love. The two-fold benefit of this proper use of liberty is that one actually fulfills the Law, and at the same time does not give the flesh an opportunity to cause them to bite and devour one another.

Let’s jump into Galatians 5 together and discover how to embrace the liberty we have in Christ. We’ll explore what it means to walk by the Spirit and see the life-changing results that come from living under grace instead of the law.


Sunday Morning Audio Message:

Key Words and Definitions with Reference:

Stand Fast (5:1) - means to remain tightly secured.  Paul is compelling the Galatian church, and all believers, to dig in their heels and remain consistent as they face hardship, danger, persecution, and conflict. Paul calls fellow believers to “stay true to the Lord” (Philippians 4:1).  We are free from the law and the flesh as a way of salvation and we are to walk in the freedom of His grace by living in the Spirit.

Free (5:1) - Deliverance from the curse that the law pronounces on the sinner who has been striving unsuccessfully to achieve his own righteousness (3:13, 22-26; 4:1-7). Now that the believer has embraced Christ and the salvation that is given by God through His grace.

Entangled Again (5:1) - means to be "burdened" again by a yoke we cannot carry.

Yoke of Bondage (5:1) - A yoke is a wooden crosspiece fastened over the necks of two animals and attached to a plow or cart. A yoke allows two animals to share a load and pull together. Yokes were used in Bible times primarily with bulls or oxen to plow fields and pull wagons. The animals yoked together needed to be close in size and weight for the cart or plow to pull evenly.  In the Bible the yoke is sometimes referenced metaphorically to describe the weight of a task or obligation.  The Jews referred to the "yoke of the law" as a good thing, the essence of true religion.  Paul argued that for those who pursued it as a way of salvation, the law was a yoke of slavery.

Circumcised (5:2) - Paul is not saying nobody should ever be circumcised, or that circumcised people cannot be Christians. This comment is specifically given in the context of a group of false teachers, the Judaizers, who pressured new non-Jewish Christians to be circumcised in order to be welcomed into God's family. These Galatian men likely did not know what to do. After all, every Hebrew in the Old Testament got circumcised. Even Jesus was circumcised under the law!  Paul's point is that either salvation is through faith in Christ alone, or it is through circumcision and the law. It cannot be both.

Christ . . . Profit You Nothing (5:2) - The atoning sacrifice of Christ cannot benefit anyone who trusts in law and ceremony for salvation.

Justified (5:4) - attempting to be justified by the law, rather than by faith in Christ, leads to separation from Christ and a rejection of God's grace.

Estranged from Christ . . . Fallen From Grace (5:4) - to be "separated" or "severed."  The word for fallen means "to lose one's grasp on something."  Paul's clear meaning is that any attempt to be justified by the law is to reject salvation by grace alone through faith alone.  Those once exposed to the gracious truth of the gospel, who then turn their backs on Christ (Hebrews 6:4-6) and seek justification by the law are separated from Christ and lose all prospects of god's gracious salvation.  Their desertion of Christ and the gospel only proves that their faith was never genuine.

The Hope of Righteousness (5:5) - Believers already possess the imputed righteousness of Christ, but they still await the completed and perfected righteousness that is yet to come at glorification (Romans 8:18, 21). 

Neither Circumcision . . . Uncircumcision (5:6) - Nothing done or not done in the flesh, even religious ceremony, makes any difference in one's relationship to God.  What is external is immaterial and worthless unless it reflects genuine internal righteousness (Romans 2:25-29).

Faith Working Through Love (5:6) - Saving faith proves its genuine character by works of love.  The person who lives by faith is internally motivated by love for God and Christ (Matthew 22:37-40).  True faith manifests itself in reverent worship, genuine obedience and self-sacrificing love for others.

You Ran Well (5:7) - Like a runner in a race, the Galatians began well in receiving the gospel message by faith and begun to live out that faith as believers in Christ. 

Obey the Truth (5:7) - A believer's true way of living in response to the true gospel message and in response to obeying the Word of God in our sanctification.

This Persuasion (5:8) - Paul is talking about salvation by works.  No where in the gospel to God promote legalism.  Christ is all-sufficient.  Nothing can be added to what He has done for us. 

Leaven (5:9) - In scripture, leaven denotes sin because its permeating power.  

Confidence In You (5:10) - Paul declares he is confident "in the Lord" that the Galatians will not ultimately accept this false teaching. God has given Paul confidence to believe the Galatians will get back up and keep running in the right direction together.

Judgement (5:10) - All false teachers will incur strict and devastating eternal condemnation.

Still Preach Circumcision (5:11) - The fact that the Judaizers were persecuting him rather than supporting him is clear that Paul agreed with their false teaching about circumcision be necessary for salvation.

Liberty (5:13) - Paul has spent most of this letter to the Galatians calling them to live in the freedom that comes with faith in Christ. With His own blood, Christ has purchased for those who trust Him a freedom from slavery to our sinfulness under the law. We are forgiven. We don't need to toil under the harsh burdens of the law (Galatians 3:23–29).

Opportunity for the Flesh (5:13) - The word "flesh" here refers to sinful inclinations of fallen man.  The freedom believers have is not a base from which they can sin freely and without consequence.

Serve One Another (5:13) - Believers freedom is not for selfish fulfillment, but for serving others. 

All the Law (5:14) - The ethics of the OT law are the same as those of the NT gospel as indicated in the quote from Leviticus 19:18.  When a believer genuinely loves others, he fulfills all the moral requirements of the Mosaic Law concerning them.  This is the ruling principle of Christian freedom.  

Bite and Devour One Another (5:15) - The imagery is of wild animals savagely attacking and killing each other - a graphic picture of what happens in the spiritual realm when believers do not love and serve one another.