Gospel Freedom > Galatians 5:13-26

God is very interested in what you do with your freedom – the positive opportunities of the work of grace in our lives at work through you. In Chapter 5 of Galatians, Paul’s shifts this to an important key for Christian living – to use freedom well means you have less opportunity to use it wrongly….

Paul is very deliberate and clear and direct – the gospel freedom of Christ means something – and it requires a response - from our new position of grace. So let us reflect upon the work of the Cross of Christ in our own lives – I am crucified with Christ. And now I can live by the Spirit.

This year, we are looking at the Book of Galatians.

The apostle Paul writes a letter to the Christians living in the area of Galatia.  These Christians were both Jewish and Gentile peoples.  Composed sometime after 49AD, Galatians may have been written before the first letter to the Thessalonians.  If you had to summarise the purpose of Galatians, you might say Jesus, that Jesus plus whatever we feel or think we cannot offer or achieve, is everything!

Jesus + Nothing = Everything

Nothing means that anything else we can offer is but nothing when it comes to what Jesus has done for us.  We are not good by our own hands or deeds or attitudes.  We are good alone before God by faith in Christ.  And when we say good, we mean we are made right with God – through faith.  We look forward to eternal life – through faith.  And have the command to serve Him – through faith.  Paul is affirming to the Christians in Galatia that it was faith alone that matters, not works.  Salvation or freedom was through faith in Christ.  Paul was writing to restore and encourage Gospel Freedom….to avoid thinking where we feel insecure and inadequate.

It was also said that this was Martin Luther’s favourite epistle.  He said, “This is ‘my’ epistle.  I am wedded to it.” In his comments about Galatians, Luther said:

“To be convinced in our hearts that we have forgiveness of sins and peace with God by grace alone is the hardest thing.”

“The article of justification is fragile. Not in itself, of course, but in us. I know how quickly a person can forfeit the joy of the Gospel.”

“It is easy enough to do good once or twice, but to keep on doing good without getting disgusted with the ingratitude of those whom we have benefited, that is not so easy.”

“My neighbour is every person, especially those who need my help, as Christ explained in the tenth chapter of Luke. Even if a person has done me some wrong, or has hurt me in any way, he is still a human being with flesh and blood. As long as a person remains a human being, so long is he to be an object of our love.”

“God does not slack his promises because of our sins... or hasten them because of our righteousness and merits. He pays no attention to either.”