Galatians 5:13-15
In the book Hudson Taylor’s Spiritual Secret, Taylor
is famously quoted as having said, “Christ is either
Lord of all, or is not Lord at all”
(Frederick Howard Taylor, Hudson
Taylor’s Spiritual Secret [Chicago: Moody Press, 1932], 216).
This is the essence of obedience. We either allow
him to rule all our affairs or he may as well have
absolutely none of our heart. The blessing in this?
“Lord of all” means we are never alone. We opt out
of the need to handle our burdens by our own
strength. Obedience is not imprisonment; it is the
only sure path to freedom (Psalm 119).
Last week we talked about finishing strong.
Paul compared the spiritual lives of the Galatians to a
race.
He was encouraging the believers to keep running and to
be watchful against those who would try to push them
out of their lane. The mark of a true believer is that they
persevere until the end.
Today we are going to be studying verses 13-15 of
Galatians 5.
Paul returns to the message of freedom in Christ that he
started at the beginning of chapter 5.
Let’s pray and ask God to show us His truth this morning.
Galatians 5:13-15
Freedom is a Result of God’s Calling
Paul writes that the brothers were called to freedom.
Back in the first chapter, Paul adds that God called them
in the grace of Christ.
Galatians 1:6 “I am astonished that you are so quickly
deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and
are turning to a different gospel -”
Jesus calls us by His grace.
He knows us and He loves us before we know Him and
before we love Him. The only reason we can even know
Him is because He calls us by His grace.
Jesus says in
John 6:44 “No one can come to me unless the
Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him
up on the last day.”
When Paul mentioned freedom in verse 1 he was talking
about the freedom to live in grace, not to turn to the
yoke of slavery.
Here is verse 13 Paul wants the Galatian believers to live
in freedom without abusing God’s grace.
The freedom believers enjoy is because of the work
of Christ.
Because of Christ we are free from the guilt of sin
He Forgives
Because of Christ we are free from the penalty of sin
He became a curse for us
Because of the Holy Spirit we are free from the power of
sin
Holy Spirit guides our daily life
This freedom should bring us great joy.
We should never think of our freedom as an excuse to
keep on sinning.
Freedom is Not a License to Continue Sinning
Paul warns the Galatians not to use their freedom to
satisfy the desires of the flesh.
The flesh he is writing about is not their physical bodies,
but the fallen nature of mankind.
We are born with a sinful nature because of Adam’s sin in
the garden.
Paul wants to ensure that the Galatians do not fall back
into the sin that Jesus saved them from.
In verses 19-21 Paul gives a long list of sins that are a
result of our sin nature.
Freedom in Christ is not freedom to continue living in sin.
Paul has a similar discussion with the church at Rome.
Romans 7:4-6 “ Likewise, my brothers, you also
have died to the law through the body of Christ, so
that you may belong to another, to him who has
been raised from the dead, in order that we may
bear fruit for God. For while we were living in the
flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were
at work in our members to bear fruit for death. But
now we are released from the law, having died to
that which held us captive, so that we serve in the
new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the
written code.”
I want to highlight a few things in these verses.
Because of Christ we have died to the law.
Remember what Paul wrote in Galatians 2:20. I have
been crucified with Christ, it is no longer I who live, but
Christ lives in me…
Jesus was raised from the dead so we can bear fruit for
God.
When we live in freedom we bear fruit for God.
In John 15, Jesus encourages believers to abide in Him so
we can bear fruit. He also warns that those who don’t
abide in Him will be thrown away and thrown in the fire.
There is no fruit in returning to a life of sin.
Living in the flesh bears fruit for death.
Paul writes that we serve in the new way of the Spirit not
in the old way of the written code.
Let’s go back one more time to Paul’s letter to the
Romans.
Romans 6:1-2 “What shall we say then? Are we to
continue in sin that grace may abound? By no
means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?”
For the Christian, sin is the exception not the standard.
Holiness is the standard and by the help of the Holy Spirit
we can work towards holiness as God makes us more and
more holy each and every day.
Using liberty as a license to sin brings no glory to
God.
Our sin should grieve us just as it grieves God.
Rather than using our freedom as a license, Paul
encourages them to use their freedom to serve one
another through love.
Freedom Motivates us to Lovingly Serve Others
Paul quotes Leviticus 19:18 and says the whole law is
fulfilled in one word, love your neighbor as yourself.
As we know this is the second commandment.
Of course the first is to love the Lord with all of our heart,
with all of our soul and with all of our strength.
To love your neighbor is to serve your neighbor.
Jesus taught about loving one another.
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love
one another: just as I have loved you, you also are
to love one another. By this all people will know
that you are my disciples, if you have love for one
another.”
John 13:34–35.
APPLICATION
What are some of the ways we can serve one another in
love?
Pray for one another
James 5:16 “ Therefore, confess your sins to one
another and pray for one another, that you may be
healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great
power as it is working.”
We ought to be consistently lifting one another up in
prayer.
Bear with one another
Ephesians 4:1-2 “I therefore, a prisoner for the
Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the
calling to which you have been called, with all
humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing
with one another in love,
”
Relationships are difficult and we need to look past
people’s shortcomings and bear with them with patience
in love.
It’s not easy, but we have the Holy Spirit available to help
us bear with others.
Encourage one another
Ephesians 4:29 “Let no corrupting talk come out of
your mouths, but only such as is good for building
up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to
those who hear.”
Rather than gossip, we should be speaking words that
build others up. This can be particularly difficult when
other Christians start the gossip. Let’s focus on
encouragement as we serve one another in love
Be Humble towards one another
Philippians 2:3 “Do nothing from selfish ambition
or conceit, but in humility count others more
significant than yourselves.”
Jesus modeled humility as He went to the cross in our
place.
He was sinless, yet He took our punishment and humbled
Himself and was obedient to the point of death, even
death on a cross. What can we do to show others
humility as we love them?