Stand fast, therefore, in the
liberty wherewith Christ has made us free, and be not entangled
again with the yoke of bondage. Behold, I, Paul, say unto you,
that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. For I testify again to every
man that is circumcised, that he is debtor to do the whole
law. Christ is become of no effect
unto you, whosoever of ye are justified by the law, ye are
fallen from grace. For we through the Spirit wait
for the hope of righteousness by faith. For in Christ Jesus
neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision,
but faith which works by love. Ye did run well. Who did hinder
you that you should not obey the truth? This persuasion comes
not of him that calls you. A little leaven leaveneth a whole
lot. I have confidence in you through
the Lord that you will be none otherwise minded, but he that
troubleth you shall bear his judgment, whosoever he be. And I, brethren, if I yet preach
circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution? Then is the offense
of the cross ceased. I would they were even cut off,
which trouble you. For brethren, ye have been called
unto liberty. Only use not liberty for an occasion
of the flesh, but by love serve one another. Now, notice again
verse 1 and verse 13. Stand fast therefore in the liberty
wherewith Christ hath made us free. You have been called to
liberty, only use not your liberty as an occasion unto the flesh. Now, we're well aware that this
is another issue in Christendom that is much contended about. There's not uniform agreement
as to the scope and the nature of the true bounds of Christian's
liberty. For example, as people taught,
one person's liberty would become or be counted another person's
licentiousness. And what one regards as his duty,
another would regard as absolute legalism. We see this, I believe,
in the Corinthian church over the question of eating meat that
had been sacrificed unto idols. Some saying that they had strong
liberty to eat of that meat without compunction. The weak and the
strong are the ones that Paul compares there. Some saying,
I have liberty to eat, and others see it as a participation in
idolatry. I grant you, this matter of conscience
in Corinthians, and Christian charity, and brotherly love,
and the matter of Christian liberty was all rolled into one. Now, having mentioned the contention
that exists about the true bounds of Christian liberty, I think
it is probably safe to say, or to come to this conclusion, that
one's view of Christian liberty will be largely founded upon
their connection and their understanding of the gospel of the grace of
God. An understanding of the former
bondage that we were under that enslaved us all and it would
include their view of the law of God as well and must be bring
in the adoption, the sonship and the work of adoption and
perhaps their past religion would have a bearing upon their view
of Christian liberty. Now, as for the study, We have
put our vessels in at Galatians chapter 5. We have taken our
starting point here and the first thing to do always is to consider
the context in which the text appears and why the strong exhortation
from Paul stand fast in the liberty bestowed upon you by and through
Christ. In fact, if you notice, the exhortation
is twofold. One, being made free, stand firm,
stand fast in that liberty. And secondly, resist, stand fast
against being brought again under a yoke of bondage, any yoke of
bondage, by the way. Now, contextually, Galatians
5 and verse 1 takes us back to that amazing passage in the end
of Galatians chapter 4, which he calls an allegory. And there he allegorizes the
history of Abraham and his family, that Abraham had two wives, and
Abraham had two sons. And to illustrate the condition
of those under the two covenants and the two Jerusalem, this allegory
is an attempt by Paul to show them the disadvantage of being
under the law and to convince those legalists the blessing
of being a spiritual mother of either, a spiritual child of
either Hagar or of Sarah. Now, Hagar was a bondwoman. She was a house slave who had
a son with Abraham, but it was born according unto the flesh,
and both Hagar and her son Ishmael were cast out of the house, put
away forever. Sarah, on the other hand, was
the true and the free wife of Abraham, and she bore a son,
not according to the flesh, but according unto the promise of
God. that Sarah shall have a son. Now the point in that allegory,
which is also set forth the same point in Romans 9 verse 6 to
verse 9, is this. that mere fleshly descent from
Abraham does not make one a spiritual child of Abraham. And in Romans
9 and verse 8, they which are the children of the flesh, these
are not the children of God, but the children of the promise
are counted for the seed. The children of promise, not
the children of the flesh. In Galatians 3 and verse 29 he
said, And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and
heirs according to the promise. In Galatians 4 and verse 30,
the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the
free woman. So in Galatians 4 and 28, and
you brethren, or we brethren, as Isaac was, are the children
of promise. We are not the children of the
flesh, we are the children of promise. So in verse 31 of chapter
4, So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman,
but of the free. Now verse 31, Galatians 4, is
the conclusion to the allegory, and the case with us is this. We, after the pattern of Isaac,
are free-born of the Spirit, of the free woman, literally,
children of grace, and that by the promise. Then in chapter
5 and verse 1, the exhortation. Since these things are true,
stand fast in the liberty which has been given us in Christ Jesus. Now if we might, let's flash
back again and see how it is that they came to this liberty
in Christ. In Galatians chapter 3 and chapter
4, where Paul likens Israel to a minor put under tutors and
governors until he comes of age. Now the apostle likens the young
heir and the law as a stern, strict pedagogue over them in
order to bring them to full sonship and the experience of it in Galatians
3 and verse 24. The law was our schoolmaster,
literally our child trainer, our pedagogue. Now, not a classroom
teacher, that's not what Paul is positing, but a pedagogue,
a child trainer to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified
by faith. And in Galatians 4 and 1 through
7, he compares them again to a minor child. They are an heir,
it is true, but temporarily put in or under the custody of a
tutor in order to prepare them for the time when the father
would free them from the oversight of the pedagogue and bring them
into full adult sonship. Now, this deliverance came when
Christ was sent into the world to redeem them from the curse
of the law that they might receive the adoption of sons or of children. And in Galatians 3 and verse
25, after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. Thinking about that for a moment,
what a stern pedagogue was the law! What a stern pedagogue the law
turned out to be. It was, in fact, an unbearable
yoke." Acts chapter 15 and verse 10. For who was there of the
sons of men that could keep it? Who was there who could satisfy
its constant and burdensome demand? Paul calls it a ministration
of debt in 2 Corinthians 3 and verse 7. For the law would never
say, it is well, it is okay. The law would always find them
guilty and never was satisfied, for none kept the law in order
that it might not be against them. And if one man keep the
law and yet offend in one point, He is guilty of all. James 2.10, Galatians 3 and verse
10, Leviticus 18 and 5, Deuteronomy 27 and verse 26. All of those say that one may
only escape the wrath and the penalty of the law by keeping
it unto perfection. The law shows no mercy to them
that are under it. And the Jews who believed were
brought under a new dispensation by the coming and the death of
Christ. He bore the curse of the law
and justified them by faith, taking them out from under that
curse. Now to such Paul says, stand
fast in the liberty where Christ hath made us free. Liberty, freedom,
how precious, how it ought to be cherished by the children
of God, whether it be political or in this case spiritual. To
be free, to have liberty, to not be enslaved is a blessing
of God indeed. But alas, in both areas, in the
civic and in the spiritual, many people there are who are willing
and eager to yield up their liberty to two gullible before them that
would bring them into bondage. and they are persuaded and they
become willing to trade liberty for empty promises and false
delusion and to buy a pig in a poke, as we used to say in
the country. One of the early leaders of our
country, as an example, warned of those who were willing to
give up their liberty for security. And his conclusion was, they
shall soon have neither. If one will give up their liberty
for security, soon they will have neither. And in the spiritual
realm, they that are willing to forego their liberty Christ,
for peace of conscience will soon have neither one of them,
because they strike a very rotten bargain, even as Esau did when
he sold his birthright for a mess of potty. Now again, Whether
in the political or the spiritual realm, there are those power-mad
ones who seek to bring others under their control and to lord
it over them. All the while, however, promising
them that it would be an experience of liberty, 2 Peter chapter 2,
verse 19, who promised them liberty. But the promisers themselves
are the servants of corruption. Now Paul tells of the incident
concerning Titus, the Gentile, who accompanied him to Jerusalem
in Galatians chapter 2 and verses 3 and through verse 5 in that
particular text. Note especially the certain words
of Paul there in verse 4, Galatians 2. Of certain who came up to
spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus their intent
to bring us into bondage. And in verse 5 of chapter 2,
Paul's refusal to have Titus circumcised, he says, was to
preserve for you the truth of the gospel. Now the question
here is, what does Paul see as a threat to Christian liberty. What was it that they might use
in that context and in that time to bring about bondage? Now before we answer that, consider
the question in Galatians chapter 4 and verse 9. How is it, he
asked, that you desire again to be in bondage? Though it is
likely that the victims did not see it as bondage at the time,
the victims did not perceive it to be a bondage, but they
saw it or were persuaded that it was their duty before God
and a necessary part of their acceptance with God. Now, as to the question, what
was the perceived threat to Christian and gospel liberty? Likely, what
we read in Galatians 2 and verse 3. And there are two points here
to be made. Number one, some of the Judists
did strongly insist that Titus, being a Gentile, submit himself
under circumcision. Some there strongly urged that
Titus be put under the knife. And then secondly, in Galatians
2 and 2, those of reputation, those of repute, leading men
who had the oversight and took the lead in spiritual matters,
those that seem to be pillars, as Paul described them in Galatians
2 and verse 9, in a private meeting with the apostle and his attendants
approved and endorsed the gospel that Paul preached. and did not
demand that Titus go under the night. I think that would be
such men like Peter, James, and John, and perhaps others. Now, in Galatians 5 and verse
2, it makes it very clear that the issue was circumcision, which
the Jews insisted be a part of a Gentile's acceptance with God
or of his justification. They did this in Acts 15 and
verse 1, Acts 15 and verse 5. They came down and they taught
the brethren, except they'd be circumcised after the manner
of Moses. they cannot be saved. They said
this circumcision was necessary and they commanded them to keep
the law of Moses in order that they might be in the favor of
God. And Galatians 5 and 2, Paul's
answer is marvelous, that if circumcision be necessary to
acceptance with God, if righteousness come by the keeping of the law,
then, quote, Christ shall profit you nothing, unquote. That is, by getting themselves
circumcised, they forfeit all Advantage from Christ that is
if the circumcision is in order to their Justification or they're
being saved or being accepted with God Listen to this if you
hear nothing else Christ will not be a co-savior with any other
Christ will not be a co-savior with a ceremonial law or with
any other law What's more, in the third verse of our text,
I solemnly tell you that everyone that gets circumcised as a part
of their justifying righteousness has obligated themselves to keep
every requirement of the law. And as it were, they have put
themselves under the covenant of the law, or they have put
themselves under the wrong covenant. Circumcision being what one called,
quote, the initiatory right, unquote, in the case of the Jews. The seal of the old covenant
that Abraham had with God. He that undergoes this as a part
of their justification, as Lightfoot wrote, and I quote, enters a
compact to fulfill the whole law, unquote. They cannot stop
at circumcision, but must put themselves under the whole law. Furthermore, in the fourth verse
of our text, a certain person is addressed. whosoever of you
that are justified by the law, then it follows that a certain
thing is true. Now, not that any can be justified
by the law, Paul is clear upon that point, but such as think
they can or try to be or hope that they can, or trusted that
they will be, such as look for justification by the law, do
cut themselves off from Christ, and have abandoned the way of
grace. they are outcast from the covenant
of grace, and have, as it were, put themselves again under the
law. Such have abandoned Christ, because
Galatians 2 and verse 21, if righteousness come by the law,
then Christ is dead in vain and to be under the law is to be
under bondage and not to be free or at liberty. Now this text
in Galatian is concerning the first century situation in the
churches between the Jew and the Gentile. So let us enlarge
our focus then beyond the day of the apostle and the subject
of spiritual liberty in our cases and in the cases of all others. The subject again is spiritual
liberty. For though the issues are different
in that day and in hour, though the issues are different, the
principle is one and the same. Whatever the issues be, the principle
is the same. And that is that grace carries
the whole matter of salvation. and that it cannot be mixed with
any law or any works or any merit or any ancestry to put the finishing
touches on salvation. Christ needs no co-savior. Yea, he will have none of that. but to consider the various aspects
of Christian freedom that might pertain unto us and that we might
see and behold. Samuel Bolton wrote a book. It is called The True Bounds
of Christian Freedom, and he made the point that there are
two parts of our Christian freedom, just as there are two parts of
many of our experiences with God. Number one, there is the
freedom that we have as Christians and believers in this life and
in this world. Number two, there is that freedom
in the coming world, what Bolton called consummate freedom, final,
full, consummate freedom. Now this morning, we are speaking
of the first, the first freedom, as did Christ and as did Paul. Now, I'm going to John chapter
8 for a bit. John chapter 8, verse 31 through
verse 36. The Lord told some Jews there
of the liberating effect of the truth of God. Knowing the truth,
he said, will make you free. And if you know the truth, the
truth shall make you free. And he also speaks further of
freedom from sin. In John 8, 34, whosoever commits
sin is the servant, literally the slave, of sin. Who does sin? It is not who sins, but who does
sin, that is, who lives in sin, who habitually and continually
sins, who makes it a way and a habit of life, who are, as
Paul calls them in Romans 6, and verse 17, the servants of
sin, the slaves of sin. You see it again in Romans 6
and verse 20. And may again I point out that
the word servants in the King James is the word slaves of sin. But the worst slavery is that
of sin and of Satan, and the greatest liberty is that of spiritual
and of the soul and of the conscience. Now, most, like the Pharisees,
would deny being slaves of sin. If we talk to them about that,
they would deny that they are enslaved under sin. Oh, I can quit that any time
that I want to. So they would be offended. They
would get insulted to hear themselves described as slaves of sin. But the truth is, the unregenerate
are under the dominion of sin, and that is every unregenerate. Those in John 8, 33, upon hearing
the Lord speak of being made free, denied in the face of our
Lord, ever being in bondage unto any man. Had they forgotten Babylonia? Had they forgotten that then
they were under the boot of the Roman Empire? Now, for what it
is worth, me thinks that J.C. Ryle, John Gill, and some others
that I read have a point here as to dual liberty in John chapter
8. Number one, in verse 31 and 32,
freedom from the bondage and the spiritual slavery of the
generality of the Jews who were under, because, and by their
spiritual leaders. That they were under a bondage
through the teaching and the oversight and the insistence
of their spiritual leaders. What did they do? They lay upon
them heavy burdens grievous to be born, Matthew 23 and verse
4. And they taught them the traditions
of men as binding, setting aside the word of God, Matthew 15 and
verse 6. Christ's words, Christ's truth,
therefore, would liberate them, and the truth would set them
free from their prejudices, from their ignorance, and from their
tradition. But secondly, in John 8, the
Lord speaks of freedom from the bondage of sin. in verse 33 through
verse 36. Look at verse 35 for example,
sandwiched in, and let's consider it's bearing on the thought of
the Lord. in order to illustrate the difference
between a slave and a son. In that the slave does not continue
in the house forever, but the son does. See that in verse 35. And get the spiritual sense of
our Lord. The slave does not abide in the
house forever, but the son does. I'm wondering, is there an allusion
here to the situation of Hagar, the bondwoman, and to her son
of the flesh, Ishmael, cast out, though they were of the family
of Abraham, one his wife and one his son? Their boast was,
the Jews boast, we're Abraham's seed. Well, so was Ishmael, but
he was cast out. He did not abide in the house
of Abraham all of his life. A son, rather a slave, may be
cast out, but a son, oh never. So these Jews must be told that
though slaves may enjoy and partake of the hospitality of the house
and even mingle with the family, yet are they servants still. As for the Jews, their outward
privileges did not free them from this spiritual bondage. But John 8, 36, If the Son make
you free, then are you free indeed, truly free, really free. How dare they claim such an affinity
to Abraham when they acted so contrary to the nature and the
character of the good man, as well as his view of Messiah,
for he saw his day and rejoiced. So the point of emphasis, ones
denying that they are slaves of sin. They may deny it until
they are blue in the face. Does not change the fact of the
Word of God. A slave is a slave is a slave. It is strange that some there
are who do abhor human slavery, and yet they give so little thought
to spiritual slavery and bondage, to the slavery of the soul, the
mind, the conscience, and the spirit. Oh, and oh, It is not
called slavery today. It has been renamed. Now it is
addiction. It's just poor choices. It's
habits that they picked up along the way. And weak human nature
is what's causing all of that. And so they seek their release
in rehab and the psychiatry couch rather than in Christ and in
his cross. But I digress. Spiritual liberty,
number three, includes freedom from the curse of the law. And freedom from the law is absolutely
necessary under justification as well as to sanctification
in the life of a believer. where once it could not justify
us, now it cannot curse us. I'm speaking of the law. Let's
repeat. Where once it could not justify
us, now it cannot curse us. On one hand, where it could not
give us life, on the other hand, it cannot slay us, Christ. Once it was against us, now it
has nothing to hurt us. And that's our position and condition
before the law. We're not only free from the
law, we are dead to it by the body of Christ. Romans 7 verses
1 through 4. Paul says of himself this, Galatians
2 and verse 19, He said, yea, I through the law am dead to
the law that I might live unto God. Catch that? I through the
law am dead to the law that I might live unto God. The first is necessary
unto the second. Are the Jews, are we, hearing
Paul when he said, whosoever gets himself circumcised in order
to be justified becomes debtor to the whole law? And what's
more, in Galatians 5 and verse 4, seeking justification by the
law drives one to make nothing of Christ and his debt. And it displays a disdain. for the suffering and the death
of our Lord and of the grace of God. So Paul says you are
fallen from grace. Now mind you, this is not a proof
text for losing salvation or falling from salvation. The idea is this. In seeking
justification in the works of the law, one is renouncing the
principle of grace altogether. Grace and law do not mix. The law is bondage, grace is
liberty. But then number four, there is
that blessed aspect of liberty that Christ has destroyed the
one who had the power of death, and that is the devil. Hebrews
2, 14 and 15. Christ destroyed the works of
the devil. First John 3 and verse 8. Christ delivered, that is, He
freed, He discharged from Satan, and thus from the fear of death
that troubled the mind because they are sinners, and dread the
expectation of death because they are sinners in the sight
of God. lest they fall into the hands
of an angry God, which is a fearful thing. And death comes because
of sin. This is a bondage from which
Christ has delivered and freed his brethren from Satan. But then fifthly, let us mention
another aspect of Christian liberty, and that is freedom of conscience. How wonderful. freedom from a
condemning conscience, from an accusing, unsettling conscience,
which we had in our unregenerate day. Now, the sacrifices of the
law could not free or purge or cleanse the consciousness of
the worshipers from guilt, could not purge the conscience from
dead works to serve the living God. But the blood of Christ
does. Hebrews 9, 14, Hebrews 10, and
verse 2. Now, the conscience is a wonderful
faculty of the makeup of mankind, and the conscience operates on
the knowledge that it has. It operates on the knowledge
that it possesses. That is the light that lets it
see how to walk. And so it cannot be forced. but by truth is it enlightened,
purged, and set free. How true the words of the Lord
in regard to conscience. Ye shall know the truth, and
the truth shall make you free, and the conscience is free in
Christ, free from the traditions of men, free to worship according
to the truth of the gospel, to use things indifferent without
guilt, and to discern what is sin and what is indifferent,
and the conscience Yes, the conscience in us is a vital faculty, both
in nature and in grace. If there were no conscience operative
in the natural man, the world would become what Sharnock called
a public hell or a public stew. But also, is it active in grace? The conscience is made free,
free from condemnation and from guilt in Christ. I do not say
absolutely, perfectly, without anything, but free in Christ
and His death and the application of it. We bring our study this
morning to a close using the caution of Paul down in verse
13 of our text in chapter 5. Use not liberty for an occasion
to the flesh. You'll read that again. in 1
Peter 2 and verse 16, where there is a caution, where there is
a check on this matter of our liberty. Grace is not a license
to sin, and grace does not lead to sin. The very opposite. because it is the grace of God
that teaches us to live godly and righteous in this present
world, Titus 2 and verse 12. Still, there are those constantly
trying to bring believers into bondage. Now granted, there are
some who turn the grace of God into lasciviousness, and Jude
condemns them, and you'll find it in verse 4 of the little epistle
of Jude. Some do attempt and do turn the
grace of God into lasciviousness, but these, according to Jude,
are ungodly men. Now Paul says you're called to
liberty, but do not turn such liberty into an advantage of
the flesh. It reflects badly upon the grace
of God. In liberty, he said, you are
called. Stand fast in that liberty. Do not use it as an occasion
to give reign unto the corruption of the flesh. We are under a
twofold admonition. We are to stand fast, earnestly
contend for the liberty that we have in and through Christ
Jesus, and we are earnestly exhorted not to turn that liberty into
an occasion of the flesh. Some argue, if you don't bind
the law upon them, they will run to the excess of sin. Paul answers that argument in
Romans chapter 6. How shall they that are dead
to sin live any longer therein? It is an impossibility. So grace
teaches us, leads us, and works in us that sanctification unto
that life coming in the life and world that is to come. We
have liberty in Christ. Let's maintain it. Let's contend
for it. Let's stand for it. Let's hold
fast to that liberty for he has freed us from all of these things
that we have mentioned this morning.