An Overview of Galatians
By Joe Guagliardo
Galatians 5:1-12
“We are Free because God wants us to be free.”
July 5, 2023
The 1st verse of this Galatians chapter, 5:1-12, is somewhat apropos, as yesterday was July 4. It’s almost as though Paul was speaking to those Americans involved in the war of independence from Great Britain.
Though it cost many lives, God’s Providence, the United States of America prevailed in their/our fight for independence from England. Now, almost 250 years later, we are still free, but we fight amongst ourselves quite a bit, don’t we?
We have differences of opinion on religious beliefs, politics, immigration, and what party is better, Democrats, Republicans, and sometimes even an Independent.
Unfortunately, we seem to think we can say or do whatever we want because of our freedoms. We indeed have one of the greatest militaries in the history of the world. But, our downfall, if and when we have one, will not come from outside this country; it will come from within.
Read the words of Abraham Lincoln:
“From whence shall we expect the approach of danger? Shall some trans-Atlantic military giant step the earth and crush us at a blow? Never. All the armies of Europe and Asia…could not by force take a drink from the Ohio River or make a track on the Blue Ridge in the trial of a thousand years. No, if destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of free men, we will live forever or die by suicide.”
Abraham Lincoln (Goodreads.com/quotes)
I’m going to stop right there. As this is a devotion and not a political statement. The point is that Paul sees in the Galatians what Abraham Lincoln saw in the future of our country. If destruction was to come, it would be from within. For the Galatians, those within striving to cause believers to fall away from the belief of being saved by Faith alone were the Judaizers.
“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. Again, I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. For through the Spirit, we eagerly await by Faith the righteousness for which we hope. For in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is Faith expressing itself through love.
You were running a good race. Who cut in on you to keep you from obeying the truth? That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you. “A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough.” I am confident in the Lord that you will take no other view. The one who is throwing you into confusion, whoever that may be, will have to pay the penalty. Brothers and sisters, if I am still preaching circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case, the offense of the cross has been abolished. As for those agitators, I wish they would go the whole way and emasculate themselves!”
Galatians 5:1-12
Let’s break these verses down a bit. Paul begins by saying:
“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”
God has set us free through His Grace. He gives us His Grace freely and asks only that we have Faith in Him and what His Son has taught and did for us. Anything else, such as being circumcised and continuing to live under the Mosaic law, is slavery.
We can only be saved by what we do, and it has to be perfect if we follow the law of Moses. But, if we receive God’s Grace and have Faith in Christ, we are free. We are God’s people and will join Him one day for all of eternity.
Paul ends the first section of these verses with these words:
“The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.”
“Faith alone saves, but saving Faith is never alone. It is always “expressing itself through love.” Appreciation for the unspeakable great grace God has shown us requires a response from us. It can’t be any different. We simply have to say thank you to our God by doing deeds of love whenever and wherever an opportunity presents itself.”
(People’s Bible Commentary, Galatians/Ephesians, Pp. 92)
Yes, we are justified by Faith in Jesus Christ and God’s Grace. But there’s more. We don’t earn our way into heaven by doing good deeds. But, when we acknowledge God’s grace and accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we should want to show God’s love by loving others.
I won’t go into a list of good deeds to do. I think you’ll know what they are when you see the opportunity. (Okay, helping a neighbor, giving to those in need, etc.)
Paul gets a bit aggressive at the end of these verses. But first, he again reminds the Galatians that they were doing an excellent job of following Christ until the Judaizers came into play.
He strongly encourages them to not follow them by returning to following the Mosaic laws. Paul states that he no longer encourages circumcision, which is why he is still being persecuted.
Paul is so upset with the Judaizers that he suggests that instead of just getting circumcised, they should go all the way and emasculate themselves.
Yes, Paul is being harsh. But as a true believer in God’s Grace through our Faith in Jesus, he understandably shows his disdain for the Judaizers.
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