Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible ® (NASB), Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation Used by permission.
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GALATIANS CHAPTER 5
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1 It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.
Gal 5,1-15
(180b) Works of the devil
>>
Practicing witchcraft >>
Wolves lead people into a cult >> Wolves bypass
the cross –
Centuries after Moses, the
religious leaders of Israel erroneously associated circumcision with the law,
but as Paul pointed out in Rom 4,9-16, God gave his blessing to Abraham before
he was circumcised, making circumcision a symbol of faith, not the law. In fact, the law was given 430 years later, making
any connections with the law irrational. Israel had gotten
their cart before the horse when they made circumcision a requirement of the
law;
it wasn’t even a requirement of faith! Paul’s complaint was that the
connection of circumcision with the law had become the most entrenched false
doctrine of Israel. God never gave Israel the law as a means of justification,
anymore than Abraham was justified through circumcision. God justified Abraham
when he heard and obeyed the voice of God. Put concisely, circumcision evolved
into a sign that represented seeking justification through one’s own good
works. This completely flies in the face of the cross of Christ with whom we
find favor with God as a matter of faith in His perfect sacrifice.
Gal 5,1-13
(176d) Works of the devil
>>
The religion of witchcraft >> Zeal without
knowledge (Spirit w/o the word) >> Conviction
without commandment –
Claiming that circumcision played some kind of role in salvation was a type of
witchcraft, defined as: anything we do that we say causes some kind of
effect in the spiritual realm. The “we say” phrase in that
definition is what makes it witchcraft. Paul addressed this in Gal 3-1 saying,
“You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you…?” He was referring to the
people who were trying to talk them into circumcision in order to be saved.
What is the difference between that and (infant) baptism to be saved, or
communion to be saved, or to say that the bread and wine is transformed
into the body and blood of Christ at the blessing of the priest? All these are
forms of modern-day witchcraft, known also as idolatry. God promised that
there is nothing we can do in the natural realm that will affect the spiritual
realm, except to obey the Holy Spirit, and to do that we must know His will.
(177e) Works of the devil
>>
The religion of witchcraft >> False doctrine >>
Doctrine that tickles your ears
(184h) Works of the devil
>>
The origin of lawlessness >> Abusing the grace
of God >> Spending His grace on your pleasures >>
Abusing the anointing
Gal 5,1-12
(7i)
Responsibility >> Defend God’s cause
>>
Protecting your freedom –
Some people would rather walk by the law than by the
spirit. What they don’t know is that if you do, then you cut off
opportunity to walk by the Spirit, because you cannot do both at the same
time. Consequently, these verses are showing the difference
between living by the law and living by the spirit. Although we are
talking about the law of God, it is no less inferior to the ministry of the
Spirit and is therefore not the will of God that we should use the law to
follow Christ. Jesus went to the cross because man has no power
in himself to keep the law. For this reason we have no righteousness in
ourselves apart from Christ. Paul emphasizes this fact, making the contrast
between those who would justify themselves through their own righteousness and
those who through the Spirit by faith are waiting for the hope of
righteousness. For what are we waiting? We are waiting for heaven itself. We are waiting to receive
our new spiritual bodies. We will be completely free from sin to joyfully do the will of God,
but prior to this Jesus Christ has justified us before God through the
sacrifice of His own body on the cross, so that in the eyes of God we are
without sin, even while living in a sinful body. Paul keeps working toward his
main point of this chapter in his argument about justification, making the
distinction between the law working through man’s sinful flesh and the cross
working through God’s righteousness, that is,
faith working through love.
Gal 5,1-6
(1k)
Responsibility >> Avoid offending
God >> Carrying a false burden >> Weighs you down as you walk according to
the law
(108d) Thy kingdom come
>> Faith is the balance between
freedom and law –
We might consider our neighbor a Christian because he shows evidence through
the fruit in his life, but we wonder about the other guy because we don’t
see any fruit; that is a reasonable assessment. We are encouraged to inspect
one another’s fruit (Mat 7,16-20). However, we are not encouraged to take
our fruit before God and say, ‘Look what I’ve done; I am your child
because of this.’ He knows those who are His, regardless of what we do,
yet “everyone who names the name of the Lord is to abstain from
wickedness” (2Tim 2-19). We don’t need to prove anything to God, and we
don’t even need to prove anything to ourselves, because our faith does
that for us. So, works are for our fellow man and faith is for God.
(159f) Works of the devil
>>
Essential characteristics >> Counterfeit godliness >> Counterfeit freedom
(198h) Denying Christ
>>
Man exercises his will against God >> Ordained
by man >> Having evil motives for seeking
leadership positions >> Seeking to gratify
their flesh through the ministry
(205ka) Salvation >>
Salvation is based on God’s promises >> Faith
versus works >> The faith of God versus the
faith of men >> Faith versus the law >> The work of faith versus the
works of the law –
People have bickered about the relationship between faith and works for
ages, though Paul covered this in detail with the Galatians, making his doctrinal
thesis in the book of Romans, and nailed it to the door of our hearts in
Eph 2-8,9 with the conclusion that we are saved by grace through faith, not
of ourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works lest anyone should boast,
and then we have James preaching an almost opposite gospel and we are left
scratching our heads. The balance between these two seemingly opposite
arguments is the Holy Spirit who dwells in us. He is the one who makes sense
of it all, in that he produces the fruit and does the work of God in our
lives. We can understand what Paul was saying, that it is by faith, and we
can also understand James, who complained that if we don’t have works, our
faith doesn’t exist. We satisfy both by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.
He even supplies the faith that we use to believe in Him to produce the
fruit, and so we must ask what is our place in all this? We make a simple
contribution of our will; we allow God to do His work in our lives; we say
yes to Him, and we say no to the world, the flesh and the devil. We cast our
vote in favor of Jesus Christ in our lives; that is our contribution of
faith. We simply cast our vote, and He does all the rest, but as Paul said
in Eph 6-13,14, “…having done everything to stand firm. Stand firm
therefore….” There is a point when we must dig-in and push and try real
hard. Our job is to keep the light burning in our hearts, keeping oil in the
lamp and making sure the flame is always lit.
(223h) Kingdom of God
>>
The elusive Kingdom of Heaven >> Miss God >>
Missing the mark >> Miss the will of God for
your life
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Gal 5,1-4
(55n) Paradox
>>
Lose by gaining >> Lose the truth to gain
religion –
There is a difference between knowing something and believing it. For example,
many people
believe in religion and know the world is round. With Christians that
order is reversed; we believe the world is round and know that God is real.
What the world means by “believe” is, ‘This is my theory,’ but genuine
faith does not treat God as a theory. Faith knows God better than our
understanding of this world; we are convinced about the things of God more
than we are convinced about the things of this world. The world sees this physical realm
as absolute proof of its reality, while we use our faith as absolute proof of
God’s reality. The spiritual realm is all around us and unseen, but it is
just as real and even more so than the physical world, in that this present
creation is
destined to perish, whereas God and His future creation, the one where He
ultimately intends to establish His kingdom, is eternal.
(97a) Thy kingdom come
>>
Having a negative attitude about yourself >> A
self-righteous attitude -- These verses go with verse This verse goes
with verses 12
(162ka) Works of the devil
>>
Being a slave to the devil (Addictions) >>
Bondage >> Being slaves of men >>
In bondage to the burdens of men >> In bondage to the Law
(174e) Works of the devil
>>
The religion of witchcraft >> Form of godliness >>
Self righteousness >> Justifying yourself – Paul warns the Galatians that if anyone
assumes justification through the law by becoming circumcised, then Christ
will be of no benefit to him, and that there are no provisions for sin written
in the law, no forgiveness, unless he wants to drop his self-righteousness and
return to Jesus Christ. Paul says, “You have been severed from Christ, you
who seek to be justified by law.” Those who seek the sign of circumcision
are severing themselves from Christ and have fallen from grace. Seeking
justification through the grace of God and through the law of God are
opposites. Those who seek justification by law are actually seeking to be
justified through their own righteousness, that is, through their own ability
to fulfill the law. This is the entanglement of the law and the height of
heresy against the blood of Christ, and Paul was desperately trying to shut it
down. This is why the law is powerless to justify anyone: we all lack the
ability to comply with its demands.
(199e) Denying Christ
>>
Man chooses his own destiny apart from God >>
Rejecting Christ >> Throwing God away >>
Renouncing your faith –
Faith is nebulous, which is why people try to skirt around it; they want
something more substantial, something they can hold in their hand and see with
their eyes and hear with their ears. They want something in the natural realm
to represent their favor with God, but there is no such material. There is
nothing we can produce that will ever find favor with Him. The only thing that
finds favor with God is our faith, and whatever we use to replace it acts to
renounce our faith. Faith is a spiritual substance; it is more concrete to God
than anything in the natural realm. He requires faith from us, because it is
how He perceives reality. Faith comes from God as the equivalent of the
indwelling Holy Spirit; therefore, to replace our faith is to evict the Holy
Spirit from our hearts.
(203i) Denying Christ
>>
Man chooses his own destiny apart from God >>
Back-slider >> Withdraw from obeying God >>
Withdrawing from the truth
Gal 5-1
(11c) Servant
>>
Standard for a servant >> Freedom – For
a good definition of freedom see 2Cor
10,3-6. We fight for freedom as God’s number
one goal, because freedom is one of God’s most important attributes. God values
His freedom over His power; how much more
should we value freedom? Do we even know what freedom is? Without
looking at 2Cor 10,3-6 compose your own definition of freedom and think in
practical terms.
(98e) Thy kingdom come
>>
Endurance (Thorn in the flesh) >> Rooted deeply >>
To keep from falling away
(119f) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Freedom >>
Fences of freedom >> Being a slave to freedom – Freedom is not a tool that we use as a
means to an end; rather, freedom is the goal. When you think of the many goals of
Scripture, such as faith, hope and love (1Cor 13-13), these are the main
attributes of God and act as one goal, even as God is one. For example, we
cannot walk in love if we are in bondage to sin; we cannot love one another
apart from faith, and we cannot believe without hope. These things work
together to accomplish a common purpose, where the end goal is love, and freedom
is the state in which love is realized. Putting it that way makes freedom
sound like a tool, and it is, and so are all the others used to perfect love,
but they are not tools in the strictest sense of the word, since freedom
stands on its own as the goal of Christ. God did not set us free for some
other purpose; freedom is the purpose. This is how important freedom is to
God. He wants His children free, because God is free. For this reason He wants us free from sin
for the purpose of righteousness. We will never achieve the level of freedom that God has
until we go to heaven and receive our spiritual bodies, which cannot be
tempted. Our present bodies are seeking its own freedom to do evil, and
so long as there is temptation, we well never be totally free. The highest
level of freedom we can expect to achieve in this life is that of a slave to
righteousness.
(194i) Die to self (Process of substitution)
>>
Turn from sin to God >> Yielding >>
Yield to God’s right to direct your way
(199a) Denying Christ
>>
Man exercises his will against God >>
Frustrating the grace of God >> Frustrating
Jesus >> Frustrating Jesus’ ministry --
This verse goes with verse 13. We
do not trust in the law for our salvation, so when we fail, God will forgive
us. Walking by the Spirit, we ironically fulfill the requirements of the law
better than if we tried to satisfy the law by the flesh. Those
who get circumcised under the premise of requirement for salvation
are now required to keep the law without ever stumbling; the new covenant
equivalent is baptism. Therefore, those who get baptized under the premise of requirement for salvation
are now required to keep the law without ever stumbling. They are no longer
under grace after they have trusted in a ceremony. If they are no longer
trusting in the grace and mercy of God, then they must keep the whole law. Trusting anything
other than the cross of Christ opts us out of God’s grace. Either we trust in
the grace of Jesus’ cross or we trust in our works, so the onus is on us to never sin. What about the past which has
already happened? We have already sinned; it is already too late; God has
already condemned those who would trust in their works. If we don’t receive
the grace of God by faith in the cross, we will face the White Throne Judgment
and be condemned to eternal punishment. We either receive the grace of God or
we receive God’s judgment, one or the other.
(233a) Seeking The Goals Of The Kingdom
(Key verse)
(233b) Kingdom of God
>>
Pursuing the kingdom >> Seeking the kingdom >>
Seeking the goals of the kingdom >> Seek the
goal of freedom – Paul
in this same chapter writes about the fruits of the Holy Spirit. The Holy
Spirit is ultimately responsible for the fruit we bear through faith in Jesus
Christ who dwells in us. It is a beautiful gospel that Paul has given us; what
is more, he received acceptance by the other apostles, even James, the brother
of Jesus, who wrote the book of James and made comments that seemed contrary
to Paul. No other New Testament writer taught the way Paul did, strictly by
faith, making the assumption that our faith would produce works all on its
own. The minute we try to produce works or to bear fruit through the flesh,
our faith becomes pungent and human; what we need is divine works produced
through a Spirit of faith, which was
Paul’s gospel. The Holy Spirit ministers to us through faith. We don’t
just believe, we know by faith that He lives in us.
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2&3 Behold I, Paul, say to you that if you receive circumcision, Christ will be of no benefit to you. 3 And I testify again to every man who receives circumcision, that he is under obligation to keep the whole Law.
Gal 5,2-9
(195c) Denying Christ
>>
Man exercises his will against God >> Idolatry >>
Serving two masters >> You can only believe in
one at a time -- These verses go with verse 11. Paul
was saying that if we receive circumcision as a requirement of salvation,
Christ will be of no benefit to us, for we would no longer be relying on
Christ. Instead, we would rely on the physical condition of the male organ. If
that were the case, how could women be saved? Paul is saying that we are saved
by grace through faith; that is, we use our faith to trust in God’s grace.
We know we are the children of God because we believe in Him, not because we
were circumcised. If we put our confidence in circumcision and compromise his
faith, then faith is no longer faith, making grace no longer grace. He goes a
step further saying, “You have been severed from Christ,” which is a
description of the foreskin being cast into the dumpster, only his analogy is
pointing at the Galatians as the foreskin being dumped. They have severed
themselves from Christ.
Gal 5,2-6
(190j) Die to self (Process of substitution)
>>
Separation from the old man >> Circumcision is a sign of obedience >> Symbolism
over substance -- These verses go with verses 11&12. Paul goes back to an old subject that he has been
trying to clarify throughout many of his letters of the New Testament.
Apparently there was confusion about this in the early church. Circumcision
was an observance of the old covenant. God commanded Abraham to be circumcised
as a sign that he believed when God spoke to him and he journeyed to a foreign
land that neither he nor his fathers knew, and settled there with his wife,
Sarah. So, circumcision is a sign of obedience, but obedience to what?
In the strictest sense of the word circumcision is a sign of obeying the Holy
Spirit, even in the old covenant. However, circumcision is no longer used in
the new covenant as a sign; it has been replaced with the sign of baptism.
Therefore, if circumcision was a sign of the Holy Spirit, how much more is
baptism a sign of the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives?
Gal 5,2-4
(76h) Thy kingdom come
>>
Motives >> Living by a double standard
(173i) Works of the devil
>>
The religion of witchcraft >> Catholicism >>
Unholy sacrifice >> Penance of following the law –
Paul rightly associated circumcision with keeping the law, and ironically the
meaning of circumcision has been misconstrued since the onset of the old
covenant. God never mandated salvation through keeping the law, so anybody who
would get circumcised as a requirement of salvation misunderstands
circumcision as God explained it to Moses. It is bad enough that they don’t
understand the new covenant that they should demonstrate a complete ignorance
in the old covenant too. The old covenant was just as much based on faith as
the new, just as Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as
righteousness (Gal 3-6). Abraham picked up his belongings and followed the
Holy Spirit to the land of Canaan, so he not only believed God, he also obeyed
Him. The difference between Abraham’s obedience and obeying the law is that
one is loyal to a written code of behavior while the other is loyal to the
very person of God. Obviously, and the two of them are infinitely distant from
each other.
Gal 5,3-5
(64b) Paradox
>>
Anomalies >> Limits of God >>
God cannot tolerate sin >> Impossible to please
God without faith –
Paul is using circumcision as a symbol of anything we would use to replace
faith in Jesus. Most commonly, people who falter from God’s grace replace
faith with works. They do a good work and then look back and point at it,
proclaiming to be a child of God because of it. They use their works to
testify for them, as if it were a mediator. In contrast, the true children of
God do good works, not to be saved but because they already are saved by grace
through faith in the cross of Christ. Faith acts as a mediator between Christ
and us, and Christ acts as a mediator between the Father and us. Our works are
a product of faith, whereas those who rely on their works have bypassed faith.
Whatever we use to replace a sincere faith in Jesus for the forgiveness of sin
will keep us from heaven. We receive the grace of God on the basis of faith,
not on the basis of our works or a symbol of faith or baptism or any other
work we might use to foster confidence in God. The only thing we can present
as confidence in God is the cross. We put our full confidence in the blood of
Jesus.
Gal 5-3,4
(53l) Paradox
>>
Opposites >> Law was made for sinners >>
Sinners follow after the law
(182g) Works of the devil
>>
The origin of lawlessness >> Deception >>
Three causes of interpreting Scripture falsely >>
Because they want to be approved by men –
There is an ongoing debate about the relationship between faith and works.
James says that if our faith doesn’t have works, then it isn’t real;
we’re just deceiving ourselves; we don’t actually believe. So, works must
be present in order to provide evidence of our faith. It reduces to a matter
of how a person uses his works. Does he use them to justify himself before
God, or does he use them to provide evidence for his faith? If a person
strives to produce evidence for his faith, Scripture totally supports this,
and is what we should be doing. However, if a person is trying to produce
works in attempt to justify himself before God, that person has alternative
motives for wanting to be a Christian. A person who seeks to be justified by
works clearly doesn’t even believe in Jesus, and this was Paul’s point to
the Galatians. He taught them that we are saved by grace through faith (Eph
2-8,9) and that our justification is a gift from God, and then later some of
the Galatians were being persuaded by Jews who would not let go of their
previous ideas about justification through law, which was false theology even
in Old Testament times. How is there place for faith when being justified by
works? Like a leg or an arm that is never used, it withers and becomes a daily
obstacle rather than an asset, so faith if it is not used withers.
Gal 5-3
(52e)
Judgment >> Judging Church with world
>>
Law judges sin >> God judges the lost through
the law -- This verse goes with verse 10. God
gave the law to Moses because of the flood. People in Noah’s day didn’t
have the law. They deciphered right from wrong through their conscience, but
they overruled their conscience and lived apart from it to revel in their
flesh and did whatever was in their heart. This is what walking in the flesh
does; it makes people forget God, and so he gave the law to Moses, so if
anyone gets the idea to overrule their conscience and forget God, the law is
written in stone as a permanent reminder of sin, not to seek salvation through
it. People can believe they are following the tenets of the law while at the
same time destroy their conscience, when the law was made for their
conscience, so for anyone to seek salvation through the law is fooling
himself. He would be better to follow his conscience and use the law as a
signpost. This would lead him to believe in Jesus, who said, “Everyone who
has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me” (Jn 6-45).
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4 You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.
Gal 5,4-6
(31f) Gift of God
>>
Grace >> Salvation >>
God is willing to respond to man’s need
(94p) Thy kingdom come
>>
Perspective >> False perspective in the Church –
Paul had an interesting writing style; he made his point in ways that were not
exactly straightforward. For example, in verse five he says, “For we through
the Spirit, by faith, are waiting for the hope of righteousness,” and then
in verse six he says, “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor
uncircumcision means anything, but faith working through love.” In verse 5
he talks about passively waiting, and the very next verse he uses the word
“working.” We wait and work at the same time. These two seemingly opposite
ideas complement each other. Circumcision, whether we receive it or not, means
nothing spiritually, but faith working through love means everything.
Abraham’s obedience proved his love for God. The love of God requires an
expression of love to be proven valid; Abraham expressed his love for God by
fulfilling his calling. We too have a special calling from God that ultimately
has an expression of love toward the brethren. Many people pick up just
anything and do whatever they think is right and call it the will of God,
which is like marrying whoever comes along. We are better to wait for God to
reveal his will to us and make it our life’s work to fulfill His specific
calling, which will bring more personal fulfillment and yield more fruit than
anything we could choose for ourselves.
(116k) Thy kingdom come
>> Faith >>
Working the grace of God >> His Grace in us is
in vain without Him –
The subject of using the law to seek justification before God was a
misconception from the very beginning. Moses drove the law into the hearts of
God’s people, yet the Israelites still misunderstood its significance.
Justification by faith is not so different from our example of Abraham, who
walked in obedience to the voice of the Holy Spirit. Instead of seeking
justification by faith as their father Abraham did, they sought God’s favor
through the works of the law, which was never meant to justify anyone.
Actually the law was given to regulate man’s behavior, not as an avenue of
justification. The Bible comes short of promising that if we live by the law,
we will please God; rather, what pleases God is faith. A person cannot obey
the law in his flesh. This
was the problem with the old covenant, until Jesus came and established a new
covenant in His blood. Now, instead of obeying an inanimate law, we obey a
dynamic Spirit. Anybody seeking justification by law is self-condemned, in
that if he were walking by faith he wouldn’t be following the law but the
Spirit. Moses promised God’s blessing if the people obeyed, he promised His curses if
they rebelled (Deuteronomy 28), but there is a vast difference between God’s
blessing and His favor. Seeking God’s blessing outside of His favor is like
working for an hourly wage, whereas seeking justification through faith is to
be adopted into God’s family to become an heir of the kingdom, who can
expect to receive a full inheritance.
Gal 5-4,5
(60h) Paradox
>>
Two implied meanings >> Severed from grace—Severed from undeserved
favor / Severed from undeserved power –
Two things comprise the grace of God: undeserved favor and undeserved power.
Undeserved favor refers to justification by faith through the Holy Spirit
who dwells in us whom God has given as a pledge of our inheritance. An
extension of that, undeserved power refers to allowing the Holy Spirit to
manifest through us in the works of God. Anyone who believes in his works as
justification before God has exempted himself from the indwelling Holy
Spirit. If we believe in our works instead of His grace, our faith will
erode until nothing remains. Paul said by faith alone we are saved. The
works of God (including the fruit of the Spirit) constitute evidence of our
faith, but they by no means do anything to save us. For example, if we lay
hands on the sick and they don’t recover, it doesn’t mean we are not
Christians. The greatest evidence of salvation is our faith, as it says in
Heb 11-1, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of
things not seen.” Faith is a spiritual substance, perhaps intangible in
this life, but the very substance of heaven, just as real as the things we
know on earth. Our faith in Jesus Christ is between He and us and no one
else, and that is all we need to be saved. We know we belong to God and
nobody can shake us from that, but James says that if our faith never
materializes, there is room to question its validity.
(192g) Die to self (Process of substitution)
>>
Result of putting off the old man >> Gain by
losing >> Waiting for God to do it His way >>
Being patient to receive something better –
When we first believe, God will immediately send his Holy Spirit to dwell in us
without needing to ask Him. The comforter comes and lives in us to be our
great counselor for the rest of all eternity. However, we must first show
Him faith without the help of the Holy Spirit, because He hasn’t come to
live in us prior to salvation. That is, He comes to us because we
believe in Him, but how can we first believe without Him? It denotes a catch-22:
we can’t believe without the Holy Spirit, and without faith the
Spirit cannot dwell in us. This is why we say salvation is the work of God's grace.
Gal 5-4
(207b) Salvation
>>
God makes promises on His terms >> Eternal
security? >> Perish By Losing Your Faith >>
Perish in deception –
Paul is talking about born-again Christians who were close to being severed
from Christ, suggesting that it is possible to lose our salvation. Eternal
Security is an ongoing debate in Christendom; its adherents have a motto,
“Once saved, always saved,” but Scripture in no way supports this; in
fact, these verses speak just the opposite, clearly stating that we can lose
our salvation if we are seeking to be justified by law. Nowhere in Scripture
does it say we can relight our own lamps. One way to douse the light of faith
within us is to believe in our works. Being born-again is an act of God; we
should not allow our faith to erode to the point of extinguishing our flame,
for how can we relight it? It is up to us to keep our hearts burning for
Jesus, who said in Mat 24-13, “He that shall endure unto the end, the same
shall be saved.”
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5&6 For we through the Spirit, by faith, are waiting for the hope of righteousness. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but faith working through love.
Gal 5-5,6
(41fc) Judgment
>>
Satan destroyed >> Be like Jesus >>
Righteousness of faith >> Faith apart from the law –
This passage is quoted regularly, yet it is unlikely that one in a thousand
really knows what it means. When Paul talks about faith and righteousness, he
is not referring to believing in a set of doctrines by human volition; He was
talking about acquiring God’s faith that we receive from heaven. It is
amazing how few people really understand this. Virtually everybody in the
Church believes in the Bible, but few believe the Bible by a faith that they
have received from God, and it is His faith that denotes the righteousness of
God. Here’s why: God counts us righteous not for believing in Him, but also
for keeping the faith that He has given us. The football player holds the ball
tightly to his chest; the football represents our faith, and we have been
mandated by God to keep it (1Tim 1-18,19). If we fumble the ball and if the
opposing team recovers it, we can ask God and He will help us get that ball
back. Our opponent may score on us a few times, but if we strive with God, He
will help us win the game (1Cor 9-24), so when we get to heaven, the gates of
the Holy City will be opened wide to us.
(113l) Thy kingdom come
>> Faith >>
The anointing >> Anointing establishes us in His
will -- These verses go with verses 16-18. Being
born-again refers to the indwelling Holy Spirit; His purpose is to convince us
that we are the children of God by the witness that He lives in our hearts,
but the anointing helps us accomplish His will and to comfort us in our
circumstances. In many respects being born-again and the anointing are one and
the same thing; in fact, there are many Christians who don’t believe in the
anointing, yet they are anointed just the same through their allegiance to
God. They may not believe the teachings and doctrines of the
anointing, yet through their obedience God endows them with an anointing in
spite of their doubts. There are entire denominations that reject the doctrine
of the anointing, amounting to millions of Christian believers, but that
doesn’t limit God from using them if they are ready to do His will and to
discover His calling and purpose that He has prepared for them. If we will walk in His works, God will endow us with
an anointing regardless of what we believe. We can flatly deny the teachings
and doctrines of the anointing, yet possess an anointing because we faithfully
obey the Holy Spirit. Those who are faithful in Christ are most open to the
teachings of Scripture and will eventually come to believe in the doctrines of
the anointing, because they are living the
truth, though they may be members of a church that considers the teachings of
the anointing to be blasphemous.
(126ka) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Patience >>
Have patience for the return of Christ >> The spiritual return of Christ
(230i) Kingdom of God
>>
God’s kingdom is a living organism >> Mystery
of godliness >> Mystery of the trinity >>
Anointing is the mystery of godliness –
The mystery of salvation is that God has chosen us from the foundation of the
world to be His children. There are some people who truly want to believe,
but they can’t. Salvation is so easy for some of us and impossible for
others. The explanation: they have ulterior motives. Their heart is divided.
On one side they want to believe, but on the other they want the world and all
it offers. God doesn't refuse to choose them; He will choose whomever will
believe in him, but at the same time faith is a gift. Salvation is so simple a
little child can understand it, but it is too complicated for some of the most learned biblical scholars. In fact, there are many
theologians
who are not even saved. There are many Bible college professors who
teach courses in the Scriptures who are not saved. Some people say they
don’t have any faith, but they believe something. They have faith, but they
don’t have God’s faith. The question is: would they want it if they had
it? Sadly, the answer for most of them is no. They would immediately sacrifice
it for the world’s goods. Does God know this? It is the reason they can’t
believe! Therefore, it is not that salvation is so complicated; it is the
heart of man that is hopelessly incomprehensible. Jeremiah 17-9 says, “The
heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know
it?”
Gal 5-5
(36g) Gift
>>
God opens His home to us >> Inheritance >>
We heirs through faith
(98l) Thy kingdom come
>>
Endurance (Thorn in the flesh) >>
Endurance invites the Holy Spirit into your life >>
Endurance invites the glory of God
–
A person could write a book about this verse. It incorporates so many things.
First, it speaks opposite the law. Those who walk by faith are waiting for the hope
of righteousness; they don’t try to attain it through various good works.
Waiting in some respects is even more difficult than trying to
justify ourselves through good works. It requires endurance. For example, it is
no doubt easier to wait for the bus than to walk ten miles to work, but not
during the first half-hour. While we are waiting for the bus, we are going
nowhere, but the person who decided to walk at least feels like he is making
progress. However, once the bus comes and we climb aboard, we soon pass the
person hoofing it, and he gets to work late and ends up getting fired. In the
same way, we may feel that we are making progress attempting to justify
ourselves under the law, yet the Bible teaches that sin nullifies our
righteousness. Therefore, if we don’t accept the sacrifice of Christ, which
He gave as His manner of justification, then none of our righteousness is
counted by God. Without accepting the finished work of the cross, all our good
deeds are just as sinful as our sin. Instead of counting the sinner’s good
works, He counts his sin and ignores his good works, but the moment we believe
in Jesus as the propitiation for our sin, God begins to ignore our sin and
count our righteousness, and will reward us in heaven for the good things we
have done in His name. After we accept what Jesus did for us on the cross, we
perform our good works no longer for our own benefit but for His glory and
honor (Jn 3-21). God will be glorified throughout all eternity both by the
faith we showed Him and by the good works we performed in His name.
(110m) Thy kingdom come
>> Faith >>
Spirit and the word >> Spiritual substance and
truth >> Spiritual substance follows obedience
(205b) Salvation
>>
Salvation is based on God’s promises >>
According to promise >> Promise of His rest
Gal 5-6
(119e) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Freedom >>
Fences of freedom >> Freedom in Christ --
This verse goes with verse 16
(125b) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >>
Faith and love
>> Faith toward God and love toward man
KJV
NAS
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7&8 You were running well; who hindered you from obeying the truth? 8 This persuasion did not come from Him who calls you.
Gal 5,7-12
(161k) Works of the devil
>>
Essential characteristics >> Satan’s attitude
determines our direction >>
Carried away by religion –
People were trying to tell the Galatians a different way of salvation through
the Law, that they had to be circumcised to be saved, and Paul was saying that
there was no action anybody can do to save themselves. Jesus died to save us
from our sins, because we could not help ourselves. When Adam and Eve fell
into sin, they did it through the act of eating fruit from the Tree of
Knowledge of Good and Evil, and afterward there was no act they could do
to counteract the curse. That is, there is nothing we can do to be saved.
Remember what the jailer said to Paul, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
and what was Paul’s response? “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be
saved” (Act 16-30,31). Believing is a verb; it’s an action, but it is an
internal action, and in this way God was able to circumvent the curse by
giving His grace to believe in our hearts, an act of contrition for having a
sinful nature.
(162i) Works of the devil
>>
Being a slave to the devil (Addictions) >>
Bondage >> Being slaves of men >>
Bad company >> Bad company will entangle you in
their bondage
(172h) Works of the devil
>>
Manifestations of the devil >> Tares among the
wheat >> False doctrine among the truth –
If we become convinced about false doctrine, it won’t just affect us in that
one area but will affect our faith in its entirety. False doctrine can
debilitate our faith in the truth. The troublemakers whom Paul addressed were
legalists who wanted the Galatian Church to go back to the old ways of
trusting circumcision to guarantee their salvation, instead of trusting
Christ. If the Galatians fell prey to this, it would have nullified the
virtuous grace of Jesus’ cross in their lives. God has established His
kingdom opposite that of using a ceremony to guarantee our eternal souls, such
as baptism or circumcision or any other ceremony we could name, except the one
ceremony of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross of His Father’s predestined
will. Trusting in His ceremony can wash away our sins and receive God’s
favor; no other ceremony can do that. All other ceremonies that we would trust
for salvation is like leaven in a lump of dough that leavens the whole lump,
voiding His sacrifice and causing Jesus to die in vain in that person’s
life.
(240i) Kingdom of God
>>
Opposition toward the Kingdom of God >>
Hindering the kingdom >> Taking away the key of
knowledge >> Hindering people from entering the
kingdom
Gal 5,7-11
(44a) Judgment
>>
Satan destroyed >> Complete >>
It is finished >> Fulfill God’s will
Gal 5,7-10
(75h) Thy kingdom come
>>
Motives >> Being manipulative >>
Controlling people in the dark >> Through
hidden motives -- These verses go with verse 13. Someone other
than Paul had been talking to the Galatians, trying to put them in bondage to the law.
Once they have them in bondage, they would use their egotistical
pride to introduce other heresies that exploit the Galatian people, always
with money as the payoff, except that Paul stopped their shenanigans. Paul
used the analogy of leaven in a lump of dough to signify sin in the heart of
a Christian to say that it doesn’t take a lot of false
doctrine to spoil the whole batch.
(86h) Thy kingdom come
>>
Obedience >> Be doers of the word >>
Clothe yourself with the word of God >> Obey
the truth –
We are to clothe ourselves with the word of God by obeying the truth. We
could pick out a verse in the Bible and try to live by its tenets, which
would in a sense fulfill the definition of obeying the truth, but obeying
the truth is better defined as knowing the specific will of God and doing
it. Whatever God wants us to do will help build the body of Christ and
establish His kingdom in the world. The only way to achieve this is through
the Scriptures that have been written, but it is the spiritual enlightenment
of God’s word that we need to obey. It doesn’t do us any good to obey
the written word if we don’t have a revelation of Jesus Christ and obey
Him.
Gal 5,7-9
(197c) Denying Christ
>>
Man exercises his will against God >> Spiritual
laziness >> Rebelling against where God wants
you to go >> Refuse to walk in freedom --
These verses go with verses 13-17
Gal 5-7,8
(91f) Thy kingdom come
>>
The called >> Walking along the narrow way >>
Walking in God’s calling is to fulfill His purpose -- These verses go
with verse 13.
Consider road construction and the bridges we build over streams and rivers,
where the roads represent our beliefs, and the streams and rivers represent
our faith. Note that they cross each other instead of running parallel. The
roads go to one destination for purposes of this temporal life, while the
streams and rivers go to another destination in a timeless loop, symbolizing
eternity. The streams and rivers represent our future with Christ, but we use
the roads to get through this life. All the roads in the world do nothing to
carry the water to the ocean, and nothing can keep the water from doing what
it wants. Mankind is not able to make the water change its ways. After it
reaches the ocean, it is picked-up and carried over land to rain again and
fill the streams in a continuous cycle. It is impossible to stop the cycle of
water to the sea and return to the streams and rivers. We cross these streams
and rivers every day, reminding us of our eternal future and where our faith
is taking us.
Gal 5-7
(86a) Thy kingdom come
>>
Belief >> Treating the knowledge of God as fact >>
Believe the word by obeying it –
Repentance is required of us, which is an action, but it is not the active
ingredient of our salvation; rather, faith is the active ingredient. The
writer of Hebrews says, “faith is the substance of things hoped for, the
evidence of things not seen” (Heb 11-1). The substance of faith is love, and
love is what we hope, but believing is not the same as faith. Our beliefs are
based on trust, whereas faith is based on spiritual knowledge. Everybody
believes something, and invariably we build our lives around our beliefs,
building cities and roads, and they affect every aspect of our physical lives,
yet our beliefs remain as mere thoughts that we consider reality. Our beliefs
are human in origin, whereas faith is from God. We can believe anything we
want; we can even believe there is no God, but faith is given to us by God,
and is based on His Truth. If faith doesn’t believe the Truth, then it is
not real faith. Faith in God’s grace is the only thing we can do to be
saved.
(194d) Die to self (Process of substitution)
>>
Turn from sin to God >> Run to God >>
Run to God from your enemies –
Paul was saying to the Galatians, ‘You were running from your enemies well;
what made you stop and turn back to them?’ Why didn’t the Galatians know
by now that the enemies of the truth only want to mislead them? The lies they
tell they believe themselves, which are the most insidious lies of all,
meaning that they were not trying to deceive the Galatians; rather, they were
deceived themselves and wanted to win them to their beliefs, but if we go with
them, we will not believe the truth. Jesus said, “I am the way, and the
truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me” (Jn 14-6).
We must obey the truth in order to relate to God. There are many gods, but
there is only one True God. If we want to relate to a foreign god, we can
believe any of a thousand things about Him, but if we want to know the one
True God, then we must love and obey Him. We believe in certain teachings of
the Bible, and all beliefs must accompany obedience; otherwise, we prove that
we don’t believe them. If we believe in a set of doctrines that are untrue,
they will not lead us to God, but if we believe the true doctrines of the
Scriptures by obeying them, God will sear those beliefs into our hearts so
that we believe them by the Spirit, which transforms our beliefs into faith,
which is able to comprehend the mind of Christ, who conveys our calling that
He has prepared for us from all eternity.
KJV
NAS
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9-12 A little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough. 10 I have confidence in you in the Lord that you will adopt no other view; but the one who is disturbing you will bear his judgment, whoever he is. 11 But I, brethren, if I still preach circumcision, why am I still persecuted? Then the stumbling block of the cross has been abolished. 12 I wish that those who are troubling you would even mutilate themselves.
Gal 5-9
(191d) Die to self (Process of substitution)
>>
Separation from the old man >> Extract the
leaven of false doctrine
Gal 5-10
(51a) Judgment
>>
World & church >> Warning of wrath >>
Consequences of sin
(52e)
Judgment >> Judging Church with world
>>
Law judges sin >> God judges the lost through the
law
(122c) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Confidence in God to
keep the Church
Gal 5-11,12
(190j) Die to self (Process of substitution)
>>
Separation from the old man >> Circumcision is a sign of obedience >> Symbolism
over substance -- These verses go with verses 2-6. The reason people preach circumcision is to avoid
the cross of Christ. Circumcision has been erroneously associated with the
law, but it started as a sign of Abraham’s faith, which his works
demonstrated by obeying the Holy Spirit, traveling to a foreign land where God
led him. Circumcision
was a Jewish requirement of the old covenant commanded by Moses, just like
baptism is a requirement of the new covenant, but circumcision never saved
anybody in the old covenant, anymore than baptism saved anybody in the new
covenant. They are both symbols, and they both represent our faith in God, and
the fact that God chose circumcision as the symbol of faith, suggests that
salvation is a personal thing. We cover our private parts, and so the symbol
of salvation is concealed, and that is basically how faith works; it is a very
personal thing between God and us. Our relationship with Him is akin to
marriage. Baptism is the same; it is a symbol of our faith, and the evidence
that we were baptized immediately evaporates the moment we exit the water.
Baptism is a public display of our faith, so there are witnesses as in a
marriage. Without witness we could not prove we were ever baptized, for once
our clothes dry the physical proof of our faith disappears into thin air.
Gal 5-11
(195c) Denying Christ
>>
Man exercises his will against God >> Idolatry >>
Serving two masters >> You can only believe in
one at a time -- This verse goes with verses 2-9
(201f) Denying Christ
>>
Man chooses his own destiny apart from God >>
Jesus is an offense >> Jesus offends the world >>
The cross offends the world –
In modern times what are people trying to avoid
by embracing the law? At this present time there is little persecution in
America against those who openly believe in Jesus, so it’s not persecution
they are avoiding, but the Holy Spirit. Therefore, there is a direct link
between the cross of Christ and the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus sent in His place.
People who preach the heresy of following the law as a means of justification
before God are trying to avoid a life of faith and are willing to give up the
truth so they can free themselves from the will of God. These heretics do not
value the truth, and for this reason they don’t know it, they don’t live
it and they don’t preach it, nor do they make any sacrifices to embrace it
in their hearts.
Gal 5-12
(69e) Authority >>
Righteous judgment (outcome of discernment) >> Righteous anger >>
Church is angry at sin –
The trail they are on is leading downhill, all
along the way picking up more false doctrine, until the gospel is completely
corrupted and no truth is left. For this reason Paul wishes that the knife
would slip and those who were troubling the Galatians would accidentally cut
off their own penises in the process of circumcising themselves. So, Paul is
very angry with them; he despises them; he wishes evil upon them. The fact is,
Paul doesn’t need to wish evil upon them because they have marked themselves
for evil, by trading the truth of God for a lie and imposing their soiled
doctrines on others for personal gain. It’s one thing for them to believe in
lies, but it’s another thing to try to get other people to believe their
lies. This will multiply their judgment both in this life and in the life to
come.
(97a) Thy kingdom come
>>
Having a negative attitude about yourself >> A
self-righteous attitude -- These verses go with verse This verse goes
with verses 1-4
(190d) Die to self (Process of substitution)
>>
Separation from the old man >> Masochism
(Self-made martyr) >>
Self-afflictions that are against the will of God
KJV
NAS
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13 For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.
Gal 5,13-17
(197c) Denying Christ
>>
Man exercises his will against God >> Spiritual
laziness >> Rebelling against where God wants
you to go >> Refuse to walk in freedom --
These verses go with verse 26
Gal 5,13-15
(167e) Works of the devil
>>
Manifestations of the devil >>
Carnality/Secularism (mindset of the world)
>>
The carnal mind is set on the flesh >> Walking
outside the realm of faith -- This verse goes with verse 26
Gal 5-13,14
(14c) Servant
>>
Slave is free/free is slave – These verses go with verses 17&25.
See also 1Cor 7-21,22 for further commentary. This verse is
jam-packed with
all kinds of undertones and is connected to many other topics and verses in
different ways. For one thing, it is a verse ebbing on blasphemy. It paints a
picture of someone winning spiritual victories almost with the premeditated
intension of trading them in for a few moments of fleshly indulgence. Imagine
a person who is well integrated into the Church, gaining everyone’s
confidence, who is not growing in the Lord as you would suspect, but creating
an opportunity to manipulate someone or perhaps the entire church. This is an
example of how we must be responsible with the freedom that we acquire in
Christ, not to turn it around and use it against someone, or even against
ourselves. If we use our freedom for its intended purpose, we will enjoy
ever-greater levels of freedom along the course of becoming free, to a level
that we perhaps never knew was attainable in this life.
(235f) Kingdom of God
>>
Pursuing the kingdom >> Invest in the kingdom >>
Giving (your inner self) >> Giving preference to
one another
Gal 5-13
(12i) Servant
>>
Attitude of a bond servant – This verse is similar to 1Cor 9,11-23,
particularly verse 18, where it says, "What then is my reward? That,
when I preach the gospel, I may offer the gospel without charge, so as not
to make full use of my right in the gospel." Paul was much like a
stockbroker, who would reinvest his profits as he seamlessly pulled out of one share
and into another without enjoying any of the proceeds. He was not a man to
eat his seed, but planted it to make more seeds. So it is with our freedom; all
too often people struggle feverishly to free themselves from their
handcuffs, only to use their freedom to commit more sin. We can strive to become free
only to practice more sin, which will send us right back to bondage,
or we can use your freedom for its intended purpose to help others and
bless God with the result that you will increase our freedom.
See also: 1Pet 2-16.
(60h) Paradox
>>
Two implied meanings >> Opportunity—To sin /
To abuse the anointing
(75h) Thy kingdom come
>>
Motives >> Being manipulative >>
Controlling people in the dark >> Through
hidden motives -- This verse goes with verses 7-10
(76b) Thy kingdom come
>>
Motives >> Seeking authority for security >>
Motives based on desire for power
(91f) Thy kingdom come
>>
The called >> Walking along the narrow way >>
Walking in God’s calling is to fulfill His purpose -- This verse
goes with verses 7,8
(118k) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Freedom >>
Law of the spirit >> Law of liberty --
This verse goes with verses 22&23. There is a way to view our freedom as tool as
much as a goal in that we use our freedom to serve one another through love.
Freedom in this way is seen as a tool for the goal of love, yet Paul speaks
of freedom as a goal in itself. Therefore, freedom and love are
interconnected, like the trinity they are one and the same. Faith completes
the trio of interconnected goals of Christianity, which are interdependent
on each other for their vitality. Freedom allows faith, faith allows love
and love reinforces our freedom in a spiritual lifecycle that spirals upward
in ever-greater abilities to serve God and one another, but the moment we
sacrifice our freedom for an opportunity to walk in the flesh, it stops the
cycle.
(162d) Works of the devil
>>
Being a slave to the devil (Addictions) >>
Bondage >> A slave to unbelief >>
Bondage to an unwillingness to believe (deception)
(167e) Works of the devil
>>
Manifestations of the devil >>
Carnality/Secularism (mindset of the world)
>>
The carnal mind is set on the flesh >> Walking
outside the realm of faith -- This verse goes with verse 26
(187e) Die to self (Process of substitution)
>> Separation from the old man >>
Die to the flesh >> Dying to receive the glory
of God >> Die to self to be set free
(187j) Die to self (Process of substitution)
>> Separation from the old man >>
Die to the flesh >> Spirit versus the flesh >>
Trying to work the Spirit by the flesh -- This verse goes with verses
16&17. Although
freedom is a tool to perfect love, we should view freedom as a goal and not as a tool
for the flesh, because when we use freedom to acquire our fleshly desires, we weaken
freedom, and eventually it disappears. Instead of it being one
of our most valuable possessions, we turn freedom into a weapon to take freedom
from others to obtain a lifestyle that works against itself. Freedom is not
a tool, but is the very goal of Christianity. Paul is talking about
licentiousness here. We are not free to sin, but are free from sin for
purposes of righteousness.
(199a) Denying Christ
>>
Man exercises his will against God >>
Frustrating the grace of God >> Frustrating
Jesus >> Frustrating Jesus’ ministry --
This verse goes with verse 1
KJV
NAS
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14&15 For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF." 15 But if you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another.
Gal 5-14
(90h)
Thy kingdom come >> Keeping the law >>
Righteousness of the law >> We must keep the law
because it is righteous
– Those who want to be ruled by law, what does
the law say? “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” The law was written
on a hierarchical basis; you must fulfill the first commandment before you can
fulfill the second and so on. In other words, you love God by loving your
neighbor and you love your neighbor by fulfilling all the other commandments.
Paul exonerated the second commandment to love your neighbor as yourself,
because the law reflects human relationships. If everyone lived by this one
commandment, people would stop hurting one another. This commandment reveals
that God is speaking to mentally healthy individuals, not to those who would
harm themselves for the right to harm other people. The first commandment says,
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind soul and
strength,” suggesting it is mentally healthy to love God, who called His Old
Testament people to love Him first, so they would be in a proper frame of mind
to love their neighbor as themselves. The problem with the old covenant was it
never furnished us with an ability to love God. The only way to fulfill the
first commandment was to fulfill the other nine. That is, you love God by loving
one another. This is still true, except that God has created a new and better
way to do this through the new covenant.
Gal 5-15
(21f) Sin
>>
Disobedience opposes unity in the Church
(84h) Thy kingdom come
>>
Words of your mouth >> Gossip >>
Attacking a person’s character
(130j) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Unity >>
Accept one another >> Accepting the great and
the small >> Small people cannot accept great
leaders -- This verse goes with verse 26
(158e) Works of the devil
>>
Essential characteristics >> Divide and conquer >>
Strife >> Bitterness –
Strife, debating, discord, having a competitive and contentious spirit, never
willing to accept another persons viewpoint but always looking for the wrong
in everything, Paul said if we behave this way, be careful that we are not
consumed by one another. We think we can act this way, as though it were just
a silly game or a means of getting through the day, arguing for the sake of
argument, Paul says that this is an indication that we are operating by a
spirit different from the Spirit of Christ. When we bite and devour one
another and consume our faith, with what then do we believe in God? Some
people expend their faith like eating their seed; once it is consumed, their
faith is gone, and now they can’t believe in God, and they stray from Him
not knowing what else to do. They’ve used up their faith to disobedience,
which led to unbelief, which led to further disobedience and unbelief, eroded
their faith to the point that it just disappeared altogether. Paul warned the
Galatians that this is a dangerous game they were playing, instead of seeking
the will of God and doing what He has called us to do.
(167b)
Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> Carnality/Secularism
(mindset of the world)
>> The carnal mind is set on the flesh >> Carnal mind cares only
for itself
KJV
NAS
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16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.
Gal 5,16-26
(192e) Die to self
>>
Result of putting off the old man >> Gain by
losing >> Receiving from God by substitution >>
Committed in the natural to receive in the spiritual –
There is a whole chapter in this website devoted to the subject of dying to the
flesh with its passions and desires. It is a process of substitution, meaning
that dying to self is not the end; rather, if we die to self, God gives us
something in return. Dying to self creates a vacuum, and vacuums are unnatural.
Thomas Edison invented the light bulb using a filament that would burn very
brightly when electricity was passed through it, but would last only for a
moment, because oxygen would cause it to combust in a flash, so he thought to
place the process in a vacuum, and when he did, it continued to burn. When we
die to self, it creates a vacuum and God fills the vacuum with Himself. Whatever
we give to Him of ourselves, He gives to us of Himself in an even trade, but
since He is bigger than us, what He gives expands our lives and makes us grow.
The things we give Him are useless, but the things He gives us are eternal.
Gal 5,16-25
(124d) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >>
Acts of love >> Love is one of the fruits of the
Spirit –
Love is the first fruit of the Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit inadvertently
fulfills the law. Israel tried to deliberately fulfill the law and failed
miserably; instead, what does Galatians say? Paul commanded us to walk by the
Spirit, so if we do, we will produce the fruit of the Spirit, and the fruit of
the Spirit will fulfill the law. This is Christianity. We are no longer under
law but under grace (Rom 6-14), meaning that producing the fruit of the Spirit
is not an effort on our part alone, according to 2Cor 6-1, “Working together
with Him, we also urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain.” The first
step in walking in the Spirit is developing the hearing ear. Some people seem to
think that being led by the Spirit works like we’re driving a car; God tells
us, ‘Turn here!’ God doesn’t lead us that way very often; usually He leads
us long-term; He doesn’t micromanage us; He gives us a life-goal and gives us
freedom to accomplish it in ways that we decide. He regularly comes alongside
and nudges us in one way or another and helps us fulfill His purpose and
calling, but He doesn’t tell us everything we must do. If we want to turn left
or right, we can do it, so long as we accomplish His purpose through the Spirit
of God.
(187h)
Die to self (Process of substitution) >>
Separation from the old man >> Die to the flesh >>
Spirit versus the flesh >> Deny the flesh to walk
in the Spirit >> More the flesh dies,
more the spirit lives – Since Paul mentioned the fruit of the Spirit,
we can expect that being crucified with Christ has something to do with it.
Obviously this concept of being crucified with Christ also has something to do
with dying to self, but what? It seems that the more spiritual fruit we bear,
the more dead (or numb) we become to the passions and desires of the flesh. So,
we kill the flesh by bearing the fruit of the Spirit, which becomes evidence of
our association with the Holy Spirit. These fruits also work to shield us from
the temptations of our flesh. The more our minds remain in a spiritual state
through bearing the fruit of the Spirit, the less we sense our flesh craving the
evil things of our natural desires. By definition, a person who is born again by
faith in Jesus Christ the Holy Spirit dwells in him or her. So, if we are born
of the Spirit, we also live by the Spirit, and if we live by the Spirit, let us
also walk by the Spirit.
Gal 5,16-23
(205g)
Salvation >> Salvation is based on God’s
promises >> New covenant >>
The new one is a better one – Eliminate these verses from the
Bible
and we wouldn’t know why Jesus said what He said and why he did what He did, nor would we understand Paul’s writings in other
passages of the
New Testament. For example, these verses tell why Paul
wrote his letter to the Romans and why the new covenant is better than the old.
The law does not command us to bear the fruit of the spirit, because it didn’t
furnish us with the power to do so, but the new covenant gives us that power
through the cross. That is, Jesus has created an avenue to channel the Holy
Spirit in our hearts. The old covenant law gave us a list of things we should not do against our fellow man, but it did not provide us
with a list of things that we should do, such as detailed in the fruits of the Spirit.
Gal 5,16-21
(92e) Thy kingdom come
>>
The narrow way >> Trail of good works >>
You cannot walk two trails -- These verses go with verse 25. Paul said, “…You may not do the things that
you please.” That doesn’t sound exactly free, which is how Paul started
out this chapter saying, “It is for freedom that Christ set us free….”
We are like half free. Our spirit is free, but our flesh is in bondage to
serve the Lord. The flesh sets its desire against the Spirit and the Spirit
against the flesh, so that if we satisfy one, we violate the other. If we seek
the fruit of the Spirit in out lives, it’s going to contrast with the
desires of our flesh, but if we give into the desires of our flesh, it will
resist our efforts to bear the fruits of the Spirit. Anyone who desires to
walk by the Spirit must be committed to avoid sin, which has the power to
knock down our spiritual fruit production and invade our spiritual environment
that we establish as we walk and live for God, because the two of them cannot
coexist.
(162g) Works of the devil
>>
Being a slave to the devil (Addictions) >>
Bondage >> Addicted to sin >>
Being a slave to the sinful nature
KJV
NAS
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Gal 5,16-18
(105g) Thy kingdom come
>> Faith >>
Led by the Spirit into the will of God >>
Led to the right place --
(113l) Thy kingdom come
>> Faith >>
The anointing >> Anointing establishes us in His
will -- These verses go with verses 22-25
(118m) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Freedom >>
Law of the spirit >> Newness of the spirit
transcends oldness of the letter
– Prior to Jesus sending the Holy Spirit, there was
nothing we could do to directly fulfill the first commandment to love God, but
now that we have the Holy Spirit, we can develop a relationship with Him
through the word of God and prayer. However, prior to the Holy Spirit we loved
God by not having sex with our neighbor’s wife; we loved God by not
killing one anther; we loved God by not coveting our neighbor’s
possessions. So, according to the old covenant law, it was all about not doing
something in order to love God and our neighbor, but what can you do to
love God? The law could not answer that question. The new covenant does away
with the indirectness of the law and enables us to directly love God, which
equips us to love our neighbor with gifts that we receive directly from the
Holy Spirit. How much better is the new covenant than the old? There is no
comparison.
(137e) Temple
>>
Building the temple (with hands) >> Jesus is the
foundation >> Bearing fruit is the foundation of being in the
Spirit -- These verses go with verses
22-25. God has given us a list of attributes that we
should apply to our character in the fruit of the Spirit. If we walk by the
Spirit, God will lead us to bear the fruit of the Spirit, and in this process,
we inadvertently will not do the things that the law commands us not to do.
For example, by bearing the fruit of the Spirit we will inadvertently not kill
our neighbor. We have new interests now. For example, joy is more important to
us than your neighbor’s wife or any of his other possessions. The attributes
of these fruits create a spiritual environment in our hearts. He desires us to
live and walk and dwell in an environment of love and peace. He desires these
things to inhabit us, that we should inhabit them. Joy is not an action when
you think about it, nor is peace. Rather, the fruits of the Spirit are a state
of mind, whereas the law refers to behaviors that God commands us to avoid.
Within this environment we are shielded from temptation.
Gal 5-16,17
(6e)
Responsibility >> Advocate God’s cause >>
Rest in Jesus’ yoke
(22g)
Sin
>>
Lust (craving pleasure) >> Fleshly mind
(187j) Die to self (Process of substitution)
>>
Separation from the old man >> Die to the flesh >>
Spirit versus the flesh >> Trying to work the
Spirit by the flesh -- These verses go with verse 13
Gal 5-16
(119e) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Freedom >>
Fences of freedom >> Freedom in Christ --
This verse goes with verse 18
KJV
NAS
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17-21 For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law.
19 Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, 21 envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Gal 5-17
(14c) Servant
>>
Slave is free/free is slave – This verse goes with verse 25
Gal 5-18
(119e) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Freedom >>
Fences of freedom >> Freedom in Christ --
This verse goes with verses 22&23
Gal 5,19-23
(139i)
Temple >> Building the temple (with hands) >> Tear down the old to
rebuild the new
(129a) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Bearing fruit >>
Evidence of your fruit >> The type of fruit
indicates who you are serving
Gal 5,19-21
(51c)
Judgment >> Judging the Church with the world
>> Warning of Wrath >>
God warns the Church
(64d) Paradox
>>
Anomalies >> Limits of God >>
God cannot help but judge sin
(156K) Witness
>>
Validity of the believer >> Evidence of being
hell-bound >> Living an ungodly lifestyle >>
Practicing sin
(167j) Works of the devil
>>
Manifestations of the devil >> Do not conform to
the world >> The world of sin
(183a) Works of the devil
>>
The origin of lawlessness >> Spirit of Error (Anti-Christ / Anti-Semitism) >>
Witchcraft >> Sin is the incubator of witchcraft >>
Through rebellion
(221j) Kingdom of God
>>
The elusive Kingdom of Heaven >> Kingdom hidden
behind the veil from the world >> God hides from
sin >> He hides behind disobedience – Fear was not covered by the law or in
the fruits of the Spirit, and it wasn’t even mentioned in regard to the deeds
of the flesh. Paul was completely silent about the dynamics of fear, how it
operates in the background of all forms of evil. So, what is fear? Fear is the
opposite of the fruits of the Spirit, and if the opposite, then also the arch-nemesis
of the fruits of the Spirit. That means the deeds of the flesh outlined in
Galatians, though they may oppose the fruits of the Spirit, are not exact
opposites in that the deeds of the flesh are actions, whereas the fruits of the
Spirit are states of mind. Those are two different things like apples and
oranges, but fear is also a state of mind. Fear is not an action, any more than
love depicts a specific action. Rather, God wants us to perform our good works
through an environment of love, joy, peace, etc. All sin and disobedience and
all evil operates through an environment of fear, so that the deeds of the flesh
that are regulated by law act as evidence of fear, allowing it to manifest and
become visible, whereas the fruits of the Spirit act as evidence of faith. For
this reason God hides from all sin, because He is the exact opposite of
fear.
(250h)
Lists (Key verse)
(250i) Priorities
>>
God’s prerequisites >> Lists >>
List of traits that can be found in man >> List of
deeds of the body
Gal 5-20,21
(24h) Sin
>>
Poverty (Forms of fear) >> Being envious of your brother
Gal 5-21
(36i) Gift of God
>>
Inheritance >> Our inheritance can be withheld
(238h) Kingdom of God
>>
Pursuing the kingdom >> Pursuing the knowledge
of the kingdom >> Teachers >>
Teachers "remind" their students >>
Strong reminders
KJV
NAS
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22-24 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
Gal 5,22-26
(42g) Judgment
>>
Satan destroyed >> Transformation >>
Conform to the Love of Christ
Gal 5,22-25
(113l) Thy kingdom come
>> Faith >>
The anointing establishes us in His
will -- These verses go with verses 5&6
(137e) Temple
>>
Building the temple (with hands) >> Jesus is the
foundation >>
Bearing fruit is the foundation of being in the
Spirit -- These verses go with verses 16-18
Gal 5-22,23
(118k) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Freedom >>
Law of the spirit >> Law of liberty --
These verses go with verse 13
(119e) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Freedom >>
Fences of freedom >> Freedom in Christ --
These verses go with verse 6
(128c) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Goodness >>
Doing good transcends the law –
“Nice” is not one of the fruits of the Spirit. The world expects everyone
to be nice, but they mock the “goody-two-shoes,” goodness being one of the fruits of the
Spirit, signifying the difference between being nice and being good.
“Goodness” is all about being nice to people who are not nice to us.
People don’t like it when we refuse to defend ourselves, but they hate it
when we are peacemakers in the name of the Lord, because it acts as an
invitation to the Kingdom of God, and if they reject the invitation, it acts
as a witness against their darkness. When someone is not nice to them, they
throw all the social rules out the window, except those they use to gain an
advantage to appear nice, so "nice" is all for show,
but being good comes from the heart. Being nice is a way of getting through
life, but being good is a way of getting to heaven. Being nice is good for
business, but being good is holy to the Lord. Being good is akin to kindness,
but being nice is one step from rage. A person who is nice will not
endure persecution, but a person who is good has already endured the insult of
the wicked as a way of life for Jesus sake and for the sake of the Lord’s
elect, who will be saved as a result of the fruit of our lives.
(250k) Priorities
>>
God’s prerequisites >> Lists >>
Terms of graduating to the next level >> List of
spiritual traits in descending order
–
Although joy comes before peace, it doesn’t make it more important, for all
the nine fruits of the Spirit are equally important. The list of prerequisites
signifies how we experience God as we seek Him: first we discover His love,
then we meet His joy, then we enjoy His peace, etc., as a sequence of
spiritual blessings that cascade throughout the lifelong process spiritual
maturity.
Gal 5-22
(126a) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Peace >>
God is at peace >> The peace from God
(127a) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Kindness >>
Be kind like God >> Practice the kindness of God
Gal 5-24
(114e) Thy kingdom
come
>> Faith >> Working the grace of God >> Obeying the Holy
Spirit >> Obeying the revelation from heaven >>
Obeying the revelation by putting away the flesh –
Dying to self is a process of working with the grace of God to perform a
simple operation on our flesh to remove the sinful passions and desires
(symbolized by circumcision) that hold us from the will of God.
Simultaneously, He instills His grace in us to do the work that He has
prepared for us. Although wicked men nailed Jesus to a cross, it says He
willingly submitted to it. Jn 10-17,18 says, “For this reason the Father
loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again. No one has
taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have
authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This
commandment I received from My Father.” The wicked men that nailed Jesus to
a cross represented us; we are the ones who killed Him; therefore, the picture
of being crucified with Christ is one of nailing the sinful passions and
desires of our flesh to the cross until dead, willingly laying down our lives
for the cause of Christ. We know there will be a resurrection, but Christ
promises that He will raise us to newness of life through the power of the
Spirit by an anointing in this life (Romans chapter six).
(213i) Sovereignty
>>
God is infinite >> Jesus owns you >>
His will becomes our will >> We are God’s
property
25&26 If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. 26 Let us not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another.
Gal 5-25,26
(95h) Thy kingdom come
>>
Attitude >> Having an obedient attitude >>
Ready to do God’s will –
Paul elucidated a very important point here: as we live by the spirit who
dwells in us and enjoy His presence in our hearts, so we should not contradict
that experience by the way we teat our fellow man. As the indwelling Holy
Spirit seeks to manifest, so our outer man should act like our inner man. Let
that inner person emerge on our outer form to behave in the same way that we
understand God in our hearts. This is in relation to the parable that Jesus
spoke about leaven that a woman “took and hid in three pecks of flour until
it was all leavened” (Mat 13-33). This is how God wants to work in our
lives: from the inside-out. He wants to convince us of His love, grace and
mercy, so we will display our confidence in Him through our actions and words.
The opposite of this is to challenge and envy one another. Instead of
competing with each other in the flesh, we should see who is better at loving
God by loving our fellow man. If we are going to challenge anybody for any
reason, we should challenge with love and good works.
KJV
NAS
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Gal 5-25
(14c) Servant
>>
Slave is free/free is slave – This verse goes with verses 13 & 14
(92e) Thy kingdom come
>>
The narrow way >> Trail of good works >>
You cannot walk two trails -- This verse goes with verses
16-21
(105g) Thy kingdom come
>> Faith >>
Led by the Spirit into the will of God >>
Led to the right place -- This verse goes with verses 16-18. Walking
by the Spirit is probably the most important thing we do in this life, and what
we often fail to remember is what Paul said before this: crucify the flesh with
its passions and desires. Also, we live by the Spirit before we learn to walk by
the Spirit. Our possession of His Spirit is how we live and we don’t
understand what we possess
anymore than we walk in Him. That is, if we are unconscious of our
salvation, it is useless. The
whole idea is to be aware of His salvation, and the way to are aware of Him is
to have Him on our minds continuously. The Spirit and the word operate together. We live by the Spirit and we walk by the word, and
when the two of these come together, they produce the power of God, who is able
to reveal Himself in us so we know His purpose and calling. To fulfill that
calling is to work His grace
into our lives as we walk in Him. The part of God’s will that we do not walk,
neither do we understand. This is why the world does not understand God, because
it has never experienced Him.
(144f) Witness
>>
Validity of Jesus Christ >> Witnesses of Jesus >> The Church Bears Witness of Jesus >> Of the Holy
Spirit
(155g) Witness
>>
Validity of the believer >> Witness of the
believer >> Holy Spirit bears witness of the
believer
(206b) Salvation
>>
God makes promises on His terms >> Conditions to
promises >> Conditions to living in the spirit >>
Conditions to participating in the spirit -- Paul's
statement “If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit,”
suggests that we don’t have to prove we live by the Spirit if we walk by the
Spirit. The
promise is encouraging and full of good hope, but walking by the Spirit
incites
God's enemies to hate us. If we abide in Jesus, we can expect persecution and
rejection even from some of those of our own brothers who don't share
the same intimacy with God. It asks the question that reduces to whether we are content with persecution and hardship for the sake of interacting
spiritually in our relationship with God, or whether we will abandon His
purpose because of the fear of man. Too often, when the heat is
on, we settle for walking in the flesh so we don't
offend anyone, but this offends God.
(230b) Kingdom of God
>>
God’s kingdom is a living organism >>
Partaking >> What we must do to partake of the
kingdom >> Partaking which requires our
participation
Gal 5-26
(11i) Servant
>>
We are not our own standard for each other
(22m) Sin
>>
Pride glorifies self >> Comparing yourself
with others
(23c) Sin
>>
Pride is defensive
(130j) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Unity >>
Accept one another >> Accepting the great and
the small >> Small people cannot accept great
leaders -- This verse goes with verse 15
(158f) Works of the devil
>>
Essential characteristics >> Divide and
conquer >> Division (Cliques) >>
Jealously seeking prominence in the body
(167e) Works of the devil
>>
Manifestations of the devil >>
Carnality/Secularism (mindset of the world)
>>
The carnal mind is set on the flesh >> Walking
outside the realm of faith -- This verse goes with verses 13-15.
Pseudo-spiritual
Christians are boastful, challenging one another and envying one another.
The person who thinks he is spiritual the Bible says should become
everyone’s servant. The true sign of spirituality is the willingness to
serve and to become least of all. This undercuts any desire to challenge or
envy one another, and it totally eliminates boasting. Being a servant solves
man’s every problem. In the corporate world they have it backwards, where
the greatest are the greatest and the least are the least, reflected also in
their paychecks; whereas in the Kingdom of God the greatest is the least of
all and servant of all; and the person who is least of all in the Kingdom of
Heaven has the greatest authority. In heaven everyone is striving to be a
servant in order to be great in the eyes of god who is servant of all. This
completely dispels the whole problem of a boastful, prideful attitude, who
are inclined to envying one another for the things they don’t have,
instead of seeking to know God that we might bless others and possess all
that God wants to give.
(197c) Denying Christ
>>
Man exercises his will against God >>
Spiritual laziness >> Rebelling against where
God wants you to go >> Refuse to walk in
freedom -- This verse goes with verses 7-9
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