Ralph Porter

© 2003

    Many common misconceptions about the Bible keep circulating around society both inside and outside of the church. They are often introduced by statements like: "As the "Good Book says." Probably the most commonly repeated statement you hear is "The Lord helps those who help themselves!" Another one you sometimes hear is "God never violates our free will!" Where's that in Scripture? Yet, such statements are made all the time, and because they sound spiritual, people think they come from God!

    Lots of common misconceptions about Christian liberty are frequently repeated also. What does God say about our freedom? In the Bible, the book of Galatians addresses the issue of liberty. Paul has a lot to say about the freedom we enjoy in Christ! His comments fly in the face of everything our culture teaches us about life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness!

    From the beginning of time, people have had misconceptions about liberty. They often say, "If God would just leave me alone, and let me do what I feel like doing, everything would be fine!

    True Christian faith, as reflected in the gospel, comes into continual conflict with all world religions concerning how to satisfy God, receive eternal life, and enjoy genuine freedom. They tell us that anyone who wants to satisfy God and obtain eternal life must do something to fulfill God's requirements. The message of the gospel that salvation is based on faith alone--plus nothing--is too easy! "It's too simple to just trust Christ and receive eternal life as a gift. Surely you must do something!"

    Ever since the tower of Babel, when man set out to "make a name for himself," world religions have established requirements for people to fulfill in order to satisfy the demands of their gods. Primitive pagan religions required offerings and sacrifices to satisfy their gods and bless their people. Hebrews 2:15 refers to the fear that pagan religions produce.

        "[Christ died that He might] free those who all their lives were held in slavery 

    by their fear of death."

    People go through life enslaved by the fear of death. Since they never know what to expect from gods that carry a lightning bolt in their hands, ready to zap people, they are terrified of what those gods might do to them! Since their gods don't have to be just or holy, but they control our destiny, you'd better be careful not to make them mad! Paul refers to this same enslaving fear of pagan gods--that really aren't gods at all--in Galatians 4:8.

         "Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature 

    are not gods."

    Oriental religions, and their modern descendants in the New Age Movement, promote the idea that the whole world is one big god--"the force." We're all part of that force. Our role is to identify with the rest of the universe and carry out our part. So our goal in life is to form a union with the rest of nature and seek the ultimate good of all of nature. Just how good are we at pulling that off? Environmentalists continually proclaim that we are the universe's greatest enemy!

    Muslims serve an angry god who requires absolute obedience and metes out vengeance against anyone who crosses him. Allah is not known for love or grace!

    Traditional western religions and cults are derived from Christianity and claim to represent biblical truth. They contain some truth about Christ. However, these religious systems present some form of salvation based on works, either partially or totally, to receive life. Although some recognize the importance of Christ's death, we always have to add something to it to be sure of obtaining eternal life. In such a system, we can never know until we die, whether we'll make it or not!

    Even in Evangelical churches and Bible churches the same struggle with legalistic views sneaks in. How could God accept an intellectual decision, made late in life, as enough to accept a person who has passed their whole life insulting and rebelling against God? Salvation has to cost more than that!

    Many people--even in our church--have their own rule book. Sometimes even using biblical rules! In order to be saved, or at least to please God, we have to live a certain standard of life. You have to do certain things, and not do other things.

    In Christ's day, as in Paul's, this same idea was common among the Israelites. Judaism had 613 commandments people were supposed to keep: 248 positive commands and 365 negative commands (one for each day of the year!). That's why when Christ came, people kept coming to Him, wanting to know what they had to do to enter the kingdom, or to obtain eternal life. Christ always gave them an answer that appeared to be too hard for anyone ever to keep. He wanted us to realize that we could never do enough to earn our way to God. Once we realize that we could never earn our way, then we might come seeking the grace and mercy of God. Nevertheless, some just went away sad, because they couldn't pay the price. They didn't have what it takes. They couldn't "pull it off!" In Romans 10:3, Paul describes the problem: hoping to establish their own righteousness, they give up in desperation!

    Even today we hear people say, "Until I get my life straightened out, I can't come to church. God would never accept me with all the garbage in my life!" If that's what you're thinking, I have bad news for you! You'll never get your life straightened out by your own efforts--neither will I! Until we realize how bad the bad news is, we'll never understand what's so good about the "Good News!" To people like this--people who have come face to face with the reality that we could never "make it" through our own efforts--the "Good News" came.

    While we can never hope to make it on our own, Christ did everything that God requires for us. The gospel can be presented in three simple points:

    We have a problem. We could never do enough to satisfy a holy God's requirements. 

        "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God" (Rom. 3:23).

    God has already done everything necessary to solve our problem. "While we were yet sinners

        Christ died for us" (Rom. 5:8).

    We receive that gift by trusting His Son. To receive eternal life, we must stop trying to earn

        our own way and trust Christ and His provision. To as many as believe on His name He

        gave the power to become sons of God (John 1:11-12).

    This was Paul's message. It ought to be ours as well.

    The Judaizers in Paul's day never accepted this message! They spent every spare moment opposing Paul and his "Gospel!" They hounded him continually. They were convinced that people have to do something!

    The Judaizers' message was presented in three variant forms throughout the New Testament. Initially even Peter and the rest of Jesus' followers accepted the original form of their message. The key question was "Who can be saved?" The Judaizers' message was that salvation was for Jews--God's people. In Acts 10-11, God spoke to Peter, and through him to the church to demonstrate that He had declared the pagan peoples of the world to no longer be "unclean" and He was offering salvation to all peoples.

    The second key question that the Judaizers raised was "How can pagan peoples be saved?" Their answer to that question was that if pagan peoples want to be saved, they must keep the law. They hounded Paul and Barnabas with that point of view until the church leaders came together in Acts 15. The church responded that not even the Jewish people had been able to keep the law and earn salvation that way, how could they require it of pagans? They concluded that for Jews and Gentiles alike, the only basis for salvation was to trust what Christ had done for them. All must come by faith.

    About the time we assume that the council's response should have settled the matter, the Judaizers came back with yet another form of challenge to Paul's ministry. The third key question was "How can pagan believers live so as to please God? The issue was no longer salvation but sanctification. The Judaizers reluctantly accepted that pagans could be saved, and that we are saved by faith in Christ alone. But now, when it comes to the lifestyle God requires in order for His people to please Him and enjoy fellowship with Him, we must obey the law. Paul writes Galatians, and a number of other New Testament books, to respond to that issue.

    His conclusion is that sanctification, like salvation, comes by faith alone. If you start by law, you must finish by law. Start by faith, finish by faith. Start trying to play by a rule book and you're through!

    So how about us. Are we really free? Or are we still enslaved? Are we still trying to do enough to make it with God? Has your relationship with Christ made you feel free? Have you been able to enjoy your freedom in Christ? Or, do you feel guilty when you try to enjoy your freedom?

    Paul is dealing with a church that started out down the road of faith. Now, they want to try to live so as to please God by a rule book. Paul responds: "It's impossible to reconcile salvation by faith with sanctification by law." You can't be saved by faith, and walk by law! You can't have it both ways--it's one way or the other!

    The key underlying issue is: What are we trusting in? Paul says we're free because we're in Christ. We aren't under law--any law! In order to please God, we come to God by faith in Christ, and continue living every day a life based on faith, not on works of the law. It's always been that way!

         "So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted 

    and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and over-

    flowing with thankfulness" (Col. 2:6-7).

    From beginning to end, our relationship with God is based on the work Christ did on the cross. This concept flies in the face of the struggle most Christians have with guilt. Why do we feel so guilty? Why are we struggling with our past, with a lack of peace and contentment? Because we're still trying to gain enough points to make it on our own . . . and we're not quite convinced that we're good enough!

    We still think we have to prove to somebody that we're good enough--that we're worth something. This is a "self-destruct" mode! We try to establish our worth before God by keeping rules! We set up the standard! And then, we wonder why we fall flat on our face. Satan comes along and rubs our nose in it! Then we wonder why we always feel guilty and defeated! We set up a standard that God never meant for us to keep. The good news is: we don't have to! The hymn writer got it right: "Jesus paid it ALL! All to HIM I owe!"

    We started by faith; we had to stop trying to do it ourself, and rest in Him. Now walk that way. Stop trying to do it yourself! We have what we have because we are "in Christ." We can't get there by "obeying the rules!" That understanding is the basis of true freedom!

    In Galatians Paul deals with three issues:

         1) The Judaizers tried to attack his credibility by denying his authority and his

                message. So Paul defends his apostleship and his message (1-2).

         2) The Judaizers were preaching another message which contradicts the gospel. So

                   Paul presents the doctrine of sanctification by faith--the message of liberty in

                   Christ ( 3-4).

         3) The Judaizers built a whole religious system around their legalistic doctrine. Paul

                   presents the lifestyle that a true doctrine of sanctification--the doctrine of

                   Christian liberty--will produce (5-6).

    During the next few weeks we'll be considering Paul's observations about "playing to grandstands" in Galatians 1-2. Too often the reason we pursue legalistic standards of performance is that we're "playing to the grandstands"--trying to convince someone we're good enough! There are four practical perils of playing to the grandstands:

    1.    Everyone else is too busy playing to the grandstands to notice!

                   No one has time to pay attention to what you're doing anyway!

                   People are too busy trying to establish their own reputation!

    2.    You take your eyes off the real opponent.

    3.    You lose sight of the Owner.

    4.    You lose sight of your team mates.

    Throughout Paul's defense of his apostleship and message, Paul warns about the dangers of playing to the grandstands--of trying to live for God in order to draw the applause of men. Paul is not in this business for the applause of men. His only concern is to please God. You don't do that by keeping a list of rules.

Greeting   1:1-5

    You can get a feel for the content of New Testament letters by studying the formal greeting Paul uses. Each greeting is composed of three main parts: an identification of the author, a description of the recipients, and the greeting itself. By observing each of these parts--especially the parts the writer expands--you can learn what the writer intends to focus on in that letter.

    In the greeting to Galatians, Paul responds briefly to two of the Judaizers' issues that he deals with in greater detail later. His greeting reveals the polemic nature of the book. Paul departs from his normal pattern of praise and thanksgiving to show the source of his apostleship.

    Paul places himself on the same level as those the church recognizes as authoritative. In introducing himself as the author, he responds to the Judaizers' attempt to discredit his authority as an apostle (1:1-2). Paul's apostleship does not come from people, but from God. His authority and his message isn't another human philosophy. He isn't trying to please people! His commission comes from GOD!

GOD is the source of our message   1:1-2

        "Paul, an apostle--sent not from men nor by man, but by Jesus Christ and God 

    the Father, who raised him from the dead-and all the brothers with me, To the 

    churches in Galatia:

    An "apostle" is a person sent on a mission with authority. The key question is, "Whose authority do you come with?" Paul responds that God is the source of his authority! His message comes directly from God; not from men!

GOD delivers people from sin and from the evil age that surrounds us   1:3-4

        "Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who 

    gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the 

    will of our God and Father."

    Jesus gave Himself for our sins. He isn't "the One Who accepts our good works!" He's "the One Who gave Himself!" Jesus delivers us from evil environment that contaminates us!

GOD gets all the glory   1:5

        "To whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen."

    If we're not trying to get glory for ourselves, we won't be frustrated when we don't get it! None of this comes from a "great performance." We're not the ones who do it! God has done everything. Therefore, He gets all the credit!

Surprise at their departure   1:6-9

         "I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the 

    grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel-- which is really no gospel 

    at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to

    pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should 

    preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally

    condemned! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching 

    to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!"

    Paul is surprised they have so easily moved away from the gospel. Anyone who would dare to change the gospel message ought to be condemned. No tolerance! Paul considers the issue of sanctification an integral part of the gospel message. So he has no tolerance for anyone who would change that message! His language is strong!

    Paul has lots of patience for people who oppose him personally (Phil. 1:15-18). But he has no patience for people who mix works into the equation--whether for salvation, or for our walk with God. Because he knows we can't do it! If our performance is our basis, we will be forced to give up in despair. We can't do it!

    The "gospel" of earn your own way on the basis of your adequate performance is not "good news!" All that produces is a greater sense of failure because we never do good enough! We don't do good enough even to satisfy ourselves! We'll never satisfy our friends, spouse or parents--much less a perfect, holy God. And we all know it! So, who are we kidding?!!

    The "good news" is that although we could never satisfy God's demands, God can, and in fact, God has already done it in Christ. He Who never sinned, died for us, so that when we trust Him, we can have eternal life, now and forever. Our salvation never has and never will depend on our ability to please God. It never depends on us! We are complete because we are in Him (Col. 2:9-10).

    When we try to please God by our own efforts, we are flying in the face of the whole message of the gospel--we have changed the message! People who proclaim that perverted message deserve to be condemned.

    Living a godly life doesn't depend on our efforts--never has, never will! It's all about what Christ has done for us! That's grace. That's the true basis for our liberty. We're free--free to relax and enjoy all that God has done for us in Christ. Why would you ever want to go back to the chains of legalism? To the chains of "I have to do it myself" thinking? Don't join ranks with those who pervert the good news!

    "Jesus paid it ALL; ALL to HIM we owe!" Sin had left a bright red stain! Sin had left us to struggle with the chains of bondage! But HE washed it "white as snow!" It's time to enjoy what Jesus has done for us!

    How about you? Are you truly free? You can be, if you'll stop struggling to make it on your own and trust Him!