Introduction:
Freedom from Slavery
When Adam and Eve caved to Satan’s deception, that action cast the whole human race into slavery to sin, the embodiment of the curse and suffering.
The spirit of fear entered the heart of man. Where Satan could reign through sin in his diabolical desired actions to kill, steal, and destroy.
Thank God for the Cross of Jesus Christ:
- His purpose – for freedom He set us free
- He set us free from the slavery of sin. Slavery from the baser spiritual elements of the world
- He came to give us life, and that more abundantly
- Not only that, but He sent us the mighty Holy Spirit to help and assist
Galatians
Paul was sent as a Apostle to preach to the gentiles to spread the good news of the gospel of grace. In his first Missionary Journey he passed through the area of Galatia.
Here is a little write up that I found on the web, that I modified a bit to add a little bit of clarity to my way of thinking:
The book of Galatians, the ninth book in the New Testament, is the first letter written by Paul that is still preserved to this day.
This letter was written to a group of Churches. Galatia was not a city or town, like Boston or Fitchburg are.
It was the North Central Region of Asia Minor (now within the country of Turkey), like Central Massachusetts which has many towns within it. The towns within Galatia included Antioch, Iconium, Lystra and Derbe.
Paul visited the region of Galatia between the years of 47 and 48 AD. During his first missionary journey.
One train of thought is it was probably written in Antioch in Syria in 50AD shortly after Paul had attended the Council of Jerusalem in 49/50AD. Here, Paul had asked the leaders of the church to decide not to require non-Jewish believers to adhere to the Mosaic Law which includes circumcision, a topic of concern that features prominently in the Letter to the Galatians (see Acts 15:1-22).
The letter was written prior to Paul revisiting these churches during his second missionary journey of 50 – 52AD.
The Good News
Paul when he entered in the region of Galatia began to preach the gospel message of grace.
In his ministry miracles, signs, and wonders followed as the Holy Spirit backed up his message. There was an excitement and awe that exuded from the people, as they walked in the Spirit.
The people had earnestly sought the leading of the Holy Spirit and endeavored to follow Him. He showed up big time.
They experienced the fullness of the Abrahamic blessing because of their faith and belief in the promises, because of the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross and His resurrection.
As part of his message Paul taught:
- That Christ died for our sins to rescue us from this present evil age according to the will of God our Father. Because of this we can walk in grace, God’s kindness and favor, and peace.
- We have freedom in Christ from Satan, and his delegated authorities. We are no longer slaves to sin.
- Because we believe by faith the completed work on the cross, we are justified and sanctified.
- Because we have been crucified in Christ, we no longer live, but Christ lives in us. The life we live in the body, we live by faith in the Son of God, who loved us, and gave himself for us.
- Just as Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness, so it is with us. In him, Abraham, and in us all the nations are blessed!
- All the nations will be blessed through us. So those who rely on faith are blessed along with Abraham the man of faith.
- Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.” He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.
- What was promised in God’s word is given to us who believe through faith in Jesus Christ.
- We are justified by faith!
- In Christ Jesus we are all children of God through faith, for all of us who were baptized into Christ have clothed ourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for we are all one in Christ Jesus. Because we are Abrahams seed we are all heirs according to the promise.
- It is for freedom that Christ has set us free!
When Paul Departed There Was A Vacuum In Leadership
In time Paul moved on from Galatia to continue to preach the good news of God’s grace and peace. When he left “another gospel” was soon presented to those in Galatia.
Remember in the Garden of Eden, when Satan came and spoke part of the truth, but twisted God’s words? So, others came and spoke part of the truth and twisted the words of God’s grace and peace that was intended for the believers.
The Gospel of grace was being perverted by those who came and spied the freedom that those in the province of Galatia were experiencing.
The Judaizers came in and taught that faith in Christ and the finished work was not enough. That the Mosaic Law had to be followed, and circumcision was a necessary requirement.
Again, I refer to https://www.thebiblejourney.org/the-bible-journey/13-pauls-letters-to-galatia-thessalonica/paul-explains-his-personal-background/ for some input:
The Argument over Circumcision
The Council of Jerusalem met in 49/50AD to decide the church’s attitude towards the Mosaic Law and circumcision. It was taken for granted that Jewish believers in Jesus Christ would be circumcised in accordance with the Jewish law (see Genesis 17:1-14). But there was disagreement over whether Gentile believers ought to be circumcised.
Many of the Jewish Christians believed that Gentile believers should be circumcised as converts to Judaism (as Christianity was still regarded as a Jewish sect), but Paul believed passionately that they should not be required to be circumcised.
Paul – a Greek-speaking Jew from cosmopolitan Tarsus – knew that the Greeks (who were Gentiles) prized athleticism and bodily perfection and regarded circumcision (or any mutilation of the flesh) as abhorrent.
The Jewish Christian leaders discussed the issue, and James – the leader of the Jerusalem church – issued a statement saying that Gentile believers would not have to be circumcised. Other more conservative Jewish believers were still not convinced.
The Gentile believers welcomed this decision, but shortly after James’s decision had been received, Peter visited Antioch and appeared to change his mind on the issue (see Galatians 2.11-12). He refused to eat with the Gentile believers in Antioch for fear of offending the Jewish Christians who still held the view that Gentile believers should be circumcised.
They believed that the Gentile believers would be ritually ‘unclean’ if they weren’t circumcised and would make the Jewish believers unclean by eating with them (see Acts 10:28, where Peter had reluctantly faced this issue before).
Even Barnabas had been swept along by this view, and, to Paul’s amazement and disgust, had refused to eat with the Gentile believers (see Galatians 2.13). This disagreement and not doubt fueled an argument between Paul and Barnabas and no doubt contributed to their splitting up before Paul’s second missionary journey later that year (see Acts 15:39-40).
Paul rebuked Peter and the others in public – opposing their actions and condemning their decision not to eat with the Gentile believers.
Believers beware! The same perversion of the good news that Paul combats in this letter keeps appearing in various forms over the millennia in the Church.
Legalism, which teaches that justification or sanctification depends on a person’s own efforts, thus denying the sufficiency of the cross, is the most persistent enemy of the gospel message of grace that we will face. Legalism keeps rearing its ugly head!
Circumcision and other requirements of the Mosaic Law may no longer be issues pertaining to salvation today, but oftentimes believers begin to think that the observance of certain rules, regulations or religious rites are necessary in parallel with faith in Christ as the condition of Christian maturity.
By doing this, observing rules, regulations, or other religious rites we are denying that our salvation is by grace and the finished work of the Cross alone.
We can also get into trouble thinking that we must struggle with our flesh and its shortcomings alone. Paul highlights the following in Galatians 5:19-21a
- Sexual immorality
- Impurity
- Debauchery
- Idolatry
- Witchcraft
- Hatred
- Discord
- Jealousy
- Fits of rage
- Selfish ambition
- Dissentions
- Factions
- Envy
- Drunkenness
- Orgies
- And the like.
These are veritable shortcomings for sure. But it becomes insidious when we think that we have to struggle on our own to before we are worthy of salvation. Struggling with these sins can become a regulation that inhibits our walk of faith. Causing us to become slaves again to fear and bondage.
How Are We As Believers to Respond and Live?
We need to rest on the finished work of Christs crucifixion. We need to study who we are, what we have, and what we can do in Christ Jesus! Our God is bigger than our circumstances and struggles! Or, any scheme of man and Satan.
Because of the crucifixion, Jesus has poured upon His Church the Blessed Holy Spirit who works on our behalf, as we believe by faith in God’s goodness, and our place in Him! He is our helper. We need to learn to rely on Him!
We are to walk by the Spirit and rely on Him and the written Word of God. We are to sow to please the Spirit, from the Spirit we will reap eternal life.
Galatians 5:13-26 (NIV)
Life by the Spirit13 You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh[a]; rather, serve one another humbly in love. 14 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”[b] 15 If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.
16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever[c] you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.
We are to walk and live in the promised Spirit. He will continue to manifest himself in power as we walk in faith in Jesus.
We are to walk in the fruit of the Spirit:
- Love
- Joy
- Peace
- Patience
- Kindness
- Goodness
- Faithfulness
- Gentleness
- Self-control
- We are to walk in the Spirit, and keep step with Him
Paul graphically describes the fierce conflict between the flesh, our lower nature prone to sin, and the indwelling Spirit.
Only the Holy Spirit, when we submit to His control and actively walk with Him, can enable us to die to the flesh, deliver us from the tyranny of the law and cause the fruit of holiness to grow in our lives.
Apart from the controlling, sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit, liberty is certain to degenerate into license.
A Final Thought
As long as we remain on this earth there will be a continual struggle. How can we stay free from slavery to the flesh and or to the bondage’s of Satan? How can we battle and stand our ground against the deceptions of Satan or those of man? By knowing the Word of God, and relying on the Holy Spirit.
What does the good news of the gospel say about you, in Him? Who does the gospel of good news say you are in Him? What does the gospel of good news say you have in Him? What does the gospel of good news say you can do in Him?
Kenneth Hagin taught that Jesus continually confessed who He was, what He was, and what His mission was in life. Brother Hagin suggested we should do the same. He suggested the following study.
- Study the Pauline Epistles
- Underline all the in Him, through Him, by Him scriptures that tell who you are, what you are, what you have, and your mission in life.
- Remember, you are what the Bible says you are, you have what the Bible says you can have, you can do what the Bible says you can do.
- Then be a doer of the word by first starting out by:
- Meditating on these scriptures. Asking the Holy Spirit to bring them to life. Imagine that you are what the Bible says you are. Use the workshop of your imagination. See yourself having what the Bible says you can have. See yourself doing what the Bible says you can do.
- Confessing them, over and over. Ruminate over them. Slowly rolling the scriptures over in your mind. Mumbling the scriptures throughout your day. Speaking out loud that you are who the Bible says you are. You have what the Bible says you can have. You can do what the Bible says you can do.
- Call upon the name of the Lord and rely on the Holy Spirit for assistance.
I would also suggest spending a lot of time in the Spirit. Praying with all prayers. But especially praying and building up your most holy faith by praying in the Holy Ghost (praying in other tongues).
He will pray through you groanings and sighs in inarticulate speech. Seek to be continually filled with the Spirit.
Sow to please the Spirit, from the Spirit you will reap eternal life!
By doing these things you will be able to stand your ground. You can exercise your God given authority by declaring the Word (it is written) and resisting Satan and he will flee.
By knowing what the Bible says you are, that you have what the Bible says you can have, and that you can do whatever the Bible says you can do, sowing to the Spirit and relying on Him, you can stand your ground and be firm against perverted doctrines, and Satanic schemes.
1.) The Bible Journey n.d., Paul’s Letter to Galatia, Viewed Oct. 2018, <https://www.thebiblejourney.org/biblejourney1/13-pauls-letters-to-galatia-thessalonica/pauls-letter-to-galatia/>
2.) The Bible Journey n.d., Paul Explains His Personal Background, Viewed Oct. 2018, <https://www.thebiblejourney.org/the-bible-journey/13-pauls-letters-to-galatia-thessalonica/paul-explains-his-personal-background/>
3.) All scriptures taken from the New International Version translation.
4.) Jack Hayford – New Spirit Life Bible, NIV (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, A Division of HaperCollins Christian Publishing Inc., 2014), pgs 1536-1537
5.) Kenneth E. Hagin – In Him (Tulsa: Rhema Bible Church AKA Kenneth Hagin Ministries, 1975)
6.) Photo by Samuel McGarrigle on Unsplash
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