Sunday 7th September – People of God’s promise

7-09-2025, Galations 5:1-15, pastor adrian kitson, People of God's promise

Galatians 5:1-15

5 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

2 Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. 3 Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is required to obey the whole law. 4 You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. 5 For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.

7 You were running a good race. Who cut in on you to keep you from obeying the truth? 8 That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you. 9 ‘A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough.’ 10 I am confident in the Lord that you will take no other view. The one who is throwing you into confusion, whoever that may be, will have to pay the penalty. 11 Brothers and sisters, if I am still preaching circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offence of the cross has been abolished. 12 As for those agitators, I wish they would go the whole way and emasculate themselves!

13 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 neighbour as yourself.’[b] 15 If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.

Everybody wants to be free and belong with others.

Freddie Mercury did: “I want to break free” from everyone expectations.

Bob Marley did: “Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery/None but ourselves can free our minds.”

Stephen Stills did: “Love the one you’re with”

John Lennon did: Imagine there is no heaven: above us only sky….. Come together, right now….

Seems like freedom is something you find, you do, we all do as a project together.

Or is freedom not doing what you want?

Nelson Mandella said so:

“… to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others” – Nelson Mandela.

Paul would agree. He speaks of freedom, unity and belonging in Jesus as he affirms these Christians in the Galatians network of churches.

They do not need to take on serving of human/Jewish legal, ceremonial/lifestyle requirements to be fully assured of their free life together in Jesus’ hope.

No. They are already children of Abraham, the Father of faith, and so, belong in their own right to the family of promise because of all God achieved for them in the person and work of Jesus for them. You are free from slavery to the one true God and the many gods your culture worships!

“Don’t go under that knife!”, Paul says. Don’t be circumcised. As you do you will cut you more than you know. Heading back to this human-flesh-law will cut the relationship you already have with Jesus.

So freedom is precious. Stay in it!

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

‘Standing firm’ has military tones: like soldiers being aware, on the lookout, resistant to attack and sticking together.

So, freedom won for us requires standing by us. Freedom is not ‘doing whatever I want’. Freedom has some shape, some calling, some living.

Our freedom hard won for us by Jesus is not a life of doing whatever we want to please ourselves, but a life of obeying him to please him.

But freedom is constantly assaulted by two forces: ‘circumcision’ or ‘uncircumcision’ (v6)

‘Circumcision’ represents slavishly keeping religious/law duties. ‘Uncircumcision’ is slavishly appeasing the many gods and/or doing whatever we want, moral or not in some drive to find peace or approval and meaning or affirmation.

Paul says that neither great religious effort or cutting loose from all demands and doing our own thing are decisive or determining who you are. Neither hard moral effort or a compete lack of that determines your standing before God.

No. “My good performance does not make me right with God, nor does my bad performance make me any more lost and hopeless. All stand equally lost and equally able to be saved” (Timothy Keller, Galatians for You).

So, when success comes your way? It is not a sign that Jesus does loves you more. It is his love that grants success.

And when you fail? Failure is no sign that God loves you less. My good or bad performance is irrelevant when it comes to what makes my relationship with the Lord. As we know, God is always working for my good (Romans 8:28).

So, whatever happens, good or bad, and whatever my efforts or failures, his love and his promise of new life remain.

This is challenging. Our own human heart does not like being told what to do or feeling constrained in any way.

Tim Keller puts it well:

No matter that you insist you’ve been converted or you say you feel Christ has changed your life. If by deciding your salvation rests in any way on your performance, you deny salvation by faith alone in Christ alone (which I am confident you won’t), you can’t be saved by him
No matter that you insist you’ve been converted or you say you feel Christ has changed your life. If by deciding your salvation rests in any way on your performance, you deny salvation by faith alone in Christ alone (which I am confident you won’t), you can’t be saved by him

There is a much better way.

For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope.

This is our freedom. It is God’s Spirit, God’s heart, God’s grace, God’s good news of forgiveness and new life in the crucified Jesus that determine our freedom and joy, not our behaviour. What a relief!!

In freedom:

Maybe we just don’t get too high or low in failure or success. Neither are a sign of God’s love or lack of love. He loves!
Maybe we just don’t need people to need us or approve of our every move. We know the approval of the king of kings.
Maybe we just don’t need to search and search for meaning in what happens because we know that God knows and God loves. In Jesus, it all counts, and it is all leading to what he has promised us – resurrection to new life every day until the Last Day – despite how might feel.

How is it that you could be so calm, so even, so solid in the storms and season you are facing?

‘Circumcision’ or ‘uncircumcision’ are of no value because the only thing counts is faith expressing itself through love, says Paul.

Faith in Jesus powers us; our sure hope and the love between us, not being religiously moral or being very loose on morals. Trying to be very religious and trying to be the dead opposite are equally selfish and insecure. These can’t produce that beautiful free, self-giving love.

But faith in Jesus can because his love is certain, not fickle; his promises sure, not in doubt.

So, we don’t “Do whatever we want” but “Do whatever he wants” because he is freedom.

And this freedom he gives is not just a ‘feeling’ thing or a seen thing, but it is a true thing…. Luther reflects….

‘ … all those who are terribly afflicted should be given the following counsel in the middle of their distress: “You desire to experience your justification with your feelings – that is, you desire to feel God’s favour in the same way you feel your sin, but this cannot be. Instead, your righteousness must exceed every feeling of sin. Your righteousness or justification to which you grasp is not built on what can be seen or felt. Instead, your hope is based on this: before the presence of God you are righteous. Thus, your righteousness cannot be seen or felt but in God’s time it will be made visible and revealed in its fulness … although we are unable to see our righteousness, at the appointed end time it will be revealed’ (Luther, Galatians, Lecture 34 Friday Nov 1, 1635, Horton)

And so, we stand. And that means we obey, we serve, we live in Jesus’ direction and promise:

Keller puts it well

Christians are freed from the law as a way to win merit from God, but we are not free from the law as a way to please God. Rather, that obligation is increased” (Galatians for You, Timothy Keller)

Now we can pray those prayers the Psalm writers often pray about how they love the Law of God …

⁹⁷ Oh, how I love your law!

I meditate on it all day long.

⁹⁸Your commands are always with me

and make me wiser than my enemies.

¹⁰³ How sweet are your words to my taste,

sweeter than honey to my mouth!

104 I gain understanding from your precepts;

therefore I hate every wrong path. (Psalm 119: 97-98, 103-104)

Why so? Because those Ten commandments and those laws around eating and keeping ceremonies are not irrelevant now. They are still an expression of God’s heart for his free people in the world.

We are free to please him and want to please him not to be loved but BECAUSE we ARE loved.

Attitude and behaviour matter because this is how we stand in our freedom, not how we earn it. We love the will of God because it is his heart for us and his world.

So we are free to enjoy festivals and liturgy seasons and rites. Robes and candles and altars and rites are not rules to be kept to avoid God’s judgement. They are expressions of the freedom we have in Jesus. Take them all away and we are still free in him. Use them to affirm and encourage freedom in him.

As for those commandments: we keep them as best as we can not to stave off God’s judgement but because his judgment has already fallen on his Son for us and we own him our very selves.

One day we will be completely free. We shall all be radiant…without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless (Ephesians 5:27).

This is guaranteed, not founded on our fickle fossicking around in being good or bad, but set and sure by the Lord of Life.

Friends, gladly hear two truths today that will keep you free in Jesus and us united as his body

“Stand firm in this freedom” (v1), and
Don’t abuse this freedom’ (v13)

Mandela was pretty right:

” … to be free is not merely having one’s chains cast off, but living in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others”.

MORE TO PONDER

Key Points:

Freedom in Christ: Christ has set us free, and we should stand firm in this freedom and not return to a yoke of slavery 1.
Circumcision and the Law: Paul warns against relying on circumcision and the law for justification, as it alienates us from Christ 2 3.
Faith Expressing Itself Through Love: The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love, rather than religious or moral efforts 4 5.
Serving One Another in Love: Freedom should not be used to indulge the flesh, but to serve one another humbly in love 6 7.
Standing Firm in Freedom: Freedom in Christ requires standing firm and living in obedience to Him 8 9.

Discussion Questions:

Understanding Freedom: What does it mean to be “set free” by Christ? How does this freedom differ from worldly concepts of freedom?
The Role of the Law: Why does Paul warn against circumcision and adherence to the law? How can we avoid falling into the trap of legalism in our own lives?
Faith and Love: How can we ensure that our faith is expressed through love in our daily interactions with others?
Serving in Love: In what ways can we use our freedom to serve others humbly in love? Can you share examples from your own life or community?
Standing Firm: What does it mean to “stand firm” in the freedom Christ has given us? How can we support each other in this?

Reflective Activity:

Personal Reflection: Spend a few minutes reflecting on areas in your life where you might be relying on your own efforts rather than on Christ’s freedom.
Prayer: Ask for the Lord’s guidance to live out the freedom He has given you and to serve others in love this week.