They Which Trouble You
Gal 5:1-12
4-22-07 

Paul warned the Galatians about following someone that would cause them to go back under the law – he said that whoever these are – they trouble you – what was the trouble?

They cut off your liberty in Christ – 1 – when you get saved, the Spirit of God comes into you and makes you free from the law and from the consequences of sin 2 Cor 3:17; this is a liberty that has freed us for eternity and a liberty that all of creation will enjoy when Christ returns and we are fully redeemed Rom 8:21; by putting the Galatians back under the law, they cut off this liberty

They conceal spiritual circumcision – 2 – God made a covenant with Abraham by physical circumcision and any man child not circumcised was to be cut off from the covenant Gen 17:10, 14; in Acts 15:1-11 the disciples concluded that circumcision was not necessary for salvation; the reason is that when a person gets saved, he is spiritually circumcised and the body of the sins of his flesh is removed from his soul forever Col 2:11-12; the legalists in Galatia were not preaching spiritual circumcision which would make physical circumcision totally unnecessary

They put you in debt – 3 – once a person decides that he needs to keep the law and be circumcised in order to be saved, then he is also responsible to do everything else the law requires Gal 3:10; Jas 2:10; but when a person gets saved, he is no longer required to do anything in the law and he doesn’t have to do anything in the law to get saved – there is nothing inn the law about being born again

They cause you to fall from grace – 4 – this doesn’t say that you lose your salvation after you get saved [like some folks teach]; this says that if you are trying to get saved by keeping the law, then you have fallen from the grace that is required for you to be saved Eph 2:8-9

They offer you no hope – 5 – a man under the law works with no assurance of salvation whatsoever; and in the New Testament, a man without Christ literally has no hope Eph 2:12; Christians, on the other hand, are saved by hope Rom 8:24-25

They substitute works for faith – 6 – To be circumcised for salvation is to attempt to be justified by the works of the law; a man cannot be saved by the works of the law Gal 2:16; rather a man is saved by faith in Jesus Christ Acts 16:30-31 who loved us and gave himself for us Eph 5:25; Rom 5:8

They cause you to reject the truth – 7 – when a man puts you back under the law then he causes you to disobey the gospel Rom 9:30-10:4

They work against Jesus – 8 – Jesus called them to believe on him; these that hindered them told them to keep the law contrary to the gospel Jn 3:3-7; 6:28-29; Rom 3:28

They destroy the whole church – 9 – if they allow a little works to be mixed with faith now, soon they will be preaching a works salvation exclusively.  Then there will be a church full of lost souls, like mainline denominations today.

They will be judged for this – 10 – Paul was confident that the Galatians would see through what the folks were doing who were trying to put them back under the law; nevertheless, he reminded them that God would judge this person or these persons who were trying to destroy their faith (i.e., 1 Tim 1:19-20)

They are trying to eliminate the offence of the cross – 11 – the cross is offensive and the preaching of the cross is foolishness 1 Cor 1:18, 23; a man who doesn’t want to look like a fool will change the gospel to make it more acceptable to lost religious folks and to keep from bearing reproach 1 Tim 4:10; Heb 13:13

They should be cut off – 12 – Paul wants this guy or these guys stopped so that they can’t continue to destroy the work he had begun Gal 1:8-9; Tit 1:10-11

 

 

Back to the Sunday School Archive Page

Copyright © 2001-2005 Bible Believers Baptist Church
These articles cannot be stored on other Internet sites or sold or placed by themselves or with other material in any electronic format for sale, but may be distributed for free by e-mail or by print. They must be left intact and nothing removed or changed.