“Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.” (Galatian 5:19-21 KJV)
Some use this to state that if you commit such sins you are no longer saved and will not be able to enter Heaven. But is that what Paul is stating in Galatians 5 when read in context? The answer is absolutely not.
Let’s have a closer look in proper context.
The very first sentence in Galatians 5 reads,
“Stand fast therefore in the LIBERTY wherewith CHRIST HAS MADE US FREE, and be not entangled again with the YOKE OF BONDAGE.” (Gal. 5:1 KJV)
Once a person is born again by belief on Christ as Paul wrote in 1 Cor. 15:1-4, all their sins were placed on Christ on that cross 2000 years ago by God’s foreknowledge (Ephesians 1, Colossians 2, Romans 6). From that moment the person is sealed by the Holy Spirit until the day of their bodily resurrection (Eph 1:13-14, 4:30). God -MADE THEM- the righteousness of God, in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17-21). Paul is not flip flopping on his teachings in Galatians 5.
CONTEXT MATTERS
We must understand the context of Galatians 5. First, WHO is Paul addressing? Saved Jews or unsaved Jews? He is addressing born again, eternally saved Jews. Apparently, some believers fell to the lie that a born again believer needed to go back to following the Law as well in order to be saved. Some Judiazers infiltrated the church there, teaching this heresy that our works matter or we can lose salvation. This heresy is one around today rampantly as well and it is called ‘Works for salvation’ and ‘Lordship Salvation’. These Judiazers were spreading lies to the believers and Paul is putting an end to this serious false heresy.
First, we see that it is CHRIST who gave us liberty and MADE US free. It is not anything we did. This is also in agreement with the teaching of Paul in Ephesians 2:8-9 where Paul states works have NOTHING to do with our salvation.
Then Paul wrote this in Galatians 5,
“Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you NOTHING. For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is A DEBTOR to do the whole law. “
This echoes James 2:10. Break one Law and you broke them all. Also remember, that it is Paul who wrote that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). Paul warns these born again people to not do such a horrendous thing. It is the same as in the book of Hebrews where they were going back to animals sacrifices. God forbid! Jesus paid a heavy price to save us! And here are these Judiazers trying to take glory by their own works for salvation in severe PRIDE. It goes completely against the heart of the Gospel of salvation through Christ crucified, died and rose again.
Then Paul contrasts and follows through on just what it would mean to be trusting in the Law again. The Law which Paul had just stated in verse one as being under bondage again. Why go back under the bondage of the Law that NO ONE EVER kept perfectly , except Christ? The very bondage Christ redeemed us from?
Paul tells these born again Galatians who were falling for the false teaching of the Judiazers sternly,
“Christ is become of NO EFFECT UNTO YOU, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are FALLEN FROM GRACE.” (Gal. 5:4)
We see here the severity of the false teaching. Those falling for this heresy have to consider were they even saved yet? Paul is emphasizing that salvation is by GRACE and not works of the Law. Paul taught this in much of his writings such as
“Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good. Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become EXCEEDING SINFUL. For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.” (Romans 7:12-14 KJV)
“Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall NO FLESH BE JUSTIFIED in his sight: for by the law is the KNOWLEDGE OF SIN.” (Romans 3:20 KJV)
“Moreover the law entered, that the offence MIGHT ABOUND. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:” (Romans 5:20)
Paul even goes further to proclaim that,
“The sting of death is sin; and the STRENGTH OF SIN IS THE LAW.” (1 Corinthians 15:56 KJV)
The strength of sin is the LAW! Trying to follow the Law for righteousness only result sin more sin.
Grace saves but the Law (even though it is holy and good) is what Paul called the ministry of death and condemnation in 2 Cor. 3:
“But if the MINISTRATION OF DEATH, written and engraven IN STONES, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away: How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious? For if the MINISTRATION OF CONDEMNATION be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory.” (2 cOR. 3:7-9 kjv)
Remember, proper context must include teachings of Paul in his other writings in the New Testament as well, otherwise he would be flip flopping on beliefs, which he is not.
Then Paul brings home the truth about salvation in refuting the Judiazers false heresy. It is not by works of the Law and it is also NOT KEPT by the works of the Law.
“For we THROUGH THE SPIRIT wait for the hope of righteousness BY FAITH. For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but FAITH which worketh by love. Ye did run well; who did HINDER YOU that ye should not OBEY THE TRUTH?” (Gal. 5:5-7 KJV)
Well, it was the Judiazers that hindered them and that confused them by their heresy of adding works to salvation by grace as a requirement. Who paid for our sins? Us or Christ? Adding us and our works into the salvation equation, even after salvation, is complete heresy. It makes Christ of no effect unto them. Paul is instructing them to stick with the truth of the Gospel as he taught, salvation is by GRACE GRACE GRACE by our faith and trust in that. And grace has a name and it is Christ Jesus, the Lord.
Paul continues in Galatians 5,
“This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you. A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump. I have confidence in you through the Lord, that ye will be none otherwise minded: but he that troubleth you shall bear his judgment, whosoever he be.” (Galatians 5:8-10 KJV)
This heresy did not come by the Holy Spirit, that is for sure! These Judizaers who crept into the church of the Galatians were like a leaven affecting the whole lump. They were causing strife in the church there with their false heresy. And Paul states that these Judiazers are gonna be judged over this. It is a very serious offence. Earlier in his letter Paul exclaims,
“I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would PERVERT THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, LET HIM BE ACCURSED. As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, LET HIM BE ACCURSED.”
(Galatians 1:6-9 KJV)
Strong words of warning by Paul. Twice he wrote, “LET HIM BE ACCURSED!”
We see here the proper context and purpose of Paul’s Epistle to the Galatians and that continues into Galatians 5.
Paul then tells them that born again believers are not under the Law! Born again believers are now living under the Holy Spirit indwelling us. Jesus made sure of that at the cross. It was His promise; the comforter who would come after the cross and His rising again. (John 14:16)
Paul goes on in Galatians to explain that yes, we should not take this liberty in salvation for granted and just go and sin all we want but instead we should in great gratitude love others. We do this by walking in who Christ MADE US from the moment of belief on Christ, which is THE SPIRIT. Our new born again Spirit which has been perfected, is complete in Christ and is the very righteousness of God, in Christ (Hebrews 10:14, Colossians 2, 2 Cor. 5:21)
“This I say then, WALK IN THE SPIRIT, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of THE FLESH. For THE FLESH lusteth against THE SPIRIT, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. But if ye be led of THE SPIRIT, YE ARE NOT UNDER THE LAW.” (Gal. 5:17-18 KJV)
There’s been a change in you believer! Our core being received the righteousness of Christ! In Romans 12, Paul taught that we need to RENEW OUR MIND by God’s Word with guidance of the indwelling Holy Spirit. My fellow believers, you may not feel perfected and righteous because our body and mind has not yet been fully redeemed and will not be until our bodily resurrection. But when we believe who God MADE US in our core being, in our born again Spirit, things start changing. We live outwardly as we believe in the mind. The more renewing to the truth of who we are, the more good works in love of others starts happening. Not that these good works keep us saved; NO! It is just who we now are and it starts working it’s way outwardly the more we renew our mind to the truth of who God made us.
As Paul just mentioned a war between the FLESH (old wrong thoughts and beliefs left over from when our Spirit was reborn) and the new SPIRIT, he goes on to explain the difference between walking in the old Flesh ways and the new Spirit ways.
“Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.” (Gal. 5:19-21 KJV)
Is Paul talking about believers here? That if they sin one of these sins that they lose salvation? NOT AT ALL BY CONTEXT! He is using a comparison of living under the Law, by the Flesh and living as born again believers with the new Spirit and the Holy Spirit indwelling them.
Unbelievers are completely in THE FLESH. They have no new born again Spirit. They have the old Adam Spirit which has a bent towards sinning. The works of the FLESH are the works that unbelievers do. They do these things because they have an Adam spirit. It is their very nature and the same nature believers once had. It is like a prison and slavery to unrighteousness. Sinning because it is the very nature. Try to get a cat to act as a dog. Good luck! It is not their very nature to be a dog. Without belief on Christ for our righteousness, apart from our works or works of the Law, a person is not saved. He stands condemned for the wages of their sins (Romans 6:23).
A believer should be and CAN BE walking by who God REMADE THEM to be in their Spirit nature. They now have the Spirit of God. They need to start walking in this truth of who they now are. It takes time to renew our mind to this fact. I mean what an amazing truth that God made us the righteousness of God, in Christ. To God, a born again believer is as righteous as Christ. The results are,
“But the fruit OF THE SPIRIT is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” (Gal. 5:22-25 KJV)
What we need to do as believers is to TRUST and BELIEVE who God -MADE US-, not in our own works after salvation to keep us saved. BIG DIFFERENCE!
“For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might –BE MADE– THE RIGHTEOUSNESS Of GOD IN HIM.” (2 Cor. 5:21 KJV)
Is that an amazing statement of fact and truth or what?! If believers would grasp just how much God gave us with the gift of salvation, and WHO GOD MADE US, what a witness we could become. Instead today, as did the Galatians, there are many many Judiazers teaching works for salvation and works to remain saved (Lordship Salvation). The foretold End Times Apostasy is here, right now today just as foretold.
Paul wrote,
“There is therefore -NOW- no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” (Romans 8:1 KJV)
Believe it! Walk by you new Spirit in Christ!
