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Galatians 5:19-21. Is this loss of salvation? NO!

Don Gerrity Galatians January 12, 2023

“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!

Galatians 5: ‘shall not inherit the kingdom of God’

Don Gerrity Galatians February 2, 2018

Some read Galatians 5 and say that it shows a saved person who believes on Christ can lose their Salvation by committing the list of sins Apostle Paul gives. But a closer look with context shows his point differently.

Of course, yes, we can fall into sin. We should avoid sinning. Absolutely. There are consequences for sinning (loss of reward at Bema judgement seat of believers, and consequences in our earthly life (steal/jail) but condemnation and loss of Salvation is not a consequence for believers because Jesus died for ALL of life of sins.

The Bible is clear, and even Jesus own words when asked about Salvation in John 3 show, that Salvation is ETERNAL. Passages of Scripture such as John 3:14-18, Hebrews 10: 9-14, Ephesians 1:13-14 are only but a few. Salvation is not of ourselves nor our works (Ephesians 2:8-9). Paul wrote these and I believe he also wrote Hebrews, yet we do not know that for sure.

Yet, we must acknowledge that we have TWO natures as a believer.. The Flesh and Newly created Spirit. (Romans 7) The Spirit NEVER sins and is perfect.(1 John 3) This spirit is the new us. It wars with The Flesh and will until we receive our new resurrected bodies. Our sins as believers have been WASHED away by belief on Christ’s atonement. As far as the East is to the west are our transgressions removed from us! (Psalm 103:12) Jesus was the perfect sacrifice once..for all (Hebrews 10). On the cross Jesus cried out, IT IS FINISHED which in Greek literally means, Debt, PAID IN FULL. Jesus did not provide a partial payment for our sins.

Jesus foreknew the sins of ours from the foundation of the world yet died for our sins anyway. We receive the free gift of Salvation by faith and belief on Christ and His redemptive work on the cross (John 3:18)

In Galatians, the Galatian church members at first believed the true Gospel of Jesus Christ which is Salvation by the GRACE of God (an unmerited favor) through faith (belief) in the atonement for our sins through the ONLY begotten Son of God, Jesus the Christ, taking the punishment for the sins of the whole world on the cross. This is the work of God, not man. This New Covenant is between God and God, not God and man as the Old Covenant was.
We see in Galatians 2 that soon after establishing the Galatian church some people crept into the church and started teaching others that belief in the atonement for sins through Christ was NOT ENOUGH. They taught that the religious rituals of the Law of Moses were also required. When Paul heard this he addressed the Galatian church to show them just how serious and how false a teaching that is when he wrote,

“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.” (Galatians 2:6-8 KJV)

Later in Galatians 5, Paul continues showing how reverting to following the Law of Moses, a works based system, as a requirement of Salvation is not the true Gospel of Christ. He uses a rule of the Law of Moses that males are to be circumcised as an example to explain. The Liberty Paul speaks of is the Law of Liberty we have in Christ where all our sins have been completely forgiven to those that believe in the atonement of Christ.

“Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ HATH MADE (Don: past tense) us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.” (Galatians 5:1 KJV)

The English word ‘liberty’ in Greek is ‘liberty to do or to omit things having NO RELATIONSHIP TO SALVATION’

“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. Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are FALLEN FROM GRACE. For we —>through the Spirit<— wait for the hope of righteousness BY FAITH.” (Galatians 5:2-5 KJV)

Adding the Law of Moses to the Gospel of Salvation by faith in Christ is putting a person back into bondage of the Law. What Paul is saying is that trying to keep one of the Laws of Moses, such as males being circumcised, such a person is now in bondage to keep the ENTIRE LAW OF MOSES, the Ten Commandments and all the rest of the laws. This is the very reason Christ came and was crucified for our sins; no person can keep all of the Law of Moses! Every person has sin! It is impossible!

Paul goes on to say that those teaching this false gospel should be CUT OFF, that is kick them out of the church because they are not true believers but are false prophets twisting the true Gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul puts it this way in verse 9, “A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.” This is serious business. Better they be cut off than others be deceived by them. Paul is not talking about cutting off believers as some are teaching today. The context is very clear.

“I would they were even cut off which trouble you. For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” (Galatians 5:12-14 KJV)

This is clear. Once you accept the free gift of Salvation through Christ’s atonement do not revert to thinking you that you must add good works nor religious rituals as REQUIREMENTS to be saved. Yes, do good works and help others in Love because it is right to serve others as Christ served us and, well, good works are a good thing right? But NEVER think good works or religious rituals are REQUIRED for Salvation. That is the point I make…Salvation is eternal from the moment of belief as taught by Apostle Paul and Jesus . (Ephesians 1:13-14, John 3).

Notice the difference between THEY and WE in Galatians 5 by Apostle Paul.
The ‘THEY’ are clearly unbelievers and the ‘WE’ are clearly believers. Remember that both believers and non believers have ‘The Flesh’.

“19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21 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.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 24 And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.

>>25 If WE live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:19-25 KJV)

We have this Flesh problem and it wants to sin but since we became saved, we have a newly created spirit which is the now the real NEW US. The Flesh does vs19-21, the spirit does vs22-24 and since the spirit is the new us LET US WALK IN THE SPIRIT.

Paul wrote this in 1 Cor. 6 KJV:

“9 Know ye not that >>THE UNRIGHTEOUS<< shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

11 And such WERE some of you: but YE ARE WASHED, but YE ARE SANCTIFIED, but ye ARE JUSTIFIED in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.” (1 Corinthians 6 KJV)

Notice that verse 11 does not say it is by our own efforts we are saved and made righteous. It simply states the Gospel message and that believers in Christ alone foe justification and Salvation have been WASHED, SANCTIFIED and JUSTIFIED by what Christ accomplished at the cross. God in the flesh took our sins and nailed them to the cross. We were also buried and raised with Christ and given a newly created Spirit within which is from God – not from our efforts, but from our BELIEF (John 3).

Paul is not contradicting himself here. Both above passages are describing the very same thing. As believers, we still fall and sin but after we feel bad right? We feel “icky” right? Unbelievers do not have this feeling of how bad we blew it knowing what God has done for us in Salvation. We feel full of SHAME. That is because The Flesh is at war with the Spirit. Because we have been washed by the blood of Christ and are now the Newly created Spirit within.

This Spirit is of God and is perfectly Holy Righteous and redeemed and so when we go against this and sin (and we all will fail and sin at times until our bodily resurrection), we feel it! Paul tells us that since we are now this new Spirit, we should walk in the Spirit to avoid the lust of The Flesh. So, we strive to walk in the spirit..in the new us. But it is not about loss of Salvation.