Law and Grace - Keep the whole Law

Good morning. We're going to be moving into this passage here, Galatians 5, 1 through 6. And it is a potent passage, as we'll soon see. Paul does not pull any punches as he writes these words. So, Galatians 5, 1, it was for freedom that Christ set us free.

Therefore, keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery. One of the things we have here is this word yoke. We have to clarify it's not this yoke here. OK, not that. It's rather this kind, the kind that you would have an animal pull in order to pull some piece of farm equipment or something of that sort.

Paul's first line for it was freedom. that Christ set us free should be viewed as falling immediately after the end of chapter 4. One of the things we have that's a nice convenience is these chapter and verse numbers. The disadvantage of that, something to be careful of, is that it makes us misunderstand the context and the flow of Paul's thought, and that's the case here. With that in mind we could expand the first line like this, it was for spiritual freedom that Christ has set us free from the slavery of living under the law. It was for spiritual freedom that Christ set us free from the slavery of living under the law. The next two lines of verse 1 here introduce us to something that we see more of in the rest of chapters 5 and 6. We won't be going into all that detail, but we just pointed out.

Imperatives. Imperatives. And you have in the middle of your handout this link to the church website, clicking on materials, and we'll explain why in a minute here. Now, imperatives. Oh, do I have to? Well, let's talk about imperatives. What do those mean in the New Testament? Is it just another set of laws, or is it something else? Well, I would have to say, yes, it is something else, and let's talk about it. With this passage here, we're going to be seeing a series of verbs, and if you go through it in detail, you'll find them again. words of action or being that are called imperatives.

That is, they have the idea that we must do something. We must do something. Now how is it that he comes to us and says repeatedly in various ways, you're not under law, but you must do something, right? So we better take a look at that very carefully. Since Paul has been telling us here for most of the last four chapters of Galatians, coming up to this point, that we're not under law, how is it that he starts telling us that we must do something?

Well, that is a good head-scratcher. Be careful. If you click on that link that I gave you earlier, the hollyhillsbiblechurch.org, and then on materials, you will find one, Law versus Grace. And that's one I would recommend you look up and take a look at it. It compares law and grace. And I think that fits well with what we've been doing in this series now for more than two years. Oh, I'm sorry. OK. Well, it's hollyhillsbiblechurch.org. Click on materials. As simple as that. OK?

The chart brings forward key insights into why demands under the principle of law are in sharp contrast with the imperatives under the principle of grace. We're going to point out a very important distinction. You might have noticed this trio of terms as you watch your detective and lawyer shows.

Motive means an opportunity. The detectives will look to nail down what was the motive for the crime. What was the means for carrying out the crime, and did they have the opportunity in order to present the case so that the prosecution can then go in and nail down those three things. Here is the motive, why the crime was committed by this person, what was the means that they carried it out, And did they have, in fact, the opportunity to carry it out? So motive means an opportunity. Well, although that has to do with criminal investigations and prosecution, that actually has something to do with how we live the Christian life. Uh-oh. Okay.

Imperatives tell us to do this or not do that based on the eternal, untouchable, graciously given position that we have in Christ. Based on our position in Christ, we have an imperative. We don't get any imperatives directed to us in the church without having a position behind it. God's grace is the believer's motive for doing or not doing. The position is always graciously given. The position you have in Christ is always graciously given.

It's based on that graciously given position that an imperative, you must do something, is given. It's founded on what God has already done and given you graciously. That's part one. Here's an example of the logic of these imperatives. Sometimes you'll hear the term around here, logical imperatives. Here's why.

Romans 15.7 is an example of this logical imperative. Therefore accept one another in your daily condition. In order that you're acceptable to God? No. It's the reverse. Just as Christ also accepted us, done deal, in our eternal position to the glory of God. So you and your daily condition Accept one another, because in your eternal position, God has already done that for you, through Christ.

Now, 1 Thessalonians 5.8 is another example of the same thing. But since we are of the day, that is our eternal position in Christ, let us be sober in our daily condition, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation. So it's position first and then condition.

In Ephesians 4.32 would be another example, Paul told the believers in Ephesus, forgive one another because you've already been forgiven by grace, but not as is in the Sermon on the Mount, given to the Jews under law, not to forgive one another in order to be forgiven because under law, If you don't forgive, you will not be forgiven. See the difference there? Under grace, forgive because you've been forgiven. Under law, forgive because if you don't, you won't be forgiven. The difference between law and grace, it's motive. The motive under grace is because you have already received the thing that's being asked for or called for.

The means, none of the imperatives of the New Testament were ever given to believers with the idea that we're supposed to carry out the action in our own strength. One way we could put it is this, God never delegated anything to you and me. God never delegated anything to you and me.

God never said, you know, Vern, I'd like to have you do this and this and this, and when we're done with all that, when you've got it all completed, come back and check in with me and we'll see how you did. God doesn't do things that way. No, what we covered previously, you've been crucified with Christ, it's no longer I who do the living, but Christ who does the living in me. That's the way God does things. God never delegates anything to us. He never gives us an assignment and says, check back later, we'll see how you did. That's not his intent.

Through the Holy Spirit's work within and through us, we are empowered and enabled, and I'll add one more word, energized, to carry the imperative into action. Empowered, enabled, and energized to carry the imperative into action based on the position that's already happened. So, what happens is we have a position in Christ. God calls us to do things or not do things based on the position we already have.

But He says, wait a minute, don't go taking off yet. I want this to get carried out by the Holy Spirit. To empower, enable, and energize you to do the things that I've asked you to do and not do. So it's not your job to just run off and do it. You aren't delegated anything. It's the Holy Spirit's work through you. The Holy Spirit is the means. We have a grace motive. We have the Holy Spirit as the means why things get done. We're going to take care of a little detour. So hang on for the detour.

Ephesians 3, 14-19, For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that he would grant you according to the riches of his glory. Is it wimpy skimpy glory? Is it just barely enough? No. The riches of His glory, wealth of glory, the radiant essence of who He is to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man. How does God want to get it pulled off? By you really trying as hard as you can? No. To be strengthened with power as a work of the Holy Spirit in the inner person. That's how He wants to get things done.

The last half of Ephesians 3.16, to be strengthened with power through his spirit in the inner man. With power is the word dunamis. Some people say, oh, that's where we get our word dynamite. Well, he doesn't want you to explode. That's not what he has in mind. He's not intending that. This word has the idea of ability.

Paul prayed that the believers would be empowered by God's enablement, that they would be having the ability. the ability through the Holy Spirit. The other part that we want to point out about that, through the Spirit or literally by means of the Spirit of Him, that's the sequence there, we're indwelt by the Holy Spirit, that's something we saw in Romans chapter 8 verses 9 to 11, who is the one who puts the power of God to work in each believer. It's the Holy Spirit's job to put the power of God to work in each believer.

So here's how it works. Your life and God's eternal purpose. You have this eternal position in Christ. It's accomplished and rooted and established entirely by God. God's the one who pulls it off. That's your eternal position. It's fixed and eternal. Our daily condition, our carrying this out, our walking in the works that He's prepared, the good works that He's prepared, that we might walk in them.

Ephesians 2.10. How does that happen? How do we get from position to how that gets lived out? From here in our position to there in our daily condition. How does that happen?

God is the one through the Holy Spirit who energizes us and enables us and empowers us so that he gets us from here in our eternal position to there in our daily condition. It's God's doing, not our job. So, how do we get there? given the grace motive, the grace motive for living out the imperatives, and given the Holy Spirit's empowering, enabling, and energizing, notice all three words there, as the means for living out those imperatives. We have this mind-boggling opportunity for the life of Christ to be lived out in each one of us who believes. That's how God intends for us to understand the imperatives. When God gives you, do this, don't do that, you must do this, you must not do that, it isn't an assignment to you to carry out. It's a grace motive, it's a Holy Spirit means, and it's a God-given and God-made opportunity. You know, there isn't any good work out there that you have to do on your own. As a matter of fact, I'll tell you this, if you have to do it on your own, it's not a good work. Not a good work. Now, keep standing firm.

The imperatives in verse 1 are of the form, do this, not this. Notice that we don't have to fight for our freedom. He doesn't say, go out and fight for your freedom. No. We don't have to fight for it, or earn it, or anything of the sort. Keep standing firm. Christ is the one who has set us free, and that is a part of our eternal position in Him. All we have to do is stay there in our daily condition. To reverse the usual saying, don't just do something, stand there! Right? Don't just do something, stand there! That's what God wants. Stand firm.

Do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery. This is the second imperative here in this verse. It's a negative one. Telling your believers not to put themselves under bondage, and notice a word, again. They were under bondage previously. That word again is an important one.

They were in bondage to sin, and we'll expand that to the sin nature before they were saved. Before they were saved, the sin nature was calling the shots all the time. If they placed themselves, having been saved and having been made free, under law, they would be in bondage again, even after Christ took all the steps to set them free. And something we're going to notice, all they had to do was try to follow one law to be back in bondage. Not 10, not even 9. You know, 10 minus 1 plus 1. None of that. One law was all it took to be back under bondage. One. It feels so good to have this load back on top of me. Again! You know? It's just wonderful. Right?

So, Galatians 5, 2 through 4, Behold, I, Paul, say to you that if you receive circumcision, Christ will be of no benefit to you. And I testify again. to every man who receives circumcision that is under obligation to keep the whole law. You have been severed from Christ. You who have been seeking to be justified by law, you have fallen from grace."

So, let's take a look. I've got a policy decision here. We will not use PowerPoint slides to explain circumcision. Okay? That's enough said. But, this is the male foreskin, so obviously circumcision here only applies to the males, which is why, during Jesus' time, the Jewish males had a prayer they said every day. They said, thank you for not making me a woman, because I get to follow more laws. Right? Okay. If you receive circumcision, Christ will be of no benefit to you. Isn't that amazing? If you receive circumcision, just one law, Christ will be of no benefit.

The Jews saw circumcision as the first step, since after all we're eight days, right? First step in beginning a life under the law of Moses. So that's why circumcision. As a matter of fact, the rabbis said great is circumcision. That's why Paul would pick on that one. It was the first one that the males certainly would enter into. Great is circumcision, and it doesn't start just with the Law of Moses, it goes back to Abraham. Right? So very, very important to the Jews. He says, you picked just one law, and boy, you just bought the whole thing. Paul warned if any of them took the first step, circumcision, they were counting on their own works. They were counting on their own words, entirely.

So if you receive circumcision, Christ will be of no benefit to you. Well, will the Galatian believers lose it? Will they lose their salvation? When Paul wrote, Christ will be of no benefit to you, did he mean that those who got circumcised would actually lose their salvation?

Is that what he meant? Well, in a word, no. Yet, nine, all those things. Okay. As Paul pointed out in a question in Galatians 3.3, under law, spiritual growth comes to a halt. Got that? Under law, spiritual growth comes to a halt. How many laws?

One. Just one. That's all it takes. Okay? Screech! No more spiritual growth. Just one law. That's all it takes. Check out 2 Corinthians 3, 1-18, which of course we did a few weeks back. There the law is characterized and spiritual growth comes only through the Spirit's work as we behold Christ through the Word without the law, without the veil. Trying to live by the law sets aside what Christ has done. Christ did this and this and this and this and this so that grace is the operating system, but you don't want that.

You want to go back to the law thing and go back to bondage. as if we have to do it all on our own. Verse 3, and I testify again to every man who receives circumcision that he is under obligation to keep the whole law. So, have you ever read of or heard someone who says that we're still under obligation to keep certain parts of the law? I mean, you've got to keep the top ten, right? You've got to keep the top ten. Oh, I forgot one.

Tithing, got to put that in there. even though the passage right before tithing is the one that says don't eat shellfish and lobster and stuff like that. So what happens? Pastors go and beat the pulpit about tithing and then go out to Red Lobster for lunch. And then the next thing that happens is right after the passage on tithing is one about you better let your land life follow every seven years. And of course all the pastors do that after they preach tithing.

Good luck with that. For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at... By the way, here's James. Here's James. They're studying in the elective in there. Let me ask you this. What does this tell us about the law? For whoever keeps the whole law, yet stumbles in one point, has become guilty of all. So if you try to follow one law, what happens? Spiritual growth comes to a halt. if you try to keep the whole law and miss one you broke the whole thing oh that's terrible okay this is terrible now We said in lessons 11 and 12, and of course you remember way back then, right?

I think we're lesson 96. We pointed out that repeatedly the Law of Moses says all, all, the whole law, all, all, every, all. It keeps emphasizing every single one. Does he mean just 10? No, he does not mean just 10. He means every single one, all 613 laws. Got them all memorized?

Hope you're having fun with that. Okay. It was given to the people of Israel as they were preparing to go into the land of Israel, and it told them how they would be blessed if they followed every single, all the laws, and how they would be cursed if they messed up on just one. You could do everything just perfectly. But as you're picking up the firewood, if the sun goes down while you're picking up that last piece of firewood on Friday afternoon, you know what's going to happen? If you're under the Ten Commandments, you're going to study rocks up close. You're going to study rocks up close, and people will be helping you see the rocks up close. That's what's going to happen.

The Law of Moses, all 613 of the ordinances, statutes, and judgments was intended only for the people of Israel and not for anyone else in order to determine blessings as they went into the land and curses if they didn't follow the law. The whole Law of Moses was certainly not intended for people to clip and pick and choose which one they're going to follow.

If you determine that you're going to follow the Ten Commandments You know what you've decided? I am going to break all 603 of the other commandments. That's what it means to decide I'm going to live by the Ten Commandments. And by the way, nobody ever lived by the Ten Commandments. The commandments are only designed to kill you. You don't live by them. You die by them.

Now, the New Testament not only supports what we've seen in the Law of Moses, it also provides astounding perspectives on the nature of the Law of Moses, and we've been looking at that. In addition to the direct and repeated exhortation of the Old Testament to follow all the laws, every law, the New Testament makes the Law of Moses a completely unsevered whole. If you follow one, you're signed up to follow them all. If you break one, you broke the whole thing. So the New Testament supports the idea that we can't just say, hey, I'm going to follow the 10. Oh, except the Sabbath thing. I can't quite figure that one out. And then I'll add some tithing to that. Right?

So now, all 613 laws, every single one, make sure you got it down. If you're going to follow the law, all of them, not just 10, that's cheating. 10 is cheating. all the laws, every single one, even number 144 that says not to eat a worm found in the fruit, even if it's a baby worm. Can't do it. That's against the law.

Now, a principle is either the way something works, we've been saying this, a fundamental truth, or both. Here's the way that the law works, and this is a fundamental truth. Here's the way the law works. If at first you don't succeed, You're sunk. That's the way the law works. If at first you don't succeed, you're sunk. It's not the second piece of firewood that you pick up after the sun goes down on Sabbath that does you in. It's the first one. At first you don't succeed, you're sunk.

Now this is a severe statement. Verse 4. You have been severed from Christ. And I don't think you get any anesthetic. You've been severed from Christ. Paul is really getting serious here. This is worrisome. Those believers who turn to the law have cut themselves loose from the daily advantage of being in Christ in order to go it alone. Under law, being justified, that's declared righteous by God, is something you work for and anticipate as a hopeful, I hope so, future outcome. That's the way the law works. Under grace, if you have believed in Christ for salvation, that salvation under grace in Christ includes being completely 100% justified already entirely by grace.

You have fallen from grace. We who have placed our faith in Christ for salvation, for us who have done that, grace is a matter of standing. It's like we said, don't just do something, stand there. It's where we stand. Would you rather stand or fall? That's Paul's choice. If after that you want law, you're going to have to fall for it. If after that you want law, you're going to have to fall for it.

Here's the last two verses, Galatians 5, 5 and 6. For we through the Spirit, by faith, are waiting for the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything but faith working through love." Now, I'm going to point out an equivalent. Galatians 5, 5 and 6, equivalent. For we through the Spirit, by faith, are waiting for the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus neither the Ten Commandments nor tithing means anything but faith working through love.

You get my point? You can put whatever law you want in there, whatever is anybody's favorite. It means the same thing. One law, ten laws, ten plus one, minus one, whatever you want to call it. If you're going to operate under law, any law, one law, ten, any number you want, it doesn't mean anything.

It doesn't get you anywhere. Will you find life in the law? Nope. Will you find justification in the law? Nope. Will you find righteousness through the law? Nope. Not happening. Will you find death and condemnation through the law? Yep. That's all you're going to find. So, why does Paul say these words in verses 5 and 6? These words are in sharp contrast, and that's exactly what he intends to do, sharp contrast with attempting to be in right standing with God by means of the law. Under law, it is all yours to do. Just do it. Just do it. Under grace, it's a work of the Spirit. It's the Spirit's work in and through you.

Under law, you trust in yourself. Under law, you trust in yourself. You're looking at yourself. Am I picking up firewood at late afternoon on Friday? I better be careful. Under grace, you walk by faith in what God has done, is doing, and will do. My focus is on Him. Under law, you're waiting to be justified. Boy, I sure hope I can keep this up so that I can be justified. Under grace, you're justified already in anticipating the blessed hope of Christ's return. See the difference?

Titus 2.13, looking for the blessed hope in the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, and by the way this says that Jesus Christ is God, our great God and Savior Christ Jesus, points to his deity. What are we looking for? I'm looking to get justified if I can just keep this law long enough. Or, I'm looking for his coming. I'm waiting for him, that blessed hope. I hope it's today.

The hope of righteousness, Galatians 5.5, is a righteousness we already have because we've already been justified, we've already been declared righteous by faith. The hope is for the future and it is not an I hope so hope, well I sure hope Jesus is coming, but it is an absolute certain hope, an absolute certain hope. In Christ Jesus. In Christ. In Christ Jesus. In Him. In the Beloved. In Him. In Whom.

These words, in Christ, are simple, but very profound. Being in Christ isn't something I work towards. You know, I'm really working hard at being in Christ. You know, I'm just kind of trying to figure it out and really putting my best effort in every day and working hard at it. Boy, I'd like to get the percentage up there a little bit. Is that the way it works?

No. We don't market progress or use percentages or bar charts. Not the way it happens. You don't have a pie chart. We don't want pie charts after the holidays anyway. Paul wrote, but by his doing you are in Christ Jesus, 1 Corinthians 1.30a. It's our position and he did it, not me. It's not something I'm working for. He pulled it off. All I did was believe, period.

Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything. The Jews were called the circumcision. The Gentiles were called the uncircumcision by the Jews. If a person thinks that circumcision gains righteousness or any other point of law or that any other step out of grace into law is an advantage, that is tragic. That is tragic.

Much of Christendom gets involved with some smaller set of laws. We can't handle all 613, right? All 613 are a little bit much for people. So we like to cut it down to size. And so people have many law, and then they only need many grace. The law should be huge and ominous and overwhelming. Then we'll see how big grace really is and needs to be. And not until then. A little tiny bit of law is not enough. Because then we think we might be able to handle it. And then we don't need quite so much grace.

And that is awful. If a person thinks the tithing or the Ten Commandments gain righteousness, that is tragic. That person has, as Paul puts it, I'm not inventing this, has fallen from grace. fallen from grace. In the end, Paul makes the point that circumcision is just skin. It's skin. It's on the outside. You go snip, snip, snip, and you cut off some skin. Did you change anything in the heart? Nope. Does it change where that person is going for eternity? Nope. So what really does matter? What really does count?

The distinction in biblical times between Gentiles and Jews was often divided between the uncircumcised and the circumcised. The Jews being the circumcised, calling themselves the circumcised, and the Gentiles the uncircumcised. In Christ Jesus, that once major distinction doesn't mean anything. There is ultimate oneness in Christ. The passage finishes off, but faith working through love. This brief set of words tells us some very, very important things. First, our faith is not all just ethereal and hypothetical or ineffective. It works. It works.

The kinds of works that God intends are not our own best human efforts. God doesn't intend for us to do our best. He does not want us to try to be a good Christian. The work of God that He has enabled and energized and empowered, all three words, because of our faith in Him and that's all.

Faith has a defined mode of expression. How does faith operate? Faith works through love. Faith works through love. It started that way, it will finish that way. Faith works through love. Why did Christ die on the cross for you? Why did he give himself four times in the New Testament? He loved and he gave. He loved and he gave.

Faith works through love. Faith is motivated by love. Genuine biblical faith is not the works where we go and check off, been there, done that. Faith is effectively working based on a motivation out of response to God's infinite, awesome grace and love.

That's what he's telling us. We're grateful we are not indebted. God doesn't give you a gift along with the invoice. That's not the way God works. We live by love, not by dread of a looming condemnation. Oh, no. God is not waiting at the gate of heaven saying, ha, boy, when Vern gets through here, I'm going to roast him, but good.

Grace. I'm already now accepted. I'm already now loved immensely. I'm already now the recipient of God's amazing grace. Grace so amazing it will take forever. Ephesians 2, 7. Take forever for God to show us what it's all about. On into eternity. That's gonna be awesome. That's gonna be awesome. Let's pray.

Lord, we do, as we look at this, We do find ourselves amazed. We do find ourselves astounded at how amazing your grace is. And Lord, we would also ask that in view of that, we not be tempted to go back under law, not even one, not under any principle of law. We're not indebted to you. We need make no promises. Instead, Lord, we just look to your astounding and amazing grace. And we appropriate that by faith that works through love. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.