All right. Well, we're continuing our study in the book of Galatians this morning in chapter five. Paul spent the last four chapters defending the gospel of grace through faith in Jesus alone and condemning those who would add law and works to grace for salvation. He's spoken clearly. He's spoken forcefully and condemning a false gospel and those who preach it. 

In our last two messages, we studied an Old Testament illustration Paul used to try to make his point clear once again, and we saw the instruction to cast out the law covenant as a way of life and hold fast to the promise of God as a child of God through faith in Jesus Christ. In chapter five, Paul is going to appeal to the believers, to us, to stand fast in the liberty that we have in Christ and not to be deceived or to be confused by false teaching that places the yoke of the law back on the necks of the disciples.

Well, in our text this morning, Paul makes clear that there's no mixing of the two. The new covenant life is a life lived under grace by faith, and there's no place for the law covenant in this life. In fact, it is a choice between eternal life and condemnation. Salvation, Paul says, are debtors to keep the whole law and have fallen away from grace, and that Christ will profit them nothing. These are stunning statements by Paul. Christ will profit you nothing. This strikes at the heart of those who would teach a works plus faith message in Christianity.

Turn over to Philippians 3 with me, please. Philippians 3 is one of the clearest passages concerning this in Paul's own testimony. Philippians 3, 1, he writes, "Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. For me to write the same things to you is not tedious, but for you it is safe. Beware of dogs, beware of mutilation." Now he's talking about these legalistic Jews referring to circumcision. "For we are the circumcision who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. 

Though I also might have confidence in the flesh, if anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I am more so. Circumcised the eighth day of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews, concerning the law, a Pharisee. Concerning zeal, persecuting the church, concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. But what things were gained to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. 

Yet I indeed also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ. Now listen, verse 9, "and be found in him, not having my own righteousness which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith." What a clear passage explaining righteousness by faith and not by the law. It's Paul's own testimony when he forsook Judaism and that legalistic religion that he was so zealous for and turned to faith in Christ. 

And yet today in mainline Christian denominations we see a rejection of God's righteousness imputed to us when we believe Jesus alone and what he accomplished in his one-time death on the cross. And we see doctrines as an attempt to mix adding law-keeping and religious ritual to faith alone as a means of justification. Well, Paul clearly condemns these false teaching texts today and again beseeches the brethren, those who are justified by faith, to reject such teachings and not become entangled in the law again in their Christian life, perverting, confusing the pure gospel of grace.

My brothers and sisters in Christ, two things that are different are not the same. We cannot have a gospel of grace by faith whereby God's righteousness to us be what Christ finished on the cross by his grace alone through faith alone and a gospel of faith plus works and sufferings and sacraments and all the other trappings of religion. Two things that are different are not the same. And Paul says here that if you start adding law to faith, if you choose law as a means of justification and holiness, then Christ will profit you nothing. You might as well not have Christ at all if his one-time death, burial, and resurrection is not sufficient for our salvation. 

Stand fast, therefore, in the liberty by which Christ has made us free. Let's look at our text together this morning, Galatians 5.1. "Stand fast, therefore, in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. Indeed, I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing. You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. For we, through the Spirit, eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. 

For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything but faith working through love." I've given you five points on your outline: stand fast, Christ will profit you nothing, the whole law, law versus grace, and faith working through love. 

In verse 1 of our text, Paul says, "do not be entangled again," and he's writing primarily to the believers in the region of Galatia. His concern is for the pure gospel of grace by faith in Jesus alone, primarily concerning the believers in these churches who are becoming confused by the perverting of the gospel. In chapter 1 at verse 6, he said, "I marvel that you are turning away so soon from him who called you in the grace of Christ to a different gospel, which is not another, but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ." 

Paul says, "do not become entangled by which Christ has made us free." He's writing to believers and is most concerned that the believers would understand the implications of the gospel on the Christian life. They were in bondage before, but Christ set them free when Paul came preaching the gospel and they turned to Jesus in faith. Christ has made us free. But what does this mean exactly? 

We've studied the truth of regeneration many times, but it's perhaps the single most important doctrine, the truth of our faith concerning the living out of the Christian life. How do we stand fast in the liberty? What does it mean that Christ has made us free? Well, when we believe Jesus, God reincorporated, recreated through our union with Jesus in his death, burial, and resurrection, we were crucified with Christ. We died with him, were buried with him, and were raised to newness of life.

I'd like you to turn to Romans 6 at verse 1, and let's look at that tremendous passage where Paul explains this, our union with Jesus in his death, burial, and resurrection. "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not. How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?  Therefore, we were buried with him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of his death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of his resurrection. 

Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin, for he who has died has been freed from sin." Well, the key doctrine in understanding the Christian life and regeneration is that we, our old man and Adam, who we were, died. Verse 6, understanding, knowing this, he says, this is an assurity, that our old man was crucified with him, in order that the body, this physical body controlled by indwelling sin, this body of sin might be done away with or rendered powerless, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. 

We died; we died to the controlling power of sin in our lives. And Romans 7, verse 4, says, "also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another, to him who was raised from the dead." Why? Why did we die to the law? Why were we married to Christ? That we should bear fruit to God. Paul says, "I, through the law, died to the law, Galatians 2, in order that I might live to God. For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused by the law were working our members to bear fruit to death. But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter." 

When we died, when we were crucified with Christ, we became dead to the law. We died to what we were held by for the express purpose that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter. We now walk by faith in the Spirit, and the Holy Spirit imparts strength to our inner man. We are dead to the law of covenant. It's no longer our way of living. 

In Romans 6, 9, it says, "knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more, death no longer has dominion over him. For the death that he died, he died to sin once for all, but the life that he lives, he lives to God. Likewise, you also are dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord." Hebrews 2, 14 says, "And as much then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, he himself likewise shared in the same, that through death he might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage." 

When we died with Christ, we died so that death would no longer have dominion over us, and we were released from the fear of death that all our lifetime held us in bondage. Christ has made us free from death itself. We have been free, and now we live in righteousness. We are free to obey Christ, and we'll see later in this text that is ultimately manifest in our lives by the supernatural fruit of love—faith working through love. 

There's a most interesting verse at the end of chapter 2 of Galatians. Paul has been talking in that place about how the law is not our means to salvation, but that the law brought death, and he died to the law that he might live to God. He's become a believer. He's been born again, and he says in verse 18, "if I go entangled again with the yoke of bondage, then I make myself a transgressor." Galatians 2:18, he says, "for if I build again those things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor; for I through the law died to the law that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ. It's no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me, and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain." 

Such a clear contrast between life by the law and life by the Spirit, by Christ's life in us through faith, and this is what Paul's talking about in Galatians 5:1 when he says, "stand fast in the liberty by which Christ has made us free." 

Free from sin, free from the law, free from the fear of death, to live now by the Spirit through faith. The just, that is those who have been saved justified, the just shall live how? By faith. Stand fast, do not become entangled again with the yoke of bondage. Go back to Acts 15 with me. Let's look at this meeting in Jerusalem again where Paul and Barnabas went up there to straighten out this whole issue, and we want to look at Peter's words again.

Acts 15:1, setting the context: "And certain men came from Judea and taught the brethren, what did they teach? Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved." 

Therefore, when Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and dispute with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas and certain others of them should go up to Jerusalem, the apostles and elders, about this question. So being sent on their way by the church, they passed through Phoenicia and Samaria, describing the conversion of the Gentiles, and they caused great joy to all the brethren. When they'd come to Jerusalem, they were received by the church and the apostles and elders, and they reported all things that God had done with them. 

Look at verse 5, "but some of the sect of the Pharisees who believed"—what did they believe? They believed in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ—they taught that, saying, "it is necessary to circumcise them and command them to keep the law of Moses." Now the apostles and elders came together to consider this matter. When there'd been much dispute, Peter rose up and said to them, "men and brethren, you know that a good while ago God chose among us that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. 

So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving him the Holy Spirit, just as he did to us, and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. Now therefore, why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear, but we believe that through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved in the same manner as they." The law of Moses is a yoke of bondage, and no man has ever been able to establish righteousness through it because of the weakness of the flesh. The law was not given to produce righteousness in our lives, but to show us our sin and leave us guilty, to shut our mouths and lead us to faith in Christ. 

But after faith has come, we're no longer under the tutor. Verse 2 of our text, Paul says, "Indeed I, Paul, say that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing. And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law." Interesting, Paul says the whole law. You could interpret that any other way, wouldn't it? You know what it says in the Greek? It says the whole law. Whole law. You've become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. 

Those who would add law and works to grace fall away from the principle of grace as the means of salvation. Those who would add law and works to grace are forgotten. In other words, it's either by grace or by works. The two are mutually exclusive. In Romans 11:6 it says, "And if by grace, then it is no longer of works. Otherwise, grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace. Otherwise, work is no longer work." 

If you choose the law as the way of righteousness, then all you have to do is keep the law perfect, the whole law. I wonder if you've read the law. Remember when God gave the law, Moses was exceedingly afraid, and the people said, "Quit, stop, don't say any more." You read Leviticus lately? I mean, it's hard to read, let alone keep it all. And how's it going within commandments? You kept them perfectly your entire life? That's what Paul says. If you choose that way as a way of salvation, all you have to do is keep the whole law perfect. 

This is a clear narrative in the book of Galatians, and you would insist on the law as a way to life and justification or the way of life and sanctification. Paul says, then Christ profits you nothing. You might as well be just without Christ entirely. He profits you nothing. You've fallen from grace. According to Romans 5, the one who's been justified is in grace. We live in a perpetual state of grace under God's grace and favor as his child. But those who add law to faith are living under a different rule of life, a different state of being in relation to God. Those who live under law, Paul says, are under a curse, for the law brings only wrath. 

Fast in Christ, in liberty, in grace, believing, trusting him and his righteousness and power alone, his grace alone in all things, and do not entangle yourself again in any kind of law, which is bondage. Verse 5, he says, "for we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith, for in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything but faith working through love." 

It's very interesting what Paul says here in verse 5. We eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. But Paul has told us again and again that those who believe Jesus have the righteousness of faith positionally in justification. In Romans 4:1 it says, "What then shall we say that Abraham our father is found according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. 

Now to him who works, the wages are not counted but as debt. But to him who does not work, but believes, he is justified by works. The ungodly are justified by works. David also disputes righteousness apart from works, not in conjunction with your works, apart from works. Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin." 

Those who have believed have been justified by faith. They have God's righteousness imputed to them in justification. This is clear. So what's Paul talking about when he says we eagerly wait for the righteousness of faith through the Spirit? Well, the next verse says this: "for in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything but faith working through love." 

Circumcision here represents the whole law, as Paul's just stated. The whole law, ceremonial, civil, moral, the whole law of Moses, the old covenant. So what's Paul saying? He's saying that the law concerning the hope of righteousness by the Spirit has no value at all. It doesn't matter whether you participate in these religious ceremonies or not; if you're baptized or not, the law avails nothing concerning righteousness in Christ. 

Rather, righteousness comes by faith through the power of the Holy Spirit. The fruit of righteousness, exemplified in love, agape, self-sacrificial love, is a supernatural fruit of the Spirit in our lives as we walk by faith. Look at verse 18 in Galatians 5. "If you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law." Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousy, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murder, drunkenness, and the like. 

Paul says, "I told you in time past, those who practice these things will not inherit the kingdom of God, but the fruit of the Spirit is love." If you're led by the Spirit, you're not under the law. The fruit of the Spirit is love, supernatural fruit by the power of the Holy Spirit. In John 15:4, Jesus said, "Abide in me and I in you, as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, the less it abides in the vine. Neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me and I in him bears much fruit, for without me you can do nothing." 

To just live, walk by faith—the fruit of love, the supernatural, by the power of the Spirit, by the life of Christ in us. Why? Why can we live this new life in Christ? Why can we love? Because we died. We died to sin, to death, to the law. Our old man was crucified with Christ. This is the why; this is the underlying doctrine, the truth of who we are in Christ. 

But how? How does God intend to produce this holiness in our lives, this supernatural fruit of love? By a list of laws on our refrigerator? How does he intend to? Turn to Ephesians 3:14. This has become one of my favorite passages. Paul's already said, as Mark mentioned this morning in Ephesians 1, that the very power that raised Jesus from the dead is at work in you who believe. In Ephesians 3:14, Paul's praying for them again. 

In verse 16, he says that according to the riches of his glory— we've talked about that; it's not out of his riches, it's according to his riches. How many riches does God have? Owns a cattle on a thousand hills, that's big in my neighborhood—to be strengthened with might through his Spirit, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, that you being rooted and grounded in love may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height, to know the love of Christ which passes all, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. 

He's going to impart strength to your inner man by the Holy Spirit who lives in you. My spirit witnesses with his spirit. We're in agreement. Christ lives in me and is working out through me. Verse 20 says, "to him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen." 

Paul says, "we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith." One day at a time, through the Spirit by faith. How does righteousness come in our lives? Consistently day by day as we walk in faith through the power of the Holy Spirit living in us, imparting strength to our inner man. And Jesus lives his life in and through us as we walk by faith, abiding in him as a branch abides in the vine. 

The law is bondage. The law is a yoke, a burden that we cannot bear. It does not produce righteousness. For in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything but faith working through love. 

Those who would place the law on the believer as a rule of life would argue that the law shows us our sin, that it guides us into righteousness, that it drives us back to God's grace, that it is a necessary part of holy. And we've talked about this many times that the law is in the form of the moral law reiterated throughout the New Testament. But always instruction is based on these truths that we're talking about, and the means is never the law. It's always a rebuke. 

"Do not lie to one another." Why? Because you put off the old man. What are you thinking? This isn't who you are. But how are we instructed to live a holy life? By the Spirit, by faith. I've had many conversations about this with many men who love the Lord, but what I see so clearly in the New Covenant is that God has made a better way, a new way to produce holiness in our lives through our death, through our regeneration, through the Holy Spirit, through Jesus living in us. 

And the charge is often that this is a very dangerous thing. It's even a subjective thing. By the Spirit in our conscience to show us when we sin rather than having a written list to live by. And I would agree that grace can be dangerous, that men can trade on God's grace, that men can twist things and rationalize in their minds. But the Bible teaches that grace and the Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ living in and through us is the only means to holiness and to righteous living—not the law.

And I've really been struggling through all of these messages on Galatians to illustrate how this works in a practical application, living by the Spirit and not by the letter. I wonder if you've ever had the experience of fellowshipping with brothers and sisters in Christ, perhaps spending the evening with believers, and in the course of many words you say something you wish you had not said. Maybe something unkind or coarse or untoward, to use a good old word. 

Maybe it was a word that hurt someone. Maybe it was gossip. And you go home and the Holy Spirit convicts you of that word. You were supposed to speak words necessary for edification. What did you do? You spoke words that tore down and offended. And it plays in your mind a thousand times. And your gut's hurt and you're convicted, failed. I've had this experience recently. Not pleasant. 

But as I thought about this in application to our text in a message that Paul is teaching us, I'd have a hard time putting a law on the sin that I committed. Hard time putting a law on the sin that I committed. What law did I break? Could maybe come up with something, but it would be in the top 10. It reminds me of the text we read earlier where Paul said, concerning the law, "I'm blameless." When it comes to inside sins, Paul becomes convicted by the Spirit. I don't know which of the Ten Commandments would have applied to the words I wish I had never uttered. But I know this: they were not loving. 

And the Holy Spirit made this painfully clear to me as I lay in bed, cringing at the words that rang in my head. Because you see, under grace, the standard is so much higher. And the Spirit is so much more to convict of sin, to produce righteousness as well. When we walk in the Spirit and abide in Christ and live by faith, we don't trade on God's grace or the grace of our brothers and sisters in Christ. There's no thought of, "Oh, well, God's grace will cover it." 

When the Holy Spirit convicts you of such things, but I'm so glad that grace is there. I'm so glad that we can repent and ask back on the horse and walk by faith and trust in Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives to produce righteousness and fruit for His glory. I don't know about you, but I need a lot of grace. 

The law is so limited. It has no power to produce holiness. But the Spirit has limitless power. And what God wants is for us to trust Him. What He wants is for us to believe Him and to obey Him by that very power that raised Jesus from the dead, that crucified our old man and buried us with Christ and raised us to a new life and a new way of holiness. Just shall live by faith. 

Stand fast, my brothers and sisters. Do not become entangled again by a yoke of bondage. Stand fast in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, free to live in righteousness as faith works through love for the encouragement and salvation of men, and for the glory of God. 

Let's close in prayer. Father, we thank you for your grace. Thank you for your gospel. Thank you for the new birth, who caused us to be born again. We thank you that you're so long-suffering and patient with us, and that you're working out your will in our lives, and that the Holy Spirit is there, that Jesus lives in us, to guide us into all truth, and convict us to courage us, to help us. Thank you for Jesus. Thank you for the hope that we have in him, the hope of righteousness by faith each day, and the hope of eternal life, forever and ever. All by your grace, all for your glory, in Jesus' name, amen.