Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. 2: Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. 3: For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law. 4: Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace. 5: For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. 6: For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.

Introduction

“Give me liberty or give me death!”  These are the famous words of Patrick Henry. He took a stand for liberty. He believed with all his heart that death would be better than living under the bondage of British power and government. He would rather die than surrender his civil liberties. No one wants to be in bondage. No one wants to be a slave. Political and civil liberties are important to us. But as important as civil and political liberties are, there is a liberty far more important than these liberties and that is what the apostle Paul discusses in Galatians 5.

The Epistle to the Galatians has been called “the Christian Declaration of Independence.” The central theme of these verses in Galatians 5 is Christian liberty. But Paul wrote this letter to a people who are being seduced by false teachers to give up their liberty they possess in Jesus Christ. And so, in this section the apostle Paul, as he touches on the Christian liberty, he gives them a Declaration, an Admonition, and an Exhortation. That’s what I invite you to consider with me this morning and think about the priceless “liberty wherewith Christ has made us free.”

As we look at these verses may the Lord give us clear instruction regarding what God is saying to us through the apostle Paul regarding our Christian liberty.

I – Declaration

Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

The apostle Paul begins this chapter with a declaration of “the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free.” He begins with a clear declaration regarding the freedom Christ has set us free. The word “us” here refers to the believers in Christ Jesus. Whatever liberty Paul is speaking about here, it is obtained and possessed only and exclusively by believers in Jesus Christ alone.

This declaration of Paul in verse 1 reminds believers at least three things:

1. We were once in bondage

Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

Before Christ made us free, we were entangled with the yoke of bondage. Before we were brought to Christ, we were tied up in the chains of slavery, we were in yoke of bondage. This begs the question, “in bondage to what?” “What were we slave to?”

We were in bondage to the enslaving power and penalty of sin, to the curse of the law, to the devil, fear of death and hell. We may not be physically in bondage, but we were spiritually in bondage.

Our Lord spoke about this slavery in ...

John 8:30 As he spake these words, many believed on him. 31: Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; 32: And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. 33: They answered him, We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free? 34: Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.

Here our Lord tells the unbelieving Pharisees, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.” He uses the analogy of a slave and his master to make the point that a slave obeys his master because he belongs to him. Slaves have no will of their own. They are literally in bondage to their masters. When sin is our master, we are unable to resist it. This is what we all were before we came to Jesus Christ and brought to a saving knowledge of Him. All unbelievers are in bondage, captive by the power of sin, by death, and by the law and its strict demands and just condemnation.

1 Corinthians 15:56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.

The apostle Paul also spoke about this in the book of Romans.

Romans 6:16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? 17: But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. 18: Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.

Hebrews 2:14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; 15: And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

That’s what we were before salvation; we were all in bondage to sin, to the devil, and the fear of death. There was the bondage of our will, our minds, and our hearts to sin, to the devil, and death and that bondage was real.

The second thing that this declaration reminds us is that ...

2. We were set free

Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

All humanity is in bondage but thank God, there are people who have been set free. Understand this freedom has nothing to do with financial freedom or political and civil freedom. This freedom is a spiritual freedom. It is a freedom that has broken the yoke of bondage that once imprisoned us.

It is freedom from the penalty of sin, power of sin, and freedom the curse of the law, the devil, death, and hell. Thank God He delivers believers from being servants of sin to being servants of righteousness.

Romans 6:17 But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. 18: Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.

There is no freedom like this freedom. This is the ultimate freedom.

1 Corinthians 15:55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 56: The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. 57: But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

This leads us to the third thing that Paul’s declaration reminds us ...

3. We were set free by Christ Himself

Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

It is Jesus Christ Himself who has made us free. It is Christ who has set us free through His perfect sacrificial death on a cross. It is for our freedom that Jesus Christ came into the world. This is the purpose of the cross. The purpose of the cross is not to give us financial freedom, nor civil and political freedom, as important as these are, but the purpose of the cross is to bring us spiritual freedom. And it is Christ who delivered us. It is Christ who liberated us. There is no freedom apart from faith in Christ Jesus. True spiritual freedom comes only through the Lord Jesus Christ and faith in Him.

It was Jesus Christ Himself in John 8:32 who said, “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” And then in verse 36, He said, “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.”

Once we come to the truth, once we come to Christ in repentance and faith and receive forgiveness of sin, we are empowered by the Holy Spirit who comes to dwell in us. It is by His power that we are able to resist sinning and become servants of righteousness.

Notice what our Lord said, “ye shall be free indeed.” You shall truly be free. This is real freedom. Believers have been made free from the law and its demands and its curse, free from the dominion of sin with its power and pollution, free from all man-made rules that would supposedly define and govern spirituality. This is the message that Paul is sending to the churches in Galatia and that he sends to us that Christ has set us free by His substitutionary death upon a cross.

Now let’s look at Paul’s ...

II – Admonition or Warning

The apostle Paul in this section gives the two yoke of bondage we need to avoid. There are two forms of yoke of bondage that we need to know and avoid, namely, the yoke of legalism and the yoke of licentiousness. Legalism and licentiousness are the two great enemies of liberty. These are the two things that would hinder our growth as believers. Legalism is a strict and excessive conformance to a law or moral code, usually man-made rules. Licentiousness is to be without moral restraint, to behave and live like you have a license to do whatever you want. Both are extremes. Both are slavery. You can get enslave to legalism. You can become enslave to licentiousness. Both are dangerous. And so here in this chapter Paul warns every believer about the danger of legalism and the danger of licentiousness.

1. The Danger of Legalism

Galatians 5:2 Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. 3: For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law. 4: Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace. 5: For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. 6: For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.

Here the apostle Paul brought up the subject of circumcision to illustrate the danger of legalism. Circumcision is a special cutting away that is done on Jewish male child. In the Jewish law, circumcision is the physical representation, it is a sign of the covenant between God and Abraham described in the Old Testament and is required for the inclusion of males in the Jewish faith. Circumcision is not laid down as a requirement in the New Testament. Instead, Christians are urged to be “circumcised of the heart” by trusting in Jesus and His sacrifice on the cross.

As the church went out and was preaching the Gospel and people were getting saved and many of them were Gentiles who were not raised Jew. Now there were Jews who were insisting and telling the Gentiles who were being saved that they need to be circumcised in order to complete their salvation. And so, they were adding this law on top of salvation. Not only do you have to believe in Christ, but you also have to keep this law. 

Galatians 5:2 Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. 3: For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law. 4: Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace. 5: For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. 6: For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.

The person who thinks that good works, good deeds, is what makes us acceptable before God has fallen in legalism. If you are saying, “I must obey Him for Him to love me,” then you have fallen into legalism. Adding to the work Christ to be justified is legalism. Beware of thinking that your relationship is based upon what you do because that is legalism and legalism can enslave you. It can imprison you.

2. The Danger of Licentiousness

The second danger or extreme that we who were made free in Christ need to avoid is licentiousness. The root word for licentiousness is license. License to do whatever you want. The spirit of licentiousness is selfishness. It is to please self. It is about me. Whatever feels good, whatever looks good, I am just going to do what I please. Licentiousness is abusing the liberty we have in Christ.

Galatians 5:13 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. 14: For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 15: But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.

Paul warns us believers not to abuse our freedom in Christ. You and I have been called to freedom; may we never turn our freedom into opportunity for the flesh. Our Lord wants you and me to be free. He wants us to be free from enslavement. But that freedom is not an opportunity for the flesh. Jerry Bridges explains it this way, “The freedom set forth in Galatians is not freedom from God, but from those who insist on some form of legalism in the life of a believer.” Christian liberty is not the right to do as I wish, but the power to do as I should.

These are the two extremes we must avoid. Legalism and licentiousness. James Keen says, “Legalism implies that the cross is not sufficient for sin and licentiousness implies that the cross is not sufficient for our joy. When you are in legalism you are saying, “The cross is not enough to take away my sin. I need Jesus plus.” And if you are given into sin, into licentiousness, just following whatever feels good, you are saying, “Christ is not enough for my joy. I have to get my joy someplace else.”

Jude 3 Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. 4: For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.

III – The Exhortation

Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

After giving a clear declaration of “the liberty wherewith Christ hath set us free,” and a very important admonition and warning, the apostle Paul now gives an important exhortation or commandment to the believers. This exhortation is so important that the apostle Paul states it both in the positive and in the negative.

1. Positive

Galatians 5:1a Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free ...

As a result of what he has just declared about our freedom in Christ, Paul now exhorts believers to stand firm in that liberty that Christ has made us free. As I have already said, there were false teachers who have come into the church and were trying to seduce the church and bring the believers back into the yoke of bondage in which Christ had set them free. And so, Paul exhorts them to stand strong, to stand firm, to stand resolve in their liberty in Christ and not to go back into bondage again.

Then Paul goes on and states his exhortation in the negative.

2. Negative

Galatians 5:1b ... and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

“Be not entangled” means do not be subject again or do not be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. Do not let yourselves be imprisoned again and be chained again by either the yoke of legalism or the yoke of licentiousness. Keep on standing firm therefore and stop being subject again to a yoke of bondage. 

Brothers and sisters in Christ, since Christ has made us free, we must guard and treasure the liberty that He has given to us. God has given us the liberty to enjoy many things in life, and we should receive them with thanksgiving. Christian life is a life of freedom. It is a wonderful gift God has given us through His Son Jesus Christ. But. like all good gifts, liberty is something that must be used responsibly. Our liberty must not be misused or abused. Notice the liberty that the apostle Paul exhorts us to stand fast is not just any kind of liberty, but it is “the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free.”

De Hann points out that “The believer is free, set at liberty, delivered. Salvation by grace means deliverance and freedom. There is no bondage for those who are in Christ.” But as he goes on to say, “... liberty does not mean license to sin; freedom does not mean we are not accountable for our conduct.”

Christian Liberty is God’s gift to us, but we must use it responsibly. Avoid the two extremes which are legalism and licentiousness.

Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

Closing Thoughts

Let me speak to those who are still seeking to be saved, seeking to be made righteous, seeking to earn salvation, seeking to entrance to Heaven by keeping the law and by good deeds, listen to what the apostle Paul under the inspiration of the Holy Spirt has to say to you in ...

Galatians 5:3 For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law.

If you put your confidence in yourself and your good works or even in Christ plus your good works, the result is, first, you are under obligation to keep the whole law.

James 2:10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. 11: For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.

Read on ...

Galatians 5:4 Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.

Another result will be Christ and His sacrifice on the cross will be of absolutely no benefit to you whatsoever. If your salvation is based on Christ and baptism, Christ and confirmation, and Christ and sacraments, you have not come to true saving faith.

Romans 10:4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.

Jesus Christ has already fulfilled and satisfied the righteous requirement of the law, as a result, all who believe in Him are made right with God.

Romans 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10: For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11: For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. 12: For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. 13: For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

AMEN!