In the chapter before, we have seen that we are the children of promise. Christ has died for our sins. He is our righteousness; the law has nothing to say to the believer, for he is dead with Christ, and now Christ lives in the believer.
We are freed from all that pertains to law keeping. If righteousness and acceptance with God are ours, it was by faith in the Lord Jesus, and not by law—it was through grace. This is perfect liberty, and our chapter begins,
“Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again in the yoke of bondage.”
Verse 2 brings forward his authority as an apostle. “Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised,” this one is a debtor to do the whole law, but then “Christ shall profit you nothing.” Law, and grace do not mix. The law demands perfect obedience; grace gives righteousness, pardon, peace, all through another. Some people say that we are not under the ceremonial law, but that we are under the moral law, and that it is the rule for our behavior, but the Scripture says, we are free from the law. Our death with Christ has put us beyond the reach of law, and Christ is our Life and the pattern for our walk. If we follow Him we shall not do any of the things which the law forbids, but we are not under the law, but under grace (Rom. 6:44Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. (Romans 6:4)). The law compels, but the love of Christ constrains, and this new life of Christ in us is carried by love, the Holy Spirit dwelling within us, and shedding abroad the love of God in our hearts (Rom. 5:55And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. (Romans 5:5)). To seek to be justified by the law, is, in our souls, to “fall from grace.”
Verses 5, 6. “We through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.” This is not hoping for righteousness, but looking for glory with Christ, as glory is what righteousness hopes for; that is what we shall have with Christ in glory, “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.” This is the blessed reality of the divine life, which enjoys peace with God, and finds its portion in Christ and heavenly things, while waiting for the glory. It works by love which flows from God in our hearts who gave us everything in His own Son.
Verses 7-9. The apostle is troubled about these Christians. “Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?” He saw that they had turned out of the right way. Such teaching did not come from the One who had called them. It was not the gospel of God. It was a corrupting influence that leavened the whole lump. The gospel that the apostle preached, brought peace to their consciences, happiness to their hearts. It was not human efforts to obtain righteousness, or to bring about a better feeling in their hearts; it was the work of Christ, known by faith, through the gospel that souls are brought to the Lord. The power of God which works in the believer, gives life and forgiveness—it is contrary to the natural heart. False teaching, human efforts, works, ceremonies, are all man’s way. They are leaven, which works and spreads into the many people, because natural to fallen man. The grace of God, apart from all law keeping, by the gospel, brings peace and joy to the soul of the believer.
Verses 10-12. Yet the apostle had confidence in them through the Lord, that his appeal to them would recover them from this delusion. And those who taught such error, would bear the judgment that it deserved, whoever they were. If he preached circumcision, he would not be suffering persecution. The fleshly mind cannot agree with the spiritual (chapter 4:29) who preach Christ—the natural man does not agree with that. If the apostle preached circumcision, then is the offense of the cross ceased. The apostle is indignant against these evil workers, he says, “I would they were even cut off which trouble you.” He earnestly longed for the blessing of those children of God who had been misled; and for the maintenance of the truth in its purity, his heart turns to the Lord, that this will be the outcome of the epistle he was writing to them. The Christian was called to liberty, the liberty of a new life that is holy, and desires to please God, and to walk in His ways. It is not to be under a law which cannot command good to come out of a nature that is totally bad, and could never behave in a way suited to a holy One, when it is itself unholy; could never produce love to One that it was enmity to. How could one whose nature is selfishness, ever love his neighbor as himself? A new life must be communicated, and this is done by the gospel, so that we can now love Him who first loved us, and also love one another.
It was the food the Lord Jesus delighted in, “My meat is to do the will of My Father,” He could say. He lived by the Word of God. He suffered by choice, that the Father’s will might be accomplished. And this is the kind of liberty that we are called to walk in as children of God.
Verses 13-15. The flesh in us can use this liberty in a wrong way, of which the apostle now warned them. “Ye have been called into liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.” The true liberty of the new man—Christ our life—is the liberty of a holy will, given to us through our hearts deliverance from the power of sin—liberty that delights in the good of others. The law is fulfilled in this, “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” It is the law of love, perfectly seen in our adorable Lord; and in us, in the measure that we walk in the Spirit, we fulfill that law of love. But if they were biting and devouring one another, it would consume both of them to the destruction of their happy communion with God.
(To be continued)