Free To Love (Galatians 5:7-15)
When I first started preaching, I would have a brother or sister occasionally approach me with a very condemning tone. I stepped on one of their pet doctrines. In one case, I blew a pitch pipe, and that was equivalent to playing piano. I wish I could say that this was a young person who hadn't matured yet, but I'm pretty sure she was in her 50s. That was a five-minute conversation I will never forget. Brethren often come to odd conclusions or opinions and sometimes lose their minds over minor things. Have you ever had a brother or sister in Christ make you feel disillusioned or discouraged? Were you close to giving up because "This can't be how Christians act?" But have you ever done this to a brother or sister in Christ? It makes me cringe to think about opinions I have held and tried to force on brethren. Paul deals with this problem in Galatians.
Hindering Brethren
Galatians 5:7--12 (ESV) --- 7 You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? 8 This persuasion is not from him who calls you. 9 A little leaven leavens the whole lump. 10 I have confidence in the Lord that you will take no other view, and the one who is troubling you will bear the penalty, whoever he is. 11 But if I, brothers, still preach circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been removed. 12 I wish those who unsettle you would emasculate themselves!
We are now nearing the end of Paul's teaching to the Galatians. For two chapters, he has explained that salvation is not a matter of how much work we do. We are saved by grace through faith and obedience to the gospel. The Galatian Christians have been taught that all Gentile Christians must be circumcised and keep Jewish laws to enjoy the blessing offered to Abraham. But Paul says that accepting this teaching removes us from Christ's salvation. Jesus has come to set us free, not to enslave us with the law.
Now Paul tells them that they were running well until someone came along and hindered them. It's like a runner being cut off and led down a different path. Paul set them on the right path so that all they had to do was endure and keep growing. But these false teachers offered them a shortcut that would end their suffering. Notice that Paul claims his persecution is coming from these law-keeping brethren. They are trying to stop him from putting faith in the sacrifice of Christ. Instead, they claim that everyone can put faith in themselves. Accepting this lie will end the persecution, but it won't deepen their relationship with Christ.
Paul says something pretty dramatic about these brethren. He wants them to "emasculate themselves!" To emasculate themselves means to remove their masculinity. It could refer to castration (which is an interesting interpretation since they are trying to push circumcision. Why would he want them to do that? First, consider that these brethren are unsettling Christians. He uses the image of leaven to say that they are spreading their false doctrine like leaven spreads throughout the dough. Back in verse 4, he says that those who buy their teaching are cut off from Christ. These brethren are causing many faithful Christians to leave by teaching this way. Second, this wish tells us what the problem is. Over-masculinity is revealing a source of arrogance and pride. These men claim that they are wise and strong. There is no humility in them.
This sounds like doom and gloom. But in verse 10, Paul reveals that he hasn't lost hope for the brethren in Galatia. He is confident that they will correct their course after reading this letter and that those teaching these things will feel ashamed and punished.
Freedom Produces Love
Galatians 5:13--15 (ESV) --- 13 For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.
In verse 13, Paul starts going deeper into this problem. The problem of these false teachers is not only that they are arrogant and their brethren but that they are failing to love their brethren as the second greatest law commands them.
The freedom that Christ has given us from sin was intended to be enjoyed by all, but those who turn away from freedom in Christ and begin to enslave themselves and their brethren will be consumed. What does that mean? When we attack our brethren for being weaker or stronger than us, it creates a culture where attacking brethren is okay. We love each other until someone does something that goes against our conscience. Please understand that this way of thinking will turn on you. If you attack a person who believes x is a sin, someone will attack you when you think y is not a sin. Notice how Paul says, "If you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another."
What's The Message?
Throughout this study, we can see how those who create laws apart from the law of Christ are destroying their brethren. The problem is too much arrogance and not enough love. Jesus didn't die for us to destroy and lead one another away from faith in him. He died to set us free from bondage to sin and death, but his goal was to create people who serve one another out of love.
Application
If the opinions of our brethren have ever disillusioned you, please know that you are not alone. This has been happening for a long time and will continue to happen in the future. Satan is working on us all, telling us that we aren't good enough to be forgiven, but the beauty of a relationship with God in Christ is that Jesus makes us good enough. Instead of being upset with your brethren, consider how easy it is for you to become unsettled by the erroneous interpretations men come up with.
Whenever we talk about controversial ideas or beliefs, we have a choice. We can be stubborn, unloving, and closed-minded, or we can be patient, understanding, and open-minded. Are we afraid that false teachers will lead us astray? We should be equally afraid that we are already astray.
Loving people means we share what we believe is true in a kind and respectful way. If we try to force others to submit to that, we might hinder them from running with faith and obedience to the truth. We must be cautious in this. Notice that he says, "The whole law is fulfilled in one word: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Having all the proper interpretation means nothing if we don't share it with love.
None of our interpretations make us smart or great. Ultimately, all this wisdom and knowledge is from God, not me or you. Believing that we can come to a secret interpretation of a text can be very arrogant and feed into our desire to be great.
Also, please understand that this stuff spreads like cancer. When brethren around us get devoured, it doesn't just kill the love of the person the legalist attacked or the legalist themselves. It kills the love of everyone. Now everyone is scared to open up and serve others with love for fear of being bitten and devoured. This stuff eats away at a positive culture until everyone is afraid to do anything.
A friend of mine is in a tough city right now with millions of people. But the church is dwindling. It has recently gone through a split. Now there is a mad church (the one that left) and a sad church (those who stayed). What happened? Did brethren serve one another with love?
The solution of this friend of mine was to start fresh and create a glad church. What kind of church are we... sad, mad, or glad? We must ask ourselves, "Is it possible for a sad or mad church to become a glad church?" I believe we are on our way, but we must move past all of the biting and devouring that has been a part of our past, rise from the discouragement and use our freedom to serve one another with love. This is the reason Christ set us free. He didn't set us free to destroy each other or to be independent and isolate ourselves to avoid being destroyed. He set us free to love.
Conclusion
We must be a source of encouragement and patience toward those around us struggling with their interpretation of the scriptures. None of us are saved by our perfect interpretation. We are saved despite all our failures. Believe in this freedom and find the motivation to love those who are often unlovable.
If you bite and devour, please stop the spread of this cancer. Please stop forcing your opinions down the throat of others as though salvation depends on the correct interpretation.