READ: Gal. 5:1–6: Stand fast therefore in the liberty … You have become estranged from Christ … you have fallen from grace … faith working through love.
Paul addresses, from God’s Word, the core issues at stake: what matters, what is at risk, and the only right path to salvation for the Galatians. He is not only direct but also very sharp.
There is no middle way, no compromise. It is either accepting Christ and all His treasures or rejecting Him. It is either depending on His grace and letting His Spirit work in you, or rejecting all of it and trying to go it alone.
Paul urges the Galatians: stand firm in the freedom of Christ and do not submit to a yoke of slavery.
Rejecting Christ’s grace is not without consequence: you become estranged from Christ. You are choosing against Him. Then He is no longer your advocate, no longer your intercessor—you are lost!
For if you, as a Christian, choose to be circumcised, then you are obliged to keep the whole law (v. 3). In that case, you can no longer claim Christ’s atoning sacrifice or His righteousness.
In Christ, it does not matter whether you are circumcised or not. What matters is that you accept the promise of grace in Him and put no trust in your own works. If you don’t do that, you fall from grace.
Once again Paul states: it all comes down to faith. Not merely historical or intellectual belief, but faith that works through love. Works are not wrong—in fact, they are good. Your works will show whether you truly believe and live in freedom (James 2:22). But good works are acts of love: works done in thankfulness and love for God and neighbor, which the Spirit works in you.
When you do works to earn salvation, you reject Christ and put yourself at the center—those are not works of love. Even works of faith are only pleasing to God if they are cleansed by Christ and sanctified by His Spirit.
In reality, they are God’s own works in us, which produce gracious reward (Belgic Confession, Art. 24; Heidelberg Catechism, Lord’s Day 24).
What does love for your neighbor mean to you?
Sing: Ps. 25:2,3