WITH freedom did Christ set us free; stand
fast therefore, and be not entangled again in a yoke of bondage.
"Behold, I Paul say unto you, that, if
ye receive circumcision, Christ will profit you nothing. Yea,
I testify again to every man that receiveth circumcision, that
he is a debtor to do the whole law. Ye are severed from Christ,
ye who would be justified by the law; ye are fallen away from
grace. For we through the Spirit by faith wait for the hope of
righteousness. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth
anything, nor uncircumcision; but faith working through love.
Ye were running well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey
the truth? This persuasion came not of him that calleth you.
A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump. I have confidence to
you-ward in the Lord, that ye will be none otherwise minded;
but he that troubleth you shall bear his judgment, whosoever
he be. But I, brethren, if I still preach circumcision, why am
I still persecuted? then hath the stumbling-block of the cross
been done away. I would that they which unsettle you would even
cut themselves off.
"For ye, brethren, were called for
freedom; only use not your freedom for an occasion to the flesh,
but through love be servants one to another. For the whole law
is fulfilled in one word, even in this: Thou shalt love thy neighbor
as thyself. But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed
that ye be not consumed one of another.
"But I say, Walk by the Spirit, and
ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth
against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these
are contrary the one to the other; that ye may not do the things
that ye would. But if ye are led by the Spirit, ye are not under
the law. Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these,
fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, sorcery,
enmities, strife, jealousies, wraths, factions, divisions, heresies,
envyings, drunkenness, revelings, and such like; of the which
I forewarn you, even as I did forewarn you, that they which practice
such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit
of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, meekness, temperance; against such there
is no law. And they that are of Christ Jesus have crucified the
flesh with the passions and the lusts thereof.
"If we live by the Spirit, by the
Spirit let us also walk. Let us not be vainglorious, provoking
one another, envying one another." Galatians 5, R.V.
The connection between the fourth and
fifth chapters of Galatians is closer than between any other
two, so much so that it is difficult to see how anybody could
ever have hit upon the idea of making a chapter division. One
can not possibly close his reading of the fourth chapter with
the thirty-first verse, but must take in the first verse of the
fifth chapter, as we have done. But we have not by any means
learned all from that verse that we may, and we therefore dwell
upon it longer.
When Christ was manifest in the flesh,
His work was to proclaim "deliverance to the captives,"
and "to set at liberty them that are bruised." The
miracles that He performed were practical illustrations of this
work, and one of the most striking may well be considered at
this stage of our study.
"And He was teaching in one of the
synagogues on the Sabbath. And, behold, there was a woman which
had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together,
and could in nowise lift up herself. And when Jesus saw her,
He called her to Him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed
from thine infirmity. And He laid His hands on her; and immediately
she was made straight, and glorified God." Luke 13:10-13.
Then when the hypocritical ruler of the
synagogue complained because Jesus did this miracle on the Sabbath,
He referred to how each one would loose his ox or ass from the
stall, and lead him to water, and then said:--
"And ought not this woman, being
a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen
years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?"
Two features in this case are worthy of
special note: The woman was bound by Satan, and she had a spirit
of infirmity, or absence of strength.
Now note how accurately this describes
our condition before we meet Christ.
1. We are bound by Satan, "taken
captive by him at his will." "Every one that committeth
sin is the bond-servant of sin" (John 8:34), and "he
that committeth sin is of the devil" (1Joh.3:8). "His
own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be
holden with the cords of his sins." Prov.5:22. Sin is the
cord with which Satan binds us.
2. We have a spirit of infirmity, and
can in nowise lift ourselves up, or free ourselves from the chains
that bind us. It was when we were "without strength"
that Christ died for us. Rom.5:6. Now these two words, "without
strength," are translated from the very same word that is
rendered "infirmity" in the account of the woman whom
Jesus healed. She was "without strength." To be without
strength means to have no strength at all. That is our condition.
What now does Jesus do for us?--He takes
the weakness, and gives us in return His strength. "We have
not an High Priest which can not be touched with the feeling
of our infirmities." Heb.4:15. "Himself took our infirmities,
and bare our sicknesses." Matt.8:17. He becomes all that
we are, in order that we may become all that He is. He was "born
under the law, to redeem them that were under the law."
He hath delivered us from the curse, being made a curse for us,
that the blessing might come to us. Although He knew no sin,
He was made to be sin for us, "that we might be made the
righteousness of God in Him." 2Cor.5:21.
Why did Jesus make that woman free from
her infirmity?--In order that she might walk at liberty. Certainly
it was not in order that she might continue of her own free will
to do that which before she was obliged to do. And why does He
make us free from sin?--In order that we may live free from sin.
On account of the weakness of our flesh, we are unable to do
the righteousness of the law; therefore Christ, who is come in
the flesh, and who has power over all flesh, strengthens us with
might by His Spirit in the inner man, that the righteousness
of the law may be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh,
but after the Spirit. We can not tell how He does it; He alone
knows how it is done, because He alone has the power; but we
may know the reality of it.
Pay special attention to the words of
Jesus to the woman, uttered while she was yet bound down, and
unable to lift herself up: "Thou art loosed from thine infirmity."
"Thou art loosed," present tense. That is just what
He says to us. To every captive He has proclaimed deliverance.
The woman "could in nowise lift up herself;" yet at
the word of Christ she at once stood erect. She could not do
it, yet she did. The things that are impossible for men are possible
for God. "The Lord upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth
up all those that be bowed down." Ps.145:14. Faith does
not make facts; it only lays hold of them. There is not a single
soul that is bowed down with the weight of sin which Satan hath
bound on him, whom Christ does not lift up. Freedom is his; he
has only to make use of it. Let the message be sounded far and
wide. Let every soul hear it, that Christ has given deliverance
to every captive. Thousands will rejoice at the news.
Christ came to restore that which was
lost; He redeems us from the curse; He hath redeemed us; therefore
the liberty wherewith He makes us free is the liberty that existed
before the curse came. Man was made a king. It was not merely
the one individual first created who was made king, but all mankind.
"In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God
made He him; male and female created He them; and blessed them,
and called their name Adam," that is, man. Gen.5:1,2. "And
God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and
let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the
fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth,
and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So
God created man in His own image, in the image of God created
He him; male and female created He them. And God blessed them,
and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish
the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion," etc. The dominion,
we see, was given to every human being, male and female.
This dominion was universal. When God
made man, He "put all things in subjection under his feet.
For in that He put all in subjection under him, He left nothing
that is not put under him." Heb.2:8. The dominion was not
confined to this planet; for when God crowned man with glory
and honor, He set him over the works of His hands (Heb.2:7),
and we read, "Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the
foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of Thine
hands" (Heb.1:10). This shows how free man was before the
curse came; for it is self-evident that a ruler must have absolute
freedom, at least as far as his dominion extends, else he is
not ruler.
It is true that now we do not see all
things put under man; "but we behold Him who hath been made
a little lower than the angels, even Jesus, because of the suffering
of death crowned with glory and honor, that by the grace of God
He should taste death for every man" (Heb.2:9, R.V.), and
thus redeem every man from the curse of the lost dominion. "Crowned
with glory and honor." A crown implies kingship, and Christ's
crown is that which man had when he was set over the works of
God's hands. Accordingly, Christ (as man, mind you, in the flesh),
just as He was about to ascend to heaven after the resurrection,
said: "All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth.
Go ye therefore." Matt.28:18,19. This indicates that the
same power is given to us in Him; and this is made certain by
the inspired prayer that we might know the exceeding greatness
of God's power in us who believe, "according to the working
of His mighty power, which He wrought in Christ, when He raised
Him from the dead, and set Him at His own right hand in the heavenly
places, far above all principality, and power, and might, and
dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world,
but also in that which is to come; and hath put all things under
His feet;" and this prayer is followed by the statement
that God has made us alive in Christ, and "raised us up
together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ
Jesus." Eph.1:18-22; 2:1-6.
Christ has tasted death for us as man,
and through the cross has redeemed us from the curse. If we are
crucified with Him, we are also risen with Him, and made to sit
together with Him in the heavenly places, with all things under
our feet. If we do not know this, it is only because we have
not allowed the Spirit to reveal it to us. The eyes of our heart
need to be enlightened by the Spirit, that we may know what is
"the hope of His calling, and what the riches of the glory
of His inheritance in the saints." The exhortation to those
who are dead and risen with Christ is, "Let not sin therefore
reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts
thereof." Rom.6:12. That shows that we are masters. We have
authority over sin, that it shall have no dominion over us.
We have redemption through the blood of
Christ, even the forgiveness of sin (Eph.1:7); and when He "washed
us from our sins in His own blood," He "made us kings
and priests unto God and His Father." Rev.1:5,6. Glorious
dominion! Glorious freedom! Freedom from the power of the curse,
even while surrounded by it; freedom from "this present
evil world,"--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes,
and the pride of life! The freedom of the universe (power in
heaven and on earth), so that neither "the prince of the
power of the air" nor the "rulers of the darkness of
this world" can have any dominion over us! It is the freedom
and authority that Christ had when He said, "Get thee hence,
Satan." And the devil immediately left Him. It is authority
"over all the power of the enemy." Luke 10:19. It is
such freedom that nothing in heaven or earth can coerce us, to
make us do anything against our will. God will not attempt it,
for we hold our freedom from Him; and no one else can do it.
It is power over the elements, so that they will serve us, instead
of controlling us. We shall learn to recognize Christ and His
cross in everything, so that the curse will be powerless over
us, and our minds and bodies will not be subject to every change
in the weather. Our health will spring forth speedily; for the
life of Jesus will be manifest in our mortal flesh. Such glorious
liberty no tongue or pen can describe. Believe in it as the Holy
Spirit makes it known, accept it, and stand fast in it; yea,
stand fast!
"By the word of the Lord were the
heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth."
"He spake, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast."
Ps.33:6,9. The same word that created the starry host, speaks
to us, "Stand fast!" It is not a command that leaves
us as helpless as before, but one which carries the performance
of the act with it. Recall the cases of the lame men who were
healed. John 5:5-9; Acts 3:2-8; 14:8-10. The command does the
thing commanded. The heavens did not create themselves, but were
brought into existence by the word of the Lord. Then let them
be your teachers. "Lift up your eyes on high, and see who
hath created these, that bringeth out their host by number; He
calleth them all by name; by the greatness of His might, and
for that He is strong in power, not one is lacking." Is.40:26,
R.V. "He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have
no might He increaseth strength." Is.40:29. Listen to the
words, "Stand fast!"
"If ye receive circumcision, Christ
will profit you nothing." It should be understood that much
more is involved than the mere rite of circumcision. The proof
of this is found in the fact that this Epistle, which has so
much to say about circumcision, has been preserved by the Lord
for us, and contains the Gospel message for all time; yet circumcision
as a rite is not a burning, living question now. Nobody is seeking
to have Christians submit to the rite of circumcision in the
flesh.
The question under consideration is how
to obtain righteousness--salvation from sin--and the inheritance
of righteousness. The fact is that it can be obtained only by
faith--by receiving Christ into the heart, and allowing Him to
live His life in us. Abraham had this righteousness of God by
faith of Jesus Christ, and God gave Him circumcision as a sign
of that fact. It had a peculiar significance to Abraham, serving
continually to remind him of his failure, when he tried, by means
of the flesh, to fulfil God's promise. The record of it serves
the same purpose for us. It signifies that "the flesh profiteth
nothing," and is not, therefore, to be depended on. The
mere fact of being circumcised did not make Christ of no avail,
for Paul was himself circumcised, and as a matter of expediency
he had Timothy circumcised. Acts 16:1-3. But Paul did not count
his circumcision nor any other external thing of any value (Phil.3:4-7),
and when it was proposed to circumcise Titus, as a thing necessary
to salvation, he would not allow it (Gal.2:3-5).
That which was to be only the sign of
an already-existing fact, was taken by subsequent generations
as the means of establishing the fact. Circumcision, therefore,
stands in this Epistle as the representative of all kinds of
work done by men with a view of obtaining righteousness. Outward
circumcision, in the flesh, which was what Judaizing teachers
were seeking to impose on believers from among the Gentiles as
the great means of salvation (see Acts 15:1), stands for the
works of the flesh, as opposed to the Spirit.
Now the truth is stated that if a person
does anything with the expectation of being saved by it, that
is, of getting salvation by his own work, Christ profits him
nothing. If Christ be not accepted as a complete Redeemer, He
is not accepted at all. That is to say, if Christ be not accepted
for what He is, He is rejected. He can not be other than what
He is. Christ is not divided; and He does not share with any
other person or thing the honor of being Saviour. Therefore it
is easy to see that if any one were circumcised with a view to
receiving salvation thereby, that would show absence of faith
in Christ as the all-sufficient and only Saviour of mankind.
God gave circumcision as a sign of faith
in Christ; the Jews perverted it into a substitute for faith.
So when a Jew boasted in his circumcision, he was boasting of
his own righteousness. This is shown by verse 4: "Christ
is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified
by the law; ye are fallen from grace." This is no disparagement
of the law, but of man's ability to keep the law. It is the glory
of the law that it is so holy, and its requirements are so great,
that no man is able to attain to the perfection of it. Only in
Christ is the righteousness of the law ours; and true circumcision
is to worship God in Spirit, to rejoice in Christ Jesus, and
to put no confidence in the flesh. Phil.3:3.
"I testify again to every man that
is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law."
"There!" exclaims some one,
"that shows that the law is a thing to be avoided; for Paul
says that those who are circumcised have got to do the whole
law; and he warns them not to be circumcised."
Not quite so hasty, my friend. Stick a
little more closely to the text. Read it again, and you will
see that the bad thing is not the law, nor the doing of the law,
but that the thing to be avoided is being a debtor to the law.
Is there not a vast difference? It is a good thing to have food
to eat and clothes to wear, but it is a sorrowful thing to be
in debt for these necessary things. Sadder yet is it to be in
debt for them, and yet to lack them.
A debtor is one who owes something. He
who is in debt to the law, owes what the law demands, namely,
righteousness. Therefore, whoever is in
debt to the law is under the curse; for it is written, "Cursed
is every one that continueth not in all things that are written
in the book of the law to do them." So to attempt to get
righteousness by any other means than by faith in Christ is to
incur the curse of eternal debt. He is eternally in debt, for
he has nothing wherewith to pay; yet the fact that he is in debt
to the law,--debtor to do the whole law,--shows that he ought
to do it all. How shall he do it?--"This is the work of
God, that ye believe on Him whom He hath sent." John 6:29.
Let him cease trusting in himself, and receive and confess Christ
in his flesh, and then the righteousness of the law will be fulfilled
in him, because he will not walk after the flesh, but after the
Spirit.
"For we through the Spirit wait for
the hope of righteousness by faith." Don't pass this verse
by without reading it more than once, or you will think that
it says something that it does not say. And as you read it, think
of what you have already learned about the promise of the Spirit.
Don't imagine that this verse teaches
that, having the Spirit, we must wait for righteousness. Not
by any means; the Spirit brings righteousness. "The Spirit
is life because of righteousness." Rom.8:10. When He is
come, He will convince the world of sin and of righteousness.
John 16:8. Whoever, therefore, receives the Spirit, has the conviction
of sin, and has also the righteousness which the Spirit shows
him that he lacks, and which the Spirit alone can bring.
What is the righteousness which the Spirit
brings?--It is the righteousness of the law; this we know, "for
we know that the law is spiritual." Rom.7:14.
What, then, about the "hope of righteousness,"
for which we wait through the Spirit? Notice that it does not
say that we through the Spirit hope for righteousness, but that
we wait for the hope of righteousness by faith, that is, the
hope which the possession of righteousness brings. Let us briefly
go over this matter in detail. It will not take long, for we
have already studied it, and all that we have to do is to refresh
our minds.
1.The Spirit of God is "the Holy
Spirit of promise." Not the Spirit promised, but the Spirit
the possession of whom insures to us the promise of God. 2.That
which God has promised to us, as children of Abraham, is an inheritance.
The Holy Spirit is the earnest or pledge of this inheritance,
until the purchased possession is redeemed and bestowed upon
us. Eph.1:13,14. 3.This inheritance that is promised is the new
heavens and the new earth, "wherein dwelleth righteousness."
2Pet.3:13. 4.The Spirit brings righteousness; for the Spirit
is Christ's representative, the means by which Christ Himself,
who is our righteousness, comes to dwell in our hearts. John
14:16-18. 5.Therefore the hope which the Spirit brings is the
hope which the possession of righteousness brings, namely, the
hope of an inheritance in the kingdom of God, the earth made
new. 6.The righteousness which the Spirit brings to us is the
righteousness of the law of God, which by the Spirit is written
in our hearts, instead of on tables of stone. Rom.2:29; 2Cor.3:3.
7.The sum of the whole matter, therefore, is this, that if we
will wholly distrust ourselves, and will acknowledge that in
us there dwelleth no good thing, and that consequently no good
thing can come from us; and so, instead of thinking ourselves
so powerful that we can do the law, will allow the Holy Spirit
to fill us, that thus we may be filled with the righteousness
of the law, we shall have living hope dwelling in us. The hope
of the Spirit--the hope of righteousness by faith--has no element
of uncertainty in it; it is positive assurance. But in nothing
else is there any hope. He who has not "the righteousness
which is of God by faith," has no hope whatever. Only Christ
in us is "the hope of glory."
"For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision
availeth anything, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh
by love." The word here rendered "availeth" is
the same word that is rendered "able" in Luke 13:24;
Acts 15:10; 6:10. In Phil.4:13 it is rendered "can do."
The statement, therefore, amounts to this: Circumcision is not
able to do anything, neither is uncircumcision; but faith alone,
which works by love, can do anything. This faith which works
by love is found only in Christ Jesus.
But what is it that there is talk about
doing?--Nothing else than the law of God. No man can do it, whatever
his state or condition. The uncircumcised man has no power to
keep the law, and circumcision has no power to enable him to
do it. One may boast of his circumcision, and another may boast
of his uncircumcision, but both are alike vain. By the law of
faith boasting is excluded (Rom.3:27); for since the faith of
Christ alone can keep the righteousness of the law, there is
no chance for us to tell what we have done.
The Galatian brethren had started well,
for they had "begun in the Spirit;" but somebody had
hindered them in the way. The question is, "Who did hinder
you that ye should not obey the truth?" God's law is the
truth (Ps.119:142), and the Galatian brethren had started out
to obey it; they had succeeded in the beginning, but later on
had been hindered in their progress. Why?--"Because they
sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law.
For they stumbled at that stumbling-stone." Christ is the
way, and the truth, and the life, and there is no stumbling in
Him. He is made unto us righteousness; the perfection of the
law is in Him, for His life is the law.
The cross is and always has been a symbol
of disgrace. To be crucified was to be subjected to the most
ignominious death known. The apostle said that if he preached
circumcision, that is, righteousness by works, the offense of
the cross would cease. The offense of the cross is that it is
a confession of human frailty and sin, and of inability to do
any good thing. To take the cross of Christ means to depend solely
on Him for everything, and this is the abasement of all human
pride. Men love to fancy themselves independent. They have no
objection to any goodness that they themselves can do. One might
preach "morality" to a band of robbers, or to any heathen,
and it would be well received, so long as they were exhorted
to get it by their own efforts. Indeed, they would feel flattered,
rather than otherwise, for such preaching would imply that they
were already righteous in themselves. But let the cross be preached;
let it be made known that in man dwelleth no good thing, and
that all must be received as a gift, and straightway somebody
is offended.
"For, brethren, ye have been called
unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh;
but by love serve one another." The two preceding chapters
tell about bondage, imprisonment. Before faith comes, we are
shut up under sin, debtors to the law. The faith of Christ sets
us free, but as we are set at liberty, the admonition is given
us, "Go, and sin no more." We have been set at liberty
from sin, not at liberty to sin. How many make a mistake here!
Many sincere people imagine that in Christ we are at liberty
to ignore the law, and to set it at defiance, forgetting that
the transgression of the law is sin. 1Joh.3:4. To serve the flesh
is to commit sin, "because the carnal mind is enmity against
God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed
can be." Rom.8:7. So when the apostle exhorts us not to
use our liberty for an occasion of the flesh, he simply warns
us not to misuse the liberty which Christ gives us, and to bring
ourselves into bondage again by transgressing the law. Instead
of this, we should by love serve one another; for love is the
fulfilling of the law.
Recall what has been said in this chapter
concerning the liberty wherewith Christ makes us free. He gives
us the liberty of the first dominion. But remember that God gave
the dominion to mankind, and that in Christ all are made kings.
This shows that the only human being over whom any Christian
has the right to rule is himself. The great man in Christ's kingdom
is he who rules his own spirit. As kings, our subjects are found
in the lower orders of created beings, in the elements, and in
our own flesh, but not in our fellow-men. We are to serve them.
We are to have in us the mind that was in Christ while He was
still in the royal court in heaven, "in the form of God,"
which led Him to take "the form of a servant." Phil.2:5-7.
He did not change His nature in coming to this earth, but only
His form; therefore, as Anointed King in Zion, He was a servant.
This is further seen by the fact that He washed the feet of the
disciples, with full consciousness of the fact that He was their
Master and Lord, and that He came from God and went to God. John
13:3-13.
Moreover, when all the redeemed saints
appear in glory, Christ Himself "shall gird Himself, and
make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve
them." Luke 12:37. The greatest freedom is found in service--in
service rendered to our fellows in the name of Jesus. He who
does the greatest service--not greatest as men reckon, but what
they would call lowest--is the greatest. This we learn from Christ,
who is King of kings and Lord of lords, because He is servant
of all, performing service that nobody else would or could do.
Love is not a substitute for the keeping
of the law, but is the perfection of it. Just here it would be
well to read 1Cor.13. "Love worketh no ill to his neighbor;
therefore love is the fulfilling of the law." Rom.13:10.
"If any man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he
is a liar; for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen,
how can he love God whom he hath not seen?" 1Joh.4:20. If,
therefore, a man loves his neighbor it must be that he loves
God. "Love is of God," for "God is love."
Therefore love is the life of God. If that life be in us, and
be given free course, the law will necessarily be in us, for
God's life is the law for all creation. That life of love was
manifested in the gift of Himself for the world. "Hereby
perceive we the love of God, because He laid down His life for
us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren."
This follows from the foregoing; for since
love means service, and service means the doing of something
for others, it is evident that love takes no thought of itself,
and that he who loves has no thought but of how he may bless
others. So we read, "Love suffereth long, and is kind; love
envieth not; love vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth
not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not its own, is not provoked,
taketh not account of evil." 1Cor.13:4,5, R.V.
It is just on this vital point that everybody
in the world is making or has made a mistake. Happy are they
who have found out their mistake, and have come to the understanding
and practice of true love. "Love seeketh not her own."
Therefore self-love is not love at all, in the right sense of
the word. It is only a base counterfeit. Yet the most of that
which in the world is called love, is not really love for another,
but is love of self. Even that which should be the highest form
of love known on earth, the love which is used by the Lord as
a representation of His love for His people,--the love of husband
and wife,--is more often selfishness than real love. Leaving
out of the question, as unworthy of notice, marriages that are
formed for the purpose of gaining wealth or position in society,
it is a fact, which all will recognize when their attention is
called to it, that in nearly every case the parties to a marriage
are thinking more of their own individual happiness than of the
happiness of the other. Of course this condition of things exists
in varying degrees, and in proportion as real, unselfish love
exists, is there real happiness; for it is a lesson that the
world is slow to learn, that true happiness is found only when
one ceases to seek for it, and sets about making it for others.
Here again is a test which shows that
much that is called love is not love. Love never ceases. The
statement is absolute, never. There is no exception, and no allowance
made for circumstances. Love is not affected by circumstances.
We often hear about one's love growing cold, but that is something
that can never happen. Love is always warm, always flowing; nothing
can freeze the fountain of love. Love is absolutely endless and
unchangeable, simply because it is the life of God. There is
no other love than the love of God, therefore the only possibility
for true love to be manifested among mankind is for the love
of God to be shed abroad in the heart by the Holy Spirit.
Sometimes when a declaration of love is
made, the loved one asks, "Why do you love me?" Just
as if anybody could give a reason for love! Love is its own reason.
If the lover can tell just why he loves another, then that very
answer shows that he does not really love. Whatever object he
names as a reason for love, may sometime cease to exist, and
then his supposed love ceases to exist; but "love never
faileth." Therefore love can not depend upon circumstances.
So the only answer that can be given to the question as to why
one loves, is "because," because of love. Love loves,
simply because it is love. Love is the quality of the individual
who loves, and he loves because he has love, irrespective of
the character of the object. The truth of this is seen when we
go back to God, the Fountain of love. He is love; love is His
life; but no explanation of His existence can be given. The highest
human conception of love is to love because we are loved, or
because the object of our love is lovable. But God loves the
unlovely, and those who hate Him. "We also were aforetime
foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures,
living in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. But when
the kindness of God our Saviour, and His love toward man, appeared,
not by works done in righteousness, which we did ourselves, but
according to His mercy He saved us." Titus 3:3,4, R.V. "If
ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even
the publicans the same?" "Be ye therefore perfect,
even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." Matt.5:46,48.
"Love worketh no ill to his neighbor."
The word "neighbor" means whoever dwells near. Love,
therefore, extends to everything with which it comes in contact.
He who loves must necessarily love everybody. It may be objected
that love does make distinctions, and the case of husband and
wife, or of any of the members of a family, may be cited. But
the objection does not hold, for the family relation, rightly
understood, was instituted in order that by a union love might
the more effectually be manifested to others. On the principle
that strength is not merely doubled, but increased tenfold, by
union, as shown by the statement that "one shall chase a
thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight," union multiplies
the working value of love. If two persons, each of whom has this
unselfish love to all mankind, unite in love, then their union
makes them ten times better able to serve others. If any one
thinks this is too high a standard, let him remember that we
are considering a very high thing--the highest thing in the universe.
We are talking of love, absolute and unqualified, as it comes
from heaven, and not that which has been dragged through the
mire of earth. Poor, frail human beings certainly need the very
best.
Since love worketh no ill to his neighbor,
it obviously follows that Christian love,--and there is really
no other love, as we have seen,--does not admit of wars and fightings.
No philosophy can ever make it appear that it does a man any
good to kill him. When the soldiers asked John the Baptist what
they should do, as followers of the Lamb of God, to whom he pointed,
he replied, "Do violence to no man." Luke 3:14. Those
who asked were "soldiers on service," as we see from
the margin of the Revised Version. And the margin also gives
as the alternative rendering of John's answer, "Put no man
in fear." It would be a very mild war in which this command
was followed. If an army were composed of Christians,--true followers
of Christ,--when they came in contact with the enemy, instead
of shooting them, they would find out what they needed, and supply
their wants. "If thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst,
give him drink; for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire
on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with
good." Rom.12:20,21.
"But if ye bite and devour one another,
take heed that ye be not consumed one of another." See into
what danger the Galatians had run by following evil counsel.
By departing from the simplicity of the faith, they were bringing
themselves under the curse, and in danger of hell fire. For "the
tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity; so is the tongue among
our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on
fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell."
Jam.3:6. The tongue has devoured more than the sword, for the
sword would never be drawn if it were not for the unruly tongue.
No man can tame it, but God can. He had done it in the case of
the Galatians, when their mouths were filled with blessing and
praise; but what a change had again taken place! As the result
of their later instruction, they had descended from blessing
to bickering, and instead of talking to edification, were about
to devour one another.
Verses 8 and 9, following the question,
"Who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?"
manifestly apply here as well as there, since biting and devouring
are very strong evidences of not obeying the truth. "This
persuasion cometh not of Him that calleth you." God is the
God of peace. Of Christ, the Prince of peace, it was said, "He
shall not strive" (Matt.12:19); therefore "the servant
of the Lord must not strive" (2Tim.2:24). The Gospel of
Jesus Christ is "the Gospel of peace." Eph.6:15. When
there is bickering and strife in the church, be sure that the
Gospel has been sadly perverted. Let no one flatter himself on
his orthodoxy, or his soundness in the faith, while he has a
quarrelsome disposition, or can be provoked to quarrel. Dissension
and strife are the marks of departure from the faith, if one
was ever in it; for, "being justified by faith, we have
peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." Rom.5:1.
We are not merely at peace with God, but we have peace with Him--His
peace. So this new persuasion, which led to strife and the devouring
of one another with the tongue of unholy fire, did not come from
God, who had called them into the Gospel. Only a step aside often
leads to a wide divergence. Two lines of railway may seem to
lie parallel, yet insensibly they diverge until they lead in
opposite directions. "A little leaven leaveneth the whole
lump." A seemingly "little error," no matter what
it be, has in it the germ of all wickedness. "Whosoever
shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is
guilty of all." Jam.2:10. A single false principle adhered
to, will wreck the whole life and character. The little foxes
spoil the vines.
What are the works of the flesh?--Here
is a sample list of them: "Adultery, fornication, uncleanness,
lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations,
wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness,
revelings." Not a pleasant-sounding list, is it? But it
is not all of them, for the apostle adds, "and such like."
There is a good deal to think about in this list, taken in connection
with the statement that "they which do such things shall
not inherit the kingdom of God." Compare this list with
that given by the Lord in Mark 7:21-23, as the things that come
from within, from the heart of man. They are the very life of
the natural man. They belong to man by nature. Compare both these
lists with the list given in Rom.1:28-32, as the things done
by the heathen, who did not like to retain God in their knowledge.
They are the things that are done by all who do not know the
Lord.
Then compare these lists of sins with
the list given by the apostle Paul in 2Tim.3:1-5, of things that
will be done in the last days by those who even have a form of
godliness. It will be noticed that all these lists are essentially
the same. When men turn from "the truth of the Gospel,"
which is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth,
they inevitably fall under the power of these sins.
There is only one flesh of man (1Cor.15:39),
since all the inhabitants of the earth are descendants of the
one pair--Adam and Eve. "By one man sin entered into the
world" (Rom.5:12), so that whatever sin there is in the
world is common to all flesh. Therefore it is that in the plan
of salvation "there is no difference between the Jew and
the Greek; for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call
upon Him." Rom.10:12. See also Rom.3:21-24. No person on
earth can boast over another, or has any right to despise another
because of his sinful, degraded condition. The sight or knowledge
of low vices in any people, instead of making us feel complacent
over our superior morality, ought, on the contrary, to fill us
with sorrow and shame; for it is but a reminder to us of what
our human nature is. The works that manifest themselves in that
murderer, that drunkard, or that libertine, are simply the works
of our flesh. The flesh of mankind has nothing else in its power
but just such works as are described in this chapter.
Read again that list of the works of the
flesh. Some of them are generally recognized as very bad, or,
at any rate, as not respectable; but others are commonly regarded
as venial sins, if not absolute virtues. Notice, however, the
words "and such like," which indicate that all the
things here named are identical in character. The Scripture tells
us that hatred is murder. "Whosoever hateth his brother
is a murderer." 1Joh.3:15. Moreover, anger is also murder,
as shown by the Saviour in Matt.5:21,22. Envy, which is so common,
also contains murder in it. But who regards emulation as sinful?
Isn't emulation encouraged everywhere? Are not children from
their infancy taught to strive to surpass somebody else? Is not
emulation fostered, not only in schools of all kinds, but also
in the home and in the church? In the Sabbath-school, emulation
is fostered by the records that are often read out. So far from
being regarded as sinful in the extreme, it is cultivated. And
yet the Word of God assures us that it is of the same kind as
adultery, fornication, murder, and drunkenness, and that they
which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Is
it not a fearful thing?
The love of self, the desire for the supremacy,
is the source of all the other sins that are mentioned. Out of
that have grown innumerable murders; and yet many mothers are
unconsciously training their children in that very evil, even
while striving to bring them up properly, by saying: "Now
see if you can behave better than so and so." "See
if you can not learn to read or play better than such an one."
"See if you can not keep your clothes looking as nice as
that one." All such expressions, which are everyday words
in thousands of households, are teaching emulation, setting a
false standard. The child is not taught to distinguish between
the right and the wrong, and to love the right, but is simply
trained to appear better than somebody else. That leads to self-deception
and Pharisaism, for all that is thought necessary is to present
a better appearance than others, while the heart is corrupt.
Those others may not be of very high character, and so the emulator
is satisfied, even in this faulty exertion, with simply appearing
better than some one who is himself very bad. Go through the
entire list, and study each word carefully. Ah, the abominable
works of the flesh are lurking where many least suspect them!
They are wherever human flesh is, and are manifest in some form
or other wherever the flesh is not crucified. Sin coucheth at
the door.
The flesh and the Spirit of God have nothing
in common. They are "contrary the one to the other,"
that is, they lie over against each other, like two active foes,
each eagerly watching the opportunity to crush the other. The
flesh is corruption; it can not inherit the kingdom of God, because
corruption doth not inherit incorruption. 1Cor.15:50. The flesh
can not be converted; it must be destroyed. The carnal (fleshly)
mind "is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the
law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the
flesh can not please God." Rom.8:7,8. Here is the secret
of the backsliding of the Galatians, and of the trouble which
so many find in living the Christian life. The Galatians began
in the Spirit, but thought to attain to perfection by the flesh
(chapter 3:3), a thing as impossible as to reach the stars by
delving in the earth. So many people desire to do right, but,
not having definitely and fully yielded to the Spirit, they can
not do the things that they would. The Spirit strives with them,
and has partial control, or is at times quite fully yielded to,
and they have a rich experience; then the Spirit is grieved,
the flesh asserts itself, and they seem like other persons. They
are swayed at times by the mind of the Spirit, and at times by
the mind of the flesh (Rom.8:6), and so, being double-minded,
they are unstable in all their ways (Jam.1:8). It is a most unsatisfactory
position in which to be.
"If ye be led of the Spirit, ye are
not under the law." "For we know that the law is spiritual;
but I am carnal, sold under sin." Rom.7:14. The flesh and
the Spirit are in opposition; but against the fruits of the Spirit
there is no law. Gal.5:22,23. Therefore the law is against the
works of the flesh. The carnal mind is "not subject to the
law of God." So those who are in the flesh can not please
God, but are "under the law." This is another clear
proof of the fact that to be "under the law" is to
be a transgressor of it. "The law is spiritual;" therefore
all who are led by the Spirit are in full harmony with the law,
and so they are not under it.
Here again we see that the controversy
was not whether or not the law should be kept; that never at
that time came into the mind of anybody professing godliness.
But the question was concerning how it could be fulfilled. The
Galatians were being led astray by the flattering teaching that
they themselves had power to do it, while the heaven-sent apostle
strenuously maintained that only through the Spirit could it
be kept. This he showed from the Scriptures, from the history
of Abraham, and from the experience of the Galatians themselves.
They began in the Spirit, and as long as they continued in the
Spirit, they ran well; but when they substituted themselves for
the Spirit, immediately the works began to manifest themselves,
which were wholly contrary to the law. The Holy Spirit is the
life of God; God is love; love is the fulfilling of the law;
the law is spiritual. Therefore whoever would be spiritual must
submit to the righteousness of God, which is witnessed to by
the law, but is gained only through the faith of Jesus Christ.
Whoever is led by the Spirit must keep the law, not as a condition
of receiving the Spirit, but as the necessary result.
We often find people who profess to be
so spiritual, so wholly led by the Spirit, that they do not need
to keep the law. They admit that they do not keep the law, but
say that it is the Spirit that leads them to do as they do, and
that, therefore, it can not be sin, even though opposed to the
law. Such persons make the terrible mistake of substituting their
own carnal mind for the mind of the Spirit. They have confounded
the flesh with the Spirit, and have thus put themselves in the
place of God. That is the very worst kind of popery. To speak
against the law of God, is to speak against the Spirit. They
are terribly blinded, and should pray, "Open Thou mine eyes,
that I may behold wondrous things out of Thy law."
The first-fruit of the Spirit is love,
and "love is the fulfilling of the law." Joy and peace
come next, for, "being justified by faith, we have peace
with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." "And not only
so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ."
Rom.5:1,11. Christ was anointed with the Holy Ghost (Acts 10:38),
or, as stated in another place, "with the oil of gladness"
(Heb.1:9). The service of God is a joyful service. The kingdom
of God is "righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy
Ghost." Rom.14:17. He who is not glad, not occasionally
merely, but all the time,--glad in adversity as well as in prosperity,--does
not yet know the Lord as he should. The words of Christ lead
to fullness of joy. John 15:11.
Love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness,
goodness, faith, meekness, temperance, must come forth spontaneously
from the heart of the true follower of Christ. They can not be
forced. But they do not dwell naturally in us. It is natural
for us to be angry and exasperated, instead of gentle and long-suffering,
when opposed. Note the contrast between the works of the flesh
and the fruits of the Spirit. The first come naturally; therefore,
in order for the good fruit to be borne, we must be made completely
over into new creatures. "A good man out of the good treasure
of his heart bringeth forth that which is good." Luke 6:45.
Goodness comes not from any man, but from the Spirit of Christ
continually dwelling in him.
"They that are Christ's have crucified
the flesh with the passions and lusts." It is by death that
we become joined to Christ. As many as are baptized into Christ,
have put on Christ (Gal.5:27), and as many as have been baptized
into Christ, have been baptized into His death (Rom.6:3). "Our
old man is crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be
destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that
is dead is freed from sin." Rom.6:6,7. "I am crucified
with Christ; nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth
in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the
faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me."
Gal.2:20. This is the experience of every true child of God.
"If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature." 2Cor.5:17.
He still lives in the flesh, to all outward appearance the same
as other men, yet he is in the Spirit, and not in the flesh.
Rom.8:9. He lives in the flesh a life that is not of the flesh,
and the flesh has no power over him, but, so far as its works
are concerned, is dead. "The body is dead because of sin;
but the Spirit is life because of righteousness."
"If we live in the Spirit, let us
also walk in the Spirit." Is there any doubt as to whether
or not we live in the Spirit?--Not the slightest, nor is there
any implied. Because we live in the Spirit, we are in duty bound
to submit to the Spirit. Only by the Spirit's power--the same
Spirit that in the beginning hovered over the face of the deep
and brought order out of chaos--can any person live. "The
Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath
given me life." Job 33:4. By the same breath were the heavens
made. Ps.33:6. The Spirit of God is the life of the universe.
The Spirit of God in our nostrils (Job 27:3) keeps us in life.
The Spirit is the universal presence of God, in whom "we
live, and move, and have our being." We are dependent on
the Spirit for life, and therefore should walk according to,
or be guided by, the Spirit. This is our "reasonable service."
What a wondrous possibility is here set
forth! To live in the flesh as though the flesh were spirit.
"There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body."
"Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that
which is natural; and afterwards that which is spiritual."
1Cor.15:44,46. The natural body we now have; the spiritual body
all the true followers of Christ will receive at the resurrection.
See 1Cor.15:42-44,50-53. Yet in this life, in the natural body,
men are to be spiritual,--to live just as they will in the future
spiritual body. "Ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit,
if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you." Rom.8:9.
"The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit
of God; for they are foolishness unto him; neither can he know
them; because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is
spiritual judgeth all things." 1Cor.2:14,15.
"Except a man be born again [from
above], he can not see the kingdom of God." "That which
is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the
Spirit is spirit." John 3:3,6. By our natural birth we inherit
all the evils enumerated in this fifth chapter of Galatians,
"and such like." We are fleshly; corruption rules in
us. By the new birth we inherit the fullness of God, being made
"partakers of the Divine nature, having escaped the corruption
that is in the world through lust." 2Pet.1:4. "The
old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts"
(Eph.4:22), is crucified, and "put off," "that
the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should
not serve sin" (Rom.6:6). Abiding in the Spirit, walking
in the Spirit, the flesh with its lusts has no more power over
us than if we were actually dead and in our graves. It is then
the Spirit of God alone that animates the body. The Spirit uses
the flesh as an instrument of righteousness. The flesh is still
corruptible, still full of lusts, still ready to rebel against
the Spirit, but as long as we yield our wills to God, the Spirit
holds the flesh in check. If we waver, if we in our hearts turn
back to Egypt, or if we become self-confident, and so relax our
dependence on the Spirit, then we build again the things that
we destroyed, and again make ourselves transgressors. But this
need not be. Christ has "power over all flesh," and
He has demonstrated His ability to live a spiritual life in human
flesh.
This is the Word made flesh, God manifest
in the flesh. It is the revelation of "the love of Christ,
which passeth knowledge, that we might be filled with all the
fullness of God." With this Spirit of love and meekness
ruling us, we shall not be desirous of vainglory, provoking one
another, envying one another. All things will be of God, and
this will be acknowledged, so that none will have any disposition
to boast over another.
This Spirit of life in Christ--the life
of Christ--is given freely to all. "Whosoever will, let
him take the water of life freely." "For the Life was
manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show unto
you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested
unto us." "Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift."
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