Thoughts on Galatians 5, 1-6

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

Since these verses are often used, to prove, that by Jesus Christ, were removed Sabbath, the feasts of the Lord, the commandments and ordinances of God, I would myself more intensively deal with these verses.

What exactly does freedom mean? In Wikipedia I found a very good explanation: "Freedom (Latin libertas) is usually understood as the ability to choose without coercion between different options and decide. The term generally designates a state of autonomy of a subject. "

"The young Christianity has indeed taken the ideas of Judaism about freedom, but eschatologized, in a category of" made ​​world to come. "The concept of freedom (Eleutheria) describes mainly a religious quality in the New Testament. Faced with the imminent parousia (return) of their risen Lord Jesus Christ every political change in the world at first seemed pointless. Now it was more about being "inside" the stoic -Hellenistic sense to be free of the constraints of the perishing world. The Apostle Paul Picking up on the Stoic understanding of freedom taught and formulated Christian, the Christian is in the religious sense of free from the law, sin and death (Romans chapters 6-8). In this "inner" sense, is Paul's phrase from the Letter to the Galatians to understand; that all people in Christ are equal and therefore free (Gal 3, 26-28): "For freedom has Christ set us free, therefore ... let you not bring back under a yoke of bondage. "(Gal 5:1)" (http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freiheit)

The Galatians was taught by Jewish false teachers, that they must be circumcised, in order to fulfil the whole law. Paul knew that circumcision has nothing to do with the commandments and ordinances of God, since it merely is used, as a sign of the covenant, which God made with Israel. But anyone who is in this covenant, must abide the law of the Lord. Such a person cannot be free, namely in the sense, that he could decide without coercion. So Paul explains in these lines, that just the one who has Jesus Christ, is free to choose for themselves without coercion his spiritual journey. That Paul speaks of spiritual freedom, we understand in reading the next few lines, where Paul writes in Galatians 5, 13-15: "For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another."

Paul knows full well, that no one who lives under the law, which means nothing else, than the laws and commandments of God need to comply, to be saved thereby, may do so, on its own initiative. But who accepts Jesus Christ as Lord, those will guide from the Holy Spirit, so that those comply sooner or later through the lived charity, the commandments and statutes of God. Therefore will truly save people, if they love God, keep His Sabbath and its feasts. Not because they are under the law, but because they love God. Everyone who loves his neighbor will not just steal, lie, covet, murder, cheat, etc., and thereby thus has fulfilled the law and the commandments. Paul knows, that spiritual life is absolutely necessary, to be able to do these, he writes in Galatians 5, 16-18: "This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusted against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.  But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law."

Anyone, who has truly accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord, will be led by the Holy Spirit. Since we know, that the Holy Spirit will teach us the truth, we can understand now, what Jesus Christ has caused for us, by his sacrifice. He has fulfilled, what God through the prophets has told. Jesus Christ has written the commandments and ordinances of God in the hearts of true believers, and as a result they redeemed!

Paul, who has that also recognized, therefore writes in Galatians 5, 19-26: "Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envying’s, murders, drunkenness, revelling’s, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another."

Thus, we see that these verses on closer studying are not suitable, to prove that Jesus Christ would have repealed the law and the commandments. On the contrary, these verses prove, the entire word of God has eternal validity; and that Jesus Christ has actually changed no letters of the alphabet or point of it. Therefore no one should be deceived, those who continue to live according to the preference of the world, will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Jesus Christ gave us the freedom to choose without coercion, whether we want to redeem ourselves, by keeping the law and but so thus be lost; or by his grace be able to comply the law, and to be saved by him.

Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith. Amen (Galatians 6, 7-10)