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We sin because we
have a fallen nature that wants to sin
continually. Sin controls us! Our sinful nature is in
constant rebellion against God. The only way
we can overcome our sin problem is by
receiving a new nature from God Himself.
The only consistent way to overcome the
sinful desires of the flesh is to live in
the power of the Holy Spirit who works
through our spirit to transform us
(Gal. 5:25). The desires of our flesh
are at odds with what the Holy Spirit wants
for us, freedom from sin. Whenever we are
focused on law-keeping we are focused on our
performance, not on what God wants us to do,
which is walk by the power of the Holy
Spirit on a moment-by-moment basis.
Romans 6:14 says, “For sin will have no
dominion over you, since you are not under
law but under grace.”
The Law
only points us to our sin!
Romans 7:6-9 says, “But now we are released
from the law, having died to that which held
us captive, so that we serve in the new way
of the Spirit and not in the old way of the
written code. What then shall we say? That
the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had
not been for the law, I would not have known
sin. For I would not have known what it is
to covet if the law had not said, “You shall
not covet.” But sin, seizing an opportunity
through the commandment, produced in me all
kinds of covetousness. For apart from the
law, sin lies dead. I was once alive apart
from the law, but when the commandment came,
sin came alive and I died.”
Because
we died in Christ when He died, the law with
its condemnation and penalties no longer has
jurisdiction over us (Rom. 7:1-3).
Galatians 3:13 says, “Christ redeemed us
from the curse of the law by becoming a
curse for us — for it is written, “Cursed is
everyone who is hanged on a tree.”
The law was only a temporary
guardian to prepare the way for Christ.
Galatians 3:24 says, “So
then, the law was our guardian until Christ
came, in order that we might be justified by
faith.”
The Greek word translated as
either, “tutor” or “guardian” in Galatians 3:24
is “paidagôgos”. It describes a slave
who took care of a child until they reached
adulthood. They watched over the children at
school and at home and were often very
strict causing those under their care to
look forward to the day when they would be
free from their tutor's custody.
The law served as a
tutor to show us how sinful we really are
and our need for the Savior, Jesus Christ.
The Jews under the law were like
children under the control of a guardian,
but this was only until Christ came. Once He
came, those who trusted in Him were forgiven
for the sins they had committed against the
law and were made right with God. Instead of
being like young children under a guardian, they could
now enjoy the freedom of full-grown children
of God (Gal. 3:23-26). Since Christ has
come, all those who believe in Him are
united as God's children, regardless of
their race, sex, or social status. In Christ,
they are completely forgiven and justified
by faith and are Abraham's true heirs
(Gal. 3:27-29).
God wants to
make us into a new creation.
Romans 12:1-2 says, “I appeal to you
therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God,
to present your bodies as a living
sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which
is your spiritual worship. Do not be
conformed to this world, but be transformed
by the renewal of your mind, that by testing
you may discern what is the will of God,
what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
And Ephesians 4:24 says, “and to put on the
new self, created after the likeness of God
in true righteousness and holiness.”
Transformation of this kind can only occur
as the Holy Spirit changes our thinking
through prayer and the study of the
scriptures (Phil. 4:8). As we grow in
our Christian life we should gradually
notice that our thoughts are being changed,
moment-by-moment into Christlikeness.
Transformation does not happen overnight.
When we are born again our regeneration is
instantaneous, but our transformation, or
sanctification, is continuous. We are
gradually conformed to Christ's image as we
spend time in fellowship with Him (2 Cor. 3:18).
It is only when
the Holy Spirit renews, reeducates, and
redirects our minds that we are truly
transformed!
Romans 8:5 says, “For
those who live according to the flesh set
their minds on the things of the flesh, but
those who live according to the Spirit set
their minds on the things of the Spirit.”
Our mind is transformed through prayer
and the study of God’s Word as the Holy
Spirit works inside us.
The Galatians
were led away from the true gospel to a
false gospel of law-keeping.
Galatians 4:21 says, “Tell me, you who
desire to be under the law, do you not
listen to the law?”
The Galatians'
were “bewitched” by living under the law
(Gal. 3:1-5). Paul uses the example of
Abraham’s two sons to show that people are
saved because of their faith in Christ and
not because of what they do (Gal. 4:21-25). Paul contrasted those who are
enslaved to the law, represented by Hagar,
the slave wife with those who are free from
the law, represented by Sarah, the free
wife. The mistreatment of Sarah by Hagar was
comparable to the persecution of the Gentile
Christians by those who claimed that obeying
the law was necessary for salvation (Gen. 16:4).
Paul explained the meaning of
Abraham's two sons and the two kinds of
covenants God made with His people
symbolically. The first was a covenant of
slavery, the second was a covenant of
freedom. God wants His children to be free,
and the promise is made real by the Spirit
of God, who shows us our freedom in Christ
and not by keeping the law.
We are
commanded to walk according to the Holy
Spirit!
Galatians 5:16-18 says, “But
I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not
gratify the desires of the flesh. For the
desires of the flesh are against the Spirit,
and the desires of the Spirit are against
the flesh, for these are opposed to each
other, to keep you from doing the things you
want to do. But if you are led by the
Spirit, you are not under the law.”
Whenever we are focused on law-keeping we
are under the bondage of trying to please
God by the observance of the law for our
salvation or sanctification.
God
begins the process of perfecting us from the
moment we are converted from unbelief to
faith in Christ. The Holy Spirit regenerates
us and gives us new hearts with new, holy
desires (Ezek. 36:26). He transforms our
stubborn wills. He opens our hearts to
embrace the truth of the gospel rather than
reject it, to believe it rather than doubt
it. God gives us a hunger for righteousness
and a desire to please Him. The inner person
is transformed through the miracle of the
new birth and from that point on, everything
that occurs in our lives God uses to make us
more like Christ (Rom. 8:28-30).
God’s desire is to transform us, from the
inside out, into Christ’s likeness.
Second Timothy 1:9 says, God ”who saved us and
called us to a holy calling, not because of
our works but because of his own purpose and
grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus
before the ages began,” And 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14 says, “But we ought always to give
thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by
the Lord, because God chose you as the
firstfruits to be saved, through
sanctification by the Spirit and belief in
the truth. To this he called you through our
gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of
our Lord Jesus Christ.”
It is only by
believing in the true gospel that we will be
with Christ when He comes again.
Galatians 1:6-7 says, “I am astonished that
you are so quickly deserting him who called
you in the grace of Christ and are turning
to a different gospel — not that there is
another one, but there are some who trouble
you and want to distort the gospel of
Christ.”
Paul tells us that the
so-called gospel of the Judaizers was not
the real gospel at all.
Paul’s
opponents were trying to seduce the
Galatians into the false gospel of
works-righteousness. They tried to persuade
the Galatians that to be saved, they had to
accept circumcision and submit to the Old
Covenant law to become true members of God’s
household (Gal. 2:3-5).
Galatians 5:2-6 says,
“Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you
accept circumcision, Christ will be of no
advantage to you. I testify again to every
man who accepts circumcision that he is
obligated to keep the whole law. You are
severed from Christ, you who would be
justified by the law; you have fallen away
from grace. For through the Spirit, by
faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the
hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus
neither circumcision nor uncircumcision
counts for anything, but only faith working
through love.”
The Old Covenant law
has no authority over Christians. We are not
required to keep any of its legal
requirements (Acts 15).
Paul said in
Colossians 2:16-17, "Therefore do not let anyone judge
you by what you eat or drink, or with regard
to a religious festival, a New Moon
celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a
shadow of the things that were to come; the
reality, however, is found in Christ." (NIV)
The truth is, no matter how hard we try,
no one can ever keep the law perfectly.
Galatians 6:12-13 says, “It is those who
want to make a good showing in the flesh who
would force you to be circumcised, and only
in order that they may not be persecuted for
the cross of Christ. For even those who are
circumcised do not themselves keep the law,
but they desire to have you circumcised that
they may boast in your flesh.”
According to Paul, this was a distortion of
the gospel of Jesus Christ because it
compelled the Gentiles to keep the laws of the Mosaic
Covenant for their salvation.
The
Galatians were believing in a false gospel
that brought a curse on everyone who tried
to live by it.
Galatians 1:8 says,
“Indeed, even if we or an angel from heaven
preach a gospel to you contrary to that
which we preached to you, let him be
accursed.”
Whenever we focus
on keeping the law a veil covers our heart’s
and keeps us from accepting Christ’s
offer of salvation by grace through faith
in Him alone.
Second Corinthians 3:12-18
says, “Since we have such a hope, we are
very bold, not like Moses, who would put a
veil over his face so that the Israelites
might not gaze at the outcome of what was
being brought to an end. But their minds
were hardened. For to this day, when they
read the old covenant, that same veil
remains unlifted, because only through
Christ is it taken away. Yes, to this day
whenever Moses is read a veil lies over
their hearts. But when one turns to the
Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is
the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord
is, there is freedom. And we all, with
unveiled face, beholding the glory of the
Lord, are being transformed into the same
image from one degree of glory to another.
For this comes from the Lord who is the
Spirit.”
Even after we become
believers, we are prone to wander away from God
at times.
Various influences may draw us away,
including legalism and the sinfulness of our
own hearts. In the book of Galatians, we see
the influence of false teachers who convinced the Galatians to accept
another gospel by sharing their false
understanding of the Old Covenant law.
When we truly understand that our
righteousness is in Christ alone, we will
not be deceived by any other false gospel.
John 14:16-17 says, “And I will ask the
Father, and he will give you another Helper,
to be with you forever, even the Spirit of
truth, whom the world cannot receive,
because it neither sees him nor knows him.
You know him, for he dwells with you and
will be in you.”
The righteous
requirements of the law are fulfilled in us
when we walk according to God's Spirit!
Titus 2:11-14 says, “For the grace of
God has appeared, bringing salvation for all
people, training us to renounce ungodliness
and worldly passions, and to live
self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in
the present age, waiting for our blessed
hope, the appearing of the glory of our
great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave
himself for us to redeem us from all
lawlessness and to purify for himself a
people for his own possession who are
zealous for good works.”
We can only know the true gospel when we
have the Holy Spirit to guide us
(1 Cor. 2:12-16; 1 Jn. 2:20, 27).
Christians have to understand that they have
the Holy Spirit living inside them from the
moment they accept Jesus Christ as their
Lord and Savior. To walk in the Spirit means
that we yield to His control, we follow His
lead, and we allow Him to exert His
influence over us. When we walk in the
Spirit God gives us Christ’s love in our
hearts and the desire to obey Him. The more
we love Him the more we want to obey Him, we
do what is right out of love, not because we
have to keep the law to earn our salvation.
See also:
What is the Gospel of Jesus Christ?
What does it mean to be born again?
The Process of Salvation.
How do we overcome our sinful nature?
Do you have a saving faith?
We serve in the new way of the Spirit.
Is it really possible to keep the Ten
Commandments?
Do Christians have to become sinless before
Christ comes?
God promised to make a New Covenant for us
to live by!
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