Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
2Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing.
3For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law.
4Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.
“Stand fast” is an expression of the Greek word “STEKO.” STEKO means “to stand firm...persevere...to hold one’s ground” (Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon). Just as countries must persevere to maintain freedom and protection of their rights, so also must we stand fast in protecting our spiritual freedom.
Paul’s admonition to “stand fast” also reveals that our freedom in Christ doesn’t function automatically. We have a part to play. Our adversary, the devil, is always seeking whom he may devour (1Pe 5:8). Legalism is one of his greatest weapons, and we must resist every attempt he makes to draw us back into self-effort (1Pe 5:9).
When you see the word “therefore,” you need to stop and think what that word is there for. The word links what Paul was saying here with what he said in the previous verses.
Paul had just compared being under the Law to being a descendant of the slave woman, Hagar, and therefore not an heir of the promises of God (Ga 4:22). Therefore, since none of us want to be cast out from the inheritance of God, we need to steadfastly defend our liberty that we have received through faith in Christ.
The word “liberty” means “1.a. The condition of being free from restriction or control. b. The right and power to act, believe, or express oneself in a manner of one’s own choosing. c. The condition of being physically and legally free from confinement, servitude, or forced labor” (American Heritage Dictionary). The liberty that Paul was speaking of is specifically the freedom from the oppression of the Old Testament Law (Ro 3:19).
Of course, Paul was not out of control. He was controlled by his love for the Lord instead of his fear of punishment for breaking the O.T. Law. Paul made it clear in Ga 5:13-15 that this liberty is not freedom to sin but freedom from sin. If we use our freedom in Christ to indulge our sinful passions, we will pay a price (Ga 5:15).
The word “entangled” in Greek carries the idea of being “ensnared or held in a net” (Wuest’s Word Studies from the Greek New Testament). The bondage that had ensnared the Galatians was the Law’s demands in which they were trying to find God’s favor or acceptance through performance.
God paid the ultimate price for our liberty. Freedom from self-justification through the Law was purchased by Christ upon the cross. We must never let anything or anyone bring us back into bondage again.
The context makes it very clear that this “yoke of bondage” that Paul was speaking of is the Old Testament Law. This is a strong statement and leaves no doubt that the Law was not for the purpose of liberty but bondage (Ro 3:19; Ro 7:11).
Contrast the Law’s “yoke of bondage” with what Christ said in Mt 11:29-30: “Take my yoke upon you...For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Mt 11:29).
Paul was circumcised himself (Php 3:5), so what was he saying? Paul was referring to trusting in some external action to produce justification with God instead of just faith in Christ. The false teachers in Galatia had taught that circumcision (Ac 15:1) and the keeping of the Old Testament Law were necessary for salvation.
It doesn’t matter if it is circumcision, water baptism, holiness, or any other religious act; trust in anything except Christ voids the saving effects of Christ in our lives (Ga 2:21).
A simple way to detect what our faith is in is to imagine ourselves standing before God, giving a reason that we should be allowed into heaven. If we pointed out our church attendance, giving receipts, acts of holiness, or anything else, then that is what our faith is in. Those of us who would do that are no different than Muslims or Buddhists. We would be trusting in our own efforts to produce salvation.
The proper response would be to say, “The only thing that makes me worthy to enter heaven is what Jesus did for me. My total faith and trust is in Jesus.” It’s not Jesus plus anything (Ro 11:6). Faith alone saves (Joh 3:3).
The phrase “Christ shall profit you nothing” is another way of saying that if people turn to self-effort for salvation, then they cannot benefit in any way from what Christ has done for them. The only way to appropriate what Jesus did for man is by faith.
It is possible to put total faith in Jesus concerning our eternal salvation and yet turn back to the deception that God will only bless us in this life proportionally to our performance. That is not true and will keep us from experiencing the abundant life Jesus purchased for us (Joh 10:10).
Paul was circumcised (Php 3:5), so he was not saying that circumcision prevents people from being saved. He was saying that people can’t trust in any outward acts of holiness on their part to save them. Their faith has to be in Christ alone.
Ga 5:3 is saying the same thing as Jas 2:10. Those who commit to obeying any part of the Law for justification obligate themselves to keeping all of the Law (Ga 3:10).
The phrase in Ga 5:4 says “is become of no effect unto you” was rendered from the Greek words “APO” and “KATARGEO.” KATARGEO means “to be (render) entirely idle (useless), literally or figuratively” (Strong’s Concordance). Regarding the Greek word APO, Strong’s Concordance says, “In composition (as a prefix) it usually denotes separation, departure, cessation, completion, reversal, etc.”
What effect is Christ having in your life? If you feel separated from what Christ has done for you, then the cause is probably what Paul was speaking about here. You have turned from grace and are trying to earn God’s favor. That stops God’s power and makes all that Jesus provided of no effect in your life. The antidote is to get back into the grace of God by putting faith in what Jesus did for you and not in what you are doing for Him (Ro 5:1-2).
Here are some scriptures that speak of voiding what Christ did, and they are all centered around legalism: Mr 7:13; 1Co 15:14-17; Ro 9:31-32; Ga 2:21, 5:2, and 4.
The New American Standard Version states, “You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace”. We all know how serious it is to have a body part severed, such as an arm or a foot. How much more dangerous it is to be “severed from Christ.” This takes place when anyone turns from grace to the Law for salvation.
The expression “you are fallen from grace” “should be understood not in the sense that grace has been taken away from them, but in the sense that they have turned their backs on it. One may also say ‘you have put yourself in a place where God cannot be good to you, or show you His goodness’” (UBS Handbook, p. 122). “Fallen from grace” is not speaking about the Armenian doctrine of losing salvation by one’s sins; rather, it is speaking of turning from the method of salvation (grace) to seeking salvation by another way.
Romans 11:6 And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it is no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.
Paul stated the doctrine of justification by grace through faith so clearly in his writings that any person who claims to believe the Bible has to acknowledge this truth. However, one of Satan’s cleverest deceptions is to take a truth and add to it until it is no longer the truth. Lest that happen with this doctrine of grace, Paul stated emphatically that we cannot combine anything with God’s grace as a requirement for salvation.
In the same way that gasoline and water don’t mix, so grace and works will not mix. Justification has to be all works or all grace, but not a combination of the two.
In this epistle, Paul repeatedly made his point of justification by grace through faith. He repeatedly stressed that faith is the only requirement on our part. Here he was repeating that point once again in perhaps his clearest words yet. Still, an abundance of religious people today cannot accept the fact that all we have to do is to believe to receive God’s grace (Ro 5:2). This verse leaves no alternatives.
If you believe that you earn, deserve, receive by works (performance) or sacrifice, or keeping rules, regulations, or laws then you have fallen from grace. Stand fast therefore in the grace that Jesus Christ has provided for you.
