The Religion of Circumcision is a Religion of the Flesh

Galatians 5:13-26

I. PAUL CONTRASTS THE DEEDS OF THE FLESH WITH THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT (Galatians 5:16-26)

A. Jesus also taught, “by their fruit you will recognize them” (Matthew 7:15-20).

B. The Gospel of justification by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone bears the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:19-21).

C. The false Gospel of the Judaizers produced the fruit of immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these (Galatians 5:19-21).

D. The Judaizers’ preaching of the law (circumcision) was nothing better than lawlessness (deeds of the flesh).

E. Paul’s contrast between deeds of the flesh and fruit of the Spirit is in line with the rest of Galatians. Galatians is an epistle of antithesis:

1. Law/Grace (2:21; 5:4)

2. blessing/curse (3:3-14)

3. son/slave (4:1-20)

4. slave/free, Sarah/Hagar, slave woman versus free woman (4:21-5:1)

5. liberty/bondage (2:4; 5:1)

6. Jew/Gentile (3:28-29)

7. boasting in flesh/boasting in cross (6:13,14)

F. To be under the power of the law is to be outside the power of the Spirit. To be under the power of the law is to walk in the sphere of the flesh (Galatians 5:16-18).

II. IF YOU LOOK AT WORKS BASED RELIGIONS AND THEIR FRUIT YOU WILL FIND THAT THEY ARE TYPICALLY CHARACTERIZED BY THE DEEDS OF THE FLESH PAUL MENTIONS IN GALATIANS 5:19-21.

A. The Jews often responded to Paul’s preaching with jealousy, fits of rage and murderous hatred (Acts 5:17-18; 13:44-45).

B. The Jews responded to Jesus’ preaching with rage and murderous hatred (Matthew 27:17-18//Mark 15:10; Luke 4:24-28).

C. Paul’s manner of life before his conversion was also a religion of the flesh. The best Paul could do was:

1. persecute the church of God (Galatians 1:13-14; Acts 8:3; 9:1,13,21; 22:4,5,19; 26:10f; 1 Cor.15:9; Phil.3:6; 1 Tim.1:13cf. Acts 26:4,5; Philippians 3:5-6).

2. murder and blaspheme! (1 Timothy 1:13-15; cf. Acts 7:58; 8:1-3; 9:1-4; 26; 22:4; 5; 7; 8; 19; 20; 26:14; 15; Philippians 3:6).

D. Living under the law inevitably leads to living by the sinful flesh. Only through faith in Jesus and a life in the Spirit can we find freedom from the power of law and flesh.

1. Jesus was constantly rebuking the scribes and the Pharisees for their lawlessness (Matthew 15:1-20; 23).

2. The scribes and Pharisees committed the most lawless act of history – condemning Jesus to be crucified for blasphemy (Acts 2:22-24; 3:13-26).

For those who are circumcised do not even keep the Law themselves, but they desire to have you circumcised so that they may boast in your flesh. (Galatians 6:13)

E. Galatians 5 is about people who claim to believe in Jesus, but try adding their works to the finished work of Jesus Christ. It can also be applied to other works based religions:

1. Islam is a works righteousness religion and it is overall enslaved to the deeds of the flesh: enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, we might add murder and in some parts of the world rape and man-stealing.

2. Liberal Christianity is in many ways a works based religion. It is characterized by the deeds of the flesh: immorality, impurity, sensuality (e.g. abortion, homosexuality).

3. Roman Catholicism and the hierarchical cover-up of abuses and reassigning bad priests to other parishes (Ephesians 5:11-12).

When the scandal was made public a few years ago, Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) tried blaming the American media for the scandal. At the time when Ratzinger said this he presided as prefect over the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith. This means he had responsibility for handling church discipline of priests abusing minors. Instead of putting child victims and families first, in too many instances there was cover-up and reassigning of abusive priests to different parishes.

F. Is your life characterized by the deeds of the flesh or the deeds of the Spirit?

QUESTIONS FOR SABBATH DISCUSSION & MEDITATION

Take what you have learned this morning and make it into a prayer.

How is Paul’s comparison between the deeds of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit similar to the teaching of Jesus about the fruit of false prophets?

Paul’s contrast between deeds of the flesh and fruit of the Spirit is similar to other antitheses in Galatians. Can you list some others?

Preaching of circumcision (works righteousness) = ______________________

Preaching of Christ crucified (justification by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone) = ________________________.

What were the fruits of the unbelieving Jews in Jesus’ day?

What were the fruits of Paul’s life before his conversion?

What were the fruits of the unbelieving Jews to Paul’s preaching of Christ?

What tend to be the fruits of all works based religions?

What is the fruit of your life?