A story that didn't add up

Pastor Max Lyons asks whether you have ever heard a story that just didn't add up. A friend of his once described a serious long-distance relationship with a woman he had never met in person, who was hospitalized and could never receive visitors. That, Max says, is what Paul is doing in Galatians 5. He is helping the churches of Galatia determine whether their relationship with Jesus is authentic or fake.

Layers of change

Recapping Galatians 1 through 4, Pastor Max explains that the Judaizers were telling Gentile converts they had to become Jewish to be right with God. Using a chart of three circles, he contrasts their focus on behavior with what Jesus actually does. Jesus does not simply change behavior; He changes identity, raising us from death to life as children of God. That new identity shapes beliefs, which shape behavior. Behavior matters, but it is the byproduct, not the goal.

Stand firm in freedom

Galatians 5:1 says Christ set us free, so keep standing firm and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. Pastor Max names the forms that slavery takes: legalism, sin, fear, unforgiveness, idolatry, false teaching, and the corruption of culture. Verses 2 through 6 warn that seeking to be justified by law means being severed from Christ and falling from grace. The message on repeat through Galatians is that nothing we do in our own power can make us right with God or add to our salvation.

The allowable amount is zero

Pastor Max recalls a cruise ship outbreak blamed on food with more than the allowable amount of contamination. His personal allowable amount is zero, and so is God's allowable amount of sin. None of us meets that standard. The lie that life is about becoming a good person is dangerous because it trusts self rather than God. The gospel is not a philosophy to be argued but a command to be obeyed.

False teachers and a real difference

Paul warns that a little leaven works through the whole batch and that those disturbing the church will bear the penalty, which is why Pastors Max and Juliet take preaching so seriously; James says teachers will be judged more strictly. The Judaizers accused Paul of hypocrisy because he circumcised Timothy in Acts 16, but Timothy was circumcised for ministry effectiveness among Jews, not to be saved.

Freedom is not a license to sin

Verses 13 through 15 call believers to serve one another in love rather than use freedom as an opportunity for the flesh. Pastor Max distinguishes making a mistake from living in rebellion. The godly cycle after sin is conviction by the Holy Spirit, repentance, confession, and restoration. The rebellious cycle is denial or justification, leading to rebellion, hardness of heart, and destruction.

Take off the grave clothes

Paul lists the works of the flesh and says those who practice them will not inherit the kingdom. Pastor Max turns to Lazarus: Jesus raised him from the dead and then said, "Take off the grave clothes." Salvation raises us to life, but destructive mindsets, toxic beliefs, and addictions come with us and must be laid down through sanctification. This is impossible in our own strength. Without the Holy Spirit, all we have is effort without power and activity without fruit. Walking in the Spirit is about the direction of your life, not its perfection, and about surrendering more fully rather than trying harder.

Known by your fruit

The works of the flesh are plural, but the fruit of the Spirit is singular, a package deal: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. An orange tree that produces apples would call its planter's testimony into question, and Jesus says in Matthew 7 that you will recognize them by their fruit. We are not saved by our works, but our works show that we are saved. If no fruit is coming from your life, either you are not connected to Jesus or there are grave clothes still to take off. Pastor Max closes with Paul's resolve to throw off everything that hinders.