Sound Doctrine

Announcer: Choosing God's grace, that's coming up today on Sound Doctrine.

Jeff Johnson: Paul's not talking about our character here. He's talking about our conduct. Who are you going to choose? What are you going to do? Pretty heavy decision, isn't it? They got to choose. We all have to choose.

Guest (Male): It's true, our conduct can damn us, but here Paul is talking about being saved by our trusting in faith in God's grace, that Jesus is all that we need and nothing else.

Announcer: It's been said that the proof of love is not our feelings, but in our actions. Welcome to Sound Doctrine with Pastor Jeff Johnson from Calvary Chapel Downing. The plan today is to cover Galatians chapter 5, verses 1 through 4. Pastor Jeff is going to stress that we have been set free by the Spirit of God. True freedom isn't a license to sin, although some see it that way. Rather, true freedom is a privilege and power to live as God has called us. To delve into this great truth from Galatians chapter 5, here's Pastor Jeff Johnson.

Jeff Johnson: See, Christ is everything. He's the center of everything. Paul's trying to get this through to these guys. They're in th- those that would do anything else but Christ, they're in the law's crutch or clutches, and they're gonna be choked out. Christ will not profit them. Over in Romans, there's a simple little look at circumcision the Christian way, and that is in Romans 2, verse 28, jot it down. For he is not a Jew, or I'm going to infuse there Christian, which is one outwardly. We're not Christians outwardly. Neither is the circumcision, and I'm gonna throw in baptism there because sometimes that that's a big deal with Christians, right?

You need Jesus, then you need baptism. Uh-oh, you're in danger. Which is outward in the flesh. But he is a Jew or a Christian, and Jew means a praise to God, which is one inwardly. The circumcision is of the heart in the spirit and not in the letter, whose praise is not of men, but of God. So our circumcision is of the heart. It's the inner discipline of God that we have received, that it's not by our might, our power, but it's by what? What? The Spirit working in us. We did nothing and we can do nothing. We got to get that through our heads. We're free. It's awesome. He's doing the work. To God be the glory.

Ours is circumcision of the heart, justified in Jesus Christ. Some don't want this liberty, though. They don't want to make, they don't want to say that, you know, I don't want to be sort of, they don't know what it means to be led by the Spirit, guided by the Lord, and I don't want to make those decisions. So they go out and they try to find a dictatorship or a legalistic fellowship because they don't want to walk by faith. They don't want to be led by the Spirit. They don't want to depend on grace and grace alone. To yield to his spirit, to live for others, to glorify God, they don't want that.

If you go by the law, you'll be held accountable for all the law. Isn't this what Paul says here? If that's the way you want to go, okay. You better get a seat belt on, a tight one, because you got 613 laws to obey. Not only that, you got the Talmud, the teachings of the rabbis. You've got, I mean, one thing, the kosher laws of eating, what to eat, what not to eat, how to split your meals, one with milk and the other with meat, and oh. That's why I can't understand Christians that want to go back to Judaism. Why? I just like the law. I like to be kosher. Okay, you're free to do that. I'm not going to condemn you to do that, but why?

Well, I just like Judaism now, you know, the ritualism and all. And why? Waste of time, really. Jesus set us free. We're free from all that, and you're not experiencing your liberty. Can't go over three quarters of a mile on the Sabbath. You got to obey all the Sabbath laws. And so there's those that say, you can't worship God on Sunday. You're supposed to worship God on Saturday. Okay, if you're going to go that route, then how'd you get to church? I drove. Oh, no, you can't. It's the spark of the spark club that's working. Turn the key. You can turn the key. You went over three quarters of a mile.

You just broke the Sabbath law. Huh? So they're busted, right? Come on. Don't go that route. It's like driving through the city of Downey and all of a sudden you look in your rearview mirror, and guess what you see? Flashing lights. Oh gosh, what is this? You pull over, the officer comes up to the car, has his hand on his gun, looks in the window. Did you know you're going 60 in a 25 mile zone? Oh, no sir. You just broke the law. Oh, come on. I didn't, I mean, I'm in a hurry. I'm doing this, I'm doing that, and you try to make excuses, and you say, well, gosh, come on. Officer, I've never stolen a thing.

I've never drank, had drank. I was never a drunkard. I never committed murder. Come on, officer, let me go. I never was into drugs. And the officer says, well, I don't care what you didn't do, only care what you did do, and you're guilty. You broke the law. And we have laws for a reason, and they're good. Red light means stop. Oh, I don't want, you know, you can go right through. That's danger. So many people have been so hurt. So we have those laws that we go by because it's for humanity's sake. It's for safety's sake. But you got to go through all of them, and you got to obey them all. And there's a lot, isn't there?

And if we break one, hey, you got to pay, but that's what it's about. Now, look at verse 4. He says in verse 4, Christ has become of no effect unto you, whosoever you are that are justified by the law. You are fallen from grace. Christ hung on that cross, his blood being poured out, his soul in agony, his love reaching out, and it profits you nothing because you want to be justified by the law. It's so sad. The two thieves on either side of him, remember the one trusted in Jesus, and Jesus says, today you'll be with me in paradise. The other thief didn't believe, and it profited him nothing. You're on your own, buddy.

Nothing. In verse 3, where Paul says that I testify, he's being deadly serious at this point. Luther says of what Paul is saying here, he's saying, Paul's saying here that the tongue cannot express, nor the heart conceive what a terrible thing it is to make Christ worthless. That he did it all for nothing. Horrible. To accept circumcision is to choose law over grace. And what is grace? God's unmerited favor, undeserved, unearned favor. It's just given to us. We didn't do anything to earn it. We didn't do anything to merit it. Nothing. He just did it, gave it to us. That's why it's amazing grace.

And to choose the law over grace is to be ruled over with 613 laws in the Talmud. And you can't overcome the bad that you have in your life with good. I mean, people try to do that, and they go, well, I gave at the office, you know, I, hey, come on, I'm a good person. I always try to do good things if I mess up. And it's all, you know, it's a works thing, isn't it? You're trying to do the work. You're trying to be good, you know. Forget it. You're a sinner. Yeah, but I have Jesus. You're still a sinner. You need the blood of Christ. You need Jesus more than ever. You must, according to the law, be perfect.

Perfect. The Jews' circumcision was, they were Jews, and so they were circumcised when they were children, right? Badge, law. And the Jews, he's not condemning the Jews here because they were circumcised. That has nothing to do with what he's talking about. You got to see this. Paul's dealing with Gentiles here that are grown, and these guys are saying, no, no, every one of you got to be circumcised. Over in 1 Corinthians, in chapter 7, in verse 18, listen to what Paul says here. 1 Corinthians 7:18, is any man called being circumcised? Let him not become uncircumcised. I mean, that's ridiculous.

How are you going to do that anyhow? Is any called in uncircumcision, that you got called and you're saved and you're not circumcised? He says, let him not be circumcised. Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God. What is the commandment? The greatest commandment of God is believe on him whom he has sent. That changes everything, doesn't it? But it's not about circumcision. It's not about baptism. It's not about any of those things. You don't have to be circumcised as adults under Moses' law. In fact, Moses' law is the one that's really under the law, because when Moses, and it was given to Moses to do the commandments, man, they took that very seriously.

But all of a sudden, you know, did somebody forget about Abraham? Because circumcision was given to Abraham. Now you go way back, no, actually not way back, Romans 4, and in Romans 4, verse 11, listen to this. He says, and he received the sign of circumcision, Abraham, a seal of righteousness of the faith, which he had yet being uncircumcised. He believed God, and because he believed God, righteousness was given to him. Had nothing to do with circumcision. That he might be the father of all of them that believe. That's why we say Father Abraham, you know, I'm one of his children, because I believed.

Though they be not circumcised, that righteousness might be imputed unto them also. So again, the circumcision question. And I think he chose the circumcision question because it's something that you choose to do. And he knew that these Gentiles were about ready to make a choice. They were being pressured to do circumcision, and he was just going in there just saying, don't do it. Don't go that, because you're going to make a response, an intelligent response. Okay, let's do this. And you don't forget those times. You don't forget when your tonsils are taken out. You don't forget when you have appendicitis, man.

You don't forget that stuff. You made that decision. That's heavy, and it's memorable. As soon as we allow this, he says you've fallen from grace. You made the choice. You did it. To embrace the law is to depart from Jesus and his grace. It's being estranged from Jesus, separated from Jesus, severed from Jesus. In fact, over in, again, 1 Corinthians 7, in verse 15, he says, but if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or sister is not under bondage in such cases, but God has called us to peace. And it's kind of the same thing. You're free to live in peace. Many misunderstand this whole thing of falling from grace.

Yes, John, in John 15, verses 5 and 6, he says, I am the vine, you are the branches. He that abideth in me and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit, for without me you can do nothing. That's awesome, isn't it? What a scripture. But you got to abide in him. What does that mean? Well, you just, you're just all about Jesus. You're reading the word, you're seeking the Lord, you're in prayer, you're in communion, you're in fellowship, you're just abiding in the vine. But, he says, if a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch and is withered, and men gather them and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.

Wow. Is it something immoral? Paul's not talking about our character here. He's talking about our conduct. Who are you going to choose? What are you going to do? Pretty heavy decision, isn't it? They got to choose. We all have to choose. It's true, our conduct can damn us. But here Paul is talking about being saved by our trusting in faith in God's grace, that Jesus is all that we need and nothing else. It's by faith we are saved through grace. So to fall from grace is not to lose one's salvation here, but to fall from God's grace is to trust in legalism to save you. It's to let go of grace, to turn from a relationship with grace to one of law, and that'll never save you.

Legalism. It's horrible, isn't it? This quote isn't speaking about falling from grace to lose your salvation, but Paul's saying here, you have fallen out of grace if you do this, out of the realm of grace. Christ will profit you nothing. You've lost everything if you go this route. Can they come back? Well, sure they can by just simply repenting. But why even go there? It's serious stuff. Over in Romans, in chapter 8, verse 7, where Paul makes a stand. And in chapter 8, verse 7 of Romans, he says, because the carnal mind is at war with God, for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can it be.

I mean, you're so far away. You've just submitted yourself to a whole another law. These were being deceived to turn from the gospel back to the works thing. I got to do this, I got to do that. You know, it's not so much that we have to be doing this and doing that and doing this. I got to stay saved. I got to keep doing, not doing. No, that's not what it's really about. It's about living it. It's about living it at home. It's about living it where you live. It's about, yes, it's about being a witness, but that's not it. It's not all in that. It's about the Christ changed life. That's the testimony.

He took me out of the horrible pit, put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God. Many shall see it and fear and show trust in the Lord. They'll see my life has been changed, and I'm not someone different outside these doors than I'm when I'm in here. You following me? It doesn't work that way. These have fallen away. They have, they followed another gospel, remember, in chapter 1 of Galatians. They, that's what was happening. Who deceived you? Who bewitched you that you would go after doing the law? I got to be good. Guys, we sin every day, every single one of us. What do you mean you got to be good?

We are good because we've received Christ and his spirit has changed us, and now it's by his spirit that I am what I am. Isn't that what Paul said? Chapter 7, he struggled. He said, oh, wretched man that I am. But then he said, but Christ, through Christ, I'm a new man. I'm a new creature. Look what God has done. He has changed me. That's the victory. That's the liberty. Because then when we fall, and we're gonna fall, we're not all under condemnation and everything. We run to the Lord. We confess our sins, and we stay right. We're just following him, right? We just need to follow him, follow what he said.

You'll be good. We'll all be good, and we'll, out of that, we'll be his witnesses. But we'll also be real wherever we go. We will be true Christians, not just lip service, heart service. That's what he's looking for, that he has your heart, that he is reigning and ruling in your heart. These going after another gospel are in bondage, and they fell out of the sphere of grace. So this liberty is to be released from the law. Over in chapter 4, look at verse 4 and 5, Galatians 4, verse 4 and 5. But when the fullness of time was come, God sent forth his son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem us, to buy us, them that were under the law, to win us, to deliver us from bondage, from slavery, that we might receive the adoption of sons, that we can truly say, I'm a child of God, and I love the Lord.

To be reconciled to God with a whole new vision. I found a scripture in the Old Testament and jotted down, Isaiah 42:7, Isaiah 42:7, to open the blind eyes, it says. Isaiah's, that's what God's gonna do, open the blind eyes to bring out the prisoners from the prison and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house. I've been set free. Oh, I have been set free. It is for freedom that Christ gave his life for me. I'm justified through Christ. I'm sanctified. That means I do what I do because of Jesus, because I love the Lord, I follow the Lord, and he has given me victory over these areas in my life that I could never do.

Have you ever tried? I mean, I was addicted to drugs. There were some of the drugs that were very strong, and I tried to put down over and over again. I could not, and but by the grace of God, I would have died. But he delivers from addictions, from that which is binding us, that which is holding us. Over in Galatians 4:7, you're right there. Galatians 4:7, wherefore thou art no more a slave, no more a servant. You're a child, you're a son, and if you're a child, then you're heir of God. How, how am I an heir of God? Through Christ.

Announcer: Amen to that. This is Sound Doctrine, and you've just heard a message from Pastor Jeff Johnson, taken from a series in Galatians. Jeff will be back to wrap things up in just a few moments. We pray you've been blessed by what you've heard today. Galatians is filled with challenging insights for Christian living, and if you'd like to hear this study again, simply go to sounddoctrineradio.org, sounddoctrineradio.org, or listen through the Sound Doctrine podcast app. You can also hear Sound Doctrine on oneplace.com and wherever you enjoy podcasts, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify. We'd appreciate your support of this radio ministry.

It helps us do what we do each day, and you can donate to this radio outreach at SoundDoctrineRadio.org. SoundDoctrineRadio.org. What does this world really have to offer? A lot of shallow nothingness, actually. Here's Pastor Jeff once again to wrap up today's edition of Sound Doctrine.

Jeff Johnson: In Galatians chapter 1 verse 4, turn there. Galatians 1:4, who gave himself for our sins that he might deliver us from this present evil world. Love it. Give me Jesus. You can have all this world's got to give, but I just want Jesus. According to the will of God and our Father. And then John, of course, John chapter 1, verse 12. To those who receive him, this Jesus, to those who accept the gift that God gave when Christ was on the cross, dying for your sin. If you receive what Christ did for you when he said, it is finished, it's paid for, and you just take that, and you believe that God raised him from the dead, not only did he die for you, he lives for you today.

He's the only one that lives out of all the messiahs that have come forth. Jesus lives. If you that have received him, he gives you the power to become the children of God, to be saved by grace. God help us to live by grace.

Announcer: We hope you'll join us for our next study in Galatians here on Sound Doctrine with Pastor Jeff, presented each day by Calvary Chapel Downey. Have a blessed day in the Lord.