Galatians 5:1-6
1 “It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery. 2 Look! I, Paul, tell you that if you have yourselves circumcised, Christ will be of no benefit to you. 3 And I testify again to every man who has himself circumcised, that he is obligated to keep the whole Law. 4 You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by the Law; you have fallen from grace. 5 For we, through the Spirit, by faith, are waiting for the hope of righteousness. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but faith working through love.”
Freedom: Paul wants the believers to stand firm in the freedom of grace apart from the law. This is because Jesus is enough. There is no need for law and rules-based religion regardless of the flavor. This is the whole point of Galatians: Law and promise are not compatible because Jesus is sufficient for salvation. If we add to the Gospel, the Gospel loses its beauty. There is no room for Jesus plus something. If Christians mix law and Gospel Christ will be of no benefit because there will be no reliance on Him for salvation. Furthermore, if we accept any part of the law as pertaining to the Christian, then we fall under the entirety of the law. We cannot pick and choose what parts of the law to embrace.
Fallen from grace: Paul is warning his hearers to not mix law and Gospel. If they do so they will be abandoning grace and falling towards the law. For Paul, adding any form of a “Jesus plus” mentality is falling from grace because we are adding to the finished work of Christ.
Faith working through love: The law does not produce love. Only Christ indwelling His children does this. And love is what matters most to Paul.
