It Is For Freedom
Sanctification; A Package Deal

This morning we are back in Galatians.  We have taken a bit of a detour by spending nine sermons exploring the Fruit of the Spirit.  But, today, we get back into the text of Galatians.  We are coming to the end of the year and we have chapter 6 to do.  I think it is going to play out swimmingly.  Let's do a bit of reviewing to pick up the flow of Galatians.

The church in Galatia had a problem.  They had started out great.  Paul went to that portion, of what is today Turkey, and had numerous converts.  The Gentiles in that area put their faith in the Christ, experienced salvation and were filled with the power of the Spirit.  Their dynamic fellowship grew into who they were to the Spirit. 

But then some Jewish Christians showed up and presented a different Gospel than the one Paul advocated.  They were fine with Jesus as the Messiah.  They were fine with salvation in the death of Jesus, but where their Gospel differed was in sanctification.  How does sanctification happen?  How do we learn to be more holy?  How do we become more like Jesus?  It is a significant question.  It is a question we need to get right as well. We are called to be more like Jesus.  How do we do that? 

There were two different answers:
1) The Jewish Christians, whom Paul called the Agitators, were advocating that sanctification occurs by being circumcised and following the Law of Moses.  Circumcision was given to Abraham as this mystical rite which made you in with God and somehow opened up sanctification.  The Law of Moses was straight from God and was the way of holiness.  "Follow the dietary laws; no bacon sandwiches, no shrimp and chips, nothing that wasn't kosher.  That was what would make you holy."  Sanctification through rules was the Agitators answer.

This different gospel led to another big problem.  Unless these Galatian Gentiles were willing to be circumcised and step up and follow their laws, there could not be any fellowship with them.  "Unless you are circumcised then we will not share in fellowship, or visiting in your homes or even observing communion with you.  We cannot have fellowship with those who are unclean.  That would corrupt our sanctification."  As you might expect, this caused quite the stir.  Some of these Gentiles were saying, "Okay, that works for me."  Others were incensed by their demands and refused.  Fussing and quarreling broke out.

2) Paul said the Gospel was a package deal.  Salvation, sanctification and fellowship are all in Christ.  Christ/faith, through baptism, brought forgiveness of sins and thus salvation.  Christ/faith, through the Spirit, provided sanctification.  It is through the Spirit we become like Christ.  Christ/faith, through the Father, is fellowship.  When we share faith, we share a connection with each other through our relationship with God the Father.  All three occur when as we place our faith in Christ's faithfulness.  It is not Christ/faith for salvation and law obeying for sanctification and circumcision as the initiation for fellowship.  So, Paul writes this letter to his precious Galatians to tell them not to give into this other Gospel, which Paul says, is no Gospel, good news, at all!

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Through this letter, we call Galatians, Paul makes a series of arguments against this different gospel; this gospel of the Agitators.  Ben Witherington III identifies seven of these arguments.  I am going to run through six of these.  There is one left in chapter 6.  If you have been here all year, these should ring some bells. 

1) Abraham was saved by faith before he was circumcised. 

Galatians 3:6-7  Consider Abraham: "He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness."  Understand, then, that those who believe are children of Abraham.
 
We are not descendants of Abraham by being circumcised, but by our Christ/faith!  Our faith in God, our belief in God, our trust it God, makes us like Abraham.  We step into the story of God when we, like Abraham, belief in the integrity of God's Word!  All I have to do is have Abraham faith in Jesus. 

2) The Law was a Nanny.

YLT Galatians 3:23-25   And before the coming of the faith, under law we were being kept, shut up to the faith about to be revealed, so that the law became our child-conductor -- to Christ, that by faith we may be declared righteous, and the faith having come, no more under a child-conductor are we.

Between Abraham and Jesus, God put the Law in place to keep his people a people.  So that when Jesus arrived in the story, there would be a people ready to believe in him.  Paul is saying now we have Christ we don't need the babysitter anymore!  We can be mature sons of God who don't need the rules of childhood anymore.  We have the Spirit to lead us!  I must learn to rely upon the Spirit to be my guide.

3) Paul's personal appeal.

Galatians 4:13-16  As you know, it was because of an illness that I first preached the gospel to you.  Even though my illness was a trial to you, you did not treat me with contempt or scorn.  Instead, you welcomed me as if I were an angel of God, as if I were Christ Jesus himself.  What has happened to all your joy?  I can testify that, if you could have done so, you would have torn out your eyes and given them to me.  Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth?

There was a love and trust and fellowship between Paul and his Galatians.  Paul is saying, "You trusted me before, trust me now.  I am the one who loves you."  It was a touching revealing of Paul's concern for them. I want to share in that kind of love in Christ.  I want to love Christ completely.

4) The Allegory Argument

Galatians 4:22-24, 28, 31 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and the other by the free woman.  His son by the slave woman was born in the ordinary way; but his son by the free woman was born as the result of a promise.  These things may be taken figuratively, for the women represent two covenants.  28 Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise.  31 Therefore, brothers, we are not children of the slave woman, but of the free woman.  Galatians 5:1  It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.  Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

We are children of the free Sarah not children of slavery under law.  We are called to be free from the slavery of Law!  We are called to be free in Christ to be all he sees that we can be.  We are not hindered by rules and regulations and bureaucracy, we are free to respond to the Spirit in love!  That is who I want to be.  I want to be Free.  I want to be totally given over to Christ for freedom.

5) Don't Cut Yourself Off from Christ.

Galatians 5:2-4  Mark my words!  I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all.  Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law.  You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.

If they relied upon Law and circumcision then they were not relying upon Christ or the Spirit and that is a show stopper.
-Christ will be of no value if you don't completely rely upon him for your Salvation.
-You will be alienated from the Spirit's sanctifying power if you rely on law.
-You will have fallen away from the grace of fellowship with God, if your fellowship is of circumcision.

Wow.  I don't want that.  I want to give it all up for Jesus.  
 
6) Through the Spirit we Crucify the Sarx.

Remember the Sarx?  The word flesh?  Ours sinful desires?  How do we get rid of the Sarx?  How are we sanctified? 

Galatians 5:16-21  So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.  For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature.  They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.  But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.  The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like.  I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

If we live by our own sinful inclinations we cannot by a part of the kingdom of God.  How are we sanctified?  How do we crucify the Sarx in us?  That is the argument we are currently attempting to answer.  That is where we stopped and did a nine lesson detour?  This brings us up to date.  The Fruit of the Spirit is the sanctification of our hearts.

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Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  Against such things there is no law. 

Did you notice the phrase that is repeated twice?  Once in the Sarx passage and once in the Fruit passage?  
- But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law. 
- Against such things there is no law. 
That is the heart of this sixth argument.  We who are led by the Spirit, those who have the Fruit being produced in them, have no need of the law for sanctification. 
-If we act on behalf of God we don't need a rule book.
-If we are living who we are to the Spirit we don't need a check list.
-If we respond in love to overcome evil we don't need a lawyer.
-If we aren't constantly criticizing everything we are going to be at peace and we won't need so much conflict resolution.
-If we are aggressively kind to others we won't have to be guilted into doing right.
-If we know the standard of Jesus and believe in Jesus completely and believe what Jesus believed we won't have to have legislation telling us how to behave.  We do what Jesus did.
-If we are good to the integrity of our word we won't need contracts with consequences forcing us to do what we said we would do.
-If our operating system is gentleness we won't need the cops keeping us from hurting others.
-If we are controlled by the Spirit we don't need law; the Law of Moses or any other legal system to force our sanctification! 

Against such things there is no law!  Paul is saying why go back to the Law?  We don't need it.  We are empowered by the Spirit for sanctification!  Against such things there is no law! 

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In these last three verses of chapter 5 we find the bottom line answer to sanctification.  The Agitators were saying, "You have to have law to be sanctified.  You have to create a list of do's and a list of don'ts.  You have to man up to this list and you have to withhold fellowship from those who don't lineup with your list.  That is the answer to sanctification.  You don't love those who don't lineup."  There answer was harsh. 

What is Paul's bottom line answer to sanctification?

Galatians 5:24-26  Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature (Sarx) with its passions and desires.  Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.  Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

1) Belong to Jesus.

It is in belonging to Jesus where we find the power to crucify the Sarx.  We are called to complete surrender.  That was the problem Paul had with the agitators.  They did not totally belong to Jesus.  Their faith was for forgiveness but not sanctification.  They only partially belonged.  We must give all of ourselves to Jesus.  There must be a total surrender to Jesus of all of our lives.  I have Christ/Faith for salvation.  I have surrendered my life in baptism and I believe with all my being that I am forgiven.  But it is more than that.  I belong to Jesus; lock, stock and barrel. What does that metaphor mean? The whole gun.  The flintlock, the stock of the gun and the barrel.  We belong to Jesus for our salvation for how we live our daily lives for how we treat people, for our relationships, for our work, for our school, for our play, for our families, for everything.  How does sanctification occur?  It occurs when we belong to Jesus.

Did you notice that at the end of every one of Paul's arguments that it came down to having faith in Christ?  Who do you belong to?  Jesus

2) Keep in step with the Spirit.

That has been the point of our nine weeks in the Fruit.  We rely upon the Spirit to produce his fruit in us.  Sanctification occurs when we are holding hands with the Spirit.  Wow, what a way to live.  Can't you see yourself being so in sync with the Spirit that whenever he moves you move:
- Whenever he nudges you to love, bam you love.
- Whenever he gives you a gentle response you speak gentle words.
- Whenever he shifts in kindness you do that kind thing.
- Whenever he spins you are so dancing with him it is like you are one! 

Sanctification occurs when we are dancing in sync with the Spirit. 

3) Cherish the community.

The community is where sanctification occurs.  Paul's exhortations here are not to private individual Christians, but to the Galatian community; to the church of Christ.  Paul does not assume that individual Christians can win the battle against the Sarx and achieve this sanctification all by themselves.  It is not individuals doing a better job of relying on the resources of the Spirit. The Spirit indwells the community as well as the individual.  A communal effort is required to win the battle against the Sarx.  Therefore, it is essential that we are not conceited, you can't do it by yourself.  I need you and you need me.  We can't be sanctified if we are provoking each other.  That is silly.  I can't be envious of you because it is your job to help in my sanctification.  The community, our church, is the place where we experience sanctification. 

Next time, we will explore the Seventh Argument why we should not to follow the different Gospel.  It too is cool.  Let me close this morning by saying what I said to begin with; the Gospel is a package deal.  Christ/faith, through baptism, brings forgiveness of sins and thus salvation.  Christ/faith, through the Spirit, provides sanctification.  It is dancing with the Spirit we become like Christ.  Christ/faith, through the Father, is fellowship in the community of faith and that is the place of sanctification.  Christ/Faith is THE package deal.

Los Alamos Church of Christ
November 22, 2009