1 For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. 2 Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. 3 I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. 4 You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace. 5 For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love. (Galatians 5:1–6, ESV)
Respond Through Love (6)
In his ethical defense of the gospel in this passage written for the Galatians, Paul gives them, and us, several ways to protect and enjoy our freedom in Christ: by standing on Christ, remaining in grace, and waiting in righteousness. Finally, Paul tells us to maintain and enjoy our freedom in Christ by responding through love. He wrote, “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love” (Gal. 5:6). Paul means that being irreligious or very religious doesn’t produce real fruit. The best motivation for good works and righteous living is not through intimidation, boundaries, or warnings, but a radical appreciation for what Christ has done. When a person sees the cross clearly, they do begin working, but it is love that motivates their work (6).
A person under grace no longer does good works to earn merit or standing before God. Instead, they carry out acts of love—things like devotion to God and service to others—because they have been so impressed and impacted by God’s love. Notice how Paul saw it—faith works through love (6). It has been said that faith alone saves, but saving faith is never alone. True faith is trust in what Christ has done. The revelation required to see what Christ has done leads to a love for God. Love for God leads to a strong desire to be like Jesus and serve him. So we respond through love (6). Our faith works through love. Jesus said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15). What does that mean? Perhaps it is like a parent who tells their child, “If you love me, you’ll take care of yourself. Please take care of your health, your finances, and your education.” In a similar way, Christ says, “If you love me, you’ll keep my commandments,” because his commandments are the best thing for us. Unfortunately, we are often like children who say, “If you loved me, you would let me do whatever I want to do.” Or we think that because we love ourselves, we should treat ourselves to whatever desires enter our minds. But many of our desires are the worst things for us and do not lead to human flourishing. Love, however, obeys Christ because his word is the best for us. In Exodus, God continually told Pharaoh to let his people go so they might serve him (Ex. 7:16). God didn’t want to free Israel just so they could do whatever they wanted—that’s not freedom! The only way to truly be free is to submit to God. But his love shows us he is worthy of our submission. An example of love being a great motivation would be to consider the difference between a nanny and a mother. A mother will, of course, tire of her work as a parent, but love will drive her. And though a nanny might genuinely love a child in their care, they have hours and receive pay for their efforts and could never love as the mother does. Paul said, “Christ’s love compels us,” and this compelling love serves as our best motivation for good works (2 Cor. 5:14, HCSB). Love is much better than law.
Conclusion
It is important to note what Paul is doing in this passage and the coming section in Galatians because many misunderstand. When they read Galatians 5-6, they think Paul is providing needed balance to the radical gospel of grace, as if he finally noticed that he went a little too far and now needs to reign in God’s people. But that is not at all what Paul has done here. He is not providing a balance to grace but perspective and clarity on what it produces in a person’s life. In Greek mythology, there is the famous story of Odysseus and three Sirens, who were human-like beings with angelic voices. Sailors would pass by the islands they occupied and find themselves drawn towards their singing, only to die when they crashed upon the rocks. Odysseus wanted to hear their song, so he had himself tied to the mast while putting wax in the ears of his sailors. Under no circumstances were they to untie his ropes until they were completely clear of the islands. And his plan worked; he heard their songs, although he was tormented by his inability to go towards them. But there is another story of a sailor named Jason. His method was to employ a talented musician named Orpheus to captivate his men while they passed by the islands of the Sirens. As long as Orpheus played, his crew would only hear his beautiful song—they could not hear the deadly song of the Sirens—and their lives were preserved. [1] This is a good picture of the life we can have in Christ. We can respond in love to all God has done for us. The beautiful song of the gospel is a far greater motivation than the binding ropes or blocking wax of the law. To Paul, saving faith produces a beautiful life. When a person is drawn to the gospel, it is because they appreciate—at least to some degree—what Jesus has done. In some real sense, they appreciate Christ’s cross and all it provides: forgiveness, cleansing, sonship, newness, and acceptance before God. They are moved by grace and want God to remake them. For a person like this, abusing grace is unimaginable because it makes you less like Jesus, less holy, and less clean in a practical and experiential sense. And that’s the last thing a person who gets grace wants. Their sin has decimated them—they don’t want to continue in it, so they turn to God to help them overcome it. And because God first loved them, they respond in acts of love to him and the people he loves.
[1] Bos, Carole. n.d. “Odysseus and the Sirens.” AwesomeStories.Com. Accessed March 18, 2023. http://www.awesomestories.com/asset/view/Odysseus-and-the-Sirens. ↩
