That which I preached here then I preach here now. I know by grace. He is higher than any law. Because a perfect man is in unison with the Divine soul, he has the whole liberty of God in himself, according to the measure of his manhood. The Saviour's love to the sinner draws the sinner's love to Himself.IV. When you try to do a thing you cannot do it as well as when you do it without trying.(H. When love has permeated the whole man, he then has perfect liberty — liberty of thought, liberty of speech, liberty of conduct. Beyond the sanctuary and enclosing it, was the Court of the Jews, through which access was obtained to the inner shrine. )Stand fastC. When you try to do a thing you cannot do it as well as when you do it without trying.(H. 3. Beyond was the Court of the Gentiles — further from the Holy of Holies — but connected with it, surrounding and defending it. There is something in our very adhesiveness and pertinacity which represents the spirit of the gospel. That which I preached here then I preach here now. A hope which patiently waits for that which it knows it will assuredly possess.III. You do not work, he says again and again, so that you may live. When a man becomes free, he assumes the duties of life, and recognizes that it rests only with himself whether those duties are performed or not. Buck. Perkins. Freedom is the link which connects the two parts together.I. When Keate was head-master of Eton, his system of discipline was one of terrorism. A. It will make the best of both worlds, not in the low commercial sense, which tries to strike a balance between the claims of secular expediency and devotion to the service of God, but in the spirit of the apostolic exhortation which bids men "use this world as not abusing it." Give it air and light; remove whatever confines and overshadows it. It has to face the assaults of the ambitious. When lost it is most frequently by(1)a culpable ignorance of spiritual duties and privileges;(2)a presumptuous self-confidence leading to unwatchfulness;(3)a weak and wicked self-indulgence.4. The awful possibility of losing this liberty, as testified(1)by Scripture;(2)by the history of the Church;(3)by observation;(4)by experience.3. The price paid for your redemption.2. When marshalled in the ranks they must stand firm, without yielding their ground, without bending their knees; when placed as sentinels they must stand upon their guard and permit no enemy to surprise them. If the life is feeble, and tied down by inward restraints like those of superstition or of fear, the removal of outward restraints will not set it free. In conclusion:Remember —1. Angels could not free them.3. Let this represent liberty-doctrinal — that revealed truth by which the soul obtains admission into the liberty of God's children. But though it is important to get rid of all needless restraints, it is much more important that we should possess and train the powers for which the absence of restraint is demanded. )Christian libertyCanon Ince.The liberty wherewith Christ has made men free is a deliverance from a system of rules, positive and prohibitory — a temporary and provisional system which had an educational value, training men to the full privileges of religious manhood. Paul's conception of the rights and liberties of men stands on the philosophical ground underneath all those things. So also Christian liberty is best secured from abuse, not by the threat of penalties, or by an appeal to fear, but by the operation of those principles which lie at the foundation of Christian character. Galatians 5:1. Life comes first; works, afterwards. Chettle. In the case of a liberated bird or an emancipated slave it would be superfluous.2. Luther's first great treatise was Concerning Christian Liberty. A. There is something in our very adhesiveness and pertinacity which represents the spirit of the gospel. Faith receives the truth, the whole truth, concerning sin and redemption; and it is the truth, believed, that makes men free.II. Because a perfect man is in unison with the Divine soul, he has the whole liberty of God in himself, according to the measure of his manhood. CHRISTIAN LIBERTY IS THE LIBERTY OF FAITH. Arnot. It seems no less wonderful to see a tree — no sturdy oak, but slender birch, or trembling aspen — standing erect away up on a mountain brow; where, exposed to the sweep of every storm, it has gallantly maintained its ground against the tempests that have laid in the dust the stateliest ornaments of the plain. He thinks what is true; he does what is benevolent.(H. When marshalled in the ranks they must stand firm, without yielding their ground, without bending their knees; when placed as sentinels they must stand upon their guard and permit no enemy to surprise them. When a man becomes free, he assumes the duties of life, and recognizes that it rests only with himself whether those duties are performed or not. (Emilius Bayley, B. D.)Spiritual libertyC. )Christian libertyEmilius Bayley, B. D.The apostle now enters upon the more practical part of the Epistle. (Romans 5:2; Ephesians 3:12).IV. Gifted with freewill, he is answerable for his conduct; subjected no longer to the ordinances of the Mosaic Law, he claims the liberty of the gospel; but he dares not forget that there still is a law limiting and controlling the freedom which he enjoys, and that every action of his carries responsibility with it. Buck.Spiritual liberty consists in freedom from the curse of the moral law; from the servitude of the ritual; from the love, power, and guilt of sin; from the dominion of Satan; from the corruption of the world; from the fear of death and the wrath to come.(C. This Judaising temper displays itself whenever men try to narrow down eternal principles of conduct into minute rules, which can prefer no higher claim than to be deemed useful to some, whilst they may be positively injurious to others In vindicating the freedom brought to us by the gospel, we throw ourselves back on the primary truths of Christianity — the Fatherhood of God, and the reconciliation wrought out by the atoning work of Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Son of God. THE DUTIES IN THE OBSERVANCE OF WHICH SPIRITUAL FREEDOM MAY BE MAINTAINED.1. His will is with God's will. I am standing where I stood then; I cannot help it, so help me God. It may need pruning and guiding; but it can provide its own symmetry for itself. But this sense of liberty will not degenerate into licentiousness and unrestrained self-indulgence. Rights increase as the man increases — increases, that is, not merely in physical stature, or in skill of manual employment or material strength, but in character. But put that plank between two towers one hundred feet high in the air and let me be called to walk over it. He is indeed set free by the death of Christ from the ordinances of the old covenant, and he is no longer a slave; but he has been placed in a society which is governed by laws eternal in their force, and the measure of the liberty he enjoys is the good of his own soul and the well-being of his brother's, for none of us liveth to him-self, and no man dieth to himself As Christian members in the commonwealth of Christ we possess, indeed, in its highest and holiest sense, the triple right of liberty, fraternity, equality; but the religion to which we belong is neither reactionary nor revolutionary, and our liberty must be controlled, our equality sanctified, and our fraternity blessed, by the Holy Spirit of God.(C. Beecher. A. At the same period, Arnold was head-master at Rugby. Perkins. How can he be called free whose life is bounded by a narrow circle of ideas? (Newman Hall. W. Beecher.The doctrine of St. Paul is not that a Christian man has a right to liberty in conduct, thought, and speech in and of himself, without regard to external circumstances, interests, organizations, and without reference to his own condition. The contrary was the case. No man can do as he likes. Because a perfect man is in unison with the Divine soul, he has the whole liberty of God in himself, according to the measure of his manhood. The liberty he claims presupposes the establishment in the soul of the Divine life of faith. The gospel sets man free from a bondage beneath which a loving obedience is impossible, in order that, being free, he may serve God in the spirit of Christian liberty. It is a tree which has an innate capacity of growth. W. The liberty he claims presupposes the establishment in the soul of the Divine life of faith. Now I, Paul, say to you that if you receive circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. )The soul's rebellion against its thraldomNewman Hall.As the lark, imprisoned since it burst its shell, though it has never sprung upward to salute the rising sun, will often manifest how cruel is its captivity by instinctively spreading its wings and darting upward, as if to soar, but only beats its head against the wires and falls back on its narrow perch; so the soul of man, designed to soar and utter its raptures in the rays of the great central sun, will sometimes, even in its cage, attempt to rise and breathe a loftier atmosphere, but falls back vainly struggling against the bars which sin and death have framed around it. Are ye saved through faith and that not of yourself — "it is the gift of God?" )Freedom and slaveryMilton.Know that to be free is the same thing as to be pious, to be wise, to be temperate and fast, to be frugal and abstinent, and, lastly, to be magnanimous and brave; so to be the opposite of all these is the same as to be a slave; and it usually happens that that people who cannot govern themselves, are delivered up to the sway of those whom they abhor, and made to submit to an involuntary servitude.(Milton. Beyond the sanctuary and enclosing it, was the Court of the Jews, through which access was obtained to the inner shrine. The spirit, not the letter, of Sinai is met with again in the Sermon on the Mount. If the life is feeble, and tied down by inward restraints like those of superstition or of fear, the removal of outward restraints will not set it free. Arnot.Standing on the shore of an estuary, one sees a boat riding in the tideway, when sea-weed and other things float by, over the self-same spot; and whether the tide ebbs or flows, whether it steals quietly in or comes on with the rush and roar of foaming billows, the boat always boldly shows its face to it; and turning its head to the current receives on its bows, to split them, the shock of waves. )Personal liberty of the ChristianH. )Christian freedomW. Arnot. Rights and liberties belong to stages or states of condition. But this sense of liberty will not degenerate into licentiousness and unrestrained self-indulgence. Share This On: Sermons on Salvation. The spirit, not the letter, of Sinai is met with again in the Sermon on the Mount. The slavish system is that of mistrust. Freedom is the link which connects the two parts together.I. I begin to think, of course, of what I am called upon to do. You are soldiers of Christ, and must stand fast — be valiant for the truth — and look to yourselves.(H. But if there is vigorous life, it demands for its development a constantly expanding freedom: and this spiritual power has in itself both its proper energy and its proper bound. But our wonder ceases so soon as we climb the height, and see wherein its great strength lies; how it has struck its roots down into the mountain, and wrapped them with many a strong twist and turn round and round the rock.(W. He always believed a boy; and it was only on rare occasions, when the proof was indubitable, that he punished. W. H. Kenrick, M. )Stand fastC. He is higher than any law. )Christian believers exhorted to the maintenance of their spiritual libertyH. H. Chettle.The phrase alludes to the duties of soldiers on military service. You are soldiers of Christ, and must stand fast — be valiant for the truth — and look to yourselves.(H. A. refined man has rights and joys that an unrefined man has not and cannot have, because he cannot understand them, does not want them, could not use them. At the same period, Arnold was head-master at Rugby. The Saviour's love to the sinner draws the sinner's love to Himself.IV. There are tyrannies which have nothing to do with physical restraints, and against these we must war incessantly. This is discovered soon after its first enjoyment. (4)By persecution. (Canon Ince. I know by grace. Paul's conception of the rights and liberties of men stands on the philosophical ground underneath all those things. But, if he finds the boy in his leisure moments reading about the sea, and haunting about the seashore, and studying intelligently the boats and sails and machinery, after a time he will begin to recognize in the boy such a bent as indicates a genuine call. When marshalled in the ranks they must stand firm, without yielding their ground, without bending their knees; when placed as sentinels they must stand upon their guard and permit no enemy to surprise them. There is something in our very adhesiveness and pertinacity which represents the spirit of the gospel. Is it mere unruliness or restlessness, or dislike of study? His will is with God's will. Galatians 5:1-12 sermon by Dr. Bob Utley, retired professor of hermeneutics (Bible interpretation). H. When you try to do a thing you cannot do it as well as when you do it without trying.(H. THE MAINTENANCE OF THE LIBERTY WHICH THE POWER OF THAT GREAT PREROGATIVE HATH ACHIEVED.1. Christ has freed us from seven Egyptian masters. W. Our religion will be displayed, not in a punctilious attention to external rules, but in a life-giving spirit, which will penetrate into every department of action in relation to others. This is discovered soon after its first enjoyment. No man can do as he likes. There is the tyranny of fashion and opinion, and again of prejudice and party spirit. How can he be free who acts only as others choose? Locate the Passage 5:1-12 is the first preaching unit in Galatians 5. It is a tree which has an innate capacity of growth. III. )Spiritual and related freedomsNewman Hall.Let me remind you of the arrangement of the ancient temple. The Saviour's love to the sinner draws the sinner's love to Himself.IV. There is a perpetual tendency to make men subject to ordinances, whose language is, "Touch not, taste not, handle not," after the commandments and ordinances of men; and not only to adopt these precepts as useful helps for their own moral progress, but to impose them upon others, almost as if they were of Divine origin; and to make them the standard of their judgment upon the spiritual condition of their fellow men. CHRISTIAN LIBERTY IS THE LIBERTY OF HOPE.1. First half of Galatians is about doctrine of justification by faith— which Paul explains and defends against the legalism of the circumcision group troubling the Galatians. Other boys, much wiser than he was, had gone and got out of the mischief. When a man becomes free, he assumes the duties of life, and recognizes that it rests only with himself whether those duties are performed or not. Beyond the sanctuary and enclosing it, was the Court of the Jews, through which access was obtained to the inner shrine. Luther's first great treatise was Concerning Christian Liberty. But let us come to more commonplace examples of freedom; we shall still find that it is the growth of the inner life or capacity which determines and controls the external conditions. Beecher. )Christian libertyEmilius Bayley, B. D.The apostle now enters upon the more practical part of the Epistle. W. H. Kenrick, M. A.When a man is in slavery he is not his own master; he acts and lives under the direction of others, and the responsibility of life is in a greater or less degree shifted from him on to some one else. Take the familiar case of a boy who wants to leave school and go to sea. Beyond all these were the outer walls and gates, and the lofty rock on which it was upreared. All Christian duties are summed up there and enforced with the authority of One who taught not as the scribes and Pharisees, and who spake as never man spake (Matthew 22:37-40). This Judaising temper displays itself whenever men try to narrow down eternal principles of conduct into minute rules, which can prefer no higher claim than to be deemed useful to some, whilst they may be positively injurious to others In vindicating the freedom brought to us by the gospel, we throw ourselves back on the primary truths of Christianity — the Fatherhood of God, and the reconciliation wrought out by the atoning work of Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Son of God. Thus freedom and trustfulness beget the sense of responsibility. A concern later voiced by Peter - cf. I begin to think, of course, of what I am called upon to do. His will is with God's will. No man can do as he likes. )Christian libertyCanon Ince.The liberty wherewith Christ has made men free is a deliverance from a system of rules, positive and prohibitory — a temporary and provisional system which had an educational value, training men to the full privileges of religious manhood. He is indeed set free by the death of Christ from the ordinances of the old covenant, and he is no longer a slave; but he has been placed in a society which is governed by laws eternal in their force, and the measure of the liberty he enjoys is the good of his own soul and the well-being of his brother's, for none of us liveth to him-self, and no man dieth to himself As Christian members in the commonwealth of Christ we possess, indeed, in its highest and holiest sense, the triple right of liberty, fraternity, equality; but the religion to which we belong is neither reactionary nor revolutionary, and our liberty must be controlled, our equality sanctified, and our fraternity blessed, by the Holy Spirit of God.(C. H. Spurgeon.Brethren, I cannot be of any other faith than that which I preached nearly twenty-nine years ago on this platform. I know no more to-day than I knew when first I believed in Jesus as to this matter. At the same period, Arnold was head-master at Rugby. ... Education for Exultation: Through the Spirit by Faith. The power of the Divine nature upon the human soul is to lift it steadily away from animalism or from the flesh — the under-man — up through the realm of mere material wisdom and accomplishment, in the direction of soul-power, reason, rectitude — such reason and such rectitude as grow up under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost. Although it is only four inches wide I can walk on it as well as I can on the rest of the pavement. The Saviour's love to the sinner draws the sinner's love to Himself.IV. At Eton, under Keate, it; was thought quite fair to deceive a master. W. Beecher.The doctrine of St. Paul is not that a Christian man has a right to liberty in conduct, thought, and speech in and of himself, without regard to external circumstances, interests, organizations, and without reference to his own condition. When love has permeated the whole man, he then has perfect liberty — liberty of thought, liberty of speech, liberty of conduct. H. Chettle.The phrase alludes to the duties of soldiers on military service. In adherence to the doctrines which the gospel has set before you.3. You are soldiers of Christ, and must stand fast — be valiant for the truth — and look to yourselves.(H. Buck. W. Beecher.No man has reached liberty until he has learned to obey with such facility and perfection that he does it without knowing it, If I step upon a little bit of plank in the street I walk along over it without thinking. You know the story of the boy who stood on the burning deck because his father said, "Stand there," and he could not come away. Buck. But our wonder ceases so soon as we climb the height, and see wherein its great strength lies; how it has struck its roots down into the mountain, and wrapped them with many a strong twist and turn round and round the rock.(W. The first of these is the most important. )Standing fast in libertyH. He has a Master in heaven whom he must serve. You will find your strength and dependence only in the grace of Christ. (5)By deceivers who attempt to undermine the doctrine on which salvation rests.2. He always believed a boy; and it was only on rare occasions, when the proof was indubitable, that he punished. IN THE VOLUNTARY SERVICE OF GOD (Luke 1:74; 1 Timothy 1:9).II. Let this represent liberty-doctrinal — that revealed truth by which the soul obtains admission into the liberty of God's children. In the service of your Master to the end.(J. The spirit, not the letter, of Sinai is met with again in the Sermon on the Mount. (Romans 5:2; Ephesians 3:12).IV. Chettle. The Saviour's love to the sinner draws the sinner's love to Himself. Perkins.I. Take the familiar case of a boy who wants to leave school and go to sea. I begin to think, of course, of what I am called upon to do. If so, he will give it no encouragement. Paul's conception of the rights and liberties of men stands on the philosophical ground underneath all those things. It seems no less wonderful to see a tree — no sturdy oak, but slender birch, or trembling aspen — standing erect away up on a mountain brow; where, exposed to the sweep of every storm, it has gallantly maintained its ground against the tempests that have laid in the dust the stateliest ornaments of the plain. The wretched state of the re-enslaved believer.(H. Let this represent liberty national, by which ecclesiastical freedom is guaranteed. Arnot.Standing on the shore of an estuary, one sees a boat riding in the tideway, when sea-weed and other things float by, over the self-same spot; and whether the tide ebbs or flows, whether it steals quietly in or comes on with the rush and roar of foaming billows, the boat always boldly shows its face to it; and turning its head to the current receives on its bows, to split them, the shock of waves. Let this represent liberty-doctrinal — that revealed truth by which the soul obtains admission into the liberty of God's children. It will uphold the banner of freedom by maintaining, alike in theory and in practice, that Christianity is not in its essence a system of doctrine or a code of precepts, but a life and a spirit, a communion with God in Christ, manifesting itself in the power of true godliness. When marshalled in the ranks they must stand firm, without yielding their ground, without bending their knees; when placed as sentinels they must stand upon their guard and permit no enemy to surprise them. So, as men work up higher and higher towards the Divine standard of character, their rights and liberties increase. Spurgeon. There are tyrannies which have nothing to do with physical restraints, and against these we must war incessantly. The wretched state of the re-enslaved believer.(H. Because we are not under the law, but under grace, we shall see ourselves called to a higher and nobler type of holiness. The power of the Divine nature upon the human soul is to lift it steadily away from animalism or from the flesh — the under-man — up through the realm of mere material wisdom and accomplishment, in the direction of soul-power, reason, rectitude — such reason and such rectitude as grow up under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost. It might be thought that, unless such constraints as those imposed at Sparta existed, each man would try to impose his own will or tastes upon others. Freedom to love one another Paul has already insisted that … Continue reading "Commentary on Galatians 5:1, 13-25" CHRISTIAN LIBERTY IS THE LIBERTY OF HOPE.1. We might illustrate this by the experience of two great English schools some sixty years ago. )Personal liberty of the ChristianH. Rights increase as the man increases — increases, that is, not merely in physical stature, or in skill of manual employment or material strength, but in character. W. Beecher.The doctrine of St. Paul is not that a Christian man has a right to liberty in conduct, thought, and speech in and of himself, without regard to external circumstances, interests, organizations, and without reference to his own condition. Let this represent liberty-spiritual — the union of the soul with its Maker. He becomes a law to himself; that is, he carries in himself that inspiration of love which is the mother of all good law. You shall leave this :Rock if you like; you may be able to swim; I cannot, and so I stop here; and when the crack of doom shall come I shall be here, God helping me, believing this self-same doctrine. So, as men work up higher and higher towards the Divine standard of character, their rights and liberties increase. At Rugby, boys said, "It is a shame to tell Arnold a lie, he always believes you." Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. But he has liberty to do only what he wants to do, and he wants to do nothing that is not within the bounds and benefit of a pure and true love. Unceasing cultivation of holiness. Less than this is bondage, more than this is looseness.II. CHRISTIAN LIBERTY IS THE LIBERTY OF FAITH. Spurgeon. He is higher than any law. The spirit, not the letter, of Sinai is met with again in the Sermon on the Mount. Faith receives the truth, the whole truth, concerning sin and redemption; and it is the truth, believed, that makes men free.II. There is the tyranny of ignorance. A spirit of watchfulness.4. He always believed a boy; and it was only on rare occasions, when the proof was indubitable, that he punished. W. H. Kenrick, M. A.When a man is in slavery he is not his own master; he acts and lives under the direction of others, and the responsibility of life is in a greater or less degree shifted from him on to some one else. When marshalled in the ranks they must stand firm, without yielding their ground, without bending their knees; when placed as sentinels they must stand upon their guard and permit no enemy to surprise them. Let this represent liberty-ecclesiastical, by which doctrinal truth is best conserved and thus spiritual liberty best attained. That which I preached here then I preach here now. You are soldiers of Christ, and must stand fast — be valiant for the truth — and look to yourselves.(H. It will uphold the banner of freedom by maintaining, alike in theory and in practice, that Christianity is not in its essence a system of doctrine or a code of precepts, but a life and a spirit, a communion with God in Christ, manifesting itself in the power of true godliness. Wherever there is a just demand for freedom, it is because there exists a living power to be liberated; and this living power, if it be kept pure, contains in itself the true limit of its exercise. The inferior has not the right of the superior. "Christ will be of no value to you at all." )Stand fastC. It might have been supposed that, under the severer system, boys would be afraid to do wrong, and that they would take advantage of the more lenient system to deceive. Because we are not under the law, but under grace, we shall see ourselves called to a higher and nobler type of holiness. Fully believing that God is a righteous Judge, we shall yet not feel towards Him as if He were a hard taskmaster or rigid lawgiver, but as the Infinite Being whose love first created us, and subsequently devised our redemption; we shall exercise an unreserved faith in the completeness of the sacrifice for sin which has been made by our Saviour, and the present forgiveness which has been obtained for us; and we shall rejoice in the glorious liberty of the children of God. A spirit of watchfulness.4. The spirit, not the letter, of Sinai is met with again in the Sermon on the Mount. Beecher. IN THE FREE USE OF THE CREATURES OF GOD (Titus 1:15; Romans 14:14).III. )The secret of steadfastnessW. The devotional reading of Scripture day by day in connection with religious biography and kindred works.2. And so man living under the Christian covenant stands in a direct personal relation to God, a relation of trust. But, if he finds the boy in his leisure moments reading about the sea, and haunting about the seashore, and studying intelligently the boats and sails and machinery, after a time he will begin to recognize in the boy such a bent as indicates a genuine call. The Saviour's love to the sinner draws the sinner's love to Himself.IV. I do not propose to dwell verse by verse upon the passage (Galatians 4:1-16) which I have taken for a starting point, but to illustrate and enforce its central principle. The contrary was the case. All Christian duties are summed up there and enforced with the authority of One who taught not as the scribes and Pharisees, and who spake as never man spake (Matthew 22:37-40). )Stand fastC. At Rugby, boys said, "It is a shame to tell Arnold a lie, he always believes you." We owe to our descendants the duty of maintaining intact the entail of a grand possession which we received from our forefathers, and which was secured to them at great cost. In daily society it will impart a kindliness, a charity, a justice, in cur estimate of the words and conduct of those around us; it will teach us a Divine tolerance and a modest humility. But let us come to more commonplace examples of freedom; we shall still find that it is the growth of the inner life or capacity which determines and controls the external conditions.