Standing Firm in the Unchanging Gospel of Christ

In Philippians 1, Paul encourages the Philippians in verse 27, "Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ." That’s the pattern of Scripture. If you have the gospel, if you know Christ, then you will walk worthy of the gospel. This is what a true Christian is, by the way. [00:32:58]

Paul is giving to them such a severe warning because this type of salvific legalism is deadly. Paul, you can tell, is upset. He is angry. He is doing everything he can to warn them that if they choose the path of trying to keep the law in order to be made right with God, they are damned. [00:16:32]

Paul says, "A little leaven leavens the whole lump." It’s interesting that he includes that here in the midst of this argument because Paul is dealing with a type of legalism that we can refer to generally as salvation or salvific legalism. It’s the sort of legalism that we see so often in Jesus’s ministry. [00:21:50]

Paul says, "You who would be justified by the law, you have fallen from grace." Is it possible to fall from grace? Is it possible to be severed from Christ; to be joined and then severed from Him? Is it possible to have grace and then, fall from grace? No, Paul is speaking in a matter of speaking. [00:15:21]

Paul continues, verse 5, "For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision or uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love." So, here’s the equation that Paul is giving to the Galatians. [00:17:13]

Paul says, "Do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another," "through love serve one another." Why is Paul, in the midst of defending the gospel, in the midst of explaining how it is we are justified by faith and faith alone...I remind you that justification by faith alone was the material cause of the Reformation. [00:28:47]

Paul is telling the Galatians to do here is to stand firm. It’s a militaristic term, saying, "You must be on guard. You must be ready to defend. You must be ready to stand your ground." And soldiers would stand even in arms as they stood their ground to defend. [00:12:05]

Paul says, "You were running well," verse 7. "Who hindered you from obeying the truth? This persuasion is not from him who calls you." The persuasion of the false teachers, the persuasion of the Judaizers is, "Not from him who calls you," because God is not a legalist. [00:18:09]

Paul says, "Stand firm," Paul says, "and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. Look, I, Paul, I say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you," of no value to you. "I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law." [00:13:08]

Paul says, "You were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh." "Do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh." Do not abuse your freedom. Do not presume that your freedom exists for you to do whatever you want. That, my friends, is antinomianism. [00:27:02]

Paul says, "For the whole law is fulfilled in one word, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another." Now, this is fascinating to me. Why is Paul telling them to love one another? [00:30:20]

Paul says, "A Christian is someone who trusts Jesus Christ. A Christian is someone who knows Christ. And a Christian is someone whose knowledge and trust of Christ leads to a fruitful life of righteousness following Christ, loving Christ, repenting at the foot of the cross of Christ." [00:34:27]