Angelic Conflict part 352: Freedom in Christ, an Independence Day Special – Gal 6:6-7; 1:6-10; 2:1-5; 3:1-3; 5:1; Col 2:16-19; Rom 8:1-4.

Title: Angelic Conflict part 352: Freedom in Christ, an Independence Day Special - GAL 6:6-7; 1:6-10; 2:1-5; 3:1-3; 5:1; COL 2:16-19; ROM 8:1-4.

 

 

GAL 6:6 And let the one who is taught the word share all good things with him who teaches.

 

GAL 6:7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.

 

In order for freedom to exist there must be laws and the enforcement of laws. In a nation it is vital that the government not infringe upon the natural rights of the citizen while enforcing the law when others violate those rights.

 

God has set the law of volitional responsibility upon mankind and upon the believer. Yet the responsibility of the believer is greater than the unbeliever. The unbeliever cannot sow with a view towards the Spirit, while the believer is required to. The law of Christ is enforced by God in grace. We are patiently given time to learn the law of Christ and then patiently given time to act upon it in the repression of that which is sin and evil and the expression of that which is divine good. In due time, if we do not reap the harvest of God’s will, we will be served with warnings and if still not fulfilled with will be dealt with more severe discipline, all the while suffering the natural consequences of our bad decisions.

 

If verse 7 is not a law that is enforced then there would be complete chaos in the Church rather than freedom.

 

If believers did not reap what they sow then factions would occur that would violate the freedom of the minority to learn sound truth from the word of God. A faction is a group of people united by a common interest who wish to bully all others into conformity with their interest. This is precisely what happened to the Galatian churches. Galatia is a region and Paul had established several churches [at least 4] in this region and some of them, if not all of them, were heavily influenced by legalists known as Judiazers who became a faction that desired all others to accept their views and interests.  

 

The first paragraph of the Declaration of Independence:

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

 

At salvation the brand new believer still has a mind full of things that connected us to the flesh, the world system, and the KOD. By transformation of the mind through doctrine we declare our separation from these enemies of God unto Him and His laws. Yet these enemies do not just go away or lie down easily.

 

Power only succumbs to a greater power, and then, only reluctantly.

 

The Galatian churches had accepted this separation through the grace teachings of the apostle Paul, but the powers of darkness rose up again and many were defeated.

 

GAL 1:6 I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel;

 

GAL 1:7 which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you [faction], and want to distort the gospel of Christ.

 

GAL 1:8 But even though we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to that which we have preached to you, let him be accursed.

 

“accursed” - avna,qema [anathema] = to be under a divine curse. No one escapes this divine law.

 

So sure and so important is this that Paul repeats it again.

 

GAL 1:9 As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to that which you received, let him be accursed.

 

This curse doesn’t only apply to those that Paul addresses but to all believers who do not come to love the Lord.

 

1CO 16:22

If anyone does not love [phileo] the Lord, let him be accursed. Maranatha [“our Lord come” or “our Lord will come”].

 

The Second Bill of Rights was a list of rights proposed by Franklin D. Roosevelt during his State of the Union Address on January 11, 1944. In his address Roosevelt suggested that the nation had come to recognize, and should now implement, a second "bill of rights". Roosevelt's argument was that the "political rights" guaranteed by the constitution and the Bill of Rights had "proved inadequate to assure us equality in the pursuit of happiness." Roosevelt's remedy was to declare an "economic bill of rights" which would guarantee eight specific rights:

Employment, with a living wage

Food, clothing and leisure

Farmers' rights to a fair income

Freedom from unfair competition and monopolies

Housing

Medical care

Social security

Education

 

 

GAL 1:10 For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant [slave] of Christ.

 

Since the law of Christ is now the rule of life for every believer and that law originated solely from God, and if men, not one man or many men, can enforce this law, then why should the believer seek the favor of men?

 

If any of us are striving to please men above God then we are not living as slaves of Christ but slaves of men.

 

This faction also attempted to get Paul and his group into their bondage as well but failed miserably.

 

GAL 2:1 Then after an interval of fourteen years  [of teaching in the north] I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along also.

 

GAL 2:2 And it was because of a revelation that I went up; and I submitted to them the gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but I did so in private to those who were of reputation, for fear that I might be running, or had run, in vain.

 

GAL 2:3 But not even Titus who was with me, though he was a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised.

 

GAL 2:4 But it was because of the false brethren who had sneaked in to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, in order to bring us into bondage.

 

GAL 2:5 But we did not yield in subjection to them for even an hour, so that the truth of the gospel might remain with you.

 

If in due time we do not reap the harvest of God’s will then God will serve warning, and here it is through the apostle Paul.

 

And God served them warning through the apostle Paul.

 

GAL 3:1 You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified?

 

GAL 3:2 This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?

 

GAL 3:3 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?

 

The American founders were well aware of the problem of faction within a nation. The older republics of Greece and Rome both fell under it and the freedom of the individual was hindered.

 

It is of great importance in a republic not only to guard the society against the oppression of its rulers, but to guard one part of the society against the injustice of the other part. Different interests necessarily exist in different classes of citizens. If a majority be united by a common interest, the rights of the minority will be insecure.

 

There are but two methods of providing against this evil: the one by creating a will in the community independent of the majority—that is, of the society itself; the other, by comprehending in the society so many separate descriptions of citizens as will render an unjust combination of a majority of the whole very improbable, if not impracticable.[Federalist 51, James Madison]