Liberty in Christ [antikvár]

•i 1,1 b) The internal solution (1) Explained (2) Exemplified (3) Expressed (fl) Galatians 5:14 {b) Romans 13:8-9 (c) Romans 8:4 Conclusion Introduction There are only two kinds of religion in the world: religion based on human achievement and religion based on divine grace. Although there appear to be, there aren't any others. Throughout history, God's religion of divine grace has been opposed by Satan's religion of human achievement or self-righteousness. The book of Galatians jumps into the middle of the controversy to resolve it. It capably defends the doctrine of divine grace over the doctrine of human achievement. For every man, salvation boils down to this simple question: Do I magnify my own achievements, or do I humbly bow beneath the grace of God? That is the issue facing every man. A. The Empowerment of the Spirit In Galatians 5 Paul emphasizes the ministry of the Holy Spirit because it is the Spirit who makes the life of faith work. A life of faith wouldn't work any better than a life of legalism if it weren't for the indwelling Holy Spirit who empowers us. Consequently, Paul calls us to peld to the Spirit's control through such statements as: "We through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith" (v. 5); "Walk in the Spirit" (v. 16); "If ye be led by the Spirit, ye are not under the law" (v. 18); and, "If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit" (v. 25). It is necessary for those who have been justified by faith to implement a life of faith in the energy of the Holy Spirit. B. The Exhortation to Stand Firm Paul begins chapter 5 with a potent exhortation to the Galatians not to surrender the freedom that they have in Jesus Christ but to stand firm. They were set free from their pagan legalism when they believed in Christ. However, legalistic individuals known as Judaizers came along and tried to put them back into the bondage of legalism by requiring them to keep Jewish law. In verse 1 Paul says.