The Destruction of Spiritual Growth and Our Relationships with Others...

This week, we have been looking at a section of a letter in the Bible called the book of Galatians where a man named Paul was revealing the reality that relying on religion results in destruction. Wednesday, we saw that relying on religion results in the destruction of our relationship with Christ and God’s grace in our lives. Today, we will see Paul reveal a third area that is destroyed when we rely on religion in Galatians 5:7:

 You were running well; who hindered you from obeying the truth? This persuasion did not come from Him who calls you. A little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough. I have confidence in you in the Lord that you will adopt no other view; but the one who is disturbing you will bear his judgment, whoever he is.

Paul confronts the members of the churches of Galatia with a compliment and a question: “You were running well; who hindered you from obeying the truth?” In other words, the apostle Paul is saying “you were making progress when it came to your relationship with Christ; you seemed to be growing spiritually. So what happened? Who is influencing you is such a way that you are no longer making progress when it comes to your relationship with Jesus? Who is influencing you so that you are no longer following the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel?”

And here we see Paul reveal for us a third area where a religious centered lifestyle results in destruction in that religion results in the destruction of spiritual growth. For some in the churches of Galatia, the influence of those who were advocating a religious centered lifestyle resulted in their abandonment of a gospel centered life to instead embrace the religion of legalism. For others in the churches of Galatia, the influence of those who were advocating a religious centered lifestyle resulted in the stagnation of their spiritual growth. There were doubts; there were questions that needed to be answered. 

Paul begins to answer those questions and doubts in verse 8. First, Paul explains that this persuasion did not come from Him who calls you. In other words, Paul is stating that the point of view that was being advocated by those who were proclaiming the false gospel of religion and promoting a religious centered lifestyle did not find its origin in God. The point of view that was influencing the members of the churches of Galatia so that they were no longer growing spiritually was not from God who had chosen to reveal His transformational intervention and activity through His Son Jesus to them.

In verse 9, Paul uses a popular proverb to drive home the danger of the false gospel of religion that was destroying their spiritual growth: “A little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough.” Now leaven was a piece of fermented dough, which when mixed into a batch of dough, would cause it to rise. Paul is reminding them that a little leaven will mix through and spread through the rest of the dough and ferment the entire dough.

In the Bible, leaven is often used as a word picture for sin; so what Paul is explaining to the members of the churches of Galatia, and us here today is that a little of the sin of the false gospel of religion in the church will mix its way through the entire church and infect the entire church with sin. And this infection was already beginning to spread with the result that there was a destruction of the spiritual growth of the members of the churches of Galatia.

After driving home the danger of the false gospel of religion, Paul encourages the members of the churches of Galatia by explaining that he was convinced that those who were followers of Jesus would not embrace the religious centered lifestyle that was being proclaimed and promoted but would instead remain firmly committed to living a gospel centered life that was driven by a confident trust in the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel.

However, for those who were causing inward turmoil and confusion by preaching the false gospel of religion and promoting a religious centered lifestyle, Paul explains that they will be required to pay the penalty that comes with being judged as being under condemnation as a result of rebelling and rejecting God’s message of rescue through the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel. Paul then transitions to defend himself against an accusation in verse 11:

 But I, brethren, if I still preach circumcision, why am I still persecuted? Then the stumbling block of the cross has been abolished.

Apparently, there were people who were accusing Paul of also preaching the false gospel of religion. There were those who were trying to influence others to embrace the false gospel of religion by explaining, “Well Paul is preaching and saying the exact same things that we are saying”. Paul’s response to their accusation is straightforward and to the point.  His response, if communicated in the language we use in our culture today, would have sounded something like this: “Really. You are really going to say that I am preaching the same message that you are. Well if that is the case; if I am proclaiming the false gospel of religion, then why are all you guys continually harassing me for the message that I am preaching? Because, if I am preaching the same message of religion that you are preaching, then my message would not be causing such a ruckus and offense that is resulting in the opposition and persecution that I face”.

You see, Paul was not preaching the same message that they were preaching, because the timeless reality is that the preaching of the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel arouses opposition from those who want to live religious centered lives. This accusation also leads Paul to respond with one of the strongest statements recorded in the entire Bible. Let’s look at that statement together, beginning in verse 12:

 I wish that those who are troubling you would even mutilate themselves.

Now the word mutilate here literally means to cut so that there is a separation. Paul’s response to their accusation was to wish that those who were promoting a religious centered lifestyle would attempt to circumcise themselves and then use a little too sharp of a knife so that they would end up being eunuchs. I wish Paul would tell us how he really feels. Who says the Bible is boring reading. Paul then concludes this section of this letter by addressing the opposite end of the spectrum of a religious centered life in verse 13:

For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF." But if you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another.

Here we see Paul turn his attention to the members of the churches of Galatia who were abandoning a gospel centered lifestyle to embrace the religion of license. As we have discovered, the religion of license maintains that as a result of God’s grace, we can do whatever we want and still be right with God. Paul responds by stating that while they were called to freedom; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh. In other words, Paul is explaining that while the message of the gospel provides us freedom from the slavery that came about from attempting to do things for God by keeping a list of religious rules for God, we are not to respond to that freedom by allowing our old nature that is dominated by the evil and destructive power of sin to become active and dominate how we live our day to day lives.

Because when we allow our old nature that is dominated by selfishness and rebellion to dominate our lives, we will live selfish, narcissistic lives. We will be driven to please ourselves and place ourselves above others. Instead of embracing the religion of license that is driven by our old selfish and rebellious nature to please ourselves and place ourselves above others, Paul calls for the members of the churches of Galatia to through love serve one another. Now this love is an other-centered regard and affection for others that places others before ourselves. When Paul states that we are to serve one another, this word literally means to conduct oneself in total service to another.

Now, if we are brutally honest with ourselves, a natural reaction that arises here is “Why? Why should I place others before myself? Why should I serve others?” Paul provides the answer to these questions in verse 14 by pointing to a letter that is recorded for us in the Old Testament letter called the book of Leviticus. In Leviticus 19:18, we see God command the Jewish people to love their neighbor as yourself. Paul’s point here is that the entire Law is summed up and fulfilled when we love our neighbor as ourselves.

If we loved our neighbor as ourselves, would we break any religious rules? Would we lie? Cheat? Steal? Sleep around on our spouses? Love completes the Law; a life driven by love will be a life that fulfills the Law’s requirements. However, Paul explains “But if you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another.” The phrase bite and devour one another is a word picture of the discomfort and destruction that results when we engage in selfish and spiteful strife. When we are involved in division and dissension that arises from our selfishness that is released from the religion of license, the result is that we can tear one another to pieces, can’t we? That is the word picture Paul is painting here.

And it is this word picture that reveals the fourth area where a religious centered lifestyle results in destruction in that religion results in the destruction of our relationships with others. A religious centered lifestyle will destroy our relationships with others because, whether it is the religion of legalism or the religion of license, religion leads to comparison. And the comparison that flows from religion will only lead to either a life of pride or despair. Pride because we think we are better than others; despair because we are not measuring up to others.

And both the pride and despair that flows from a religious centered life will destroy our relationships with others. That is why, in verse 15, Paul tells the members of the churches of Galatia to watch out and look out when it comes to a religious centered life, because a religious centered lifestyle of license will destroy and consume community.

And that is why we must vote no on religion. We are to vote no on religion because religion results in destruction.  Religion results in the destruction of our relationship with Christ. Religion results in the destruction of God’s grace in our lives. Religion results in the destruction of spiritual growth. And religion results in the destruction of our relationships with others.

So how are you casting a ballot and voting? Are you voting to live a religious centered life that embraces either the religion of legalism or license? Or are you voting to live a gospel centered life that places their confident trust in Christ and strive to follow the message and teachings of Jesus by faith in the power of the Holy Spirit?