"This episode focuses on the verbs used in Galatians 5:4, ""you have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law, you have fallen from grace."" Building on the previous program, in which the grace spoke of in Galatians mostly centers on the grace of sanctification, not justification, Paul is concerned that believers are cutting themselves off from the primary means of perfection, Christ Himself. He previously queried about them, ""having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?"" (Gal. 3:3) The issue then is subsequent sanctification, in which we mature by continuing to rely on Christ. The Galatians who embraced circumcision sought to justify themselves by the works of the law instead of continuing to follow the leading of the Spirit in sanctification. Their embrace of circumcision instead of the grace of sanctification meant that they were unnecessarily cutting themselves off from perfecting grace. ""Severed"" here is translated from ""katergeo,"" which means estranged, alienated or rendered powerless. The verb translated ""fallen,"" [""ekpipto""] signifies losing one's grasp on something. The Galatians have therefore lost their grasp on the grace of God and alienated themselves from the power of God to perfect them. As a result of relying on the woks of the law instead of the grace of God, they have rendered powerless the grace available to them. Paul consequently tells them that if they receive circumcision Christ will not benefit them. (Gal. 5:2) Christ alluded to the incompatibility of works of the law with grace in his metaphor on wineskins. (Mark 2:22)"
Motivated For Ministry and Sanctification
This episode spells out the positive synergistic effect of the half-and-half approach of Nehemiah applied to the NT Body of Christ. Believers are called to actively work in ministry, while aggressively confronting their own sinful sympathies. This synergistic approach maximizes ministry and victory over sin. A life centered on ministry chokes out sin opportunities. On the flip side, an aggressive warfare posture against our own sin (2 Cor. 10:3-4) humbles us and makes us more effective in reaching others for Christ. This episode highlights a balanced Christian life , in which Christians are active ministers in the army of the Lord while they themselves aggressively undo the power of sin with the help of the Body.
Serving God and “sin issues”
This episode places sin issues in their proper perspective in light of the ultimate goal of service to God. Young believers often disqualify themselves for ministry and public service to God because they genuinely feel unworthy based on struggles with sin. While some of these considerations are valid, "victory" over sin must be subordinated to a higher purpose. Romans 13:14 provides the correct approach: "put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh in regards to its lusts." As the believer identifies with Christ and sees himself through heaven's eyes, desire to become the hands and feet of Christ limits the expression of sin and undermines the "lusts of deceit." Prioritization of the endgame of service to God helps believers progress in sanctification.