4 Conclusion and Take-aways

In the forefront of Paul’s argument, there is a set of proposition one cannot ignore, especially aimed at new believers:

  1. Once we belong to Christ, we are not meant to live the Christian life alone.
  2. One must take sanctification seriously, or we run the risk of insulting the Spirit of divine grace.
  3. Sanctification is the result of the fruit of the Spirit.
  4. Those who belong to Christ do not need any external law, as our Spiritual nature has been changed, and He who began that good work in us will be faithful to bring it to a complete state when the time arrives.

Point 4 was the cornerstone and the highlight of Paul’s message to the Galatians, since it deals with what the Judaizers attempted to take away from them. In short, if there is no saving Gospel, religion is only a set of laws, and following them would only bring torment, and following rules would be meaningless. If there is such a saving Gospel, and there is–then this implies that we are under another system, another culture, another system by which we must live. This ssystem is the leadership of the Blessed Conforter whom Jesus sent.

4.1 A Case for Yielding to the Spirit

I’d like to present reasons and applications of the passage in consideration. I give reasons why the fruit of the Spirit must be sought after, and why yielding to the Spirit must take place within every believer’s heart.

  1. It is the right “thing” to do.

    God did not save His people in such a way that His people automatically gain a license for sinning further. He wants us to be marked by certain qualities that should distinguish us from unsaved persons.

  2. If we do not work out our salvation, then nothing’s changed.

    This the worst of places we can find ourselves in. It is true that if we deny our sins after conversion, then the truth is not in us. However, if we say we believe and yet we don’t act as if the Gospel is absolute truth, then we would be deceiving ourselves and others in that case as well.

4.2 Further Reading

This paper will conclude with resources leadong to the broad topic of sanctification:

Longenecker, Richard N., Bruce M. Metzger, David Allen Hubbard, Glenn W. Barker, John D. W. Watts, James W. Watts, Ralph P. Martin, and Lynn Allan Losie. n.d. GALATIANS, Volume 41. Word Biblical Commentary. Grand Raphids, Michigan: Zondervan. https://www.zondervan.com/9780310521945/galatians-volume-41/.

MacArthur, John F. 2007. Galatians. MacArthur Study Bible. Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson. https://www.ebooks.com/en-ag/2604488/galatians/john-f-macarthur/.

McGee, John Vernon. 1995. Thru the Bible with J. Vernon Mcgee. Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson. https://www.ebooks.com/en-ai/2575463/thru-the-bible-vol-46-the-epistles-galatians/j-vernon-mcgee/.