Galatians 5:6-10 – A Little Leaven
Paul’s next argument in v6 is that the real mark of a Christian is faith working through love – not circumcision. Being a Christian is first and foremost about loving God and loving his people. If someone doesn’t show love for the other people in their church in concrete ways, then it throws their claim of salvation into doubt. Jesus said in John 13:35 “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” The Apostle John tells us in 1 John 3:14: “We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death.” Paul says: I don’t care if you have on your body that marks of circumcision. I care whether you have in your life the mark of love for other Christians.
Paul’s next argument, in v7, is that they were running well. Again, he’s not speaking to people who aren’t Christians. He’s speaking to people who have been following Jesus but are tailing off.
In v8 he says: ‘this persuasion is not from him who calls you’. That’s a very important line. Paul there shows that it’s possible to be persuaded about something – but still be wrong. It’s not enough to be sincere — it’s possible to be sincerely wrong. The question isn’t are you persuaded that what you’re doing is right. But — does that persuasion come from God?
V9 is just a few words, but is profound. ‘A little leaven leavens the whole lump’. A little false teaching will soon destroy a church. Churches today that have embraced homosexuality haven’t just woken up one day and accepted it. For decades they’ve been compromising on the inspiration of the Bible, miracles, the virgin birth, prophecy, creation, female ordination. And once you go down that road, history says that very few ever come back. A little leaven leavens the whole lump. Tolerating sin, whether in our own lives, in a congregation, or in a denomination is deadly. Because it soon spreads.
In v10 Paul is again as gentle as he can be towards the Galatians. But he reminds them that false teaching will bring punishment. He’s talking here about the false teachers themselves — but the implication is that those who embrace it will also face punishment.
Questions
- What is the mark of a Christian?
- What is the danger of tolerating sin?
Prayer Points
- Pray that we would show love to our brothers and sisters in Christ.
- Use prayer points from your congregation.
- Pray for family matters.