Galatians, the fifth chapter, and I'll read verses 6 through 12.

In Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is of any avail, but faith working through love.

You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? This persuasion is not from

him who calls you. A little leaven leavens the whole lump.

I have confidence in the Lord that you will take no other view than mine.

And he who is troubling you will bear his judgment, whoever he is.

But if I, brethren, still preach circumcision, why am I still persecuted?

In that case, the stumbling block of the cross has been removed.

I wish those who unsettle you would mutilate themselves.

We're going to spend all of our time now on verse 6.

There's probably not a more important verse, unless it would be verse five in all the book.

So let's begin with verse five and recall it from last week.

V says that there's coming a day when a verdict, final verdict, will be announced over every person and on that day all God's children will be

made wholly righteous. We are waiting for that hope of righteousness and the way we wait is very crucial. You can either

wait through the flesh by works or you can wait through the spirit by faith.

In verse 5 says, wait through the spirit by faith.

Then verse 6 is given as an argument or a reason, a ground for

why we should live like that through the spirit by faith. And the reason is for in Christ Jesus neither

circumcision nor uncircumcision is of any avail but faith working through love.

The reason we should live by faith and not by works is that works like circumcision get nowhere with God. They don't win anything

from him. In fact, they positively offend him because they contradict free grace.

Whereas faith has power, the implication is, to win or avail all things that we need from God, the whole inheritance of life and blessing forever.

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