Galatians 5:9  A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.
10  I have confidence in you through the Lord, that ye will be none otherwise minded: but he that troubleth you shall bear his judgment, whosoever he be.
11  And I, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution? then is the offence of the cross ceased.
12  I would they were even cut off which trouble you.

God points out here the danger that just a little compromise will have. This is not just a suggestion. It is not just a possibility.
In the book of Exodus, God commanded the nation of Israel to get rid of all leaven in their houses in preparation for the Passover. They were to be free from leaven for the entire time of the Passover and the days of unleavened bread. Leaven is a picture of sin. Leaven is very helpful in baking bread. However, any sin is a deterrent to knowing God’s peace and blessing.
In our text the issue was circumcision as a necessary part of salvation. It is quite common for false religions to have some kind of a whip to keep people in line. Some false religions teach that their followers can lose their “salvation”. We mentioned a few days ago that a Catholic bishop has told Pelosi that she cannot partake in their “holy communion.” I doubt that Mrs. Pelosi is very concerned about that. However this was made public knowledge to try to keep authority over the Catholic people.
The governments have understood this and over the past two years they have managed to put the majority of people into a panic mode because of the fear of death. They have lied repeatedly, but most people have submitted to their lies.
When a person does not know the Lord, he or she is easily scared. The fear of death is very real for lost people. The saints in Galatia had been duped into believing that trusting Jesus Christ alone for salvation was not good enough. They were being told they had to do something as well to secure their salvation.
The Catholic religion has no problem accepted the teaching of salvation by faith. Their point is that faith alone cannot save a person. A person must do works as well. That is the key to control. They teach that the works may not be enough, but you have to try your best. That is why the Catholics also have “purgatory”. Purgatory is supposed to be that “slush fund” that will take up the gap of a lack of works.
Paul was not talking to lost people here. He was talking to saved people who were weak in their faith. They were being gullible. They were not sticking to God’s truth. They were giving false teachers some legitimacy.
That is a problem that is infecting many people today as well. Many people do not have the confidence that God’s Word is absolutely true. They are willing to entertain smooth talkers who do not follow God’s Word correctly, “but they still sound good”.
In verse 10 Paul had spent some time with these saints. He knew the truth. He knew the power of the Gospel. He knew that those who were genuinely saved, were true children of the Lord. He knew that God would not allow His children to go too far down the “garden path”.
Paul also put out a warning to those who would “trouble” the saints. We certainly need to be reminded of this fact today. Rather than entertain false teaching, follow the truth and reject the false teachers. Those who are truly saved will have God’s Word in hand. They will know that God has inspired His Word. They will hold to the King James Version. It is not pride to reject false teachers. It is not wrong to ignore false teachers.
It is important to be a part of a true church. Jesus declared Himself to be the builder of the true church. He taught the disciples the important facts related to the local church. The apostle Paul risked his life to teach people the truth. Those who are saved must walk with humility. We must submit ourselves to the absolute authority of God’s Word. We can have confidence.

I John 5:13  These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

God’s written Word is where true saints get their confidence. Apostles and prophets gave us the Word of God. God chose 40 different writers to give us His Word. There is no contradiction in the Word of God. The evangelists, pastors/teachers must teach the Word of God. A man who refuses to accept the absolute truth of God’s Word has no business stepping into the pulpit. God has already judged them. It is foolish to give legitimacy to that which God has judged.
In verse 11, Paul helped the saints to think a little deeper than they were currently doing. They needed to understand that Paul was not preaching circumcision. If he was, why was he being persecuted? A person that is towing the “party line”, does not face persecution. He is part of the system. The person who rejects the “party line”, will be attacked.
The offence of the cross was the fact that Jesus Christ took the curse of sin upon Himself and made it possible for any person to be set free from that curse. Ungodly people refuse to accept the fact that they cannot do anything to save themselves. They refuse to accept the fact that they must trust completely in the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The attack against truth is real. The devil hates the truth. He directed Cain to kill Abel. He directed all but 8 people to buy the lies he was feeding them and those outside the Ark perished. The devil is still working hard to keep people from the truth. However, God’s truth is greater than all the lies of the devil.
In verse 12 Paul was directed to write that he would rather see false teachers cut off. The true saint does not want to see others deceived. He does not want to see lost people caught up in the lies of the devil. The saved person would want the false teachers taken out of the way and thus take away the distractions.
The reality is that God has not called on any saved person to try to wipe out false teachers. What God has told true teachers to do, is to proclaim the truth with boldness. There is no place for weak-kneed pastors. We need to know the truth and we need to preach the truth without apology.
There is a reason why God says that a pastor cannot be a novice. A pastor needs to be well taught. Paul poured his life into Timothy. He helped Timothy to be well grounded in the truth. He also challenged Timothy to act responsibly on the truth.
Let us (those who are truly saved) take God’s Word seriously and help others to know the truth. Let us walk circumspectly, redeeming the time because the days are evil.
Pastor Bartel