Galatians 5:1
"Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made
us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage."
“Free”:
Deliverance from the curse that the law pronounces on the sinner who
has been striving unsuccessfully to achieve his own righteousness
(3:13, 22-26; 4:1-7), but who has now embraced Christ and the
salvation granted to him by grace.
“Stand fast
therefore”: Stay where you are, Paul asserts, because of the
benefit of being free from law and the flesh as a way of salvation
and the fullness of blessing by grace.
The verse could be
rendered: “For freedom Christ freed us. Therefore stand fast and do
not again be subject to a yoke of bondage.” The “freedom” in
view is freedom from the law, here called “a yoke of bondage.”
Paul wants the Galatians to “stand fast,” that is, retain their
spiritual freedom.
“Yoke of bondage”:
“Yoke” refers to the apparatus used to control a domesticated
animal. The Jews thought of the “yoke of the law” as a good
thing, the essence of true religion. Paul argued that for those who
pursued it as a way of salvation, the law was a yoke of slavery.
We are to stand up
for God and continually stand in the salvation the Lord provided for
us. We are no longer under the bondage of the law; we are free to
serve the Lord.
2 Thessalonians 2:15
"Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which
ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle."
A person, who had
just been set free, would never choose to go back into bondage, if
they were thinking clearly.
Galatians 5:2
"Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ
shall profit you nothing."
“If ye be
circumcised”: Circumcision was the external ritual symbolizing
acceptance of the law (verse 3). In such a case, one depended on
legal works rather than on God’s grace as the means of salvation.
“Christ,” then, “shall profit you nothing.”
Paul had no
objection to circumcision itself (Acts 16:1-3; Phil. 3:5). But he
objected to the notion that it had some spiritual benefit or merit
with God and was a prerequisite or necessary component of salvation.
Circumcision had
meaning in Israel when it was a physical symbol of a cleansed heart
(Deut. 30:6; Jer. 4:4; 9:24-26) and served as a reminder of God’s
covenant of salvation promise (Gen. 17:9-10).
“Christ shall
profit you nothing”: The atoning sacrifice of Christ cannot benefit
anyone who trusts in law and ceremony for salvation.
It appears that
these Galatians believed if they were circumcised, that would somehow
put them in better standing with the Lord. It is as if they believe
this to be like baptism. Circumcision and sacrifices are almost as if
they are saying that the shed blood of Jesus is not enough.
Hebrews 9:12-14
"Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood
he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal
redemption [for us]." "For if the blood of bulls and of
goats, and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth
to the purifying of the flesh:" "How much more shall the
blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself
without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve
the living God?"
You can see that
there was nothing left for us to do, Jesus did it all for us.
Galatians 5:3
"For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he
is a debtor to do the whole law."
“He is a debtor to
do the whole law”: God’s standard is perfect righteousness, thus
a failure to keep only one part of the law falls short of the
standard (see note on 3:10).
Circumcising is
recognition of the law. To recognize the law in this manner would be
to deny the power of grace in Jesus Christ. If you go back to the law
to make you perfect in the sight of the law, then you are under the
covenant of the law, and not under the covenant of grace.
Galatians 5:4
"Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are
justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace."
“Christ is become
no effect … fallen from grace”: The Greek word for “severed”
(no effect), means “to be separated”, or “to be estranged.”
The word for “fallen” means “to lose one’s grasp on
something.” Paul’s clear meaning is that any attempt to be
justified by the law is to reject salvation by grace alone through
faith alone.
Those once exposed
to the gracious truth of the gospel, who then turn their backs on
Christ (Heb. 6:4-6) and seek to be justified by the law are separated
from Christ and lose all prospects of God’s gracious salvation.
Their desertion of Christ and the gospel only proves that their faith
was never genuine (Luke 8:13-14; 1 John 2:19).
“Justified”:
Through Faith.
This verse could be
translated: “You will be severed from Christ, if you try to be
justified by law; you will forfeit the favor in God’s eyes which
Christ won for you.” This does not teach the loss of salvation
which one earlier possessed.
Rather it means that
if the readers truly renounce grace through faith alone as the way of
salvation, if they depend on legalism to secure divine favor, then
they show that they never really knew God’s grace in the first
place.
You have decided to
look for salvation in another, if you go back to the law. Grace is
actually a freeing of yourself, but a freeing from the law, as well.
Wherever you put your trust, is what you are depending on to save
you. This would be turning away from Christ as your Justifier, and
looking to the law for justification.
Galatians 5:5
"For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by
faith."
“Though the Spirit
… hope of righteousness”: means that by the Holy Spirit’s help,
which is obtained “by faith,” believers “wait for the hope of
righteousness,” that is, live the Christian life awaiting the
consummation of their salvation.
Christians already
possess the imputed righteousness of Christ, but they still await the
completed and perfected righteousness that is yet to come at
glorification (Rom. 8:18, 21).
Christians are not
like the rest of the world who have no hope. We have hope of the
resurrection. Our hope is in Christ Jesus. He is our blessed Hope.
Our righteousness is His righteousness that He clothed us in.
Colossians 1:27 "To
whom God would make known what [is] the riches of the glory of this
mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of
glory:"
Galatians 5:6
"For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing,
nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love."
“For” justifies
the importance given faith in verse 5. In Christianity one does not
profit spiritually either by being circumcised or uncircumcised.
“Faith which worketh by love” means “faith that is produced by
love.” Faith is a man’s response to God who loves him, and this
divine love that produces faith results in his justification.
“Neither
circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision”: 6:15. Nothing
done or not done in the flesh, even religious ceremony, makes any
difference in one’s relationship to God. What is external is
immaterial and worthless, unless it reflects genuine internal
righteousness (Rom. 2:25-29).
Circumcision is of
the flesh. This, then, makes no difference either way, because
Christianity is of the spirit. Christianity is a personal
relationship with Christ.
“Faith which
worketh by love”: Saving faith proves its genuine character by
works of love. The person who lives by faith is internally motivated
by love for God and Christ (Matt. 22:37-40), which supernaturally
issues forth in reverent worship, genuine obedience, and
self-sacrificing love for others.
Romans 2:28-29 "For
he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither [is that]
circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:" "But he [is]
a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision [is that] of the
heart, in the spirit, [and] not in the letter; whose praise [is] not
of men, but of God."
We see in all of
this that Christianity has very little to do with the flesh. The only
thing it does have to do with it is that we must cut away the flesh
that the spirit might live. For us to be in a position that we desire
to be with Christ, we must crucify our flesh and live in the spirit.
Galatians 5:7 "Ye
did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?"
“Ye did run well”
shows that the Galatians were making good progress spiritually. But
the Judaizers “did hinder” them with a false gospel, so that now
the readers do “not obey the truth.”
Paul compares the
Galatians’ life of faith with a race, a figure he used frequently
(2:2; Rom. 9:16; 1 Cor. 9:24). They had a good beginning – they had
received the gospel message by faith and had begun to live their
Christian lives by faith as well.
“Obey the truth”:
See note on 1 Pet. 1:22. A reference to believers’ true way of
living, including both their response to the true gospel in salvation
(Acts 6:7; Rom. 2:8; 6:17; 2 Thess. 1:8), and their consequent
response to obey the Word of God in sanctification.
Paul wrote more
about salvation and sanctification being a matter of obedience in
Rom. 1:5; 6:16-17; 16:26. The legalistic influence of the Judaizers
prevented the unsaved from responding in faith to the gospel of grace
and true believers from living by faith.
Paul is telling them
that they started out correctly. They were running the race of life
well. Now they have listened to those who would come in and destroy.
We must apply the blood of Jesus to our ear, so only things of God
will be heard in our inner mind. We should not listen to others, and
let them sway us. We should be thoroughly convinced, and never waver
in our belief.
Galatians 5:8
"This persuasion [cometh] not of him that calleth you."
“This persuasion”:
Salvation by works. God does not promote legalism. Any doctrine that
claims His gracious work is insufficient to save is false. This
refers to the pressure tactics the heretics used to persuade the
Galatians to embrace legalism.
They have listened
to another doctrine other than what Paul had brought. The Lord God of
heaven called you, stay with Him. God did not send the message to get
back under the bondage of the law.
Galatians 5:9 "A
little leaven leaveneth the whole lump."
“A little leaven”
[false doctrine] “leaveneth” [permeates, corrupts] “the whole
lump” (church). A common axiomatic saying (1 Cor. 5:6) regarding
the influence of yeast in dough. Leaven is often used in Scripture to
denote sin (Matt. 16:6, 12).
This is the same
thing as saying; one rotten apple will ruin the whole barrel, if it
is not removed. Leaven is sin. It is a sin to doubt the message of
grace. Anything that displeases God is sin. Faith is the only thing
that pleases God. It seems that some of these people in the church
were listening to the Judaizers.
Galatians 5:10 "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."
“Confidence in
you”: Paul expresses encouraging assurance that the Lord will be
faithful to keep His own from falling into gross heresy. See John
6:39-40; 10:28-29; Rom. 8:31-39; Phil. 1:6-7. They will persevere and
be preserved (Jude 24).
“Judgment”: All
false teachers will incur strict and devastating eternal
condemnation.
Paul believes that
the Galatians will retain the true gospel and not be completely
persuaded by the heretics.
It is a very
dangerous thing to teach anything but the pure gospel message. Paul
says; I know you will consider this and make the right decision. He
knows, if they have time to consider what he is telling them, they
will not accept going back into the law. Grace is too good to trade
it for law.
Galatians 5:11
"And I, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet
suffer persecution? then is the offence of the cross ceased."
“If I yet preach
circumcision”: Apparently the Judaizers had falsely claimed that
Paul agreed with their teaching. But he makes the point that if he
was preaching circumcision as necessary for salvation, why were the
Judaizers persecuting him instead of supporting him?
Paul is evidently
refuting the accusation that he “yet” (still) preaches a gospel
of circumcision, as formerly in Judaism. But, he counters, the very
fact that I do “yet suffer persecution” proves that is not the
case; for Judaizers would commend, not persecute, him for preaching
their gospel.
“Offence”
(stumbling block). The Greek word for “stumbling block” can mean
“trap”, “snare,” or “offense.” Any offer of salvation
that strips man of the opportunity to earn it by his own merit breeds
opposition (Rom. 9:33).
One of the reasons
they had difficulty with what Paul was saying, is the fact that he
circumcised Timothy to appease the Jews. Paul had not circumcised
Timothy, so that Timothy would be in better standing with God. He had
done it, because the group of people Timothy would be ministering to
were Jews, and they would not have let Timothy preach.
Acts 16:3 "Him
would Paul have to go forth with him; and took and circumcised him
because of the Jews which were in those quarters: for they knew all
that his father was a Greek."
Paul did not believe
in circumcising Christians. Paul's major persecution had come from
the Jews. They even followed Paul from town to town and caused people
to rise up against him, because he taught that Jesus Christ was the
Jewish Messiah.
Paul suffered with
Christ. Paul really counted it as gain to be persecuted bringing the
good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The teaching of the cross
was an offense to the Jews.
Galatians 5:12 "I
would they were even cut off which trouble you."
The Greek word used
here is “Mutilate”, and was often used of castration, such as in
the cult of Cybele, whose priests were self-made eunuchs. Paul’s
ironic point is that since the Judaizers were as insistent on
circumcision as a means of pleasing God, they should go to the
extreme of religious devotion and mutilate themselves.
The verse may mean,
“I wish those troubling you would have them castrated.”
Paul was aware that
those who were trying to put them back under the law, were there to
destroy their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. The best thing would be
for these Judaizers to get out of the church, but it was highly
unlikely that would happen.
Galatians 5:13
"For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only [use] not
liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another."
“Liberty”:
“For an occasion
to the flesh”: The Greek word for “occasion” (or opportunity)
was often used to refer to a central base of military operations
(Rom. 7:8). In the context, “flesh” refers to the sinful
inclinations of fallen man (see note on Rom 7:5). The freedom
Christians have is not a base from which they can sin freely and
without consequence.
“Serve one
another”: Christian freedom is not for selfish fulfillment, but for
serving others. Rom. 14:1-15.
Having shown freedom
from the law to be proper protection against legalism (verses 1-12),
Paul now demonstrates it to be a proper antidote against unrestrained
license to sin (verses 13-26).
Believers are not to
abuse their “liberty” from the law “for an occasion”
[opportunity] “to the flesh” (sinful nature). That is, don’t
think freedom from the law means you can indulge in sin; it means
instead that you are free to serve God by serving “one another.”
Our salvation is a
free gift from God. He washed our sins away. When we become a
Christian, we no longer serve sin.
Romans 6:18 "Being
then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness."
What this is really
saying is that our flesh controlled our will until we became
Christians. Now our spirit (filled with Jesus) controls our will. If
we are true Christians, it is Jesus in us who controls our will. We
are no longer flesh, we are spirit. Just because we are forgiven,
does not give us a license to sin.
Romans 6:19-22 "I
speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh:
for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to
iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to
righteousness unto holiness." "For when ye were the
servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness." "What
fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? For the
end of those things [is] death." "But now being made free
from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto
holiness, and the end everlasting life."
You see, we have
been set free to live in Christ Jesus.
