The Law of Christ

Hello everyone.

Today. we begin the final chapter of the book of Galatians.  We will examine the first two verses: 

1 Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught up in some sin, those among you who are spiritually minded, should restore that person in a spirit of humility.  But, guard yourself so that you are not also enticed to sin. 2 Carry one another’s burdens.  This way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

Paul again addresses the Galatians as ‘brothers and sisters.’  Perhaps it is a reminder that they were all family, and that Christianity is not a contest to see who can be the most devout. In the spirit of family, Paul instructs them to go to those among them that get caught up in a sin, and restore them back into the community. 

Paul gives two qualifications to those who do the restoring:

• They must be spiritual-minded.
• They must be humble, as the restoration is to take place in the spirit of humility.

Note: Πραΰτητος (prautatos) can be translate as gentleness or humility.  Both make a lot of sense here, but to me, humility is the better fit.  Thomas Schreiner says, “A gentle and humble spirit does not provoke one who has sinned but treats that person with dignity, and such gentleness is the fruit of the Spirit.” (Schreiner, 358.) 

Paul also gives the restorer a warning.  He, or she, must be careful thexplanations for the sin that the restorer must guard against:at they do not allow the situation to lead them into sin.  Douglas Moo offers three possible 

• Anger toward the offender. 
• Self-righteousness and pride.
• Being drawn into the same sin. 

To be honest, the first two easily go together in response to the sinner who seeks restoration. One who is self-righteous and prideful can easily come into a situation like this with great anger. So, it makes a lot of sense that Paul would urge them to go into a situation like humbly and gently. 

In verse 2, as Paul continues, he tells them to carry one another’s burdens.  Paul again is offering family, or community input.  The verb βαστάζετε, (bastazete) is an imperative, not a suggestion.  We, as the family of God, are to help each other.  

Is this related to verse 1 and the restoration of the sinner, or does this command apply across the whole community of believers?  The answer to that question is ‘yes.’  

Paul goes on to say that in carrying one another’s burdens, we fulfill the law of Christ.  What is the Law of Christ and how do we fulfill it? Based on the context, it seems that Paul is referring to love as the Law of Christ. Jesus is on record for having said that the loving God and loving people are the commands that all of the rest of the Law hangs.  Love is the most important thing.  

Paul has just commanded them to carry one another’s burdens.  Certainly, this is rooted in love.  In 1 Corinthians as Paul is about to define love for us, he first tells that love is the ‘most excellent way.” (1 Cor. 12:31.)  It seems that Paul is presenting love as the Law of Christ. 

Paul has spent considerable time in the letter explaining how and why the time of the Law of Moses has passed.  A new era has come, marked by grace, faith, freedom and love.   This era has a new law, the Law of Christ, a law based in love. We fulfill that new law when we take care of each other, and carry each other’s burdens. 

With this verse, some have suggested that carrying one another’s burdens may be connected to the previous verse, where those who are spiritual-minded are called upon to gently restore the sinner.  Is this the burden that we are to carry?  It certainly fits that we should help carry that burden, but certainly this falls within the realm of a universal call to all disciples to carry each other’s burdens. 

It is in building community and family, loving and helping each is what Paul is calling the fulfillment of the law of Christ. 

Spirit Vs. Flesh, Part 4

Greetings.

As we continue Paul's discussion of the Spirit vs. the flesh, we will be wrapping up chapter 5.  Here are verses 24-26: 

24 But those who are in Jesus, the Christ, have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.  25 If we live by the Spirit, we should therefore, keep in step with the Spirit.  26 Let us make sure that we don’t become conceited, provoking and envying one another. 

In verse 24, Paul says: “But those who are in Jesus, the Christ, have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” Those who are in Christ no longer live according to the flesh.  The flesh has been crucified with Christ, and the Holy Spirit takes its  place. 

Paul has talked about this idea before.  Think about Gal. 2:20.   “I have been crucified with Christ.  I no longer live, but now Christ lives in me. The life that I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who has loved me and given himself up for me.”  This concept has been a consistent part of Paul’s message.  The old self, the flesh, it is now gone.  God’s Spirit resides in us now.  Our life is in Him, and we are his temples. He enables us to live differently.  What we failed to do under our own power, He has given us the ability to do, and the passions and desires of the flesh no longer have the same effect on us.  

Paul says that we have crucified the flesh with its desires, but we all know that the temptations of the flesh still come.  The important thing to remember here is that these desires no longer rule over us.  

Going back to verse 16: Paul has told us to ‘walk in the Spirit/’ and now in verse 25 he tells us that since we live by the Spirit, we should "keep in step with the Spirit."  We have all of Paul’s comparison of the works of the flesh and the fruits of the Spirit sandwiched between two statements about walking with the Holy Spirit. We choose to walk according to the Spirit or to live according to the flesh.  The flesh will continue to seek those things that satisfy it, while the Spirit offers self-control. 

These statements about walking in the Spirit should give the Galatians guidance. As they are striving to be obedient to the Law, the should ask whether what they are doing is really in step with what the Spirit is doing. He does add a conditional statement in verse 25.  “If we live by the Spirit.”  In other words, if you are going to live by the Law, then go live by the Law, but if you are going to live by the Holy Spirit, quit trying to keep in step with the Law. 

Moo sums up the discussion of the Holy Spirit really well.  (Moo, 371.) I am going to turn his lengthy summation into bullet points:

• The Spirit:
• Transforms the hearts of God’s people. (3:14)
• Produces in us the character traits that please Him (5:22-23a)
• Provides the power to inaugurate the Christian life. (3:3)
• And bring it to completion. (5:5) 
• Leads and guides believers (5:18)
• So, we really should walk by the Spirit. 

We close chapter 5 with a statement about behavior that is not consistent with walking with the Spirit.  “Let us make sure that we don’t become conceited, provoking and envying one another.”  Conceit, envy, provoking others,  those are really works of the flesh, as they damage the community of believers.  They are not in line with the Spirit, or His fruits, (love, peace, patience, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, humility, goodness)  I speculate that Paul added this in here because this was going on among them.  It is certainly a reasonable assumption that the false teachers that had been influencing them were guilty of these things. 

For the Galatians and for us, Keeping in step with the Spirit is a better way to live.  

Spirit Vs. Flesh, Part 3

Hello everyone.

We will pick in verse 22 of Galatians 5, as Paul continues to show the contrast between life devoted to the flesh and life given by the Spirit.  Take a look at Galatians 5:22-23:

22 On the other hand, the fruits of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 humility and self-control. No law prohibits things such as these. 

Just like the works of the flesh, this, too, is not an exhaustive list. What is a fruit of the Spirit?  I think that it would be anything that the Spirit produces in us.  Wisdom, for example, seems like a fruit of the Spirit to me, but is not listed here.  In Ephesians 5:17 Paul tells us that God gives us the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, that we may know Him better.  So, wisdom and revelation (the ability to know God better) are fruits that the Spirit produces in us, as well. 

Anyway, Paul lists these nine fruits of the Spirit: Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, faithfulness, humility and self-control. 

Note: πραΰτης, (prautēs) is usually translated as gentleness.  I have translated it as humility. The Lexicon defines it as: "the quality of not being overly impressed by a sense of one’s self-importance: gentleness, humility, courtesy, considerateness, meekness." The word is translated as gentleness in some places in the New Testament, and humility in others, depending on context. I think either one fits this context.  

Works vs. Fruit.  In Paul’s comparison we see works, something that you do, compared to fruits, something that is produced in you by the Holy Spirit.   In one, it is my own flesh that is at work, and in the other, it is the Holy Spirit that is at work.  So, it is important to realize that I do not produce these things in me, The Holy Spirit does.  I mean, I can be a loving person and not believe in God, but The Spirit will produce more and greater love in me, than I can ever produce on my own. Thomas Schreiner explains it well. "Believers are not called upon to summon up the strength within them, for their new way of life is supernatural, stemming from the powerful work of the Holy Spirit.” (Schreiner, 348-349.) Plus, we understabd that obedience to the Law cannot produce these fruits in us.  In fact, it seems that no matter how hard I work to bear these fruits, I make little headway.  I am relatively powerless on my own.  Better that the Spirit works in me to produce His fruit. 

Just like the works of the flesh, I am not going to go through each word and explain, but do want to talk about the first one on the list: love. 1 John 4:8 tlees us that  'God is love.'  We know from John that God is not only a loving being, He is love.  If any one quality defines Him, it is love.  The first and foremost fruit of the Holy Spirit is love.  Many of the others, patience and kindness for example (1 Cor. 13:4), spring from love.

Continuing that thought.  In Col. 3:12-14 - Paul lists a number of attributes that God’s people possess, including compassion, humility, forgiveness and others, but ends with love, as it “binds them all together in perfect unity.”  Love seems to the centrpiece of the Fruits of the Holy Spirit.  As we are filled with the Holy Spirit, and produce His fruit, we become more like God, making more like love. 

Another thought on love: Jesus tells us that the whole of the Law rests on two commands to love.  (Matt. 22:40.) So, the real intent of the Law was to lead us toward love.  But we understand that the Law does not and cannot really lead us there, because you cannot legislate people’s hearts.  So, the Spirit enables us to fulfill the intent of Law, which is to love. 

A quick thought on self-control: It is interesting that Paul finishes this list with self-control, as he finishes the other with behaviors that are a result of a lack of self control (drunkenness and wild partying.) The Spirit leads to be self-controlled, not out of control.  

Paul discussion here on the fruits of the Holy Spirit is finished with the phrase, “No law prohibits things such as these.”  Paul has spent a major part of his letter to the Galatians talking about the Law.  I think that it is no coincidence that he adds this phrase here.  His point:  'If we are filled with the Spirit, we don’t really need the old law., because we will live a life full of these fruits and would give no one an opportunity to complain.'

Spirit Vs. Flesh, Pat 2

 Greetings.

In my post, we began an examination of Galatians 5: 16-26.  We see a comparison between the Spirit and the flesh, and we notice that they are in stark contrast to each other.  "The desires of the flesh are opposed to the Spirit and the Spirit is opposed to the desires of the flesh." (Gal. 5:17)  Today, we will look at what the flesh leads us toward. Here is Galatians 5:19-21: 

19 It is easy to see the works of the flesh.  These include: sexual immorality, moral corruption, indecency, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentiousness, jealousy, rage, selfish ambition, sowing discord, divisiveness, 21 envy, drunkenness, wild partying and other things like these.  I am warning you, just as I have warned already, that those who do such things, will not inherit the kingdom of God. 

At the beginning of verse 19, Paul tells us that the works of the flesh are Φανερὰ (phanera) - obvious, evident, easy to see. I like the way that Thomas Schreiner describes it: “Identifying the works of the flesh does not demand extraordinary spiritual discernment. (Schreiner, 345.) It’s true.  One does not have to be some kind of spiritual giant to know that certain things are wrong.   (Later, Paul does not say that the fruits of the Spirit are obvious, but the truth is, they are obvious, as well.)  

Galatians 5:19-21 is not intended to be the exhaustive list of sins.  Paul finishes with “and other things like these,” to let his readers know that there are other ‘obvious’ works of the flesh that he doesn’t call out by name here.  

I am not going to go through each one of these sins and define them and talk about them.  Paul has already told us that they are obvious works of the flesh.  Scholars will often group these works of the flesh, and I will use the groupings as presented by Douglas Moo, and talk briefly about the groupings. (Moo, 358.) 

Sexual sins: sexual immorality, moral corruption, indecency. The Roman world was pretty open regarding sex, much like our modern world is, so Paul is telling his readers that following Christ meant not viewing sexual matters in the way the surrounding society does.  It is obvious that some things are ‘of the flesh,’ and a follower of Jesus would avoid those things.   

Sins of pagan worship - idolatry, sorcery: Schreiner says, “The next two sins are grouped together because they both focus on the refusal to worship the one true God.  The fundamental sin in Pauline theology is the failure to praise and thank God for His goodness and to turn to worship of idols.” (Schreiner, 346.)  While some in the Galatian churches may have come out of a background in which they bowed down to idols, we do understand that idolatry involves anything that we place ahead of the one true God. 

Sins against the community: hatred, contentiousness, jealousy, rage, selfish ambition, sowing discord, divisiveness, envy. Jesus said that the second greatest command is to love your neighbor as yourself.  God’s community should be full of love, and these sins obviously betray that kind of community.  Our world looks like this, God’s people do not.  God’s people strive to build a community of love.  Note that a number of these words (contentiousness, discord, divisiveness) involve dividing the community in some way. On the other hand, God desires a community of love. 

Sins of excess and self-indulgence: drunkenness, wild partying. Shortly, self-control will be listed as one of the fruits of the Spirit.  These last two works of the flesh involve an absence of self-control.  

Paul concludes the list adding ‘and other things like these. Again, he has not given an exhaustive list, and he can’t list every possible sin out there.  So, there are other ‘works of the flesh’ that are just as obvious. 

What does Paul say about people whose lives are characterized by these ‘works of the flesh’?  They will not inherit the kingdom of God. This thought backs up something that Paul has just said in verse 13.  He said, “you were called to be free, but not free to indulge the flesh.”  Living by faith, and walking in freedom in Christ, and not being bound by the Law, must lead to righteous behavior and not the works of the flesh.  Schreiner says it like this:  “Righteousness by faith instead of works of law must not lead to a life of sin.  Those who are justified by God’s grace are also empowered by the Spirit to live in a new way.” (Schreiner, 348.) As people of the Spirit, not the flesh, let us embrace this new way. 

Spirit Vs. Flesh

Hey everyone. 

As we continue through Galatians 5, we see, beginning in verse 16, a comparison between the flesh and the Holy Spirit, and what each produces within us.  This comparison goes on through the end of the chapter. We will start today with a look at verses 16-18 and then a brief overview of what is to follow: 

16 Therefore, I’m telling you, walk in the Spirit, and then you will not be walking in a way that gratifies the desires of your flesh. 17 The desires of the flesh are opposed to the Spirit and the Spirit is opposed to the desires of the flesh.  They run counter to each other, keeping you from things that you desire to do. 18 But, if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. 

Paul now, give us a few words on the Spirit.  In verse 16, he tells us “walk in the Spirit.”  The Greek word used here is Περιπατεῖτε (peripateite). It is an imperative, meaning 'to walk.'  So, we are commanded to walk in the Spirit.  Paul assures us that when we do walk in the Spirit, we will not walk in a way that gratifies our flesh. We are certainly going to walk in one way or the other. 

Moo says this regarding walking in the Spirit.  “The ‘walk’ of the believer is determined by the Spirit, who both directs and empowers Christian living.”  (Moo, 353.) As followers of Jesus, we must be open to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and trust that He will empower us to follow those promptings.  

Although it isn't mentioned specifically in this passage, this separation of Spirit and flesh comes into view again here.  What is circumcision?  Is it not a separating of flesh?  It was being pushed onto the Galatians as a means of achieving righteousness.  Paul pushes back on that idea.  

Paul's message: Allowing yourself to be circumcised is not going to help you overcome the temptations of the flesh.  The Spirit, however, can.  So, walk in His way.  In verse 18, Paul adds that those who are led by the Spirit, are not bound by the Law. (We have a choice to follow the Spirit or to follow the Law. It will be one or the other. The Judaizing teachers were teaching some kind of Spirit/Law hybrid, that Paul is saying won't work.)  

Anyway, Paul continues with how the Spirit and the flesh are opposed to each other.  He makes that very clear in verse 17: The desires of the flesh are opposed to the Spirit and the Spirit is opposed to the desires of the flesh.”  We will be walking in one or the other, not both. You cannot do Spirit and flesh at the same time. 

We will examine them more thouroughly in subsequent posts, but here is a quick overview of what Paul has to say about Spirit and flesh.  In verse 19 through 23 Paul continues this comparison of the flesh and the Spirit, showing what they produce.  

On one side you have ἔργα τῆς σαρκός (erga tēs sarkos) - the works of the flesh, and on the other you have καρπὸς τοῦ Πνεύματός (kapros tou Pneumatos) - the fruit of the Spirit. Notice that one is a work and the other is a fruit.  We can produce work, but fruit is produced in us by means of the Holy Spirit at work in us.  

A couple of quick notes before closing: Paul tells us in verse 21, regarding the works of the flesh, that those who do these works will not inherit the kingdom of God.  Freedom in Christ is not a license to indulge our flesh, (v. 13) and live however we want.   

He also tells us in verse 23, regarding the Fruits of the Spirit, that there is no law against such things.  If we are filled with the Spirit and produce His fruit, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, faithfulness, humility and self-control, there is no need for a law, or more specifally, The Law. 

As we dig in to these next few verses over the next couple of posts, I think that you will agree that the way of the Spirit is superior to the way of the flesh. 

One Word Sums Up the Law

 Greetings.

In Galatians 5;1, Paul has told the Galatians that it was for freedom that Christ had set them free.  Then, after a shocking statement of hope that the legalists would emasculate themselves, Paul returns to this concpet of freedom in Christ.  Here are verses 13-15. 

13 Brothers and sisters, you were called to be free, not free to indulge the flesh, but rather free to serve one another in love.  14 For, the entirety of the Law is fulfilled in that one word.  “Love your neighbor as yourself.”  15 But if you are continually biting and devouring one another, watch out or you may just destroy each other. 

In verse 13, Paul goes back to where chapter 5 starts, freedom in Christ.  In verse 1 he says’ “it is for freedom that Christ has set us free. We should stand firm then, and never again submit ourselves to the yoke of slavery.”  Paul qualifies that freedom just a little bit in verse 13. 

Paulmust  know that there are some who will say, “I am free in Christ”, and use that as license for self-indulgence, thinking, “If I am free, then I do whatever I want.”  But, that is not what this freedom means.  We are not given our freedom, just to indulge ourselves. 

Paul uses the word σαρκί (sarki) here.  It means flesh.  Our freedom in Christ does not give us the freedom to indulge our flesh.  That is not what freedom in Christ means. Moo explains, “What freedom is emphatically not, either here or elsewhere in Scripture, is that autonomy, the ‘free to be and do whatever we want’ attitude, which governs much modern thinking.” (Moo, 343.) 

So, then, what are we free to do?  In the second part, Paul says that we are “free to serve one another through love.”  Moo continues, “The freedom that Christ has won for us (v.1) and to which we have been called by God (v.13) is a freedom to be what God originally made us to be…to live in loving, sacrificial service to one another.” (Moo,343.) 

An interesting note here:  The word that I have translated as ‘serve’ is from the Greek δουλεύετε (douleuete).  This word does not come from the Greek word for servant.  It comes from the Greek word for slave.  

We are to serve one another in love. (v.13)  That is how our freedom is to be used.  (This is certainly a better use of our freedom than self-indulgence.)  Then v. 14 offers this as a way of further explanation:  ‘The entirety of the Law is fulfilled in that one word.  “Love your neighbor as yourself.”’

Paul is saying that one word sums up the whole of the Law.  That word is ‘Love.”  

Now usually this is translated as ‘the Law is fulfilled in one command ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” But, Paul does not use the Greek word for command here, he uses the word for ‘word.’  Now, I understand why translators go with ‘command’ here, as ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’, is a command and is more than one word. I am not arguing with that translation.  However, I think that by using the Greek word λόγῳ (logō), Paul signifies the importance of that one word: Love. 

Already, here in chapter 5, he has already said that the only thing that matters or has power, is faith expressing itself through love.  

Later, when he lists off the fruits of the Spirit, the first one is love.  This is the attribute that sets God’s people apart.  Love is what drives everything. 

I love what Douglas Moo says about this:  “The reason it is important for believers to act as slaves toward one another in love is because love fulfills the law.”  (Moo, 345.)  

So, circumcision does not fulfill the law.  Love does.  Remembering verse 6, both circumcision and uncircumcision are meaningless without love.  It is the believer who loves who fulfills the law. 

So, circumcision does not fulfill the law.  Love does.  Remembering verse 6, both circumcision and uncircumcision are meaningless without love.  It is the believer who loves who fulfills the law. 

A later, Moo also says, “Paul’s wider concerns to assure the Galatians that their new life in Christ does indeed provide them with the direction (love) and the power (Spirit) that they need to live godly lives. Indeed, it is only with the coming of Christ and the gift of his Spirit that the ‘completion’ of the law has become possible.  But the completion does not take the form of obedience to the many commands of the law.  Rather, it happens as Christians love others - with a love possible only for those who are in Christ and according to the Spirit”  (Moo, 348.) 

Paul has just laid out the need for love more than once, in verses 6 and 14.  Now, in verse 15, he takes the conversation to the opposite extreme.  “But if you are continually biting and devouring one another, watch out or you may just destroy each other.”  Again we see two paths.  One path is faith at work through love, in which all will be built up.  The other path involves the opposite, where they are lnot oving toward each other.  Paul uses the figurative language of eating to express this.  Δάκνετε (daknete)” you bite” and κατεσθίετε (katasthiete) “you devour.” Many scholars believe that Paul is using the imagery of wild animals here.  Animals that would fight ferociously to the point of killing each other.  

Is this how they were treating each other?  It is hard to say, but certainly they were listening to some who were treating Paul this way.  Paul is issuing a clear warning.  Without loving relationships, people get destroyed.  

It is very easy to be critical of others. It is also very easy to hold on to a point so dogmatically that everyone who disagrees with you appears to you to be an idiot. This kind of ‘biting’ isn’t really helpful for anyone, and certainly has no place in God’s church.  

To conclude: Love is better. 

What Did He Say?

Hello.

As we continue on through chapter 5, we come to verses 11 and 12, which I have translated below.  Paul's frustration with his opponenets seems to boil over, and he bluntly says something that is quite surprising.

11 Brothers and sisters, if I still proclaim circumcision, why am I still being persecuted?  In that case, the offense of Cross is completely lost.  12 Oh, if only these agitators would just go ahead and castrate themselves. 

Paul’s meaning in verse 11 is not completely clear.  He asks, “if I still proclaim circumcision, why am I still being persecuted?”  At this point in his argument against circumcision as necessary for salvation, it seems an odd question.  By this point, he has made his stance perfectly clear.  

Some scholars believe that Paul asks this question here because some of his critics are claiming that Paul supports their position on circumcision.  This is possible.  He would be basically saying, “if I support their position, why are they so critical of me?” 

It is important to understand that Paul is not anti-circumcision.  We know that he had Timothy circumcised in Acts 16, but he also supported Titus refusal to be circumcised.  Paul’s problem with what the Galatians are buying into is that he can't support the teaching that circumcision is necessary for salvation.  This point, again, he has made abundantly clear.  Paul is not teaching the typical Jewish view on circumcision. Paul's view: neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has bearing on one’s standing with God. 

In the second part of verse 11, Paul responds to his own question with this statement: “In that case, the revulsion of the Cross is completely lost.”  What I have translated as ‘offense’ comes from the Greek word, σκάνδαλον (skandalon). The Lexicon’s best definition for the context here is: "that which causes offense or revulsion and results in opposition, disapproval or hostility: fault, stain, etc.”  

Paul’s point:  If the message becomes circumcision, then the all the Jesus endured, the torture and grotesqueness of the Cross has become meaningless.

Then, Paul lays his feelings about his detractors out completely in verse 12:  “Oh, that these agitators would just go ahead and castrate themselves.”  Here, he obviously refers to the Judaizing teachers as, Οἱ ἀναστατοῦντες (hoi anastatountes), 'those who are troubling you.'  This can be translated as troublemakers or agitators. 

Clearly in his next statement Paul is taking off the gloves.   Ὄφελον καὶ ἀποκόψονται (Ophelon kai apokopsontai) Basically, Paul is saying “I wish they would just go ahead and castrate themselves.”  The Greek word Ὄφελον can be translated as, “I wish” or “if only.”  

The Greek word ἀποκόψονται comes from the verb αποκοπτό (apokoptó). Strong’defines these words as: to amputate, mutilate or castrate.  So, Paul is expressing his disdain for these men and their insistence on circumcision, and takes their argument to the extreme, with these men completely emasculating themselves. 

David deSilva explains it this way: “The verb refers to cutting off significantly more than the foreskin, effectively wishing that those who were so eager to circumcise the Galatian converts would cut off their own members.” (deSilva, 113.)

Paul's words in verse 12 may seem extreme, but they are born out of a frustration that the Judaizing teachers, and now the Galatians, are missing the meaning of second part of verse 11. If we could somehow gain salvation through removing a piece of flesh, then the scandal and torture that Jesus endured on the Cross become meaningless, and Jesus endured it all for nothing. If Paul is right, then the Cross means everything, as our only means of salvation.   

A Little Leaven

 Greetings.

Today, we will continue our examination of Galatians 5.  We have just seen how circumcision and uncircumcision do not really matter.  What does matter, however, is faith, at work through love.  That is where we left off.  Paul continues in verses 7-10: 

7 You were running so well. Who is now keeping you from being obedient to the truth? 8 Such persuasion does not come from the One who calls you. 9 A little leaven ferments the whole batch. 10 However, when it comes to you, I am convinced, in the Lord, that you have no other mindset about this. But those who have been throwing you into confusion, whoever they are, will have to pay the penalty.

Paul tells the Galatian churches that they had started off really well, but now someone is holding them back from obeying the truth. We have seen similar statements before.  In Gal 3:1-5, asks them, “Who has cast a spell on you? Was it not before your own eyes that Jesus Christ was clearly proclaimed to be crucified?”  to remind them of those early days, when they were enjoying their freedom in Christ as brand new disciples.  

The first question is, “who?”  “Who has cast a spell on you?” (Gal. 3) and “Who is now keeping you from being obedient to the truth?” (Gal. 5)  They all knew the answer.  So, a implied second question could be, “Why are listening to those guys?  They are trying to take you away from grace and truth, and bring you to a type of religion that God did not intend.”

Verse 8 backs up my implied question. “That kind of persuasion does not come from the One who calls you.”  Jesus has never used the strongarm tactics that these men are using. These men undoubtedly spoke from a place of impressive zeal, but does not mean that what they were saying was correct and true.  Their misguided zeal is actually hindering the Galatians from growing in their knowledge of God and taking away their freedom in Christ. 

Paul follows in verse 9, “A little leaven ferments the whole batch.”  According to Douglas Moo, this was a commonly used phrase that Paul uses in 1 Cor. 5:6, as well. In the Bible, leaven, sometimes translated as ‘yeast,’ usually, but not always, means something negative.  Jesus in Matthew 16, compared the teaching of the Pharisees to leaven and told his disciples to beware of it.  However, in Matthew 13:33, Jesus compares his kingdom to leaven, so, leaven is not necessarily bad, but here in Galatians 5, it is. 

What both Jesus and Paul are talking about is leaven ability to quietly work throughout the whole batch.  That can be good or bad depending on what is being created.  

Paul’s point, just like Jesus’s point in Matt. 16, is that the legalistic spirit of the Pharisees and these false teachers work quietly and in an insidious way that spoils everything.  The Pharisees had taken Judaism far from what God had intended, all while looking very righteous.  These Judaizing teachers were doing the same thing.  

Then, in verse 10, Paul shifts gears in what he is saying.  He expresses a confidence in the Galatians that we haven't seen too much of previously.  He says that he is convinced that they will have the correct mindset about all of this, and lays the responsibility of the false gospel squarely on those who brought it to them.  This confidence in them is a far cry from “Oh, you foolish Galatians," that we had seen ealier in chapter 3. After putting forth a vigorous argument against the false teachings, he is expressing confidence that they will ultimately do the right thing.  

Paul expresses confidence in the Galatians, but he is not so kind to those who have been stirring them up and leading astray.  Regarding them, he says that they, whoever they are, will “pay the penalty.” Well, we know who “they” are, and so did the Galatians.  They are the Judaizing teachers that have come in and presented a false gospel to the Galatians.  These men, according to Paul, will face punishment for their false teaching. Perhaps this is why James warned teachers in James 3:1.  Since, those who teach a law-based legalistic gospel will pay the penalty for it, we have to get this teaching of the gospel of grace right.  

What Really Matters

Hello everyone.

Today's post will be focused on Galatians 5:6, and what really matters.  Here is my translation: "For in Jesus, the Messiah, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision, has the power to do anything.  Instead, real power comes from faith, at work through love."

Paul explains in verse 6, that neither being circumcised nor remaining uncircumcised actually mean anything.  

In the Greek, Paul uses the phrase, τι ἰσχύει (ti ischuei). τι can have many meanings, but the one that fits the context here best is 'any.'   ἰσχύει means 'strength or power."  So, Paul saying that in Jesus neither of them have any real strength or power.  David deSilva explains that this phrase would indicate that neither option has the power to accomplish anything.  (deSilva, 107.) In other words, we are not made righteous by being circumcised, and we are not made righteous by not being circumcised.  Circumcision, (and uncircumcision) have no bearing on whether we are considered righteous or not.  

In Acts 16, Paul had Timothy circumcised.  But in Galatians 2, he mentions that Titus had declined to be circumcised, and Paul clearly supported Titus in this.  So, clearly Paul could clearly go either way on the subject. But, why have Timothy circumcised? 

To be sure, Paul did not have Timothy circumcised for the purpose of fulfilling any kind of righteousness. It was not a matter of salvation. Paul wanted to take Timothy along on his journey, and in order to relate to the Jews, Paul had him circumcised.  I would think that Timothy could have, like Titus, also declined, but he did not. 

Well, if circumcision has no real meaning or power, what does?  According to Paul, the only thing that has meaning or power is "faith, at work through love."

So, what I do (circumcision) does not matter, and what I do not do (uncircumcision) does not matter.  What does matter then?  Paul tells us that what really matters is whether or not I really trust God.  Do I have faith?  And is that faith expressing itself through love?  Love for God and love for others.  (After all, what are the two greatest commands?  Both are commands to love.) 

Thomas Schreiner makes an interesting point here.  He says, “Love, then, is not the basis of justification but the fruit of faith, the result of faith.”  (Schreiner, 317.)  We love because of our faith.  Later, we see that love is indeed a fruit of the Spirit.  The Spirit produces love in us, as we are faithful.  

        David daSilva, Galatians: A Handbook on the Greek Text, Baylor University Press, Waco, Texas, 2014. 
          Thomas Schreiner, Galatians, Zondervan Academic, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2010.  

The Origins of Righteousness

Hey everyone.

We will continue our examination of Galatians 5, looking at verses 2-5.  In verse 1 we saw that Jesus has set us free, so then, we should never allow ourselves to be tied to yoke of slavery again.  Paul continues that thought: 

2 Let me be clear! I, Paul, am telling you that if you allow yourselves to be circumcised then Christ will be of no benefit to you. 3 I bear witness once again, that every one of you that submits to circumcision becomes under obligation to keep the entirety of the law. 4 Those of you who are intent on being made righteous through law-keeping, you set Christ aside, and you lose out on grace. 5 Instead, through the Spirit, by faith, we eagerly await the hope of righteousness.

In verse 2, Paul starts with the attention getter, Ἴδε (Ide), which is often translated as “behold.”  He wants to make sure that they understand what he is about to say, since we seldom say 'behold' and we see that is trying to grab their attention, I translated it as, “Let me be clear.”  He follows that with “I, Paul, am telling you.”  He is placing a strong emphasis on the statement that he is about to make.  He says, “if you allow yourselves to be circumcised then Christ will be of no benefit to you.”  

His point:  If they are somehow earning their salvation through works, then they are no longer saved through faith, and Christ has no value to them, because their own works, not Jesus, is saving them.  

That is why he continues in verse 3 that if they submit to circumcision, then they have to keep the whole law.  They have forfeited salvation by grace through faith, and are now trying to earn their salvation.  Paul understands that keeping the whole law as a means of salvation is impossible to do.  

Note:  There are things that we can have a difference of opinion on.  This is not one of them.  We are saved by grace through faith, not through any action that we might perform to somehow earn that salvation.  

A quick summary of what going on here: On one hand the Judaizing teachers were telling the Galatians that circumcision was necessary for salvation.  Paul was telling them that grace, not circumcision, was their means to salvation. So, to those who were considering going under the knife, Paul tells them that if they do this, then they become obligated to obey the whole law, not just circumcision.  If they choose to go with the old law and circumcision, then they must obey all of it perfectly.   

In verse 4, Paul continues his line of thinking.  If they continue down this path, submit to circumcision and choose to obey the old law, then, as they seek to be justified by the law, they separate themselves from Christ and they lose out on his grace.  Paul offers two warnings about what happens if they give in to these teachers and allow themselves to be circumcised: 

1st warning:  κατηργήθητε (katērgēthēte) has numerous different meanings, including “make powerless, invalidate, waste, abolish, wipe out and set aside.”  In my own translation, I went with “set aside.”  They would be choosing to set Christ and his grace aside. 

2nd warning. Ἐξεπέσατε (exepesate) - It is usually translated as 'fallen away.'  It also can have numerous different meanings, including “fall, drift off course, fail, weaken, lose.”  With the context here, “lose” seemed the most appropriate.  If the Galatians were going to rely on their obedience to the law, then they lose out on the grace of God. 

Back in Paul said in 3:10-11, “For those who base their righteousness on works of the Law are under a curse.  It is written, “Those who fail to obey all that is written in the book of the law are under a curse.” It is obvious that the Law does not make anyone righteous before God, instead, “the righteous will live by faith.” In those two verses he drew from OT passages (Deut. 27:26, and Hab. 2:4) to make his point that it is actually impossible for us to truly obey all of the law.  Paul has been making the point that the Law doesn’t make us righteous, but rather our righteousness comes from our faith.  

He has circled back to this in 5:4.  Those who are intent on basing their righteousness on obedience to the Law are under a curse because it is impossible to do, and now they have set Christ and grace aside.  

In verse 5 Paul gives us an alternative to obeying all of the law as mentioned in verse 4. Instead of gaining righteousness through keeping the law, we await the hope of righteousness through the Spirit and faith.  

In 5 the pronouns change.  He has been saying ‘you,’ but in verse 5 it becomes ‘we.’  ‘You have set Christ aside.’  ‘You lose out on grace.’ and then ‘we await the hope of righteousness.’  

Paul has repeatedly presented two different ways of thinking.  One is legalistic and self-reliant, and the other is grace-filled and God-reliant.  He has made very clear arguments that the second one is far better than the first, and while the Galatians have been busy flirting with the first option, Paul and those with him remain with the second, far superior option. 

So, we cannot make ourselves righteous.  Righteousness, according to verse 5 needs two things:  1) it comes through the Spirit, and 2) it comes through our faith.