The apostle Paul himself, inRomans 14:1-23; Romans 14:1-23, insists upon the forbearance of a Gentile even towards the Jew that might be still encumbered by his days, meats, and so on. That is, if you are circumcised ritually for the purpose of having a righteous standing before God. This is indeed strong language for you who want to live after the flesh. The first letters of these four words--P-R-D-S--are the consonants of the word Paradise--and when a man had succeeded in penetrating into these four different meanings he reached the joy of paradise! The mind of the flesh is death, but the mind of the Spirit is life and joy and peace. To Paul all that mattered was faith which works through love. Thus, whatever may be the energy that seeks souls in love, there is nothing after all like Christianity for maintaining individual responsibility intact. Why this: "Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, and the other by a freewoman." But when I do fail, the Spirit is right there, and that's why I know I'm a child of God. (2.) Now, there are two ways that I can be righteous. #1 "It is for freedom" By "freedom," this verse means that we can serve others in the name of the Lord and reap the reward of joy that comes from it (Galatians 5:13-15). But not from God. 2 Mark my words! It would be first adding to it, and not only so, but annulling it. (ii) Remaz, its suggested meaning. Paul begins chapter 5 with a bold slogan of spiritual liberty: "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.". Remember what it must have been to one like Paul to censure the most honoured of the twelve. The Greek word is pharmakeia, translated here witchcraft, because in the sorceries, they're into witchcraft. Being, of course, dying men, whether it be the general privileges of Israel, or the special place of the priest, all was transmitted from father to son. The meaning is that you never can get stability in blessing until you have simply God putting forth His own power according to His own grace. Can I be righteous by keeping the law? It might seem entirely despising his brethren. In so many things. The persuasion which is being exercised on you just now is not from him who calls you. Breaking Down the Key Parts of Galatians 5:13 #1 "You, my brothers and sisters," Paul is addressing fellow Christians. And thus the blessing of Abraham could flow freely towards the Gentiles who never were there. But we have a good deal more. Of none else could it be so said that "it Pleased God to reveal his Son in him." Paul reminded Christians: " You must love your neighbour as yourself." Impurity, then, is that which makes a man unfit to come before God, the soiling of life with the things which separate us from him. As wild beasts contend sometimes until both are slain. How do they stand related? He sees the right, feels the good, desires the holy, but never, accomplishes. Everybody knows this. "Before faith came we [Jews] were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. Finally, he concludes by putting the sentence of death, if I may so say, on circumcision, and all such as might adopt it. At any rate, the Galatians, naturally fickle, were quick to take up prejudices. So, Peter uses this same phrase to describe the law as a yoke of bondage. Galatians 5:15 - John Darby's Synopsis It is in this liberty, the liberty of Christ, alluding to the free woman and Jerusalem above, that they were to stand fast, and not put themselves again under the yoke of the law. According to the prince of the power of the air, among whom we all had our manner of living. Such is the application. [Note: Barclay, p. It is never used in the New Testament at all. Paul cautioned both sides to love one another or they would consume each other. Then he takes up Abraham; for this is always the stock argument of those who would bring in circumcision and the law, Abraham being emphatically the friend of God and the father of the faithful. There was no such thing as a gradual training. Help me, Lord. By the Spirit of God, we're waiting for that hope of righteousness through faith. Nay; he communicated unto them the gospel which he preached among the Gentiles. And of the priest of this pagan god. It is to be noted that the summit of all meanings was the allegorical meaning. This is best seen by turning to Genesis 22:1-24, where both facts are found in the same context. And in the fifteenth chapter of Acts, we read how that Peter stood up and told the brethren how that the Lord had called him to go to the Gentiles to the house of Cornelius. Practical Godliness Enforced; Works of the Flesh and of the Spirit; The Fruits of the Spirit. They had been lately brought by the grace of God into Christianity, where they found Jewish brethren, now made one, as it is said, in Christ. But in the old days the child who was born in the ordinary human way persecuted the child who was born in the spiritual way; and exactly the same thing happens now. If, when I got on board a 747 at LAX heading for Honolulu, the captain would say, "Now, folks, we're having a little problem here with our navigation instruments. The mind of the flesh is death.But if my life is dominated by the Spirit, then I have the mind of the Spirit. And so, Paul is picking up, now, the same phrase. and how do they affect each other? There is no approach to a vaunt about his dignity. Jesus said, "I'm not talking about that. of It's just, you know, too difficult. The tragedy of life is that people who hold different views very often finish up by disliking, not each others' views, but each other. Now, if you're walking in love, supreme love for God and supreme love for your fellow man, then there is no law. God is a superior Trinity; man is an inferior trinity. Keeping God's commandments is not bondage. The sad and dangerous tendency of a contrary behaviour (Galatians 5:15; Galatians 5:15): But, says he, if instead of serving one another in love, and therein fulfilling the law of God, you bite and devour one another, take heed that you be not consumed one of another. He visits Arabia and Damascus once more. And this I say, that the covenant confirmed before by God unto Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, can not annul so that it should make the promise of none effect." Successor to Paul there is none; if so, who and where? hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies ( Galatians 5:20 ). Hairesis was not originally a bad word at all. A final appeal to walk in the liberty of Jesus. He makes one first thoroughly happy in the sense of His grace and the liberty Christ has won, and then the Holy Ghost becomes an indwelling spring of power, though His power is put forth in us only as we have Christ kept before us. and circumcision, and the necessity thereof to justification and It is no question now of being subject to the Jews, who shall never possess the gate of their enemies, but be peeled and scattered and few, while the gospel is going forth. Dissension describes a society in which the very opposite is the case, where the members fly apart instead of coming together. Why they thought they were becoming more truly religious, more reverent in their value for Scripture. It seems to have been something which affected his speech too, and exposed him to ridicule and to unfavourable comments where men were carnally-minded. salvation; which were managed with great heat and bitterness, It was, of course, altogether just and right in itself. It was through no such channel that he had his apostleship. Therefore, it came to pass that there was nothing the apostle had not learned of which they boasted. And devour one another - As wild beasts do. But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. The organic life of the body will be destroyed by its own members. For he had shown that our purchase by Christ delivers even the Jew from subjection to the law; whilst Gentiles are set at once on the ground of grace without the intervention of any legal apprenticeship whatever, "Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods. Because you have been born of the Spirit, you can see it, you can understand it; it's as plain as can be. There was no difference in the blessing of Christ: man's guilt and God's grace were alike indiscriminate. It is the quality, not so much of the jealous, but rather of the embittered mind. Now, as a means of engaging them to the one and preserving them from the other of these, he here cautions them against being desirous of vain-glory, or giving way to an undue affectation of the esteem and applause of men, because this, if it were indulged, would certainly lead them to provoke one another and to envy one another. It was ordained by angels, who had nothing to do with promise, which God gave direct to His friend. This highlights the problem of reading contemporary ideas back into Scripture. Try and stay right on course. Created by God, in fellowship with God. But this is a future prophetic vision not touched on here. In Christ alone, in His cross, let us boast, and in the new creature which is by Christ. But this could not be. On this the apostle reasons. 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. On the other hand Sarah stands for the new covenant in Jesus Christ, God's new way of dealing with men not by law but by grace. It is no wonder that one who is thus tied and bound feels restive under it. But the whole matter is decided before God. But if ye bite - The word used here ( dakno), means, properly, to bite, to sting; and here seems to be used in the sense of contending and striving - a metaphor not improbably taken from dogs and wild beasts. done his duty; but it was precisely what he could not do, because he was a sinner. Only we must carefully bear this in mind, that in the epistle to the Galatians we never rise exactly to church ground. That they should all strive against sin; and happy would it be for the church if Christians would let all their quarrels be swallowed up of this, even a quarrel against sin--if, instead of biting and devouring one another on account of their different opinions, they would all set themselves against sin in themselves and the places where they live. Their lives should demonstrate the truth that their sinful nature has been crucified with Christ and has no further power over them. The law and the promise are both from God, but the law's use is only negative and condemnatory. But responsibility is always according to the relation in which one stands, and the measure of knowledge which each possesses, or ought to possess. It is for the purpose of bringing in transgression, answers the apostle. If you are circumcised, Christ is no value to you. This then is what the law brought in. And this comes up every day in many situations, and I have actually the choice in this situation. It was therefore not only for him, but for the instruction of the Galatians, and of us all. Is not this just the law for you! It is predicated upon the work of God. Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary 5:13-15 The gospel is a doctrine according to godliness, 1Ti 6:3, and is so far from giving the least countenance to sin, that it lays us under the strongest obligation to avoid and subdue it. Gentiles might boast in their freedom. In the case of the twelve, we do find an apostle chosen to supply the gap of Judas chosen, I admit, of God, though after a Jewish sort, as Chrysostom justly remarks, for the Holy Ghost was not yet given. And this life is sustained by the very same person who is its source. The fate of any group permitting such a development issues inevitably in that of "The Gingham Dog and the Calico Cat": The apostle said as much in this very passage. Oligarchy means government by the few and can be justified by arguing that only the few are fit to govern. Bring in one part of law, and you fall under the authority of the whole. (iv) Sod, the allegorical meaning. He particularly recommends to us, love, to God especially, and to one another for his sake,--joy, by which may be understood cheerfulness in conversation with our friends, or rather a constant delight in God,--peace, with God and conscience, or a peaceableness of temper and behaviour towards others,--long-suffering, patience to defer anger, and a contentedness to bear injuries,--gentleness, such a sweetness of temper, and especially towards our inferiors, as disposes us to be affable and courteous, and easy to be entreated when any have wronged us,--goodness (kindness, beneficence), which shows itself in a readiness to do good to all as we have opportunity,--faith, fidelity, justice, and honesty, in what we profess and promise to others,--meekness, wherewith to govern our passions and resentments, so as not to be easily provoked, and, when we are so, to be soon pacified,--and temperance, in meat and drink, and other enjoyments of life, so as not to be excessive and immoderate in the use of them. The oneness of the saints with Christ Himself is, as we all familiarly know, clearly intimated. Peter would have been horrified at such a conclusion. It is all devoted to the deliverance of the saint from this present evil age by the cross of Christ, and his consistent maintenance of the new nature and position of grace of the new creation in Christ Jesus. The whole legal institution depended on a people lineally descended from Abraham, as their priests on a similar succession from Aaron. No doubt this might be provoking to human importance sometimes. It was for the chiefs at Jerusalem to judge for themselves, and they did judge to the confusion of the apostle's adversaries. Here one may be very brief: "The heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all; but is under tutors and governors, until the time appointed of the father. He shows that God would give us a deliverance from self-importance; and what a mercy it is to be so blessed, that one can afford to forget one's self! I'm still His child. It had tainted among others the Galatians; for although, in point of fact, what had converted them was the heavenly testimony of the apostle Paul, nevertheless they had in time become acquainted with Christians who had not been so favoured, perhaps from the churches in Judea. Strife; originally this word had mainly to do with the rivalry for prizes. against such there is no law ( Galatians 5:23 ). The case is hit off exactly to the life. The brethren with him ( Galatians 1:2a ) b. Freedom, though, requires resistance against a return to bondage. It is interesting to note the earnestness and strength with which the apostle speaks, now the question had been fairly raised. Verse 15. Again, it is not a liberty to do anything I please. He signed ordinarily, putting his subscription at the end, i.e., his own name, to verify it; but he did not write it. They don't come to man from God.And the Jehovah Witnesses, just the Arian heresy of the early church. But he goes deeply. Thus, going up with Barnabas, he took Titus, a Gentile, along with him; and even so by revelation. Can you give me, you know, a hundred dollars for this watch?" He specifies the works of the flesh, which must be watched against and mortified, and the fruits of the Spirit, which must be brought forth and cherished, and shows of what importance it is that they be so, ver 19-24. These things are not allowed in the kingdom of God. When the emphasis of man became on the physical fleshly side of him, he no longer was one with God, who is a Spirit and must be worshipped in spirit and in truth. Help me, Lord, to just keep the right attitude." Our conversation will always be answerable to the principle which we are under the guidance and government of: as those that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh, so those that are after the Spirit do mind the things of the Spirit,Romans 8:5. When we look elsewhere we end up enslaved. "Love suffereth long and is kind." With this paragraph Paul's letter changes its emphasis. If it should be asked, What course must we take that the better interest may get the better? 18 but if you are led by (verse 16-18) the spirit, you are not under law. Bondage is there; and He is a deliverer, but it is to God's glory, and for His own service in the liberty of grace. They are acting like animals, satisfying their own desires of the flesh, in order to get back at those who differ with them. It was from and in connection with Christ in heaven. By biting and devouring (89) he means, I think, slanders, accusations, reproaches, and every other kind of offensive language, as well as acts of injustice arising either from fraud or violence. If I am walking in the Spirit, if I am walking in love, then there can be no law to regulate my life. If any of them believe in the Crucified, they were God's Israel. Why did He do that? The readers ( Galatians 1:2b ) c. The greeting ( Galatians 1:3-5 ) i. Thank You, Jesus, for Your forgiveness and for Your love and for Your grace to me.". Now the apostle in writing to the Galatians was so moved in love, and so yearned over them in their danger, that he actually wrote the epistle with his own hand. It comes from a root which means to choose, and it was used for a philosopher's school of followers or for any band of people who shared a common belief. Rather, if man had been able to obey the law and so acquire a title, then two systems would have interfered with each other as being to the same end. For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law ( Galatians 5:3 ). And we can all see how exactly the phrase falls in with the words of our Lord given in the Acts of the Apostles; for the wonderful truth burst upon the apostle's ear from the beginning, in the Saviour's call to him from heaven. So "stand fast in that liberty wherein Christ has made you free." "Devour" describes hurtful actions that linger on and on as far as time is concerned. "But there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ." That they should not strive with one another, but love one another. Everything lost then would be gained when promise has its way. And this directly follows his censure of their observance of times and seasons. David said, "Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me" ( Psalms 23:4 ). And then he, indignant at such a thought, makes his most solemn appeals. In the epistle to the Ephesians we shall find that the apostle claims a still higher character for all ministry. "Ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.". and injurious actions, which must be of bad consequence: hence he It doesn't really matter, I'm going to walk after the Spirit and I'm going to please God in this. And so then I had to go out to them and say, "Hey, you haven't convinced me of the truth of what you're declaring. So it came to mean work done for pay. Paul begins chapter 5 by stating flatly that Christ has set us free in order that we should be free. I said, "That's a lie." There is no mention here of grace, nor even of any special powers conferred by the Spirit of God. Oh, I'm comforted by that. Ye did run well." Man had his duty to God, and be ought to have. parties, and factions; and were attended with envy and malice, The superior Trinity is made up of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. "The child of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise." True freedom; true Christianity (5:13-26). 16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. All of the law is fulfilled. Therefore law, sin, and death may not hurt you or drive you to despair. But I have confidence in you that you're not going to be persuaded by this. "For if a man think himself to be something when he is nothing he deceiveth himself. So, love is the fulfilling of the law. Again I give my word to every man who gets himself circumcised that he is under obligation to keep the whole law. This closes the course of the apostle's argument. Look at Abraham and his house; look at the maid Hagar; look at Isaac and Ishmael. "When Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed: for before that certain came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles; but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision. For every man shall bear his own 'burden." In Romans he wrote one of the world's great theological treatises, and then, quite suddenly, in Romans 12:1-21 the theology came down to earth and issued in the most practical advice. Had they been occupied with Christ, they would have really loved one another, and in other respects too fulfilled the law, without thinking about themselves or it. It means that no matter what a man may do to us by way of insult or injury or humiliation we will never seek anything else but his highest good. "But neither Titus [he takes occasion to say parenthetically], being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised." It can mean the beneficent use of drugs by a doctor; but it can also mean poisoning, and it came to be very specially connected with the use of drugs for sorcery, of which the ancient world was full. When the prophet speaks of any one living, it is by faith "The just shall live by faith." If your navigational instruments are one degree off, and you take your heading and you start for Hawaii, by the time you've gone that distance, you'll miss Hawaii by two hundred and forty miles.Oh, by the time you get to Santa Barbara, you won't even notice anything. 18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. (c) Storge (compare G794) rather means affection and is specially used of the love of parents and children. The human flesh is weak. Joy; the Greek is chara ( G5479) , and the characteristic of this word is that it most often describes that joy which has a basis in religion (compare Psalms 30:11; Romans 14:17; Romans 15:13; Php_1:4 ; Php_1:25 ). 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