Galatians
5
English
Standard Version Anglicised (ESVUK)
Christ
Has Set Us Free
5
For freedom Christ has set us free; stand
firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
The IVP New Testament
Commentary Series
Set Free for Freedom
(5:1)
All these major themes
of slavery, freedom and the liberating work of Christ are now summed up in the
ringing affirmation of 5:1: It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.
That indicative is
followed by an imperative, Stand firm, then. This may sound like a dull lesson
in grammar, but it is actually central in Pauline ethics. What we must do (the
imperative) is always based upon what God has already done (the indicative). Or
to put it another way, what God has done gives us the opportunity and power to
do what we must do. This indicative-imperative structure is seen here in verse
1 and also in verses 13 and 25. So it provides the structure for the whole
chapter: God's gift of freedom must be defended (v. 1); God's gift of freedom
must not be abused but must be used to serve (v. 13); God's gift of life by the
Spirit must be expressed through the Spirit (v. 25).
In Paul's letters he
often exhorts his readers to stand firm: "stand firm in the faith" (1
Cor 16:13); "stand firm in one spirit" (Phil 1:27); "stand firm
in the Lord" (Phil 4:1). Here he appeals to them to stand firm in the
freedom Christ has given to them. Paul illustrated in his autobiography how he
stood firm in his freedom against "false brothers" who "infiltrated
our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus and to make us
slaves" (2:4). He did not give in to their pressure to make Titus, a
Gentile convert, a Jew by circumcision. Now similar false teachers have
infiltrated the ranks of the Galatian churches with the same demand. They have
been putting the Galatian converts under intense social pressure to become Jews
by being circumcised. Stand firm, Paul says. Do let yourselves be burdened
again by a yoke of slavery (v. 1).
In Paul's day one could
often see oxen harnessed by a yoke to a heavily laden cart, straining to pull
their burden uphill while being goaded with sharp sticks. Paul uses the word
yoke, as it was often used by his contemporaries, to refer to the yoke of the
law. We can see from his statement in verse 3 that the crushing weight of this
yoke is the obligation to obey the whole law. A similar use of yoke can be seen
in Peter's speech at the Jerusalem council, as reported in Acts 15:10:
"Why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of the [Gentile]
disciples a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear?"
The yoke of the law is a yoke of slavery, because it places us under the burden
of commandments we cannot keep and under curses that we deserve for our
disobedience. But God sent his Son to lift this heavy yoke from our shoulders
and to take it upon himself: he was "born under law" (4:4) and kept
all its demands for us; he died under the curse of the law for us (3:13). Since
he has set us free from this yoke of slavery, we must not take it on ourselves
again. In contrast to the yoke of slavery under the law, his yoke is easy and
his burden is light (Mt 11:30).
In order to strengthen
his readers' resolve to defend their freedom in Christ and resist the false
teachers' efforts to put them under the yoke of slavery to the law, Paul sets
forth the terrible negative consequences of submitting to this yoke of slavery
in verses 2-4. Then in contrast to this negative picture, he sets out a
positive description of maintaining our freedom in Christ in verses 5-6
2
Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no
advantage to you. 3 I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that
he is obligated to keep the whole law. 4 You are severed from Christ, you who
would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace. 5 For through
the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness.
6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor un-circumcision counts for
anything, but only faith working through love.
7
You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? 8 This
persuasion is not from him who calls you. 9 A little leaven leavens the whole
lump. 10 I have confidence in the Lord that you will take no other view than
mine, and the one who is troubling you will bear the penalty, whoever he is. 11
But if I, brothers, still preach circumcision, why am I still being persecuted?
In that case the offence of the cross has been removed. 12 I wish those who
unsettle you would emasculate themselves!
Exposing
the False Teachers (5:7-12)
In
his exposure of these false teachers, Paul gives us six identifying marks that
can guide us to discern the presence of "wolves in sheep's clothing"
in our midst today.
First,
false teachers distract Christians from obeying the truth of the gospel (v. 7).
Paul compliments the Galatian believers for running a good race. Running a race
was one of Paul's favorite images for living the Christian life. Here this
image portrays how well they were obeying the truth. The gospel set the course
for their life, and they were running well in that course. The reality of their
belief in the truth about Christ was demonstrated by their obedience to Christ.
But then they were distracted, tripped and so hindered from running this race.
Paul asks them, Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth? The
question is rhetorical. Paul knows the answer. But by asking the question this
way he exposes the false teachers' negative effect on the life of the
believers. The picture is of a runner who distracts another runner, blocks his
way, cuts in on him and trips him. Everyone would have been very angry with a
runner who did such a thing. He would have broken the clear rules against
cutting in or tripping in the foot races of the Greek festivals. He would be
immediately disqualified and excluded from the festival.
The
false teachers are hindering the Christians from obeying the truth of the
gospel with all their talk about joining the Jewish people and keeping the law.
All those who get the church off on a tangent, away from the clear direction
given by the central truth of the gospel, are like these false teachers. They
should be disqualified and excluded from the churches.
Second,
false teachers replace the call of God with their own deceptive persuasiveness
(v. 8). That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you, Paul
informs his readers. When Paul had preached the gospel, the Galatians heard the
voice of God calling them through Paul (1:6). But when the false teachers
teach, all that can be heard is flattery, boastfulness and empty rhetoric. They
are skillful orators. No doubt they claim to be giving God's message backed by
Scripture. But all one can hear through their strident voices is a harsh
repetition of the demands of the law. What a contrast to "the one who
called you by the grace of Christ" (1:6) and the God who "called me
by his grace" (1:15). Their message is all about the works of the law, not
about God's work of grace in Christ. So obviously their persuasion does not
come from God, who always calls by his grace.
Third,
false teachers gain control over the whole church (v. 9). Just as a little
yeast works through the whole batch of dough, so the negative influence of a
few false teachers has penetrated the whole church and is quickly coming to
control the direction of the church. False teachers are like that; they seek to
dominate every situation in the life of the church.
Fourth,
false teachers cause confusion and discouragement (v. 10). When the Galatians
were converted, they related to God with the joyful confidence of children,
calling him "Abba, Father" through the Spirit. But their confidence
in God's grace has been badly shaken by the false teachers, who threaten them
with the judgment of God if they do not keep the law of God. They are confused
and discouraged. So Paul reassures the Galatians of his confidence in the Lord
regarding them: I am confident in the Lord that you will take no other view.
And then he turns the tables on the false teachers by putting them under the
judgment of God: The one who is throwing you into confusion will pay the
penalty, whoever he may be.
Fifth,
false teachers spread false reports about spiritual leaders. We may infer that
verse 11 is Paul's response to a false report that had been given about him.
Since the immediate context focuses on the corrupting influence of the false
teachers, it seems reasonable to suppose that they claimed Paul's support for
their campaign to circumcise the Gentile believers. We don't know on what basis
they would have done this. Perhaps if this letter was written after Paul
circumcised Timothy, as recorded in Acts 16:3, they may have appealed to that
incident. Or maybe they pointed to Paul's own willingness to continue his
Jewish way of life even after his conversion (see 1 Cor 9:20). Whatever their basis
may have been, they gave a false report about Paul to strengthen their own
position.
Paul
had, of course, preached circumcision before his conversion. He had been
"extremely zealous for the traditions" of Judaism (1:14). But after
his conversion he preached the cross of Christ as the only way of salvation.
True, he continued to support Jewish Christian adherence to the traditional
Jewish way of life. But he consistently resisted anyone who tried to
"force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs" (2:14). That was a key
point of his autobiography (1:13—2:21). Paul proves that the report that he is
still preaching circumcision is false by pointing to the fact that he is being
persecuted (5:11). Both non-Christian Jews and many Christian Jews fiercely
opposed him precisely because he did not require circumcision. His refusal to
require circumcision clearly implied that it was not necessary to belong to the
Jewish nation to belong to the covenant people of God. By denying the exclusive
claim of the Jewish people to be the only true people of God, Paul seemed to
deny the reason for the Jewish people's very existence. No wonder, then, that
they persecuted him from one country to another. If Paul had preached
circumcision, then he would not have been persecuted by the Jews. By preaching
circumcision, he would have been communicating that it was necessary to belong
to the Jewish nation because the salvation of God was available only to those
within this nation.
Paul
says in verse 11 that if he has communicated that salvation is only in the
Jewish nation by preaching circumcision, the offense of the cross has been
abolished. For then the message that salvation is only through the cross of
Christ would have been denied. The offense of the cross is that it denies a "most
favored nation" status, a "superior race" category, as the
reason for God's blessing. For the blessing of God comes only through the
cross, where the judgment of God upon all was removed by Christ's death (see
3:13-14). The message of Christ crucified is offensive not only to Jews but
also to the pride of all who want to claim some personal merit as the basis of
God's approval.
Sixth,
false teachers emphasize sensational rituals. Verse 12 sounds terribly harsh
and crude, but we must interpret it in its historical and cultural context. It
would indeed have been a sensational ceremony if all the male members of the
Galatian churches had been circumcised by the false teachers. But then, Paul
says, somewhat sarcastically, if they really want to put on a sensational show,
I wish they would go the whole way and emasculate themselves! He is probably
referring here to a barbaric ritual that actually took place in his day in
Galatian pagan temples. The priests of Cybele, the mother goddess of the earth,
castrated themselves with ritual pincers and placed their testicles in a box.
(Such a box is now on display in the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, England.)
The false teachers were leading the Galatian Christians to think that the
ritual of circumcision was a sacred act that would bring them into fellowship
with God. But Paul has already said that "in Christ Jesus neither
circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value" (v. 6). Now he puts the
ritual of circumcision in the same category as the ritual castration of the Galli,
the priests of the mother-goddess of the earth, Cybele; it had no more
significance to the Gentile Christians than any of the other barbaric, bloody
rituals practiced in the ancient world.
So
Paul has totally discredited the value of circumcision and the motives of the
false teachers who want to impose it upon the churches in Galatia. They only
"want to make a good impression outwardly" (6:12); they want to boast
in their sensational ceremony (see 6:13). Since their motive is to put on an impressive
ritual show, they might as well learn a few lessons from the pagan priests, who
really know how to put on a good show when it comes to using a knife on the
human body!
It
is never pleasant to expose the deceptive, destructive tactics of the
"false brothers." But it is necessary to do so in order to protect
the freedom of fellow Christians. Of course circumcision is not an issue today.
But we are constantly faced with a choice between different religious options.
They are not all the same; they are not all spokes on a wheel leading to the
same hub. Some religious options lead to slavery and imprisonment. Only by
obedience to the truth of the gospel of Christ can we protect the freedom that
is ours in Christ.
IVP
New Testament Commentaries are made available by the generosity of InterVarsity
Press.
13
For you were called to freedom, brothers.
Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through
love serve one another. 14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You
shall love your neighbour as yourself.” 15 But if you bite and devour one
another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.
Walk
by the Spirit
16
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you
will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh
are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh,
for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want
to do. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now
the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20
idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions,
divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as
I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom
of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there
is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh
with its passions and desires.
The
IVP New Testament Commentary Series
Freedom
by the Spirit (5:16-18)
The
attempt of the Galatian believers to attain spiritual perfection by keeping the
law had ended in failure. Their churches were torn apart by conflict: they were
"biting and devouring each other" (v. 15). Obviously their devotion
to the law had not enabled them to be devoted to each other in love. And since
they did not love each other, they were breaking the law. Where could they find
the motivation and power to resolve their conflicts and renew their love for
each other? Many Christians are asking the same question today. They are
members of Bible-teaching churches torn apart by conflict. What went wrong? How
can they be so devoted and yet so divided? How can they be empowered to really
love each other?
Paul's
answer is the Spirit of God. So I say, live by the Spirit (v. 16). The command
live by the Spirit is the central concept in Paul's ethical appeal. Since the
Christian life begins with the Spirit (3:3; 4:6, 29), the only way to continue
the Christian life is by the power of the Spirit. The Spirit is not only the
source of Christian life but also the only power to sustain Christian life.
Actually, "walk by the Spirit" would be a more literal translation of
Paul's command in verse 16. The command to walk in a certain way speaks of
choosing a way of life—or we might say a "lifestyle," as long as we
realize that what Paul has in mind is more than a matter of outward style. His
command speaks of a way of living in which all aspects of life are directed and
transformed by the Spirit.
The
Galatian believers began their Christian life by receiving the Spirit (3:2-3),
but they soon turned to the law to direct their lives. They probably felt that
observance of the law was the way of life that would establish their identity
and guide their behavior as the people of God. By turning to observance of law
as their way of life, however, they were denying the Spirit's sufficiency to
identify them as the people of God and to direct their conduct. Paul's
references to the Spirit in chapters 3 and 4 assure his readers that their
experience of the Spirit has clearly established their identity as the true
children of Abraham and as the children of God. In this section (5:13—6:10) his
references to the Spirit express his confidence that the Spirit is more than
adequate to direct their moral behavior. The Spirit is the best guarantee of
Christian identity and the only sure guide for Christian behavior. The Spirit
is the only source of power to love in a way that fulfills the whole law.
Paul's
confidence in the directive power of the Spirit is emphatically asserted in the
promise that follows his command: Live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify
the desires of the sinful nature (v. 16). Paul's use of a double negative in
the Greek could be expressed in English by saying, "You will absolutely
not gratify the desires of your sinful nature." The fulfillment of this
promise depends on the implementation of the command.
Walking
is excellent exercise, my doctor says! Walking by the Spirit demands active
determination to follow the direction of the Spirit in the power of the Spirit.
Those who follow the Spirit's direction in the Spirit's power will not carry
out the evil intentions of their sinful nature. Walking by the Spirit excludes
the destructive influence of the sinful nature. Walking by the Spirit can
transform people who are "biting and devouring each other" into
people who are serving each other in love.
In
verse 17 Paul explains the basis of his confidence in the Spirit. He describes
the war between the flesh and the Spirit and the result of that war. The Spirit
and the sinful nature are two hostile forces opposed to each other: the sinful
nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary
to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other. So walking by the
Spirit (v. 16) means fighting in a war between the Spirit and the sinful nature
(v. 17). The connection between verse 16 and verse 17 indicates that those who
live by the Spirit are not neutral in this war. They are committed to fight on
the side of the Spirit against the desires of the sinful nature.
This
inner spiritual warfare is the nature of the Christian life; it is the experience
of all those who live by the Spirit. The conflict Paul is describing here is
not the moral conflict that everyone feels at some time, nor the conflict of a
wayward Christian who is no longer committed to Christ. This is the conflict of
a thoroughly committed Christian who is choosing each day to "walk by the
Spirit." Each day the Christian who chooses to walk by the Spirit is
engaged in a fierce battle between the Spirit and the sinful nature. It is
important to stress this point, because many Christians feel ashamed to admit
that they are experiencing such a conflict. They feel that mature Christians
should somehow be above this kind of struggle. They imagine that the great
saints were surely too spiritual to feel the desires of the flesh. But Paul
flatly contradicts such images of super spirituality. His perspective is
expressed by an old hymn:
And
none, O Lord, have perfect rest, For none are wholly free from sin;
And
they who fain would serve Thee best Are
conscious most of wrong within.
But
while Paul honestly portrays the reality of incessant moral warfare in the life
of a Spirit-led Christian, he is not painting a picture of defeat. If you have
sworn your allegiance to the Spirit in this war between the Spirit and your
sinful nature, you "do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful
nature" (v. 13), nor will you gratify the desires of the sinful nature (v.
16). The result of this fierce conflict is that you do not do what you want (v.
17), but what the Spirit desires you to do.
Some
interpreters have taken the phrase you do not do what you want as an admission
of defeat: the sinful nature defeats the Spirit-given desires of the believer,
or at best the conflict ends in a stalemate between the flesh and the Spirit.
But such an interpretation fails to see that Paul sets forth verse 17 as the
explanation of his confident promise in verse 16 of the Spirit's victory over
the sinful nature for those who live by the Spirit. If the Spirit's direction
is continually defeated by the sinful nature, then there is no good reason to
live by the Spirit or to have confidence in the Spirit's directive power.
The
common interpretation of verse 17 as an admission of defeat in the conflict is
influenced by Paul's admission of defeat in Romans 7:14-25 and the frequent
experience of defeat in Christian experience. But there are significant
differences between Romans 7:14-25 and this passage in Galatians 5, not least
of which is that there is no mention of the Spirit in the Romans 7:14-25
passage. Furthermore, our common experience of moral failure should not
determine our understanding of Paul's explanation of life in the Spirit. In
this context Paul is presenting a reason for confidence in the Spirit's power
to guide Christian behavior. His confidence is based on the fact that
Christians who walk by the Spirit are involved in a war that determines the
direction of every choice and every action. Their Christian freedom does not
mean that they are left without moral direction to do whatever they want. They
do not do what they want. They march under the Spirit's orders, to fulfill the
directions of the Spirit.
In
my elementary school we stood at the beginning of every day with our hands over
our hearts to pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America
"and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God,
indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." Mrs. Crane, our principal,
often reminded us that some had upheld their pledge of allegiance at the cost
of their own lives so that we could experience liberty and justice. And she
challenged us to dedicate our own lives to keeping our pledge of allegiance in
order to preserve true liberty and justice for all. In the war for true
Christian freedom, victory is possible only for those who continually renew
their allegiance to the Spirit in the unremitting war against the sinful
nature. Then they do not do whatever they want, but only what the Spirit
directs them to do.
Those
who are living by the guiding power of the Spirit in their lives and are fighting
each day against the influence of the sinful nature do not need to be
supervised and restrained by the law. So Paul says, If you are led by the
Spirit, you are not under law (v. 18). Life in the Spirit was pictured in verse
16 as an active determination: "Walk by the Spirit!" Walking demands
active determination to get up out of the soft armchair and endurance to keep
going at a steady pace. But now Paul speaks of life in the Spirit as passive
submission: if you are led by the Spirit. The verb suggests pressure and
control. A donkey and her colt were led by the disciples to Jesus (Mt 21:2).
Soldiers arrested Jesus and led him away (Lk 22:54). Soldiers arrested Paul and
led him away (Acts 21:34; 23:10). Paul has already described the control of the
law in similar terms: "we were held prisoners by the law, locked up"
(3:23); "the law was put in charge to lead us" (3:24), "subject
to guardians and trustees" (4:2). But while the law exercised control, it
could not give life or transform character (3:21). The law controlled by
locking up all under sin (3:22). Now Paul depicts an alternative kind of
control: the control of the Spirit. Life begins with the Spirit (3:3); children
of promise are born by the power of the Spirit (4:29). The Spirit produces a transformation
of character (5:22-23). The one who submits to the control of the Spirit is not
under the control of the law.
If
the Spirit is leading you to forgive your sister who wronged you instead of
being resentful toward her, you are under the control of the Spirit rather than
under the restriction of the command "You shall not kill." When your
conduct is guided and empowered by the Spirit, your conduct will fulfill the
law, so you will not be under the condemnation or supervision of the law.
Life
by the Spirit involves active obedience to the direction of the Spirit (v. 16),
constant warfare against the desires of the sinful nature by the power of the
Spirit (v. 17) and complete submission to the control of the Spirit (v. 18).
Such a life will be an experience of freedom from the control of the sinful
nature and the control of the law.
IVP
New Testament Commentaries are made available by the generosity of InterVarsity
Press.
25
If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited,
provoking one another, envying one another.
The Bible Panorama
Galatians 5
V 1–10: CIRCUMCISION Paul develops the principle and applies it to
circumcision. Circumcision is the putting away of the flesh as a mark of
entering the covenant of Israel. Paul says that this is now outdated and to
continue to observe it would logically mean that the circumcised person needs
to keep the whole law in order to be accepted. The Christian is counted
righteous through faith in Christ. Sadly, the pernicious teaching of being
saved by circumcision has hindered obedience to God’s word and has grown like
yeast in bread.
V 11–12: CROSS Paul’s
insistence on preaching the cross has led to his persecution because it is an
offence to those who wish to justify themselves rather than relying solely on
what Jesus has done for them. So grave is this error that troubles the church,
that Paul could wish them cut off.
V 13–15: CALLING The gospel has
called the Galatians to liberty. That liberty should be used lovingly to be a
blessing to others and not in destructive in-fighting that evidently
characterises their lives, and flows from the false teaching, as Paul writes.
V 16–18: COMMAND The
Galatians are commanded to ‘walk in the Spirit’. Only in so doing can they
conquer the lust of the flesh, because it is the Spirit, given through faith’s
response to God’s promise, who gives liberty. Such a Spirit-led life cannot be
achieved by seeking salvation by keeping the law.
V 19–23: CONTRAST The evil of the
works of the flesh are contrasted in detail with the goodness of the fruit of
the Spirit borne by those who, turning from sin, trust Christ. There is no law
against the fruit of the Spirit.
V 24–26: CRUCIFIED Paradoxically
those who have freedom in the Spirit are those who count themselves as
crucified with Christ and follow Him. This alone deals with conceit, strife,
and envy.
The Bible Panorama. Copyright © 2005 Day One
Publications.
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