Book of Galatians
Commentary
Commentary
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Author: Christopher J. E. Johnson Published: June 1, 2022 Updated: Oct 26, 2024 |
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Introduction
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
-Matthew 28:19-20
These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you. But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.
-1 John 2:26-27
If you would like more information on these topics, I recommend the following resources here at creationliberty.com:
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Paul's epistle to the Galatians is a general reponse to inquiries concerning the works-based false doctrine of false teachers and false apostles (mostly of Jewish lineage) that had risen up among them. Paul provides sound reasoning and powerful doctrinal arguments as to why anyone who is of Christ should have no part with those who preach bondage under the law (whether it be circumcision, Sabbath days, feasts, tithe, etc), and he puts to shame those false preachers who not only falsely accused Paul, but who also pushed burdensome corrupt doctrines onto the Galatian church for the purpose of satisfying their own lusts for fame and fortune.
Chapter 1
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[v1] Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead;)
As indicated in the books of Acts and Corinthians, Paul was often wrongly accused of being a false teacher (by corrupt preachers and false prophets), and was also accused of lying about his encounter with Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus. Even today, there are still various religious cults who deny that Paul spoke the truth in Christ. Paul boldly put his name at the top of this letter, and declared that he was an apostle, not among men, nor appointed by men (as others would have been appointed to their stations of service in the church by a group of elders), but rather, he was appointed directly by the authority of Lord Jesus Christ, and God the Father who raised up His Son from the dead. (1Th 1:10, John 2:19-21)(Read The Heresies of the Paul vs Christ Cult here at creationliberty.com for more details.)
[v2] And all the brethren which are with me, unto the churches of Galatia:
That is, whoever was accompanying Paul at the time he wrote this letter to the church in Galatia, which likely would have been other Christians mentioned in other epistles written by Paul. (e.g. Timothy, Sosthenes, Silvanus, etc.) These were also Christian servants that were known to many in various cities throughout the region of Asia (i.e. the region in which Galatia was located, Acts 16:6), and this was added to let others in the church know that these men were in agreement with Paul in his doctrine, in his charges against false teachers, and his reproof and exhortation of the church.[v3] Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ,
This was a common greeting that Paul wrote to the Christian churches whenever he wrote formal letters such as this. (Rom 1:7) These are wishes that the Lord God would give His blessings of grace and peace to all the church, in that they would be made prosperous in the work of their hands, and be able to live peaceably with their neighbors through times of persecution.[v4] Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:
The Lord Jesus Christ suffered, bleed, and died on the cross, and was risen from the dead, not for the sake of our evil deeds, but Paul meant that it was for our sakes, that, as sinners, we might be cleansed from all unrighteousness through Him. The "present evil world" we are delivered from is not only the wicked inventions of this world, but also those enemies of Christ (especially those who pretentiously claim to be members of the church, Acts 20:30-31) who persecute us, and though it is the will of God that we endure the evil days we experience throughout our lives in service of Him (Mat 24:13), it is also His will that we only endure them for a short time, until we are translated into His Kingdom (Col 1:13), where there will be no more tears of grief and pain. (Rev 21:4)[v5] To whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Therefore, due to the abundant mercy of God, in which He has shown a nearly incomprehensible amount of kindness and charity, even unto those who hate Him, He is due all glory and honor for his wonderful mercies, primarily for His mercy to save sinful men. (Tts 3:4-7)[v6] I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:
When Paul wrote that he marveled, it means he was genuinely surprised that the Galatian church had so quickly adhered to other false doctrines that departed from the basic, simple doctrines of salvation through repentance and faith in Christ, and the liberty and charity which the church was granted through His gift in the Gospel. This indicates that Paul had much confidence in them after he departed from Galatia, seeing the strength of their faith and dedication to the Scriptures, but soon after, they turned to another version of the Gospel, which departed from the principle doctrines he had preached to Galatia when he was first with them.[v7] Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.
That is, Paul called it "another gospel" in the previous verse, using it in the sense that it would be considered (by churchgoers) to be another version of it, but in reality, he notes that it is not a version of the Gospel of Jesus Christ at all because it preaches a works-based heresy that contradicts Jesus Christ, which removes the grace of God and joy in the gift of salvation. This perversion of Christ's Gospel was taught by false pastors, false prophets, and false apostles (i.e. "some that trouble you") in order to put the church under their heavy-handed rule of authority, to bring them back under bondage for the purpose of gaining respect and honor of themselves among the church (3Jo 1:9-10), and in turn, money to feed their grumbling bellies. (Phil 3:17-19)(Read "Tithe is Not a Christian Requirement" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)
[v8] But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.
We know from Scripture that it would not be possible for the true apostles of Christ, or any true angel from heaven, to lie and preach another gospel; however, Paul is preparing Christians to stand vigilant against anyone who would preach false doctrine. Knowing that there are many false teachers (2Pe 2:1), knowing that Satan can transform himself to look like an angel of light (2Co 11:13-15), and knowing that the final antichrist will perform miracles (Rev 13:14-15), we cannot simply trust anyone who says they are a disciple of Christ, but rather, we must analyze what they say, do, and teach, to see if those things match the doctrine and philosophy (i.e. way of thinking) of Christ. (Col 2:8, Mat 7:16)Therefore, Paul opened himself up to scrutiny from the brethren, and even advised them that, if he were to teach in opposition to the Gospel of Christ, that he too should be an anathema, which means to be cursed unto destruction. (1Co 16:22) This is not to say that we ought to act in the same manner as the vile Catholic Church, in which their priests call out anathemas against any who disagree with them, but rather, we should hear the arguments of our brethren, and reason matters out together so we can be of like mind, in one accord. (Phil 2:1-4)
[v9] As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.
Paul repeats this again for emphasis, reminding the church that he warned them of these things the first time he preached to them. If anyone brings another doctrine which rejected the repentance, faith, mercy, liberty, and charity in Christ, and replace those things with false doctrines of traditions and work-for-grace heresies, then they have rejected the grace of Christ, even if they claim to have it and believe on Him. (Mat 7:21-23) Paul did not say this in hatred or malice, in that we Christians do not care that someone is on their way to everlasting destruction, but rather, if a man chooses that path, and will not turn from it, then we allow them the freedom to be accursed as they please because we preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ as He did, never forcing anyone to do anything, and allowing them to make decisions for themselves. (Mat 15:13-14)[v10] For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.
persuade (v): to convince by argument, or reasons offered, or by evidence presented in any manner to the mind
(See 'persuade', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved Apr 27, 2022, [webstersdictionary1828.com])
Paul's question was not said in the sense that he had to ask the church if he was attempting to persuade God, because not even a false teacher would claim something so absurd. No sane man would believe he was God's teacher. Rather, Paul is asking the church to consider whose sake he preaches these things, whether he is preaching to men from the doctrines of men for the sake of men, or if he is preaching to men from the doctrines of God for the sake of God?
This supports Paul's introduction in verse one (i.e. "not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father"), and encourages the church to look at the evidence of the doctrine being taught by both sides, so they can come to a reasonable conclusion. If we look to please men, then men will be pleased because they love to be honored, but if we look to please God, in many instances, men will not be pleased because the truth of the Word of God brings men to shame and humility, which is rejected by those with prideful hearts. (Pro 8:13)
[v11] But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man.
That is, Paul confirmed his belief that they were still of Christ, even though they began to have doubts about what they were first taught. He still believed them to be brethren based on their original declaration of faith to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but they were led astray by the very wolves who they were warned would come after them. (Mat 7:15)Paul reaffirms that the doctrine which he first preached to them (and which he continued to preach) was not designed after the works of men, but rather, it was of divine wisdom. Men of corrupt minds will pretend to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ, while adding in doctrines that will bring them prestige and money, looking to their own selfish gains in the end, but the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is selfless, and cannot come from the doctrines of men.
[v12] For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.
The revelation of the gospel that Paul received came directly from Jesus Christ through the Holy Ghost. He was not taught it from any man, not even from his own teacher, Gamaliel, who was an expert of the law and prophets of the Old Testament, and of all things in the Jewish religion. Paul also emphasized that he was not taught this doctrine from any reasonings that came out of his education in the law or philosophy, nor from any school where he learned his trade crafts, which is why he did not boast of his extensive education when he preached (like many arrogant pastors do today, boasting of their educational accomplishments, awards, and intellectual prowess), but rather, he preached only the divine message of Christ crucified. (1Co 2:2)[v13] For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews' religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it:
Paul was raised by Jewish parents, and was instructed in Jewish religious doctrine by some of the most well respected Jewish doctors in that day. If he had continued on that path, he would have replaced the men who taught him, being given positions of high authority in the Jewish religion, and therefore, his conversion unto Christ would have been a shocking blow to many Jews, which means rumors would have been spread far and wide about Paul, making their way to the ears of the church. Paul did not persecute the church under any restriction in accordance to the Jewish law, but rather, he went above and beyond the law, treating the Christians he persecuted in the harshest manner possible in order to waste (i.e. destroy) Christ's church, who (at the time) he thought to be the enemies of God.[v14] And profited in the Jews' religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers.
In both wealth and station, Paul was given more honors than most of those who were his equals in age and rank. He was zealous to the religious traditions that were handed down through the Jewish priests, but not zealous when it came to the wisdom and understanding of God. Even today, there are still many churchgoers, pastors, elders, and deacons who are zealous to the traditions of church-ianity that they learned from their various denominational rulers, and because their true love is the religious traditions they think will make them "holy," they make the Word of God of no effect to the hearers (Mark 7:13), and so even the greatest among those who zealously keep the church-ianity traditions, they are deceiving themselves as well as others to believe they serve God, when they do not.(Read "Denominations Are Unbiblical" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)
[v15] But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace,
Paul is referring to his literal mother in this passage (as opposed to a metaphorical "mother" in the sense of the Jewish religious institution), in which was birth from the womb of his mother. This is a correlating reference to being born again, meaning that the Lord God appointed the time and place Paul would be born as a baby from his mother's womb, just as God appointed the time and place Paul would be born again by the grace of Jesus Christ. Though in hindsight, we all would have rather been given the grace of understanding of Jesus Christ from our conception in the womb of our mothers, that we would not cause suffering through our sins, both to ourselves and others, but the Lord God has a timing and purpose according to His own will and good pleasure, which is far greater and more holy than we can comprehend. (Eph 1:3-6)[v16] To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood:
The Lord God established that Paul should go forward to preach Christ to the heathen, which were the Gentiles (non-Jews), who were typically pagans that worshiped false gods. As soon as he was given this apostleship, Paul emphasises that he did not go to men (i.e. "flesh and blood"), specifically those of Jewish heirarchy, to seek duties and approval of his calling, which was common among the Jews in that day. To seek the approval and counsel of men for that which God had directly commanded Paul to do would have been an insult to the Lord God because it would have demonstrated a lack of faith in God's supreme power over all men, no matter how high their office.[v17] Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus.
Although many of us might think it would have been reasonable for Paul to consult with other of God's twelve appointed apostles, to gain wisdom and connect with the rest of the church, it was not God's will for him to do just yet. Instead, Paul, fearing the Lord God, and knowing the grace of Jesus Christ on him, even though he was a former enemy of Christ, went exactly where God instructed him to go, and began his work, which he continued to do for three years before he finally met up with the rest of the apostles and the church. Luke did not record any of this account in the book of Acts, which makes sense because Luke was not with Paul during that time, and could not give an accurate account of the details.[v18] Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days.
Paul worked in ministry among the Gentile nations for three years, winning lost souls for Christ and building up the church in Arabia, before he had introduced himself to the rest of the church. Some preachers have taught that Paul went to Peter to be ordained as a minister, but not only did Paul never say that was his purpose, it makes no sense because he had already been working in ministry for the past three years, and that idea contradicts the context of this chapter, in which Paul said he was not looking for permission from men. Rather, this was a friendly visit of fellowship, in which they would share news of their ministry and travels, and to preach together during his two week visit.[v19] But other of the apostles saw I none, save James the Lord's brother.
Paul did not visit with any other apostle except for Peter and James. This is referring to James, the son of Alphaeus, who gave a speech among the brethren in Jerusalem. (Acts 15:13)[v20] Now the things which I write unto you, behold, before God, I lie not.
The testimony Paul has given, in both his conversion and his ministry, are the things he wrote unto Galatia, and he affirms that, with God as His witness, it is the truth. This is a statement made in the utmost seriousness, knowing that there can be grave consequences for calling up the witness of God under false pretenses. This is something that would have been done only under a specific circumstance, namely, when he is the sole eyewitness, and has no other correlating evidence to show proof to the listening audience.[v21] Afterwards I came into the regions of Syria and Cilicia;
Paul debated with the Grecians in Jerusalem, and they got upset with him because of his sound arguments, so they plotted to kill him. The church got him out of Jerusalem before they could kill him, and after Barnabas heard these things, he went looking for Paul. Once Barnabas found Paul, he brought him to Syria and Cilicia.[v22] And was unknown by face unto the churches of Judaea which were in Christ:
Paul's face was not known to the church in this region, which seems to be separate from Galilee and Samaria. (Acts 9:31) This is not to say that everyone in the church was in Christ, for there were some who claimed to be of Christ with their mouth only (Mat 15:8), but were still said to be believers in Christ in the sense that they professed Christ, which is in contrast to the synagogues of the Jews who denied Christ.[v23] But they had heard only, That he which persecuted us in times past now preacheth the faith which once he destroyed.
Without knowing Paul's face, they had heard of him through word of mouth, that he had once imprisoned men and women of Christ, which caused many others to flee for their lives. Paul, through his education in the Jewish religion, was a fervent debater against Christ and the church, doing everything in his power to crush the brethren, but now many marveled that he willingly suffered, through sweat, blood, tears, famine, and imprisonment, even risking his very life to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all who would listen, and to do everything he could to help the church.[v24] And they glorified God in me.
Paul is not saying this in a manner of self-glorification, or that God's glory was in him, but rather, the churches in many regions glorified and praised God for His wonderful gifts of grace, in that a man who was once their greatest enemy, had become their closest ally and friend in Christ.Chapter 2
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[v1] Then fourteen years after I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, and took Titus with me also.
Paul was converted by Jesus Christ, then after three years he went to Jerusalem, and after being driven out by an angry mob, he did not visit Jerusalem again for another fourteen years. When Paul traveled to Jerusalem this second time in his ministry, he took Barnabas with him, as well as Titus, unto who one of Paul's epistles is written.[v2] And I went up by revelation, and communicated unto them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to them which were of reputation, lest by any means I should run, or had run, in vain.
The Lord God had spoken to Paul and told him to go to Jerusalem at this time, and Paul noted that it was "by revelation," meaning that it was not requested by the apostles in Jerusalem, nor was there a vote by the elders of Antioch. Paul preached the same message he had been preaching everywhere else, which is the message of repentance and remission of sins by saving grace through the blood of Christ, through His gift of mercy without the works of the law. Paul preached these things also to those in the church who were of good reputation, which would be the apostles in Jerusalem (i.e. Peter, James, and John), as well as others locally known, not in that Paul was trying to teach them that which they did not already know, but rather, he showed them what he had been teaching to the Gentiles, that he would be confirmed among them since, after all, there were many false teachers who lied about the doctrines Paul was preaching.This should not be taken in the sense that Paul was unsure of his own teaching because he had received it directly from Jesus Christ, and so Paul had full confidence and assurance that what he preached was the divine truth of Christ. Paul was testifying of the Gospel of Christ, showing proof of what he had taught, so those of high respect among the church, especially in Jerusalem, would know that Paul taught the truth of the matter in one accord with the other apostles, and would confirm that all the efforts he made to preach to the Gentile nations was done with the blessings of God.
[v3] But neither Titus, who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised:
Titus, being born into a Gentile family, would not have been circumsised as they Jewish families did to their male children. Although there were some cults among the churches that insisted upon circumcision in Israel, since that was a heated debate among the Jews, Titus was not compelled, or in other words, he received no attempt among the brethren in Jerusalem to be circumcised because the apostles were all in agreement with one another that circumcision made no difference one way or another. (1Co 7:19)(Read "The Biblical Understanding of Circumcision" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)
[v4] And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage:
That is, men who were called "brethren," who were called "Christians," but were falsely so-called. These men brought into the homes where the church was meeting together with the rest of the church, but the members of the church were unaware that corrupt men were seated among them, which was a problem at the beginning, and is a problem that still persists to this day.These false brethren came in secretly to spy out the liberty of the Christians in the church, which they received from Christ. That is, not the liberty TO sin, but the liberty FROM sin, in that we are not slaves to live according to sin any longer, which is an important factor because of those false teachers sought to bring Christians back under the law of bondage, in which they would have them observe laws and rituals in place of the grace of Christ, seeking the works of the law to be justification, instead of seeking Christ to show us mercy for our wrongdoing. (1Jo 1:8-10)
Again, the purpose of this is to bring the church into subjection to the law, so these men of corrupt minds can gain a foothold of authority among the church. When they are respected for their instruction in the law, they gain influence, which leads to them ruling over the church and siphoning money from them. (Tts 1:10-14)
[v5] To whom we gave place by subjection, no, not for an hour; that the truth of the gospel might continue with you.
The phrase "not for an hour" was a common Jewish saying, in which they were determined not to put aside the Word of God for a single hour in compromise to some other position, so what Paul is saying is that he, the other apostles, and elders had these men removed once they were identified, and did not give them any room to preach their corrupt works-based heresies among the church. The apostles were strict in this, that the church would continue in the Gospel of Jesus Christ with liberty and grace, and that they would not turn from it for any reason.[v6] But of these who seemed to be somewhat, (whatsoever they were, it maketh no matter to me: God accepteth no man's person:) for they who seemed to be somewhat in conference added nothing to me:
The past few verses were a lengthy sentence, so this is not referring to false brethren, but rather, Paul is referring to the apostles (e.g. Peter, James, and John), which is the context of this first half of the chapter. Paul is saying that, whatever vocation, rank, or title these apostles had before they were born again in Jesus Christ, it made no difference to him, because God is not a respecter of persons (as Peter also affirmed in Acts 10:34), which means that God does not judgments about a man based on his trade, craft, or other worldly accomplishments, but rather, God makes judgments about a man based on the analysis of his heart. (Pro 21:2)As Paul come to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the church in Jerusalem, the other apostles, who were in conference (i.e. assembled together) with the church in the listening audience, made no comment in objection to anything he preached. Thus, the apostles were in full agreement with Paul's preaching, adding confirmation that it was the truth that was delivered to them by Jesus Christ.
[v7] But contrariwise, when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision was committed unto me, as the gospel of the circumcision was unto Peter;
Paul adds in a "however" here, in the sense that there was one point of disagreement from himself, which he will address in a few verses, but continues on to give his reasoning for the apostles agreement with him. The "uncircumcision and circumcision" is meant the Gentiles and Jews, not in the sense that there were two different gospels being preached (i.e. one to the Jews and one to the Gentiles), but rather, this is meant in the sense that there are two different backgrounds of people, Paul being called to preach to the Gentiles, and Peter being called to preach to the Jews, which was their primary calling, even though both would preach to the Jews and Gentiles as was necessary in the circumstances they encountered.[v8] (For he that wrought effectually in Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision, the same was mighty in me toward the Gentiles:)
The knowledge, wisdom, understanding, discernment, and miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit were given both to Peter and Paul, for preaching to both the Jews and Gentiles. Though the preaching will be different for different subject matter, based on the understanding of the listening audience (i.e. the knowledge of the Jews and Gentiles is different, and so there is sometimes a different approach that is needed), the same God "wrought effectually" (i.e. worked a desired outcome) in both men, with the same Gospel, for two different classes of people.[v9] And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision.
James, Peter, and John had all done many wonderful and charitable works in the name of Christ, and had developed a good reputation among the church, to which they were considered "pillars," in that they were a foundational strength in the building up of the church. These apostles acknowledged Paul in all that he said and did, knowing that it was the grace of Christ that had converted him, and so they also accepted both Paul and Barnabas into fellowship with them, confirming them as apostles with full consent unto the ministry of uncircumcision, or in other words, the ministry of preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ unto the pagan nations.[v10] Only they would that we should remember the poor; the same which I also was forward to do.
This refers to the poor and needy among the church, and among the people, who might have become destitute through the circumstances of their region, such as famine or war, and were in need of food, clothing, and shelter, and especially for those who became destitute because of the persecution against them for their preaching of Christ crucified. This was said that there would be confirmation that they were all of like mind on the matter, but this was something that Paul was already in agreement with, and had performed that duty to the poor and needy in every city he visited.[v11] But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed.
There is an important note to make here concerning the name "Peter," which the King James Bible translators rightly interpreted, while other corrupt versions of Scripture change this name back to "Cephas" in this verse for a particular reason. The vile priests and popes of the Catholic Church, who pretend to be in a spiritual lineage from Peter, changed this name back to "Cephas" in the Latin Vulgate (and subsequently, in most new-age bible versions), so they can make the claim that this was not referring to Peter the Apostle, but rather, they claim it was some other disciple with the same name as Peter, in order to avoid admission that Peter was fallible to a point that he needed correction from Paul.(According to the religious tenets of the Catholic Church, thee Popes of Rome are believed to be infallible, meaning that they cannot make error in their religous vocation. Read "Corruptions of Christianity: Catholicism" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)
However, despite the efforts of corrupt Catholic scribes attempting to change the Word of God, the context that this was Peter, or the original Twelve Apostles, is clear. Paul boldly approached Peter face-to-face, in front of them all, and rebuked and corrected him of his error, for many sound reasons he will go on to provide.
[v12] 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.
Certain men in the church who were involved with the ministry of James came to Antioch. Whether they came by a request from James, or if they came on their own accord without his knowledge, we cannot tell from this verse.This event took place years after Peter had the vision during his prayer time, and came to meet with Cornelius (Acts 10), which means he had full understanding that there is no difference between Jew or Greek (i.e. the Gentiles were not considered unclean) as long as they both have faith in Jesus Christ. (Gal 3:28) Therefore, Peter typically ate together with the Gentiles, but when the Jewish men came from Jerusalem, Peter got up from the table and separated himself from the Gentiles out of fear.
It should not be misunderstood that Peter feared these men would persecute him, as if they would physically harm him for any reason, but rather, he feared their rebuke, even though he did nothing wrong. The fear is that they would look down on his eating with the Gentiles, and they would carry back a message to Jerusalem that he conducted himself inappropriately among the Gentiles, and that fear trapped him in a snare. (Pro 29:25)
[v13] And the other Jews dissembled likewise with him; insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation.
Many Christians looked to Peter as an example of what they ought to do, and when he acted in fear, those of Jewish descent followed his lead. Even Barnabas, who traveled with Paul and preached the same gospel to the Gentiles, was pressured to follow Peter's lead, and this obviously would have grieved Paul to a great degree.Sadly, this is the typical reaction that people have around a man who is highly esteemed. They will most often follow that man's lead, without first considering the moral ramifications of their words and actions, and it is something that we Christians should always be on guard against, making sure that we do what is right by Christ, instead of following a majority because it is convenient.
[v14] But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?
Again, this verse has been corrupted by new-age bible versions. They changed the name of Peter to "Cephas" for the sake of the vile Catholic popes and their false doctrine in claiming that Peter never erred.To try and fuse together the Mosaic law and the grace of Christ would be contradictory, and therefore, they could not separate themselves from the Gentiles without walking a morally crooked path, which is why Paul wrote that they did not walk "uprightly according to the truth of the gospel." If one is to believe that the Lord Jesus Christ saves a man through repentance and faith, then no works of the law, moral, ceremonial, or otherwise, can have any influence on a man's salvation, and therefore, one could not separate himself from the company of Gentile brethren unless he first believed that the presence of a Gentile believer was still "unclean" because of his non-Jewish lineage, which would therefore also be a belief that their works, or lack thereof, made them unclean in the sight of God.
Therefore, Paul rebuked Peter publicly because his actions were affecting so many around him, which not only rebuked him, but all of them for following his wrongful action. If Peter, who sat with Gentiles and ate together with them on a regular basis (as he normally did), without any regard to Jewish custom, which is exactly what the Lord God instructed him was good to do, then why would he compel and influence others do the opposite of what he did on a regular basis?
Paul did not scold Peter in the manner of that a parent would scold a child, but rather, Paul posed a question to his brother to hear his answer. However, Paul's question was so reasonable, no hearer could offer a Biblical argument against it, and so he presented a rebuke to Peter in the most kind way that one could do in such a situation.
[v15] We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles,
Paul distinguishes Jews with the words "by nature," meaning that they were born into a Jewish family, while others are Jews who have converted, and then we also have to consider the "spiritual Jews," which includes those who have been born again in Christ, becoming the children of Abraham through regeneration of the Holy Ghost, which Paul will expound upon in the next chapter. (Gal 3:7) This is not to say that those who were born into a Jewish family were not sinners because we know from the Word of God that the Jews were guilty of the same sins as the Gentiles, but rather, this was a common Jewish saying, in which they believed that through the keeping of the Old Testament commandments, that they were holy and righteous above the Gentiles, and Paul is emphasizing this Jewish saying for the next verse.[v16] Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
As I pointed out in the comments on the previous verse, the Jews thought themselves superior in righteousness to the Gentiles because they kept the laws of God in the Old Testament (or rather, they imagined that they kept them in their own minds because many did not), but as Paul stated here, justification does not come through the keeping of commandements.
justification (n): remission of sin and absolution from guilt and punishment; or an act of free grace by which God pardons the sinner and accepts him as righteous
(See 'justification', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved May 3, 2022, [webstersdictionary1828.com])
[v17] But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid.
Paul is saying that if "we" (i.e. the natural born Jewish Christians) sought to be justified by Christ, it means that they were not keeping the laws of God. The Jews who come to Christ for salvation MUST acknowledge their own unrighteousness by their sinful works. (1Jo 1:8-10)When Paul asks if Christ is "the minister of sin," it means that if the Jews assumed themselves to be righteous and holy by their works, why would they need to seek Christ? Thus, when they sanctified themselves away from the Gentiles, the Christian Jews were attempting to add their own works onto the finished works of Christ, as if they could merge the two together, and by adding their corruptions onto the work of Christ, it would therefore make Christ the servant according to the sins of the Jews.
In other words, when we have been born again in Christ, we trust completely in Him for gift of righteousness imputed to us, and through His grace and power, we are cleansed from ALL unrighteousness. (1Jo 1:9) Therefore, if we believe that our own works can be added onto Christ's finished work for righteousness, not only do we deny Christ in our own lack of faith in Him, but we also preach (by our words and actions) a false message that makes Christ look like one who ministers the law, which is a condemnation of men who will hopelessly die trying to achieve flawlessnes in it.
Paul concludes by saying, "God forbid," meaning that we ought to abhor (i.e. hate extremely) the thought that we could add our own works unto God's finished work through our Lord Jesus Christ.
[v18] For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor.
Paul confessed his sin, in which he did everything in his power to destroy Christ's church before his encounter with Christ on the road to Damascus. Therefore, if he were to believe that, as a Jew, his works to destroy the church were righteous, and then fuse those works in with the works to build up the church, he would be a transgressor of the law either way because there were two contradictory things being preached.Paul is applying this contradiction of the Christian Jews to himself (not that he was guilty of these things, but applying the argument for demonstrative purposes), so put it another way, after Jesus Christ came to this world, if the law was not fulfilled and was still required for men to perform, then Paul (as a Jew) would have been a transgressor of the law because he did not perform the duties of it (and he taught others the same), but if the law was fulfilled, then Paul (as a Jew) would have been guilty to have enforced the law as a necessity for the justification of sinners. Therefore, either way, those Jews who attempted to add their own works of the law onto Christ's finished work are trangressors.
[v19] For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God.
Paul is not saying that the law is dead in the sense that it is no longer applicable in the preaching of the Gospel of Christ (as Paul will go on to talk about in the next chapter - Gal 3:24), or that we ought not to read and study the law to gain understanding of those precepts (Rom 7:7), but rather, Paul is explaining that he was dead to the law in the sense that he no longer sought justification from it, nor sought it out to be a list of rules on how to live his life, for we Christians are called unto the commandment of charity, which is the fulfillment of the law and prophets in Jesus Christ (Mat 7:12) under a better convenant with better promises. (Heb 8:6) As Paul says, a Christian's newfound desire (given to us by the gifts of understanding of the Holy Spirit) should be to "live unto God," which means to study and adhere to the doctrines of the Holy Spirit in the New Testament, and though we are dead to the law, we do not desire to continue to live according to sin, but rather, we have repentance (i.e. grief and godly sorrow) towards God when we do wrong, and live a life that turns from sin so we can witness to the glory of Christ who saved us.[v20] I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
Obviously, this is not saying that Paul was crucified with Christ on the cross at Calvary, but rather, he was crucified with Christ in the sense that Christ was crucified on his behalf, suffering the death that we deserve in our place because we cannot save ourselves from it. Because of Christ's sacrifice for us, we live, not in the sense of the flesh (because even the lost live in the flesh), but in the sense of the spiritual life we have been given.It was not Paul that lived of himself, in the sense that the old man who he was before he was saved by Christ was of a corrupt spirit (Eph 4:22), and that Christ now lives in him, which is the mystery of Christ being life itself (John 14:6) , lives by faith, meaning that he went to Christ for all grace, peace, joy, comfort, and understanding. The Lord Jesus Christ is the creator of this world (Col 1:13-18), who loved us and authored our faith in us (Heb 12:2), giving everything to us (1Co 3:21-23), and so we ought to exercise our faith in him as our brother Paul did.
[v21] I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.
The word 'frustration' is used here in the sense of "stopping" the grace of God from going out freely unto sinners, in which Paul abhored the idea of setting a bad example for others by pointing them to the law instead of grace. If we could obtain righteousness by doing good works and obeying the law of God, then there would have been no need for Christ to come and die on the cross in the first place, which would make His suffering and death pointless.Chapter 3
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[v1] O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?
Paul is not referring to the entire region of Galatia, but rather, to the church therein, pointing out the present stupidity as opposed to a general stupidity. Paul was not telling them that they were foolish in all sense of moral understanding in Christ, but on this particular matter of trying to add the works of the Mosaic law to the finished work of Christ, they were foolish, meaning they were acting and speaking outside of the normal means of reason.Paul pointed out that some false teacher charmed them with charismatic speech to turn away from their first education in Christ, and poses a question to get them to think about who taught those false doctrines to them. The reason Paul is going so far as to make these bold statements is because, when he was first with them, they believed so strongly in the foundations of grace and liberty in Christ, it was as if Jesus Christ had been present among them, taught them face-to-face, and was even crucified in their presence, which is not to say these things happened to the Galatian church, but their faith was previously as strong and dedicated as those who had seen Christ themselves.
[v2] This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
There were many questions of sound reasoning he could have asked to them, which is normal when one addresses those that hold a position that contradicts itself, but by the wisdom of the Holy Spirit, he set himself to only ask them a short series of questions, which he expected them to answer honestly. Because Paul had been with them at their conversion, he was confident to form the question under the assumption that they had the Spirit of God them, but they had simply been deceived, and so he brings them back to the time of their conversion, asking them if they had been saved by their own efforts, or because they had heard the preaching of Christ crucified and believed?[v3] Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?
In other words, Paul is asking if they were stupid, to which, anyone would reason that they were not, but the Galatians needed such words to shake them out of their stupor. They began with great confidence in the grace and liberty of Christ, being freed from the bondage of the law, but then believed the false doctrines of false preachers who convinced them that their own efforts by the law made them righteous and holy, which is impossible. (Rom 3:20)[v4] Have ye suffered so many things in vain? if it be yet in vain.
The church in Galatia suffered many of the same afflictions and persecutions that the other churches suffered, all for the glory of Jesus Christ. Normally, this would bring reward from the Lord Jesus Christ in the day that we see Him and join Him in the Kingdom of Heaven (Luke 6:22-23), but if a man believes that this affliction and persecution is part of his duty to make himself holy and righteous, then the work will yield no reward, and therefore, Paul added "if it be yet in vain," based on whether or not they chose to return to the principles of Christ, which would make their efforts fruitful with reward.[v5] He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
Paul is referring to the Lord Jesus Christ, which ministered the Spirit of God to the Galatians, in grace, and in some cases, through the workings of miracles. The miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit working among them was given because of their faith in the grace of God, not in the working of the law, which adds more sound reasoning against the foolish belief that works of the law can add to the finished work of Christ.[v6] Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.
Even Abraham, who the Jews highly revered as their forefather, was, in God's eyes, righteous because of his faith, not because of his works. Righteousness was imputed to Abraham because he believed God and trusted Him (Rom 4:23-24), and therefore, in like manner, we because spiritual children of Abraham by believing Christ and trusting Him.[v7] Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.
Paul reminds the Galatians that they were taught these things when he was among them, and so they knew the truth of the doctrine, namely, that those who are of the true faith in Christ (as opposed to the fake faith held by false teachers) are all part of the same spiritual seed of Abraham, through to Moses, to Joseph, to David, and to Christ. It does not matter whether they were born into a Jewish or Gentile family, or whether they were circumcised or uncircumcised, but rather, what matters is who comes to the foot of the cross of Christ with a penitent and contrite spirit (i.e. humble heart of godly sorrow), and trusts in Christ for justification. (Psa 34:18)[v8] And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.
It was predetermined, even before the world began, that God would justify the heathen through faith, which means that this message would have been foreseen (by the Word of God) to have been preached among the unbelievers. This gospel message was preached to Abraham, that all the nations of the earth would be blessed (Gen 26:4), and though the Jews preferred to believe it was their physical seed and blood lineage from Abraham which blessed the nations, the truth of this prophecy was that the seed of Abraham would be a spiritual lineage that would bless the earth with the truth of Christ's Gospel, that the Son of God had come to earth to save them and turn them away from their iniquities. (Acts 3:25-26)This is not to say that every person in all nations will be pleased to hear the message of the Gospel, because most people will reject it, but they will be blessed with those who will preach it. This is not meant in the sense of earthly blessings (although Christians do bring earthly blessings through hard work and charity to their neighbors), but rather, these are spiritual blessings, that along with the message of salvation in Christ unto eternal life, there is also joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, and goodness by those few who hear and understand the message of repentance and remission of sins.
[v9] So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.
Therefore, those who have the same justifying faith as Abraham, also have the same justifying faith because it all came from Christ. If a man believes that only the grace of Christ can justify him, and that he cannot do any work to justify himself, then he has the same justifying faith as Abraham, and is of the same spiritual lineage in the same spiritual family.[v10] For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.
This is not only referring to the Jews, but to anyone who puts themselves under the works of the law, to be justified by them. The Word of God has declared that all those who do not ALL of the things written in the law are under a curse. (Deut 27:26)In this context, a curse is a condemnation of divine vengeance on sinners, and so if a man does not keep the whole law, and fails to do one commandment, it is the same as if he is guilty of breaking all the laws (Jms 2:10), and therefore, he is destined for death and torment in hell. Knowing that no man can keep the whole of the law, it is insane (i.e. intellectually unsound thoughts from a deranged mind) that anyone, who was given the choice between grace and the law, would choose the law, and yet, many corrupt religious cults today choose the law, while they preach grace for show.
[v11] But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.
Only those who trusted in the Lord God, and specifically in the Lord Jesus Christ in the New Testament dispensation over the past two thousand years, have been justified (i.e. saved), and brought into the Kingdom of God. This doctrine was also taught in the Old Testament as well (Hab 2:4), which is why Paul said it was "evident," meaning that the evidence was clear that a man's justification can only be given to him by the grace through his faith in God to save him.[v12] And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them.
This is not referring to laws of ceremony, but rather, the moral laws of God. If you read through the law, you will notice that it never takes account of a man's faith in God and Christ, and therefore, the law does not consist of faith.The law certainly came from God, and gave us a standard of righteous living, but knowing we cannot meet that flawless standard, it gives us an understanding that we must be saved, which Paul will go on to talk about later in this chapter. Any man who is student of the law, and works to abide in the law, lives in the law, and likewise, any man who is a student of faith, and abides in that faith, lives in the faith.
[v13] Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:
The curse of the law is a condmention of death because we cannot fulfill it ourselves, and so Christ shed His blood at Calvary and was raised from the dead for our sakes, that we (who have come to repentance and faith in Him) would be free from that curse. The curse of condemnation should have made us to be viewed as a criminal worthy of death, but Christ took our place in that He was viewed as a criminal worthy of death, falsely accused of sin, called a devil, and executed by His own people, even though He was not deserving of any such treatment, He willingly came to suffer this for us, and God gave Him for us, not sparring His own Son on our behalf, proving God's awesome grace and glorious kindness, which is His good nature, even unto those who hate Him. Paul backs up this statement with evidence from the Torah (Deut 21:23), which says that those who are hanged are "accursed of God," although in this verse, Paul did not include the name of God, since that cannot be properly applied to Christ, because Christ was approved of God and sent as a sacrifice of love for us.[v14] That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
The Lord Jesus Christ suffered the curse of the law on our behalf that the same blessing of faith that Abraham had received, which was justification by grace through faith, would come to the Gentiles (i.e. the uncircumcised) as well as the Jews (i.e. the circumcised). We have received the promise of the Spirit of adoption (Rom 8:15), meaning that we are adopted into the spiritual family, not of bloodline, but of faith in Christ.These verses give us an amazing perspective because Christ has saved us from the curse of the law, and yet, in most church buildings today, the congregation is put under a curse of bondage again by corrupt preachers. (Gal 5:1) For example, most church building preachers teach the practice of tithe under the Old Covenant, to which they say that if you do not give the pastor 10% of your income, you are under a curse (Mal 3:8-10), which is the curse of the law, the very curse from which Christ freed us (i.e. Christ called us to unto charity, not unto tithe), and so it is a very marvelous thing how blind so many churchgoers and preachers are to doctrines of the New Covenant.
(Read "Tithe is Not a Christian Requirement" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)
[v15] Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; Though it be but a man's covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto.
Paul began this chapter by addressing the church as "foolish Galatians," but draws them closer and edifies them by calling them "brethren" in this verse. When Paul says he speaks "after the manner of men," it means that the following words are what men will say, not what the Holy Spirit says, because he is using their own words against them.When a man makes a covenant, he is giving his word between him and another person, which is exactly what we do when we sign contracts today. A contract is our written word between us and another party that we will do a particular thing, and they will do a particular thing. If another man comes in and desires to add or take away from the contract, there is nothing he can do to alter that contract because it has already been signed and agreed to, and so Paul's argument is that if mankind does not allow a third party to add to, or take away from, a covenant, then why would mankind believe that they can add to or take away from Christ's covenant with mankind through their own works?
[v16] Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.
The promises of the Old Covenant were made to Abraham and his seed, but Paul emphasizes that the promises were NOT made to seeds (plural), meaning that the Jews and Gentiles are not separated in this promise. There are various places in the Bible where the plural form "seeds" is mentioned (Deut 22:9), but in terms of the seed of Christ, the singular form "seed" is used. (Gen 4:25) Therefore, the seed is Christ, who is the head of one church, not of many separate institutions whereby there should be divisions among them.(Read "Denominations Are Unbiblical" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)
[v17] And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect.
Paul is affirming that the covenant of Christ was made with Abraham 430 years BEFORE the law was given to Moses on Mount Sinai. (Gen 15:18, Acts 7:6) Therefore, the contract that was made between Christ and Abraham cannot be disannuled (i.e. made void) by the works of the law because those covenants under the law were made separately with the children of Israel specifically, and God even sent Jeremiah to tell the Jews that a day was coming in which a new covenant would be made with them that was different from the one that was made with them through the law. (Jer 31:31-32)Therefore, when men seek religious custom and tradition to be their righteousness, they make the covenant with Christ of no effect. (Mark 7:13) The reason for this, as Paul so aptly stated, is because if a man upholds his religious tradition as his righteousness, then he does not have the righteous of Christ imputed to him because he is not a part of that covenant, and therefore, the covenant Christ made with Abraham has no effect on the man who turns from faith to the works of the law.
[v18] For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise.
We know that grace can only come through faith (Eph 2:8-9), so when a man rejects faith for the works of the law, he has no part with the contract that Christ made with Abraham. If a man is not part of Christ's contract with Abraham, then that man also has no part in the promises Christ made to Abraham.[v19] Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.
For many years as a young Christian, I always wondered what the point of the law was because it did not make any sense to me. If salvation was by grace through faith, in both the Old and New Testament, why give the Hebrews the law? It was not until year laters, after I stopped listening to leavened preachers (who mostly gave watered-down, church-ianity teachings) and started studying on my own, that I discovered that Paul, by the guidance of the Holy Ghost, explained it.The purpose of God's moral law was to point out our transgressions, which are offenses and crimes against God and our neighbors. Though mankind has a conscience which convicts them, which means it will make them feel ashamed if they are guilty of wrongdoing (John 8:7-9, Acts 24:16, Rom 2:15), and that is given to us by God for our correction, but there are men who ignore their conscience for the sake of fleshly lusts and pleasures, and slowly over time, their conscience is burned away, in which they will no longer feel ashamed of their wrongdoing. (1Ti 4:1-2)
This law was a placeholder to bring men to conviction of their sins that they might come to repentance, until the day that Christ would come to this world to fulfill it, and the promises made to Abraham, which is one of the reasons why John the Baptist came preaching the baptism of repentance. () Paul adds that the law was established by angels, in the sense that ten thousand angels were present while God wrote the law for Moses to bring to the Hebrews (Deut 33:2), and the mediator referred to here is Moses, who was asked to bring God's Word to the people (Deut 5:27), not in the sense of the mediation of Christ, who is the one and only mediator grace on our behalf from the throne of God (1Ti 2:5), but rather, Moses was a mediator in the sense of one who God chose to deliver the law to the Jews.
[v20] Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one.
A mediator, by definition, is one who interposes himself as a communicator between two opposing people or parties. In this instance, the opposing parties are God and men, and Paul emphasized that God is not opposed to Himself because He is one (John 10:30), which is not to say that the Godhead is not three distinct entities (i.e. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Mat 28:19), but those three are one God.(Read "The Godhead vs The Trinity" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)
In this context, the argument is that God is one, and He is not a mediator against himself, as if there is some sort of contradiction between Him and Himself, or in this case, between the Father and the Son. Therefore, if a man believes that the works of the law can be added to the finished works of Christ, they are creating an unreconcilable contradiction, in which God would have given His Word in the Old Testament law, and then Christ would have come to contradict God's Word (or rather, His own Word since Christ and God are one), which is nonsensical because God is omniscient (flawlessly all-knowing, without error) and sinless, which means it is impossible for God to contradict Himself.
[v21] Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law.
Paul is presenting the argument of those who might oppose his doctrine, in which they may argue that because the law was to educate us on our transgression, and with it we were under a curse, would that not contradict God's promises of blessings and grace? Paul responds with "God forbid," which is his way of expressing his hatred of such a thought, in which the Almighty God would be thought by men to be a liar or to make an error.It is impossible for a law, a written commandment, to give life to a sinner because this can only be done by the Life-Giver, which is God the Father, Christ the Son, and the Holy Ghost. The law is used to strike a man down by exposing his wretchedness (or as Paul put it, to slay a man in his spirit, Rom 7:9-12), that he would be brought to his knees in the humility of repentance (i.e. godly sorrow of his sin), so that man would know of no other way, no other hope, than to look to the Lord Jesus Christ for his salvation, and upon believing in that moment, would be given gift of the Holy Spirit to have his soul regenerated and be given eternal life. (1Jo 5:13)
[v22] But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.
In the both the Old and New Testaments, the Word of God concludes (by the truth of God and sound reasoning) that all mankind is under sin. This is not to say that one who has been born again is under sin, because we are under the Holy Spirit, who guides and convicts us away from a life of sin, but rather, Paul is saying that all of us are born with a sinful inheritance from birth, by which we need someone to save us.The promise of salvation, justification, righteousness imputed, and eternal life are all part of the promise. The Lord Jesus Christ, being the author and finisher of our faith (Heb 12:2), must give this faith and these gifts to us by His grace and mercy (Rom 5:18), which cannot be earned by the works of the law, otherwise, the free gift of grace cannot exist. (sRom 11:6)
[v23] But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.
This is not to say that faith came to us and that no other man in history had saving faith until Jesus Christ, because our forefathers (i.e. Abraham, Moses, David, etc) had the same gift of grace through faith that we have, which is what makes us all brethren in the same spiritual family. Rather, this is saying that before the Gospel of faith that Jesus Christ taught to His disciples had come, everyone was kept under the law, meaning that those in faith were sanctified away from those who were not, in the sense that they had no religious conversations with the heathen, which is the context of Paul's letter to the Galatians.In the Old Testament covenant, the people were shut up in the sense that they were prisoners in debt, being under a curse which punished them, being without comfort or hope, just as unbelievers are today, in which they are slaves to their sin, and prisoners to the curse of the law which they try desperately to ignore because hearing that truth hurts, so they try to avoid that pain. (Rom 1:28-32) Once Christ was revealed to the world, and the doctrine of faith was shown, the people could be freed from the prison of the law.
[v24] Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
The moral laws taught the people what things were to be avoided, but it gave them no doctrine about a savior from their sin, and in similar fashion, the ceremonial laws were prophetic in the sense that they pointed to Jesus Christ, and taught the Jews to look for Him, but they did not instruct them in His gift of grace. Every animal that had its blood shed as a sacrifice was a lesson to the Jews that they deserved death as a result of their many sins, and so that schoolmaster was necessary to bring them to understanding of their wretched state, so they would look to Jesus Christ when He came to this world, although only a small fraction of Jews looked to Christ for their salvation, while most rejected Him.This is a reflection of the process by which we should be preaching to lost sinners because, without faith in Christ, they are lost to their sin, and will be judged by the law on the Day of Judgment. (Rom 2:12) If they are judged by the law, then they need to know it, so the law can be their schoolmaster to bring them unto Christ, as it was intended to be for the Jews to be brought unto Christ in the same manner. This is why, when a young man asked Jesus Christ how he could gain eternal life, Jesus responded to him by giving him the law, which was not to say that he had to do works to gain eternal life, but to show him that it was impossible for him to gain eternal life through the works of the law. (Mat 19:16-22)
[v25] But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.
After the doctrine of faith had come to mankind through the Lord Jesus Christ, in that He fulfilled the law and prophets with His own shed blood and freed us from the bondage and curse of the law. When we come to repentance (i.e. grief and sorrow of our sins against God) and faith in Christ, we are no longer under the strict instructor of the law, to be imprisoned by it, since the Lord Jesus Christ is our Shepherd, Priest, Teacher, Prophet, and Mediator of all graces.[v26] For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
This is not to say that all men are the children of God by faith through their natural birth, which must be noted since there are many false teachers and false prophets who preach such corrupt doctrine, but rather, Paul is addressing the Galatian church, both from Jewish and Gentile lineage, that all who are born again, believing on the Lord Jesus Christ for their justification, are the children of God, not by their own efforts, but through His power and mercy. (Tts 3:5)[v27] For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
This is not to say that there are some baptized and unbaptized persons in the church, because it is the duty of all Christians to be baptized (after they have been born again in Christ), but rather, Paul says "as many of you" to denote those who have been baptized, but were not born again in Christ, being members of the church under false pretenses. Those who have "put on Christ" are those who put on the robe of His righteousness in faith, similar to how the Levitical priests would put off their normal clothes, and after bathing (i.e. baptism), they would put on the holy robes of their priesthood, which we do in a spiritual and philosophical manner by studying the doctrines of Christ and applying His teaching to our lives, honoring the marriage of Christ to the church (Mat 22:1-10), being circumcised in our hearts. (Deut 30:6)[v28] There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
This is not saying that Jews or Greeks do not exist on the earth, nor is this saying that there are not freeman and servants, nor is this saying that there are no difference between men and women (with commandments and duties given to each male and female role in Scripture), but that, from a spiritual perspective, there is no difference between them, and that when this world ends and we are all together with our brethren in the Kingdom of God, there will be no more separation between Jews and Greeks, bondmen or freeman, or male and female, because those distinctions will no longer exist. Therefore, in the kingdom of heaven, which is the church, Gentiles are not separated from the Jews in the study and practice of the word of God as was common in Israel, nor are servants put in a category separate from their masters as was common in many nations, nor are women forbidden from participating in the duties of faith, as is common in many religious institutions. All of us who of faith in Christ are of one fold, under one Shepherd (John 10:16), and though there are various officies and duties we might have, we all serve Christ together with one mind in one accord. (Phil 1:27)[v29] And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
If you are born again in the Lord Jesus Christ, regenerated by the Holy Ghost, through repentance and faith in His shed blood for the remission of sins, being known of Him and belonging to Him, then you are of the spiritual lineage of Abraham, having no need for blood relation. We Christians are heirs of the promises made to Abraham, being the children who receive the inheritance, which are the blessings of justification and everlasting life through the abundant mercy of God the Father, having righteousness imputed to us by the sacrifice, grace, and power of His Son. (Rom 4:16-25)Chapter 4
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[v1] Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all;
Paul is expanding on the statements made in the previous chapter, namely, that the law was the schoolmaster to show the Jews the way to Christ. A child who is born of the Master of a great estate is an heir, to be the Lord and ruler over all the estate one day, but while he is still a child, he is no different than a servant in terms of authority, meaning that he cannot go and do as he pleases, and must abide by rules to learn discipline.[v2] But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father.
Until a child is raised up with enough knowledge, understanding, and wisdom to know what he ought to do, he is not ready to take on the position of a Lord. Instead, he is put under teachers (i.e. tutors and governors) to learn various aspects of his responsibilities before he is appointed to an office of leadership. This is similar to the concept of a "minority" in our society, which is one who is considered underage, and is not permitted by law to make certain decisions for themselves, which changes depending on the country one is in, for example, the United States currently puts that age at 18-21, ancient Roman society put that age at 25, and the Jews, at the time Paul was writing this, did not consider a boy a man until he reached the age of 30.[v3] Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world:
When Paul says "we," he is referring to those Christians who, like himself, were born of Jewish lineage. He is not suggesting they were children in the physical sense, but he has moved the analogy into the spiritual sense, that they were children in their understanding.A child does not understand as an adult understands, which is why children are often easily and heavily drawn into cheap, flashy toys, shows, and other amusements, without having knowledge and experience to understand the vanity of such things. This is also why the Jews (as well as many churchgoers today) are easily and heavily drawn into cheap, flashy amusements, with grand displays of music, religious rituals to make one feel "holy," and gaudy structures built to impress.
Because of their childish disposition, and their lack of understanding that they were children in that sense, they were led to believe the basic principles of the law, and the traditions they were taught, such as meats, drinks, and circumcisions, were the foundational principles of Scripture. In their lack of understanding, they did not realize the chains that were binding them under the Levitical law, and sadly, many Jews still do not understand this.
[v4] But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
When the Lord God had appointed a time that His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, would appear. (Hab 2:3) God sent forth His Son, not in a cruel or demanding way, but in agreement together as one, in which God the Father had declared it, and Christ the Son gave Himself willingly, both out of great mercy, love, and kindness towards us.When Paul says "made of a woman," it is not in the sense that Christ was begotten by men, because He is the only begotten of God (John 3:18), which is meant in a divine manner. This is not to say that Christ was created, because He is the creator (Col 1:16), who is eternal and everlasting (Isa 9:6), just as God the Father, but rather, Christ was begotten in the sense of authority (Psa 89:27), being God Himself, and demonstrated His humble nature, coming to earth to be birthed by a woman in the way that the rest of us are born into this world (with the exception of Adam and Eve, who were crafted from the dust of the ground, Gen 2:7).
Christ was born into this world under the law, which refers to Israeli government and religious oversight. Christ was prophesied to be born of Jewish lineage, was raised under the ceremonial laws of circumcision and feasts, and under the moral laws, living perfectly among the Jews until the end of His life on earth, the day of His crucifixion, in which He willing subjected Himself to suffer and die the penalty of mankind under the law, that all those who repent and believe might be delivered from the curse under the bondage of the Mosaic law.
[v5] To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
This is aimed primarily at the Jews, who were the keepers of the law under the Levitical priesthood, but this does not discount the Gentiles, who were under the natural law, in that their consciences beared witness to the truth of the law of God written in their hearts (Rom 2:14-15, which placed them under a curse, just as much as it did with the Jews. The "adoption of sons" is meant in the sense that all mankind must be adopted by Christ through faith, and that we receive it as a gift, which means that faith itself is not does not make anyone a child of God (for many have a "faith," but not true faith), but rather, it is by the power of God, Christ, and the Holy Ghost that we are made His children, to be heirs to His great estate, in which He gives us repentance (2Ti 2:25), then authors faith within us (Heb 12:2), and we become heirs with Christ according to the promises of God. (Tts 3:7)[v6] And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.
The privilege of being a son is greater than that of being a servant. Even though the child and the servant are both servants to a certain extent (i.e. while the child is still young), and though they are both under rule systems and discipline by those set in authority over them, eventually, the child receives the promise of an heir, and gains rulership over the servants.[v7] Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.
For example, angels are called the sons of God, just as we are called the sons and daughters of God, but angels are servants, not heirs to the promise. Because of the work which God had done within us, regenerating our spirits by the Holy Ghost through the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross, we are able to call God our Father, being children spiritually adopted into His family.[v8] Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods.
Paul seems to be addressing the Gentiles at this point, showing them that they are like unto the Jews in the same way, and are making the same errors. There was a point that, before they were saved, they did not know the identity of God, even though they knew there was a God by the evidence they could see in the creation. (Rom 1:17-23) The heathen turn to images, rocks, animals, and even men, to call them gods, doing service to them in the manner of religious rituals and ceremonial customs, even though they are dumb (1Co 12:2), and cannot grant knowledge, wisdom, blessings, or grace.[v9] But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?
After we have known God, which means that God has shined a light on the darkness of our hearts to reveal our wretchedness and bring us to the humility of repentance of our sin, and to faith in Christ for remission of our sin. Or rather, Paul adds, that we are known of God, which means that we do not simply have knowledge of these things, as many churchgoers have a general knowledge of God and Christ, yet He does not know them as His children (Mat 7:23), but that the Lord God put His gifts into our hearts and regenerated us as His children, that His love and mercy is manifested within us, whereby we show ourselves approved of Him, demonstrating gratitude through our words and actions.Once we have received these wonderful blessings of grace from the Lord Jesus Christ, why would we ever want to return to the principles of the law, to be put in weakness under bondage in a system that cannot give eternal life, comfort, and joy? By participating in the worldly elements of religious rituals, the Galatians were placing their own spiritual value in the rituals of bondage, which logically and philosophically lessens the value that they placed on what Christ had done for them, and this problem still persists today, in which churchgoers participate in numerous weak religious traditions under the bondage of the law (e.g. tithe, altar calls, etc), or under the elements of the heathen world (e.g. Christmas, Easter, etc), which carry the corrupt ideology of self-righteousness and idolatry, which stand in direct oppostion to the love of God and finished work of Christ on the cross.
(Read "Tithe is Not a Christian Requirement," "Revivalism: The Devil's Design," Christmas: Rejecting Jesus, and "Easter: Christians Celebrating Abomination" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)
[v10] Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years.
In this context, Paul is not referring to the natural time observance of days, months, and years, for these things were set in motion by the Lord God at the creation of the world with the sun, moon, and stars, and set them in their order for our benefit. (Gen 1:14, Psa 104:19) The Sabbath Day, which is observed by the Jews every Friday evening to Saturday evening, was a prophesy of rest that would come with the Messiah, but now that the Messiah has come, it would be senseless for Christians to observe the Sabbath Day because the participation in that not only sets an example that Christ has not come and that we are still looking for Him, but also that the works must be done in order to receive saving grace, both of which are corruptions against the truth of Christ in Scripture.(Read "Keeping the Sabbath is Not a Christian Requirement" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)
At the beginning of the month, when the new moon would appear, the Jews would blow trumpets and offer sacrifices unto God, and they would hold religious feasts, which was done as a prophetic symbol of the coming Messiah. The years would be the annual feast days, like the passover, pentecostal, and tabernacle feasts, all of which contain traditions that taught the people to look for the coming Messiah, but now that the Messiah (i.e. Jesus Christ) has come, we have no more need for these things, which were only a shadow of things to come. (Col 2:16-17)
(Read "Should Christians Observe Jewish Passover?" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)
The observance of Gentile religious rituals was condemned by God as idolatry, and He taught the children of Israel to have no part with those traditions, and now God is condemning the continued practice of observing the Old Testament rituals He established for the Jews because they were created for the prophetic purpose of pointing to His Son, Jesus Christ, who has now come. If any who claim to be of God continue in any of these religious practices, then they reject Christ in practice, either through vain idolatry of the Gentiles, or through the vain works of the Jews.
It should be that the entire church, for all those who have come to repentance (i.e. godly sorrow) of their sins, and put their full trust on the blood of Christ for the remission of sins, to throw off all these religious traditions, whether they come from idolatry or the works of the law, and be unified in faith by the Spirit of God. (1Co 12:13)
[v11] I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain.
Because the Galatian church because they had begun to turn away from Christ's Gospel of grace, and moved towards the bondage of the Jews, and because He had spent a lot of time in Galatia, preaching the Word of God, and suffering much hardship and persecution for their sakes, Paul was afraid that all his hard labor for the Lord would bear little fruit. Worse still, as the Galatians accepted their Jewish chains, they would go forward preaching the bondage of religious rites, while hypocritically preaching the grace of Christ, which would lead many astray, and therefore, it would have been a great waste of time and effort to bring the Gospel of Christ to this region, having so many turn from it so quickly.[v12] Brethren, I beseech you, be as I am; for I am as ye are: ye have not injured me at all.
Paul reaffirms his belief that many of them were born again in Christ, despite the fact that they had been deceived by the corrupt doctrines of Jewish tradition, and that they should be as Paul, namely, that they should speak and live according to the liberty in which Christ had freed them. Paul reminds them that they are freed in Christ, by His grace, just as Paul was freed, no longer the servants of men to have to abide by their religious tenants and rituals.Though Paul expressed his thoughts that he had feared that his work was done in vain among the Galatians, he not only reminded them of his belief that many of them were brethren with him, but also to ease their consciences that he took no personal offense, as if an injury had been done to him. There was injury done, but the injury was not against Paul; rather, the injury was against God because it was the Lord God who established that these Jewish traditions under the law would be abolished after His Son had died on the cross and risen from the dead, and that they would worship Christ not only with their lips, but in practice, with liberty and charity.
[v13] Ye know how through infirmity of the flesh I preached the gospel unto you at the first.
Paul reminds them how he had suffered much, and given them everything, as he did everywhere he traveled, so that they would hear the Gospel of Christ, and know that he had no selfish intent when preaching to them. He was their first teacher in Christ, preaching the philosophy of Christ, from which they have begun to turn from the rudiments (i.e. first teachings) of Christ, to the rudiments of the world and religious traditions of men. (Col 2:8)[v14] And my temptation which was in my flesh ye despised not, nor rejected; but received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus.
Whether Paul was beaten, or jailed, which was a common method of persecution against the Christians in that day, they did not despise him, nor did they treat him any differently. The Galatians treated Paul quite reasonably, and they were willing to hear the truth, receiving him into their homes and caring for him, just as they would have done for an angel of God (as did Lot for the angels that came to Sodom, Gen 19:1-3), and the same for the Lord Jesus Christ if He had appeared among them.[v15] Where is then the blessedness ye spake of? for I bear you record, that, if it had been possible, ye would have plucked out your own eyes, and have given them to me.
When they had been given the light of Christ, wherein they cried unto their heavenly Father, they had richly blessed one as humble as Paul, showing how fervently they were dedicated to the gospel of liberty and charity in Christ, being happy to sacrifice of themselves to comfort their brethren. A man's eyes are one of the most precious commodities he is given by God, and so humble and charitable were the Galatians in that day, that they would have given Paul their own eyes if he could have benefitted from their use.[v16] Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?
Whereas they treated him as a friend of high honor, and as a brother closer than any other, should they now turn from that charity and distance themselves from him because he revealed the truth of their deeds, how they had abandoned their first love, which is Christ? (Rev 2:4) It was an expected thing that Paul would be hated by most Jews for preaching that the shadow of the law and Old Testament traditions had been fulfilled, but it should not be expected that those who had come to repentance, faith, and liberty in Christ should make an enemy of one who preaches repentance, faith, and liberty in Christ. (Rom 15:6)[v17] They zealously affect you, but not well; yea, they would exclude you, that ye might affect them.
Paul is referring to the false preachers who affected the Galatians with their corrupt doctrines. Like many corrupt pastors today, they preach poetically with raised voices in a fervor of passion for show, but they do so with false doctrines, and this is not done from a heart that wants the people to know the truth; rather, they do this because they want others to confirm their in their vain religious traditions.If a man were to do the religious traditions alone, he would look like a mad man, and it would make him feel uncomfortable because he does not do them for anyone else's benefit but his own. Therefore, he has a great desire for others to join in those religious traditions with him, which will not only give him preeminence among them (i.e. he desires to have his person respected by many, which is sin, Jms 2:9), but it will also present him with a desired illusion of self-righteousness, which comes from the emotions and comfort of companionship, in which they confirm one another in the vanity of their minds, even though their works do no spiritual good for anyone.
(Read "Respecting Persons is Sin" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)
When one who is born again in Christ comes along preaching that the religious traditions of the Jews and Gentiles are vain, and that Christ has freed us from bondage, it destroys the pretense of so-called "holiness" in the vain works of false preachers, by which they (and their followers) will no longer feel self-righteous by their works. The majority of them will hate this, and therefore, they will reject the elect saints of God in order to justify their religious tradition, removing anyone who opposes them, that they would not be affected by the truth of the Word of God because (as Jesus Christ told us) they do not want to be healed. (Mat 13:15)
[v18] But it is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing, and not only when I am present with you.
To be fervent and passionate about good things is always good, like when King David danced in praise to the Lord (2Sa 6:14), or when Elijah stood against the prophets of Baal. (1Ki 18:27) If repentance and faith was established in the hearts of the Christians in Galatia, as Paul believed had been the case, then they should maintain that zealous attitude towards Christ whether Paul was among them or not.[v19] My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you,
Paul addresses Galatia in the manner of a parent to a child, which was clearly intended with a great tenderness, not to mock them, and then also compares his current situation with that of a mother with child because in order to bring forth souls unto Christ, it often requires a lot of pain and sacrifice. Paul had suffered much in order to preach the truth to the Galatians, and he continues to do so, until they have a perfect understanding of repentance unto life, with the free gift of justification in Christ, without relying on the impossible ideology of their works to justify them.[v20] I desire to be present with you now, and to change my voice; for I stand in doubt of you.
As would a parent with a child who is suffering in his own foolishness, Paul had a desire to be with them face-to-face, that he might rebuke those who were working deceit among them, and to correct, instruct, and exhort those who had been deceived. Paul suggested that he might change his voice, which is meant that, though he had spoken to them in a very gentle manner at first, he would have to alter his voice to be more firm and serious, that some may take the matter with more gravity. When Paul said that he stood "in doubt" of them, it was not in the sense that he doubted their salvation in Christ, as he had already stated multiple times that he believed them to be brethren, but rather, he himself stood in doubt of what he ought to do when speaking to them, not knowing what manner he should speak to them that they would listen, or what course he should take when instructing them that they would hear his words and understand, which is a common difficulty with teachers dealing with wayward students, or parents dealing with wayward children.[v21] Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law?
This is not said in the manner of Christians desiring to be in obedience to God, which is what all the children of God desire (given to us by the Holy Ghost), but rather, this is said in the manner of chains, in which they desire to be under the judgment of the law, that their justification for righteousness should be under it. We know, by the grace of God and through study of the Scriptures, that such a concept is hopeless insanity, however, knowing that in order to do the works of the law, they needed to study the law and hear it preached, so Paul turns to the law to teach them folly of their ways.[v22] For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman.
Abraham had more than two sons Genesis 25:1-2, but to make the point, Paul is referring only to Isaac, the son of Sarah, and Ishmael, the son of Hagar. (Gen 16:1-4, Gen 16:15) Sarah was Abraham's wife, but Hagar was Sarah's servant, and therefore, Sarah was a freewoman, while Hagar was under a covenant of bondage.[v23] But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.
That is, Ishamel, who was born of Hagar the bondwoman, was born after the manner of flesh, as all children are, being born from the union between a man and a woman, but would be child like any other, simply to be raised in the normal manner of men, and most likely would become a bondservant. However, Isaac, the child born under the same natural circumstances by Sarah the wife, who was a freewoman, was born into the promise of God, that he would be the heir of a great inheritance.[v24] Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar.
Although the story of Abraham, Sarah, Hagar, Isaac, and Ishmael is a true story, it is also used in Scripture as an allegory, which is a figurative description of the main subject matter, which are the two different covenants (i.e. promises or contracts), the first of which is the covenant that came from Mount Sinai, which is the law that was delivered by God to Moses. (Exd 31:18) This covenant "gendered" (i.e. brought them into a state of) bondage, in which they would have to spend their entire lives subjected to it, just as a bondwoman, and this is the covenant of the bondwoman Hagar (i.e. Agar).[v25] For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.
Obviously, this is not saying that Hagar was a mountain, but rather, this is the allegory, or figurative description of what it represents. An interesting note is that Hagar and Ishmael lived "in the wilderness of Paran" (Gen 21:21), which is very near to Mount Sinai. (Num 10:12, Deut 33:2)Jerusalem, along with the large majority of the Jews, chose to remain in the bondage under the law, and God brought them under the bondage of many. They were in bondage under the laws of Rome, in bondage under the tributaries of Caesar, in bondage of sin under Satan, in bondage of their lusts under the world, while in bondage of their works, trying hopelessly to match a flawless standard of moral works in order to cancel out their never-ending daily crimes against God. This bondage, which can never be escaped, is the same as a bondwoman, and so the Jews chose to share an inheritance with Ishmael, while under pretense, they claim to be the in heirs with Isaac.
[v26] But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.
There is a Jerusalem "below" which is the earthly city known to us as Jerusalem, which was intended to be a holy city that worshiped God, but there is also a Jerusalem "above" in God's Kingdom in heaven that is a spiritual city, which is free from the bondage of the world and Satan. This city is not born from the mother of bondage, but from the free mother, and therefore, it is a metaphorical mother to all who are born again in the Lord Jesus Christ, no matter their station in this life, Jew or Gentile.[v27] For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband.
Paul is referring to (Isa 54:1), in which the Lord God made a new covenant with His children, which was not according to the same covenant than He made with the Hebrews at Mount Sinai. (Jer 31:31-32) This was prophesied to those few disciples of Christ after the Lord had returned to His heavenly throne, in that they seemed to be alone, barren, and desolate, but once the Holy Spirit came to them on the Day of Pentecost, they had many more children than any single woman would ever be capable of bearing in her lifetime.[v28] Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.
Paul was not among the original disciples of Christ, and was later converted by Jesus Christ, just as the Galatians heard the preaching of the Word of God and believed, and therefore, just as Isaac was born of a freewoman, and made heir according to the promise, so we are also the children of promise to Abraham, the spiritual seed, that would be be multiplied "as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore." (Gen 22:17-18)[v29] But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now.
In the days of Abraham, Sarah, and Hagar, Ishmael, who was the son that allegorically born after the flesh, meaning that he was in bondage under sin and sought righteousness by the works of the law, persecuted Isaac, meaning that, at minimum, he mocked him (Gen 21:9) out of spite, possibly wanting to murder Isaac, and may have even attempted it, which reflected the perseuction the children of promise, through faith in Jesus Christ, suffer still today.[v30] Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.
This is referring to Genesis 21:10, which was the punishment for those who did not choose to follow the Word of God according to His promise. Just as the bondwoman (Hagar) and her son (Ishmael) were cast away, so too will all those who disobey the truth, and rejecting the grace and liberty of Christ for bondage, whether they be Jewish, Muslim, Catholic, Seventh-day Adventist, Jehovah's Witness, Mormon, Mennonite, Amish, or any other of the thousands of works-based religious cults who turn from the truth of Christ and believe they can earn the grace of justification through their works.(Read Corruptions of Christianity: Catholicism, Islam: Religion of Terror, Corruptions of Christianity: Seventh-day Adventism "Corruptions of Christianity: Mormonism," and "Corruptions of Christianity: Jehovah's Witness," here at creationliberty.com for more details.)
[v31] So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.
So in reminding the Galatian Christians that they were brethren in the family God, through the spiritual lineage of Abraham, he also emphasized that they (i.e. we) are not the children of the bondwoman to remain in slavery, but rather, we are dead to that fleshly lineage, and have been born again unto life in Jesus Christ, in which we are free under the covenant that was first made with Abraham and Sarah, no longer in the chains that bind the Jews to the Old Covenant under the law.Chapter 5
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[v1] Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
There are two categories of liberty, one is the liberty from sin that we will receive after our lives in this world have passed, and we enter into the glory of Jesus Christ. The second category is the liberty from the ordinances and ceremonial laws of the "schoolmaster" (Gal 3:24), and from the burden of men, in which they endeavor to complete the impossible task of working to be righteous.We are not freed from sin entirely, because our souls are regenerated, not our flesh. We still experience the temptations of sin, but we have been freed from the power of it, that with the grace of God, we no longer live our lives according to sin, seeking the pleasures of the flesh as a goal of our daily lives.
It is Christ who made us free because no man, Jew or Gentile, was born free. We were born into the slavery of sin, and we needed Christ to remove our chains, that we would look to Him for our rightousness, and not to ourselves. Frequently, leavened churchgoers and preachers take the basic principles of Christian practice, in which we honor our Lord Jesus Christ through prayer (sometimes with fasting), study of His Word, assembling ourselves together in fellowship, and charitable works, and they turn those things into a yoke of bondage, in which they demand that they should be done for the sake of acheiving "holiness."
Therefore, we should be vigilant against the false doctrines of men, though men will afflict us for correcting them in their error (1Pe 5:8-9), and stand firm in our resolve not to turn back into bondage, like a dog turning back to lick his own vomit. (Pro 26:11, 2Pe 2:19-22) Whether it is the idolatry and paganism of the heathen (via holidays and superstitions), or the ceremonies and rituals under the Old Covenant law, we are saved from all these things, and we should not turn back to the rudiments (i.e. first teachings) of the world (Col 2:8), otherwise, it negates everything Christ has done for us.
[v2] Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing.
Paul begins this next sentence by asserting his name onto the following statement, and this is not because the Galatians would have forgotten who was speaking to them, but as a stamp of authority as an apostle of Jesus Christ, and to remind them that he boldly attached his name to the doctrine he was teaching, showing them there should be no fear to stand on the truth of these matters. Paul was not saying that circumcision was of no profit under the Old Covenant, because God brought blessings to the Jews for obeying His commandments, but rather, under the New Covenant of our Lord Jesus Christ, there is no profit to the religious practice of cutting the flesh of men because, as Paul previously stated, Christ freed us from these things, and no justification or grace can be obtained from it.[v3] For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law.
Paul is testifying of the doctrine he had learned from Jesus Christ, that every man, whether it be Jew or Gentile, that participates in the practice of circumcision because he believes it makes him "holy" or gains him saving grace, then he puts himself into the slavery of debt (i.e. a debt that cannot be repaid), to do all the things that were commanded by the Lord under the Old Covenant. In other words, if a man chooses to put himself under the old contract, then he must abide by the rules of that old contract, and will be judged according to that old contract.[v4] Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.
If one chooses to abide by the old contract, then Christ has no part with that man because grace and works cannot coexist together under the same contract. (Rom 11:6) The world uses the term "fallen from grace" to describe those who have sinned, but this is far from the truth because to be "fallen from grace" means that one professed with his mouth to believe in Christ alone for his help, that only the blood of Jesus could make him clean, but then turned his ear to the doctrine of false teachers, having no faith in Christ for the remission of sins, therefore demonstrating that his fear of God was only taught by the precepts of men (Isa 29:13), and had no foundation in his heart. (Mat 13:20-21) This is not to say that all those who have been deceived by false doctrine are false converts, because even Paul clearly expressed his belief that there were still many among the church in Galatia who were brethren, but that they needed to understand the seriousness consequences of following the works-based doctrine of false preachers?[v5] For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.
Paul says "we," not in the sense of those with Jewish lineage, but is referring to all of us who have been born again in Christ, whether Jew or Gentile. The "hope of righteousness" should not be taken in the sense of Christ's imputed righteousness to us because He has already done that, meaning that we do not wait for Christ to impute righteousness to us because He gave it to us when we were first saved, but rather, the "hope of righteousness" is the blessings of righteousness that we receive in heaven, which we receive because of our faith in Christ, not because of our works.[v6] For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.
avail (v): to assist or profit
(See 'avail', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved May 19, 2022, [webstersdictionary1828.com])
[v7] Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?
This is to say that the Christians in Galatia had run well in terms of their good works in faith, which Paul also taught the Corinthians (1Co 9:24), namely that one who runs a race does so to receive the first place prize, and though we do not compete against other Christians in strife, we should adopt the same attitude as such a competitor, that we would train, discipline, and push ourselves to obtain the greatest prize in heaven that can be awarded. The Galatian church had previously shown a great love of the Gospel of faith in Christ at one time, but now, due to the influence of false teachers among them, they did not look so favorably upon the Gospel of faith. Paul did not necessarily ask them this question looking for a list of culprits, but rather, he asked them this question to get them to consider these things for themselves, that in the future, they might reject anyone who came to them to preach works doctrine.[v8] This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you.
The deceptive arguments and false reasonings that persuaded the Galatians to turn from the Gospel of faith did not come from God the Father, nor Christ the Son, nor the Holy Spirit, nor the apostles. Therefore, the only conclusion is that these false teachings came from corrupt ministers, who gave themselves over to be Satan's ministers, and all their evil deeds will be formerly and thoroughly exposed on the Day of Judgment. (2Co 11:12-15)[v9] A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.
The term 'leaven' is used as an analogy to the leaven of bread, which requires only a little to spread throughout the entire loaf. The Lord Jesus Christ used this analogy to refer to the corrupt doctrines of false teachers. (Mat 16:5-12) Paul is explaining to the church that it does not take a large amount of false doctrine to corrupt the entire church, but rather, it only takes a small amount, which also means that they must be vigilant to beware of these false doctrines, lest they spread to all the brethen who assemble together.[v10] 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.
Despite the harsh criticisms and firm rebuke that Paul gave to the Galatians in this letter, he expressed his belief that they would make the right decisions from here on out, remaining firmly grounded in the faith that was delivered to them. (Jude 1:3) The church should remain of one mind, in one accord (Rom 12:16) on the Gospel of Salvation, and never turn from that, knowing that the Day of Judgment will come when those who corrupted the Gospel will have to give an account for everything they have said. (Mat 12:36) When Paul said "whosoever he be," he was not referring to a specific person, although there may have been a ringleader who was guiding other false teachers, but rather, he meant this in a current and future tense, that whosever would come to them now, or in the days to come, after reading Paul's correction and instruction on this matter, would reject any man who presented them with false doctrines that would turn them away from the grace and liberty of Christ.In my own experience, removing people from the church, especially those who hold a position of leadership, is very difficult for many reasons. Because of that, Christians tend to shy away from their responsibilities, but it is our duty as members of Christ's church to remove those that deceive others in their sin without any remorse (1Co 5:11-13), because if we do not, things will only get worse, as we can clearly see by what happened to the Galatian church.
[v11] And I, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution? then is the offence of the cross ceased.
This is a response to arguments being made by false preachers who warred against Paul's doctrine in Christ, in which they might accuse Paul of hypocrisy because he had circumcised Timothy (Acts 16:1-3), but that circumcision had nothing to do with justification. Timothy's circumcision was done because the Jews knew his father was Greek, which meant they would not as readily hear his preaching, so he made that sacrifice in order to gain some acceptance among the Jews, that they might hear the truth of Christ crucified. (Acts 16:4-5)Therefore, because Timothy was circumcised, corrupt pastors lied to the church and told them that Paul did preach circumcision, but Paul retorts by asking why he would suffer persecution from the Jews if that were the case. If he preached circumcision, which was the crux of their argument, then why would he not be accepted among them? Why did else would the Jews persecute him so violently?
If Paul preached the message of circumcision unto salvation, the Jews would welcome him, and that would mean that the offense of the cross of Christ would stop, but the Jews were offended because they placed their hope of salvation into their own works through circumcision, which is very similar to how many churchgoers today place the hope of their salvation in the Sabbath day, or church building attendance, or tithe, just to name a few examples. Therefore, when the preaching of Christ crucified comes to them, laying to rest all those religious traditions, they react in furious anger because their faith is not in the mercy of the Living God, but rather, their faith is in themselves, and some will go so far as to harm and kill anyone who preaches to them anything that contradicts their presupposition in their own self-righteousness, while they hypocritically clean up their appearances and claim to be faithful believers on the Lord God. (Mat 23:27)
[v12] I would they were even cut off which trouble you.
Just as leaven would be cut off from the lump, so Paul also wished for the false teachers to be taken away from among them, that their mouths would be stopped (Tts 1:9-14) because if their mouths continue to preach these false messages, they will lead people away from the Gospel of Salvation, and eventually start taking advantage of those people for fame, respect, and money.[v13] For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.
Paul emphasizes that he is speaking to brethren, which are those who he believes are born again in Christ, to identify them not only separate from the world, but specifically from those false teachers who work to lead them astray. This liberty is a calling that freed us from the snare of the Devil, the prison of sin, in which the world lives every day to fulfill sinful lusts, and the bondage of the law, in which the world lives every day to work hopelessly in effort to create their own righteousness.We are not called to liberty in the sense that we should follow whatever doctrine we want, nor should we follow after sin because, though we still live in the sinful flesh of our bodies, and suffer the temptations of it, we do not live according to it. Those who live their lives in the service of sin are selfish in their hearts, and do not follow the great commandent of Jesus Christ, which is to love the Lord God and our neighbor as ourselves (Mat 22:37-40), but when we think charitably, to keep the great commandment of Jesus Christ, then we turn from sins and false doctrines to serve one another in love, and thereby, we live perfectly (i.e. mercifully in love) as Jesus Christ commanded us. (Mat 5:48, Luke 6:36)
(Read "The Biblical Understanding of Perfection" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)
[v14] For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
The moral laws of the Old Testament, which include much more beyond the Ten Commandments given by God to Moses on Mt. Sinai, are fulfilled (or summarized and completed) by the commandment to love one's neighbor as oneself. (Mat 7:12) This is not meant in the sense of an equality of passions, in which many false religious institutions preach that one must learn to have greater feelings of esteem towards oneself (because even in depression, mankind already loves themselves to the fullest extent), but rather, we ought to look at the effects of the love we have for ourselves, to see what things we have done for ourselves (e.g. in measures of food, clothing, shelter, comforts, etc), and then apply those same effects to others in their time of need.[v15] But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.
Paul preached warnings to the church wherever he went, namely, that wolves would bring grief to the church, rising up from within the church to draw disciples away from the truth (Acts 20:29-31), and for a pack of wolves, it is a natural thing for them to attack and consume the weak or injured among them, as it is natural for wolves to attack and consume sheep, but it is not natural for sheep to attack and consume one another. The consumption is not referring to the spirit of Christians in the church, as if their souls were devoured, because the Lord Jesus Christ has guaranteed the salvation of those who come to repentance and faith in Him, but rather, the consumption is referring to the peaceful fellowship and communion among one another, which is always destroyed by those who are part of the Hebrew-roots cult, or the Torah-observant cult, or any other works-based religious cult, who bring in malicious words (3Jo 1:9-10), respect of persons (Jms 2:9), railing accusations (1Co 5:11-13), and divisions contrary to the doctrines we have learned in Jesus Christ (Rom 16:17-18), to destroy our peace, grace, and liberty (Gal 2:4), knowing in their hearts that they do not have those things, so through envy, hatred, and strife (Jms 3:13-17), they want us to be as they are, hopeless and destitute under the law. (1Ti 6:3-5)[v16] This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
Knowing the deceitful nature of the wolves, Paul then offers advice to counter them, which is to "walk in the Spirit," or in other words, one who has been born again in Christ should live in accordance with the Spirit of God, which would consist of faithful living, charity towards our neighbors, study of the Bible to gain knowledge, understanding, and wisdom, and to do these things in meekness and humility, as Christ did (Mat 11:29), setting an example for us. Paul's advice is not to say that we would never sin, nor that the flesh would not be led to operate according to sin, because righteousness is imputed to us by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ (Rom 4:23-25), but rather, we should not fulfill the lusts of the flesh in the sense that we ought not to live our lives in service of the flesh, but to discipline the flesh against the lusts to best of our ability, in loving service to the Lord God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. (Luke 10:27)[v17] For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
The flesh does not lust against the Spirit in the sense that the flesh targets the Spirit of God, but rather, the flesh was made for carnal things, and when sin is added into the mix, then the flesh loves all things that the Spirit hates. Therefore, the Spirit loves that which is good in the spiritual sense, and so the Spirit contradicts the flesh in the same manner, which means that the two cannot coexist peacefully together, just as light and darkness cannot coexist.Paul's context is that those who have the Spirit of God cannot do all the things that they would normally do when they were given over to the flesh, which is (as I stated before) not saying that a Christian cannot sin, but that they are heavily convicted against sin by the Spirit, having their conviction of conscience consistently keeping them in check against sin which they might have readily done without the Spirit. Thus, Paul's statement works both ways, for good and for evil, in that one is born of flesh can know to do good, but do it not, while one that is born of the Spirit can know to do evil, but do it not.
One who lives of the flesh without the Spirit has the draw of Satan, being led to do the works of the flesh without reservation because the goal of the heathen is to do what is pleasurable to the physical senses. However, one who lives of the Spirit will still have the draw of the flesh, but now has the draw of God, to do the things pleasurable to his Master, being led to do the works of the Spirit by the grace of God who has freed him from the old things of the world.
[v18] But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.
Paul adds in the word "if," which presumes that one has the Spirit of God residing within them in the first place. Without being born again to have the Holy Spirit, one cannot "be led of the Spirit," and therefore, one will end up going down the same worldly paths to live acccording to the flesh.The Spirit leads a converted man to walk in the way that Christ walked, or in other words, to live and think as Christ did. Christ lived humbly, content, moderate, mercifully, and charitably, and with the gifts of understand given to us by the Holy Ghost, we can live perfectly (i.e. charitably) without the need for the law, in hopeless attempts to achieve our own righteousness by works.
For example, if my neighbor left a box of unprotected gold bars sitting on his front doorstep, I do not need the law to tell me "thou shalt not steal," because the Holy Spirit has taught me charity. Therefore, I do not think about taking it for my own gain, but rather, I think to myself that the box needs to be protected, and the owner notified and warned, because my concern is that someone might steal it from him, and that charitable philosophy is what it means to "love thy neighbour as thyself." (Rom 13:9)
[v19] Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
These are not just the works that those who live of flesh do, but also the lusts of the flesh, meaning that those who are not guided by the Spirit are guided by the flesh to do these things. Not all do these things in the same measure, because some are more prone to one over another based on their first education.This list of sinful things is not the full extent of all sins, but common sins which are foundational to many other sins that follow along with them. The first of which is adultery (Exd 20:14), which is any sexual act that is committed by a married person with someone else who is not part of the marriage covenant, or in other words, a married person who has sex outside of marriage.
Paul follows that up with fornication, which is the same sin as adultery, but done by those who are not married. Thus, adultery and fornication is the act of sin outside of the marriage covenant (1Co 7:2), the only difference between them being whether or not the person who commits the sin is married.
In this context, uncleanness follows the sexual sins being listed, meaning it is any unnatural lust, like that of a man to another man (i.e. sodomy, Rom 1:24) , which is distinct from a natural lust of the flesh, which is sexual interaction between a man and a woman. Lasciviousness also follows this line of sexual sins, but it includes all things which lead to sexual sins, which includes, but is not limited to, sexually suggestive speech, sexual gestures, sexually inappropriate advances, etc.
[v20] Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
Idolatry generally has two parts, the first of which is the worship of things created by the hands of men, such as idols or images, and the second part is the worship of things created by God, such as animals, or the celestial bodies, like the sun, moon, stars, etc. Though these two parts are not limited to just outward objects because God has told us considers the hearts of men, and they set up idols in their hearts, even without creating a physical idol. (Eze 14:4-7)Witchcraft involves any practice that is associated with any attempt to have special communication with spirits, which are devils (whether the one practice witchcraft is aware of it or not, 1Co 10:20) and it is very closely associated with idolatry because it has the same end goal as witchcraft. There are many sub-categories of witchcraft, which include, but are not limited to, conjuration, enchantment, divination, necromancy, etc.
Hatred is a great dislike, or enmity, which is the quality of being an enemy, in which one has ill will to the point of malevolence, which is an evil disposition towards another to such an extent that one would have desire to bring evil on another, to hurt him, his family, or his property (which causes him and his family to suffer). Hatred often springs from other sins, which Paul goes on to mention.
Variance is any difference that brings about a dispute or controversy, but more specifically in this context, it is any disagreement that is founded in discord and contention. Variance typically comes about with reproachful words, which means it is anyone who attempts to find blame or accuse of fault in an abusive manner of contempt, treating another as if they were vile and worthless, or in any other manner that views the opposing party as mean, foul, vile, obscene, indecent, which is why variance is an extention of hatred.
Emulation is under the category of hatred because it comes from a sense of rivalry. When a man sees something good happen to another man who he hates, he will scoff at the man because of his desire of superiority, or in the instance that another does something good that is worthy of praise, he becomes jealous, and strives to do more than the other man for the purpose of obtaining the favor of men and honors from them.
Wrath is the desire of revenge to such a degree that one reacts with violent emotions, which can lead them to hurt others out of a desire to cause them suffering. (Pro 27:3) Strife is a general struggle for superiority, not in the sense of competition, which is healthy and good in many cases, but in the sense of contention, in which a man experiences pleasure from having respect from others, while being able to look down on those they hate.
Sedition is any unbiblical division, which can apply to families, civilian, or religous groups, which stems from a rebellious rejection of authority, and is categorized not only under hatred, but also in the same manner as witches. God teaches in His Word that rebellion in this context is sin that has a foundational carnality that is similar to what is found in witchcraft, just as stubbornness is with idolatry. (1Sa 15:23)
A heresy is any uncorrected error that departs from the fundamental doctrine of a religion, but specifically to the church, it is any uncorrected error or opinion that diverts from the Holy Scriptures. Paul includes heresies next to all the descriptions of idolatry and hatred because this is most often where heresies arise, meaning that when a man (who is not led by the Spirit, as Paul pointed out in verse 18) despises the Word of God for exposing his sin, he creates a new, false interpretation of the verses to satisfy him, but knowing it is false, he works to convince others it is true, so he will not feel alone in his endeavor, thus demonstrating that not only does he worship something else that is not God (i.e. idolatry), but he also has a hatred of those around him because he would rather then end up sin and hell with false doctrine, so long as he can maintain an outward appearance of so-called "holiness."
[v21] Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
Envying is under the same category as emulations, but is often the source of emulations. Envying is when a man is grieved, or feels uneasy, when someone else is happy, or when anyone else is in a superior condition or position that he considers to be better than his own.Murder is the unlawful killing of another man, which often happens when a man leaves the previously listed sins unchecked for too long, and malice builds to a climactic degree that a man's hatred is so great, he is willing to kill to satisfy his own rage. Drunkenness, which is an over-abundance of consumption of alcoholic beverages or foods, can exacerbate (or increase in severity) a man's desire to commit any of the other previously mentioned sins, especially wrath, fornication, and murder.
Reveling is essentially what modern day Americans might call "partying," most often done at nighttime when there is darkness all around (John 3:19-21), which is immoderate indulgence in eating, drinking, dancing, singing, and commonly includes sexual encounters. Paul had warned the Galatians, as he had warned many other cities, and warns them again "before," meaning that it is before the Judgment Day of the Lord comes, that anyone who has once briefly participated in these things cannot enter the Kingdom of God, and that only those who have the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ applied to their souls, which comes from the grace of God through repentance and faith in His Son, will be able to enter Heaven and enjoy the eternal life and happiness therein.
[v22] But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Paul calls the results of sin "works," while calling the results of the Holy Spirit "fruits." Even though love, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance can individually be qualities that the mankind expresses from time to time, but for those who are born against in Christ, they are characteristics that are a result of the workings of the Holy Spirit within us, not works of ourselves.Love is benevolence or good will, in which a man would make a selfless sacrifice of his time, money, or effort for someone else, and in the case of the Lord Jesus Christ, even His own life. (John 15:13) Whereas the world tends to view love only by the definition of "affection," this is not the sense it is meant in Scripture when it concerns God's love for the world. Though Scripture tells us that God so loved the world that He sent Jesus Christ to us (John 3:16), it also tells us not to love the world, and that those who love the world do not have the love of the Father in them (1Jo 2:15), which is not a contradiction (because a contradiction is a lie, and God cannot lie, Tts 1:2), but rather, there are two different uses of the word 'love' in Scripture.
The first type of love is that which we should have towards the world, namely, good will towards others, which is the fulfilling of the law and prophets (Mark 12:31), to do for others as we would do for ourselves (Mat 7:12), even when we do not have affections for them, and that is the same love that God has towards the world, even towards His enemies, which He also commands for His church to love our enemies in the same way. (Mat 5:43-45) The second type of love is a general one that expresses affection towards something, in that the person or thing excites feelings of desire or gratification, and this second type of love we ought not to have for the world because it is filled with the lusts of the flesh and the pride of life, which is not of the Father. (1Jo 2:15-17) Therefore, the Holy Spirit will work in the born again saints a love of good will towards others, which is not to say that those who are not of Christ cannot occasionally express good will, but the world has no good will towards the true church of Jesus Christ, being enemies at odds against us (Jms 4:4), while we love and cherish the church because it is filled with brethren who have been regenerated by the Holy Ghost, and who live according to the same principles of love in all things. (Heb 6:10)
Joy is a passion that is excited by something the mind is delighted by, which can be expressed for things good or evil, depending on the person. The world will take joy in sin, but for those of us born again in Christ, we have joy in the things of God, like the justification of saving grace in Jesus Christ, the gift of repentance (i.e. godly sorry of our sins), the blessings of peace in the mind and heart of the faithful, the unity of the church in the Spirit of God (Eph 4:3), the coming gifts of eternal happiness in heaven, the physical and philosophical prosperity of the brethren, etc.
Peace is not meant in the sense of the opposite of warfare, although it can be applied to that concept, in which men war over sinful or trivial matters, causing suffering for many, but rather, this is peace in the sense that a man lives and speaks in harmony with his conscience. When a man lives and speaks in opposition to his conscience, he is in constant inward pain and agony, and uses all sorts of worldly methods of physical pleasure (e.g. food, drink, fornication, etc) to distract him from the internal conflict, but when a man has been regenerated by the Holy Ghost, and is set in agreement with his conscience, it creates an inward peace that few men understand. (Mat 7:14)
Longsuffering has the same quality as patience, which is the suffering of afflictions, pain, mockings, rejections, provocation, or any other evil that is brought against us with a calm, gentle endurance that comes from a submission to the will of our Lord Jesus Christ, and constitutional fortitude that increases with practice over the course of our lives. However, where longsuffering differs from patience is in the word itself, which is a patience that is stretched out over a long period of time, which reflects the longsuffering God has towards mankind because He is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to godly sorrow of their sins so they can be saved. (2Pe 3:9)
Goodness is quite obviously a natural biproduct of the Holy Spirit, since God is the essence of good, and He is the standard by which all moral actions are measured to order to determine if there is any good in them. Goodness encompasses any acts of kindness and charity which is exercised, but is perfected in excellence when incorporated with the Gospel of Christ, which is the ultimate form of goodness, by which one considers the needs of a man's soul to be of utmost importance (Pro 11:30), just as Christ taught us and showed us by His example. (Mat 4:3-4)
Faith in general is belief, in which a man trusts in a particular account, resting on the authority and credibility of the speaker or writer. All men have faith in things, or in people, even in false gods (of which there are many, and false Christs many), but the faith that is in the Lord Jesus Christ is significant because it is a gift that is authored in us by Him (Heb 12:2), which means it must be listed among the fruits of the Spirit, which is not just a simple belief that Christ lived, died on the cross, and rose from the dead, but a faith that embraces the truth of His Word, and leads us to profess the truth to men of its authenticity, that they would be given the same gifts of grace.
[v23] Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
Meekness is another fruit of the Holy Spirit, and it is shown by humility and a lowliness of mind, in which a man does not consider himself to be glorious, and rejects the pridefulness of self-esteem. Those who are meek live without the pride of heart that is so commonly found among men, being thankful for the gifts and blessings of God in all things, daily living by relying on the grace and mercies of the Lord Jesus Christ.(Read "The Biblical Understanding of Pride" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)
Temperance is the general concept of moderation, in which a man will discipline himself concerning his natural appetites and passions. For example, all men have natural for desires to eat, but while some men eat without restraint in order to fulfill the lusts of the flesh, subjecting themselves willingly to the sin of gluttony, those who have the Spirit of God are given conviction in their spirits to adjust their habits to moderate levels. Those who have the Spirit of God show the fruits of the Holy Spirit in moderation of many things, such as food, drink, mirth, music, sexual enjoyment within a marriage, and many other such things, which God created for men to enjoy, but without discipline of restraint, the works of the flesh will lead men to sin. (1Co 9:27)
There is no law against any of these characteristics because the law is in perfect accordance to them, having full agreement with God to be holy and just. These attributes are praised and revered by the law, because they are the end and fulfillment of its purpose, and one who is led by the Spirit of God to have these fruits have no need to be under the law, nor do they have anything to fear from the curses and condemnation of it.
[v24] And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
That is, those who openly profess Christ at this time, and this must be specified because those who are Christ's, but have not yet been born again, have not yet crucified the flesh, even though they will in due time. This is not to say that a Christian will not sin, nor be tempted unto sin, nor that the flesh is not still focused on fulfilling lusts, but rather, Paul is saying that those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh in the sense that they have been freed from the chains of sin that bind them to it, meaning that our Spirits have been freed from the bondage of sin, that we are no longer caged by the passions and lusts of the flesh, and can now follow and serve Christ through the strength and understanding we are given by the Holy Ghost.[v25] If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
The Spirit of God, by the will of the Father and the sacrifice of the Son, has freed us from the law, sin, and death, and our spirits are made alive by His power. Therefore, because we have been given such things, we ought to walk (i.e. live our lives) in accordance to the things of the Spirit, which is done by being faithful to the Lord God in all things, relying on the help of Christ and the Holy Spirit for our needs, working hard to set a good example and be charitable to others, studying His Word and adjusting our lives to it, and relying on His Word to guide us in all matters of religion (Jms 1:27) and philosophy (Col 2:8), which affects everything we say and do.[v26] Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.
Vain glory is the boasting of oneself, in which a man would think himself superior intellect, wisdom, wealth, rank, title, or any other like thing of which mankind highly esteems and applauds, and so Paul reminds us that we ought not to be desirous of such things because, in the end, mankind worship those things, instead of the Christian God of the Bible who created them in the first place, which is essentially the same concept as worshiping and serving the creature more than the creator. (Rom 1:25) We ought not to provoke (i.e. to excite or to cause) others in the church to anger that will lead to contention, but provoke them unto good works in Christ (Heb 10:24), and when one has been given the gifts intellect, wisdom, wealth, rank, or title, we should rejoice with them as brethren, and not envy them, from which confusion and evil works are created. (Jms 3:16, 1Co 14:33)Chapter 6
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[v1] Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.
At the end of the previous chapter, Paul mentioned the sin of envy, which brings about confusion and evil works, and then continues to instruct the brethren of the church that if a man is overtaken in such a fault, meaning that he is unaware of his faults and has been taken into the snare of Satan (2Ti 2:24-26), we who are spiritual, in that we walk according to the Spirit of God (as Paul pointed out at the end of the last chapter), should approach the matter in meekness and humilty, remembering our own sins first, and knowing that we have done many wrong things, we handle the matter with a gentleness that we would handle a wound, to restore the injury, that it may be healed. When these wrong things are said and done by other Christians, we ought to take careful notice of those things, and judge ourselves in truth (1Co 11:31), so we would examine our hearts (2Co 13:5), and be prepared to resist any temptation to come under the same sins as those who had come under Satan's trap.[v2] Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.
The primary context in this passage is the burden of sins, which is not meant in the sense of taking sins on ourselves, or to remove them for others, which only Christ can do (1Jo 3:5, but rather, to rebuke and reprove with all longsuffering (2Ti 4:2), meaning that we bring this understanding with gentleness and meekness. To put it another way, the goal is to lift the weight of the burden a Christian is carrying, not jump on their back to weigh him down even further. Thus, by doing so, the law of Christ is fulfilled, not that sinful men have fulfilled the law as Christ did, but that we are obedient to Christ's commandment to love our neighbor as ourselves (Jms 2:8), which is a blow to the corrupt doctrines of the false teachers in Galatia, and of the many works-based religious cults today, because not only was this a commandment of the Lord Jesus Christ, but the Holy Ghost taught this commandment in the law of Moses. (Lev 19:18)[v3] For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.
Envy has a foundational basis in men thinking more of themselves than they, meaning that a man cannot have anything of himself, he cannot do anything of himself, nor can he gain salvation of himself because he must rely on the graces of the Lord God to have anything, and therefore, "he is nothing" without Christ, owing the regeneration of his soul, the preservation of his life, and even his ability to think on such things, to the Living God. Anyone who believes he is more than dust and ashes of the earth (Gen 18:27, Job 42:6) deceives himself, meaning that he fools himself into thinking he is anything, willingly blind to the fact that all we have are gifts of grace from God the Father.[v4] But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.
Again, in the context of envy, every man should be concerned with his own work in humility, examining himself and showing the truth of his heart and his philosophy through his actions, letting the proof of his work speak for itself. This means that a man will rejoice in his own work, and not rejoice based on the work of others, or more specifically, he will not rejoice based on the merits or fruits of someone else's labor, and that he would have no need to compare his own deeds with others (as wicked men often do), or that if he does compare them with others, it is only inwardly, meaning that he compares his own works to others in order to judge himself to make sure that his works match the standards of charity and work ethic that Christ has set for us.[v5] For every man shall bear his own burden.
All men are held accountable to their own works, whether they be sinful works of the flesh, which will be revealed on the Day of Judgement (Rom 2:16), and they will have to answer to God for them, or charitable works according to the fruits of the Spirit of God, by which a man, if he has been born again in the Lord Jesus Christ, will receive reward from Christ for his good deeds. (Mat 16:27) No matter what men do, everyone will be individually held accountable to his or her own actions, and not the actions of anyone else.[v6] Let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things.
Those who are "taught in the word" can mean many different things, but it must be distinguished from those who claim that to be "taught in the word" in the sense that one must have attended a college or seminary in order to get a degree, because most often today, such things are only a show for pretense, in that those who have attended such schools are no different from the Pharisees who had the same type of schools, and taught their students corrupt doctrines. Rather, this is meant in the sense of one who has been taught the Word of God, which can indicate one who was taught by a teacher who was given gifts of wisdom from the Lord God to understand the Gospel of Christ, or it could also mean something more direct, in which one has been given gifts of understanding from the Holy Spirit through individual study of the Word of God.In this context, being "taught in the word" is referring to those who have listened to the true and genuine preaching of the Word of God from someone who has been given wisdom and understanding of it, and Paul is reminding Christians that, if they will love their neighbor as themselves, they should consider those who preach the Word, and be charitable to them by giving to them worldy substances (i.e. time, supplies, food, money, etc) for their needs, remembering that the study and preaching of the Word of God is not a trivial matter, nor is it a light amount of work (except by those wolves who take advantage of churchgoers for money, for they are often lazy in comparison to the true preachers of Christ), remembering that in many instances, those who preach of the Gospel of Christ should live of the gospel (1Co 9:14), meaning that they should have some earthly reward for their hard work, that they may provide for their families as well.
[v7] Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
The false preachers of Galatia were envious of the apostles, who not only had the gifts of miracles, but also had many who laid much of their goods and money at their feet, even though they took very little (if any) for themselves, and so Paul warned the brethren not to be deceived by these men, nor taken in by the philosophical confusions they brought to them by their selfish jealousy. The Lord God, in His great patience, allows false preachers to mock the saints of God who preach the truth, but God is not mocked in the same way, meaning that they might be able to deceive some men into their false doctrines by mocking the true preachers of Christ, but they cannot deceive God.In the context of this chapter, Paul is referring to those men who would corrupt the minds of those in the church, not only redirecting communications (i.e. giving) unto themselves, but also to prevent others who were teaching the truth of Christ from receiving those communications which they ought to have for the benefit of their households. This also means that these false preachers take no thought to the needs of the true preachers of Christ, withholding from Christ's ministers that which due to them for their work, which, as Paul points out, God considers to be mocking of His children, having such arrogance, that they believe no evil will befall them for their teasing of the saints.
[v8] For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.
This is not to say that a man should not care for his basic physical needs, nor is it to say that we should not care for the physical needs of others, because mankind must have basics of food, drink, clothing, and shelter, but rather, Paul is speaking of the carnal lusts. When a man spends his time and money focusing on the lusts of the flesh, to satisfy himself according to the pleasures of this world, doing works (either of the flesh, or some works that seem outwardly good with hidden intent) for the purpose of increasing his own worldly riches and the preeminence (i.e. high respect and honor) he can gain from others, while ignoring the tenants of the Gospel of Christ and the needs of the poor, then he will also reap the corruption of such things, which decay over time, and he will, one day, find himself cursed in this world, and without repentance and faith in Christ, he will reap everlasting destruction after this life.On the other hand, a man who spends his time and money promoting the spiritual things of God, whether that is alms to the poor and needy, the edification of the church, financial and volunteer assistance in spreading the Gospel of Christ, supporting the ministers of Christ, etc, will receive everlasting life in eternity. This is not to be taken in the sense that one must work to attain eternal life because that is a gift given by the grace of God through the Lord Jesus Christ (Eph 2:8-9, John 5:24), but rather, with the gift of eternal life also comes the ability to do good works that will earn rewards in heaven (Mat 5:10-12), wherein are many mansions (John 14:2), and other things which our eyes have never seen, nor have our ears ever heard. (1Co 2:9)
[v9] And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
Knowing these things, and having the mind of Christ, as well as the blessings of the Holy Spirit, we should not be fatigued and worn down from doing good, either by keeping of the commandments of Christ, or by charitable works unto men (both of which are synonymous). The world will gain be fatigued by such well doing because they have no motivation to do good, other than to appease their own emotions (which is why much of the giving from the world is based on emotion instead reason, and is also why so many people are scammed by ministries and charities who are taking advantage of them without actually giving much to the causes they claim to be helping), but we have the motivation that comes from our eternal home with our Lord Jesus Christ, and much reward will be given for our hard work in that day, wherefore we operate on the philosophy of delayed gratification, doing the work now as an investment into reward later.[v10] As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.
We should do the good works that Jesus Christ taught us unto all men (e.g. Jew or Gentile, male or female, saved or unsaved), "as we have opportunity," or in other words, as we have resources or ability to do good because we cannot be charitable to our neighbors if we have nothing to be charitable with, so we must work to build, grow, produce, and create, so we can help others. Paul emphasizes the importance of doing good for those "of the household of faith," meaning those who are born again in Christ and members of the church, which is not limited to the local church of which we are members, but all the church as a whole, some giving more and some giving less, depending on the blessings with which God has prospered each of us. (1Co 16:2)[v11] Ye see how large a letter I have written unto you with mine own hand.
Paul had trouble with his eyesight in the later years of his life, and therefore, he had dictated letters to others, like Tertius and Timothy, who wrote down the words for him. However, in this instance, Paul wrote this letter by hand, and though it was not longest he ever wrote, it was quite lengthy, which showed his care for them because he took the time to reason these matters out with them, and they would have recognized not only his words and phrasings (since they were intimately familiar with his style as their teacher), but likely, they would have also recognized his handwriting.[v12] As many as desire to make a fair shew in the flesh, they constrain you to be circumcised; only lest they should suffer persecution for the cross of Christ.
Paul is referring to the false teachers within the church, who did their best to put on an outward show to please men, that they would appear to be righteous on the outside, using the law in a nefarious way and for pretensious purposes, condemning those who held fast their faith in Christ, while boasting of their perceived self-righteousness. The persecution from the Jews was heavy at that time, and the false teachers, that they might avoid persecution (because tribulation and persecution for the sake of Christ is offensive to false preachers, Mat 13:20-21), pressured Christians to be circumcised, looking for praise from the Jews that would benefit them in fame and fortune (i.e. sowing to the flesh), rather than looking for praise from the Lord Jesus Christ for well doing.[v13] For neither they themselves who are circumcised keep the law; but desire to have you circumcised, that they may glory in your flesh.
Whether Jew or Gentile, those who preach circumcision, for the alleged purpose of "keeping the law," are hypocrites because it is impossible for a man to keep the whole of the law (Jms 2:10, Rom 3:23), but for pretense, they claim to do keep the law, which we know (thanks to the understanding God has given us through His Word) that they do not keep, and also assert that we all are required to keep it as well, which often means that they will put more pressure on others than they do on themselves. (Mat 23:4) Worse still, those false preachers wanted the church under the bondage of the law, not for the church's benefit, but for their own, that they might have praise from the Jews when they show the Jews how many converts they have acquired, so they can increase their own fame and glory.[v14] But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.
Paul points out that he has nothing to boast of, which is the truth for all mankind, namely, that none of us have anything to boast about in our wretched state, but rather, the only thing we can boast of in this life is if we have been given the gifts of repentance and faith unto salvation in Jesus Christ. Therefore, because of our salvation in Christ, and that we have been given the regeneration of our spirits by the Holy Ghost, we see the world in the same way as one who was crucified, meaning that he did not take any pleasure to look upon the body of a dead man who was rotting away on a piece of wood, and likewise, the world looked upon Paul in the same way, having disgust and disdain for Paul, without affection or love, because they chose to reject the humility of repentance to follow their own lusts, hopelessly relying on their own works to save them. (Heb 10:11)[v15] For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.
For those who have been born again through repentance and faith in Christ, circumcision has no profit, not in privilege, reward, or justification, and the same applies to uncircumcision. We who are of Christ have been made new creatures, which is not to say that we are given new material bodies because our flesh remains the same as it was born into this world, but we have been made new creatures in our spirits, and therefore, just as the body relies on the material components of the world (like food, drink, clothing, and shelter) in order to survive, the spirit that has been made new in Christ must rely on the Lord God, the Almighty over all spiritual things, to provide grace continually for the preservation of our souls.[v16] And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.
Those who do not live, speak, and act according the grace of Christ will have great difficulty in this world, and will suffer everlasting fire for eternity, but those who do "walk according to this rule," which is the principle of grace and liberty, Paul wishes the peace and mercy of God, and He emphasizes that this is the God of Israel, so those in Galatia who are of Jewish lineage will take note and be reminded of the Lord God's glorious identity, perfect character, and supreme will in all things. (Deut 32:4)[v17] From henceforth let no man trouble me: for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.
Paul was expressing to the Galatians that they should not allow anyone in the church to trouble him on this matter any further, because not only should he have not been forced to address this matter in the first place (although it was done for our benefit, many generations from then) because it was taught to them so thoroughly, and they had believe on the truth of Christ's grace and liberty, but that Paul so thoroughly answered the point that he, through the gifts and inspiration of the Holy Spirit, destroyed the works-based philosophy and doctrines of the false preachers who were leading them astray. Therefore, anyone who would question the grace and liberty of Christ should be referred back to this epistle, and I would suggest the same for anyone today who believes that they must keep the Old Testament law because, as Paul pointed out, he bore the stripes and beatings from the persecution of Jews, even unto death, from their works-based religious cults, all for the sake of the Lord Jesus Christ and His doctrine, that as many as possible might hear the Gospel of the salvation.[v18] Brethren, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.
Paul reminds Galatia that they were brethren together in the spiritual family of Christ. He wished and prayed for God's grace upon them, not just in physical needs, but in their spirits, that their spirits would increase in understanding, the Spirit of God would use them to bless others with understanding of the Gospel of salvation in Jesus Christ with the doctrine of grace and liberty. Paul adds, "Amen," meaning "truly," which is a declaration that all which was written in this letter is the truth of the Holy Spirit unto the church, that we might learn and grow from it.
