About Jesus Steve Sweetman

About Jesus - Steve (Stephen) Sweetman

No Other
Gospel

my commentary on Paul's
letter to the Galatians

Unless otherwise stated, the Biblical text used and quoted for this commentary is the Christian Standard Bible (CSB) as seen in the authorization statement below.

Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

Table Of Contents

Preface

Introduction

Overview Of The Letter

Definitions Of Words And Concepts

The Abrahamic And Mosaic Covenants

I have rewritten this, my commentary on Paul's letter to the Galatian Christians, in the autumn of 2021. I originally penned this commentary in 2003 but feel that it needs an upgrade. For me, this book of our Bible is significant. Both Paul's letter to the Galatians and Romans set forth the gospel of Jesus more than any other book of the Bible, and thus, it is my opinion that both of these letters need serious study by all who call themselves Christian.

To warn you in advance, because I have been legally blind since birth, because I am not a professional book editor, and because this book has not been edited by an outside source, you may find some grammatical errors, but hopefully not many. My hope and prayer is that these errors will not detract from the content of the book.

My intent in writing anything is that it will be both inspirational and instructional, in a day and era in Christianity when inspiration seems to trump instruction. Inspiration can be fleeting, but instruction, if taken to heart, can sink into your soul whereby it becomes the conviction by which you live. So, consider what you will read in the following pages as you put your heart and mind into your own personal study of God's Word.

I admit that there are more scholarly commentaries than mine, and I have benefited from them myself. That being said, I believe this commentary will be useful, especially for a new Christian who wants to understand the Bible and who has little to no Biblical education.

The reason why the apostle Paul wrote this letter to the Christians in the Roman province of Galatia was because they were in the process of embracing what Paul called "another gospel." The word "gospel" simply means good news. This other gospel was not good news, especially when comparing it with the true gospel of Christ. There is no other legitimate gospel, other than the gospel of Jesus, and thus, I have titled this commentary "No Other Gospel."

Introduction

The Galatian People

In and around BC 278 a cultural people group called the Gauls migrated from southern Europe to the Northern shores of what we know as modern-day Turkey . In BC 232 their state became known as Galatia . In BC 25 Galatia became a Roman province. The geographical boundaries of Galatia had changed during the first century BC and AD, which in part, has caused some difficulties to know exactly the recipients of this letter. Nevertheless, Galatia was in what is presently known as the nation of Turkey .

When Paul wrote this letter, he was writing to a number of local churches in various cities within the province of Galatia . We should also understand that each city had one church, one community of believers, that was cared for by a body of elders.

The northern part of Galatia is where most of the Gauls lived, although some did migrate to the south as well. The Gauls who resided in the north were agriculturally orientated by occupation. The southern part of the province had a major east west road crossing through many cities along its path. This area in the south was the economic heart of Galatia , mainly due to this road that made for easy travel and commerce. There was also more than Gauls living in the southern region. Romans, Greeks, Jews, and other eastern people could also be found in this more prosperous part of Galatia .

There have been two major trains of thought concerning just what Galatian people to whom Paul was writing. Some say he was writing to the northern Galatians, which would have been more ethnic in nature. Others say he was writing to the southern Galatians which would have included non-ethnic Galatians. I tend to believe that Paul was writing to those in southern Galatia , but again, I cannot be conclusive in my view point, and really, no matter what geographical area this letter was directed to, it does not detract from its content. The question of the location of the recipients of this letter is still a topic of debate.

The Galatian Churches

Most of the churches in Galatia were found in the southern parts of Galatia , that is, in the bigger cities. We note that Paul visited this area of the Roman Empire , as recorded in Acts 18:23.

"After spending some time there, he set out, traveling through one place after another in the region of Galatia and Phrygia , strengthening all the disciples."

According to many Bible scholars, it is a common belief that most all of the churches established by Paul in Galatia were roughly along the empire-long road that I mentioned about earlier. Paul would lead people to the Lord in the major cities, establish the church in those cities, and then link them all with smaller town churches that could be found along the network of Roman roads.

The churches of Galatia first consisted of Jewish Christians. Many Jews had been scattered throughout this part of the empire over the centuries because of the Jews being conquered by other ethnic peoples. Also, some Christian Jews migrated to this part of the empire because of persecution by the orthodox Jews in Judea .

As a result of Paul’s trips through the region, many Gentiles became Christians as well. These Gentiles did not have the same Jewish heritage that the Jews had. Some Jewish Christians still believed that obedience to the Law of Moses was necessary for the salvation of both Jews and Gentiles, and that created conflict in the first generation church which Paul addressed in this letter.

The Judaizers

The word "Judaizers" is a derivative of the word "Judaism," which was, and still is, the name of the Jewish religion.

When studying Galatians from various Bible teachers, you might come across the word "Judaizers." We should take note of who the Judaizers are in the Galatian churches as they are often called. I mention them because there are a few trains of thought concerning just who these men were. I personally believe they were the false teachers as seen in Galatians 1:6 through 9 who taught what Paul called another gospel. This other gospel promoted the idea that one had to be in obedience to the Law of Moses to be saved. This was in addition to the gospel of Christ that stated obedience to Jesus alone, and nothing else, was how one was saved.

These men could have been, and probably were, the spies we read about in chapter 2, verse 4. If they were in fact these spies, they probably were not true Christians because they would have compromised the gospel.

Over the years I've tended to understand the Judaizers to be the false prophets Paul was coming against in his letter, and I still tend to believe this. However, some Bible teachers believe the Judaizers were real Christians, men like Peter, James, John, and many other Jewish Christians, who simply did not fully comprehend Paul's teaching concerning how a New Testament Christian is to understand the Old Testament Law of Moses.

I will avoid using the term Judaizers in this commentary because the word is not found in the text, and because there is more than one way of viewing who these men were.

The theme of the letter

The basic point to Paul's letter to the Galatian Christians concerned what he called "human effort," that is, adding our own human, man-made, rules and concepts to what Jesus did for us on the cross. In the particular case Paul was addressing, these additions concerned obeying the Law of Moses. Paul strongly maintained that when it comes to salvation, it's all about Jesus and nothing else. For further clarification on this issue you can read my books entitled "Clarifying Biblical Interpretation" and "Understanding The Old Testament as New Testament Christians."

In my thinking, there are four groups of people spoken of in this Galatian letter. There is Paul and his associates who preached the gospel of Christ, without any additions. There were the leaders of the Jerusalem church who struggled over Paul's exclusion of the Law of Moses from the gospel of Christ. There were the Galatian Christians who were caught between the true gospel and the false gospel. Then, there were the false teachers, who are often called Judaizers, who taught that Gentiles had to become Jews, get circumcised, and obey the Law of Moses in order to be saved.

Date and Authorship

It appears that Paul wrote this letter to the Galatians himself, although some scholars suggest that he just wrote the last chapter himself and not the whole letter. For the most part, Paul dictated most of his letters for someone else to write.

Paul wrote this letter sometime between AD 48 and AD 56. From my understanding, I tend to believe, and it is a belief, this letter was written around AD 48. If Paul wrote this letter after his first missionary trip, this letter would have been written in and around AD 48. If he wrote this letter after his second or third trip, then you date this Galatian letter around AD 54 to 56. More and more, scholars are dating Galatians as AD 48 for various good reasons that I won't get into here.

The letter to the Galatians is understood to be the first letter that Paul wrote. It is also the earliest dated book of our New Testament. It was written before the four gospel accounts, before Acts, and before all of the books in the New Testament. It shows us that the Christian community struggled with issues from the very beginning.

About Paul And The Gospel

I would like to say something about Paul at this point. It's my thinking, as Moses was to God's people in Old Testament times, so the apostle Paul is to God's people in New Testament times. Both men were well educated. Both men met the Lord on a personal basis, in a very dramatic way. Both men were instructed by God to relate His will to His people in their respective era. Both men were instrumental in formulating theology to their respective audience. So, as I always say, "If Paul got things wrong, as Christians, we are in a most major mess", and that because, more than anyone else in the Bible, including Jesus, Paul defined the Christian gospel and theology for us. That is the case because of the volume of revelations Paul received from Jesus.

There is also a practical matter to this as well. Jesus did not define the gospel as clearly as Paul because that which makes up the gospel truth was not fully accomplished until His ascension, and really, we should probably include the Day of Pentecost found in Acts 2. The giving of the Holy Spirit to the believer is part of the gospel message. So, for this practical reason, Paul could define the gospel much clearer than Jesus. Besides, I do not believe that Jesus' existence on earth was meant to define the gospel. The reason for His earthly existence was about doing that which was necessary to bring salvation to the world, and that meant dying on the cross, and rising from death.

It's obvious from Scripture that Jesus chose Paul to both define the gospel and preach the gospel. Paul was the first New Testament theologian and he was one very special person. He and his teaching has not only shaped the church as we know it today, he and his teaching has shaped the western world as we know it today as well. A close study of history over the last two thousand years will show that Paul's influence on western culture has shaped much of western thought.

Although all books in the Bible are important, the letter to the Galatians is very important for the Christian. It gives, in a concise form, the essentials of the gospel of Jesus and how it is to be worked out in both our lives as Christians and the life of the church. It is a shorter version of the book of Romans. The book of Galatians, more than any other book in the Bible, was that which spurred on the period of history known as the Reformation. To fully understand what it means to be a disciple of Jesus, one must understand both the book of Galatians and the book of Romans. Both of these books are what I call "thinking people's books" because to understand their content, it requires serious thought, something many Christians these days are not willing to take the time to do.

For more about Paul, you can read my book entitled, "Who Was Paul?"

Overview Of The Letter

You could say that Paul's letter to the Galatian Christians is divided into three sections. Chapter one and two are introductory in nature. Verses one through five is a culturally acceptable greeting to a letter of the day. Verses six through ten provides the reason for the letter, that is, to debunk false teaching that was inflicting the churches of Galatia . Verse eleven through to chapter two verse ten is a reminder that Paul is a qualified and credible man of God to make his assertions in the letter. Chapter two, verse eleven through to the end of chapter two, provides us with a prime example of the false teaching that had infiltrated the church that Paul used as a springboard to the next two chapters of this letter.

Chapters three and four are theological in nature. They counteract, what Paul called a false gospel, with a variety of Biblical and logical arguments. Paul sets forth his position by first telling the Galatian Christians that they are being demonized by a false gospel. Once he portrays these people as being foolish and stupid, he proceeds to back up his theology with a hermeneutical approach to the Old Testament, the Abrahamic Covenant, the Law of Moses, and, God's original intention as seen in the Old Testament that salvation is a matter of God's grace and not our works of the Law.

Chapters five and six are practical chapters showing the Galatians, and us too, how to live as New Testament believers who have been considered to be in right standing before God based on His grace bestowed upon us.

Definition Of Words And Concepts

The following are definitions of a few specific words and concepts that you will read in Paul's letter to the Galatians. It helps to have some understanding of these words and concepts before you encounter them in the letter.

Christ

The word "Christ" is translated into English from the Greek word "christos." Christos means "anointed one." This word was not a religious word in the first-century, Greco-Roman, world. If someone was installed into a specific role in the community, let us say as a judge, he could have been considered a "christos."

When thinking of Jesus as being the Christos, or the Anointed One, He was so designated by God His Father to fulfill His Messianic role and mission while He was on earth.

The Old Testament Hebrew word "meshiyach" is translated into English as "Messiah." This Hebrew word is synonymous with the Greek word "christos" and our English word "Christ." In John 1:32 we note that Jesus was publically declared to be the Christ, or the Messiah, when John the Baptist baptized Him in water. This public declaration was made by the voice from heaven when the Holy Spirit came upon Jesus.

Sin

The word "sin" is translated from the Greek word "hamartia." This word means "to miss the mark." Although there are a few definitions of sin that can be found in the Bible, due to the meaning of "hamartia" as being missing the mark, the fundamental definition of sin is "to miss the mark for all that God requires us to do and to be."

The apostle Paul expressed this meaning of sin in Romans 3:23 when he said that all of us have sinned by falling short of the glory of God. Falling short of God's glory in our lives means "to miss the mark" of His glory.

Righteousness

The Greek word "dikalos" is translated as "righteous" in the New Testament. Evangelical Christians often understand righteousness in terms of good moral or ethical behaviour, and that it is. When thinking of righteousness in those terms, we consider one who is righteous as one who lives a good, moral, or ethical lifestyle. There is, however, a more fundamental understanding of righteousness than that.

The most fundamental definition of righteousness is "to be in right standing." As righteousness pertains to a Christian's relationship with God, one is righteous when God declares him to be in right standing with Himself. Righteousness, then, is a status that is given to, or conferred on, the believer from God. From this status, the secondary meaning of righteousness is better understood. One who has been declared righteous by God, is expected, with the empowering assistance of the Holy Spirit, to live as one who has the status of being righteous.

More often than not, Evangelical Christians have put the cart before the horse, so to speak, on this matter. We have stressed righteousness as one being morally and ethically good. This puts the emphasis on doing works that make us morally and ethically good. It makes one feel that he must be doing good works to maintain one's right standing before God. It de-emphasizes, or even neglects, the presupposition that the one who is expected to live righteously has first been declared righteous. He has been declared righteous by nothing he has done. This declaration is a free gift based on God's grace and trusting the One who has given the gift, and this is the basis on which Paul wrote his letter to the Galatian Christians.

Forgive

The Greek word "aphiemi" is translated into English as "forgive." This was not a religious word in the first-century, Greco-Roman, world. It was an accounting term used in every-day business practices. This word meant to delete a financial debt that one owed to another.

In Christian terms, forgiveness is the process by which the debt of our sin is deleted from God's records. It is important to know that all sin, no matter who is the victim of the sin, is considered to be a sin against God. Our sin incurs a debt that we owe to God. It is for this reason that the CSB, the KJV, and other versions of the Bible, expresses sin as a debt in the Lord's Prayer. See Matthew 6:12. "Forgive our debts" in the Lord's Prayer means "forgive our sins." It means to delete all sins associated with us from the heavenly record.

Love

There are many Greek words that can be translated into English as love, each having their own distinct meaning. The Greek word that is consistently used throughout the New Testament is the Greek word "agape." This word stresses the sacrificial nature of true love.

In Christian terms, Jesus sacrificed His earthly life on the cross for our benefit. His death was the ultimate act of sacrificial love ever seen, or ever will be seen, in human history. It is this sacrificial love that the Bible says must be demonstrated among the Christian believers.

The word "agape" went out of general usage in the first-century, Greco-Roman world, so, Christians adopted the word "agape" to refer to God's selfless love. It is for this reason that Christians today tend to understand the Greek word "agape" to mean God's love.

Justice

In our modern-day, western-world concept of legal justice, the process of exercising justice is based on legislation, law, and legal precedent. You might think that God's justice is also based on legislation, law, and legal precedent that have been set forth in Scripture. I do not believe that to be the case. God exercises His justice based on His nature. He, by virtue of who He is, is just, and for that reason, He pronounces just decrees.

We claim that God is love, and that He is. In like manner, we should also claim that God is just. He is the epitome of justice. It is for this reason that God does not exercise justice based on legislation, law, or legal precedent. He bases His acts of justice on who He is, and who He is, without any hint of prejudice, is perfectly just.

Justification

Justification is the process by which God has declared those who have accepted Jesus' offer of forgiveness of sin to be righteous, just as He Himself is righteous. The apostle Paul was the New Testament author who expounded upon this doctrine in his letters to the Romans and to the Galatians.

The doctrine of justification was lost from much of Christian theology during the period of history known as the Dark Age of church history. This period was roughly from 400 AD to 1500 AD. It was Martin Luther (born 1483 - died 1586) and other Reformation theologians in the sixteenth-century who, at least in part, began to restore the doctrine of justification to its New Testament meaning.

Initial Salvation

I understand the Bible to speak of salvation in terms of a process. The New Testament's concept of personal salvation can be seen in three distinct verb tenses. They are as follows: I was saved. I am being saved, and, I will be saved. When thinking in terms of being saved at one point in time, that is a process, which consists of repentance, faith, and the reception of the Holy Spirit into one's life. That process, I call "initial salvation." Others may call it "being born again," or "being converted," or, other such wordings. Initial salvation is the point in which one gets saved, and enters the life-long process of salvation that finds its completion, when as the apostle John said, "we will be like Jesus" at His return to earth (1 John 3:2).

The Abrahamic And Mosaic Covenants

It is important to know that the Law of Moses, also known as the Mosaic Covenant, is a separate and distinct covenant from the Abrahamic Covenant. This is something that confuses many. They think that the Mosaic Covenant is actually an extension of the Abrahamic Covenant when it is not. The two covenants, or agreements, are both separate and distinctly different.

God promised Abraham many things which we read in the Book of Genesis. Some of these promises were directed to Abraham, others were directed to his descendents, the Jews, or Israel . Still others were directed to one specific descendent, who Christians believe is Jesus. For a detailed study on the Abrahamic Covenant, you can read my book entitled "The Irrevocable Promises" (the Abrahamic Covenant).

The one thing I want to distinguish between the Abrahamic Covenant and the Mosaic Covenant is this. The Abrahamic Covenant was an unconditional agreement. God promised Abraham and his descendents certain things and He would keep His promises no matter how Abraham or his descendents responded to Him. This is clearly seen in Genesis, chapter 15, where we read about the ratification of the Abrahamic Covenant. God put Abraham to sleep when the covenant was ratified. Abraham was not even awake to agree with, or sign onto, the covenant stipulations as would have been the normal practice. In other words, God covenanted, or agreed, with Himself to do certain things for Abraham and His descendents, no matter what. He did not make an agreement with Abraham as many think. Genesis 15:12 says this:

"As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him."

The Mosaic Covenant, on the other hand, was a covenant or an agreement that was between both God and the Jews. It was conditioned upon both parties, God and the Jews, living up to the stipulations of the covenant. If the Jews defaulted on their responsibilities stipulated in the covenant, then certain curses would come on them. These curses can be seen in Deuteronomy, chapter 28.

Exodus 19:8 tells us that the Jews vowed before God that they would keep the covenant. This shows us that the Mosaic Covenant is a conditional covenant between God and the Jews. The verse reads:

"The people all responded together, 'We will do everything the LORD has said.' So Moses brought their answer back to the LORD."

The point I am making in this chapter is that if you do not understand that the Abrahamic Covenant and the Mosaic Covenant are two separate and distinct covenants, you will not fully understand what you read in the New Testament when it speaks of the Abrahamic Covenant, the Mosaic Covenant, or the New Covenant. Here is an example of what I am talking about. Galatians 3:13 and 14 speak of both these covenants, but, you might miss it if you don't understand that they are two separate and distinct covenants. Those verses read:

"Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: 'Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.' He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit."

Paul wrote that Jesus delivered us from the curse of the Law by becoming its curse. Jesus became that curse on the cross. The curse in verse 13 is the curse stipulated in the Law of Moses, the Mosaic Covenant. We know this because the Mosaic Covenant stated that if the Jews did not keep their end of the covenant the curses of the agreement would come on them. There were no curses associated with the Abrahamic Covenant because it, unlike the Mosaic Covenant, was an unconditional agreement. As I stated earlier, you can read these curses in Deuteronomy, chapter 28. Beyond this, the specific law Paul stated, that being, "cursed is everyone who hangs on a pole," is found in Deuteronomy 21:22 and 23, and that is stipulated in the Law of Moses.

The point Paul made here is that Jesus delivered us from the curses of the Mosaic Covenant so that we could receive the blessings of the Abrahamic Covenant. In other words, Jesus delivered us from the conditional covenant, the Mosaic Covenant, in order for us to benefit from the unconditional covenant, the Abrahamic Covenant. You would not fully understand what Paul was talking about in this passage if you did not have some understanding of both the Abrahamic Covenant and the Mosaic Covenant as being two separate and distinct covenants. This is yet one more important issue that needs to be understood if you are going to correctly understand and interpret the Old Testament as New Testament Christians. It's also important if you want to understand what Paul taught in his letter to the Galatians.

Galatians 1:1 - 5

The Text

1 - Paul, an apostle—not from men or by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised him from the dead— ²and all the brothers who are with me: ³Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, ⁴who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father. ⁵To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

My Commentary

Verses 1 and 2

"Paul, an apostle — not from men or by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised him from the dead and all the brothers who are with me: To the churches of Galatia ."

The first word we read in this letter is the name Paul. Many people think that after his conversion to Jesus that Paul changed his name from Saul to Paul. That was not the case. Saul was his Jewish name while Paul was his Roman/Latin name. While with Jews he would have been known as Saul and while being with Gentiles he would have been known as Paul.

Paul was a Jew but he was also a Roman citizen by birth. Either his father or grandfather would have become a Roman citizen for some reason, and thus, the reason why Paul was born a Roman citizen, as stated in Acts 22:25 through 27 and Acts 23:27.

Acts 23:27 reads:

"When this man [Paul] had been seized by the Jews and was about to be killed by them, I arrived with my troops and rescued him because I learned that he [Paul] is a Roman citizen."

The name Paul means "little." Second century tradition states that Paul was little, balding, sunken eyed, and bull legged. Whether this is an exacta and accurate portrayal of Paul is true, we do not have one hundred percent proof of this claim.

Again, for more details on Paul, you can read my book entitled "Who Was Paul?"

The next important word we read in verse 1 is the word "apostle." The word "apostle" simply means a sent one, that is, one who is sent by someone to do something. If a wife sends her husband out to the grocery store to buy bread, he is on an apostolic mission. He is, at least for a while, an apostle.

The Greek word "apostolos" that we translate into English as apostle was a common, ordinary word in the first-century, Greco-Roman world. It only took on a religious meaning when it was written or spoken in a specific context, as it is here in verse 1.

Paul was not sent out by a wife to go to the grocery store to buy a loaf of bread. He was sent out by both Jesus and God, the Father, to accomplish his God-appointed mission in life.

Over the years there has been a debate whether the apostolic ministry ceased being a legitimate ministry after the first generation of Christians died. That is not my opinion. I do believe the apostolic ministry is a valid ministry for today. That being said, modern-day apostles, in my opinion, are on a lower level of authority than men like Paul and Peter. Paul and Peter, and the first apostles, set forth Christian theology and practice for us to follow. Today's apostles teach the first-generation apostolic teaching. They do not invent their own teaching.

You might wonder why Paul made a special note that his apostleship was not from man. The answer is simple. The Judaism of his day was purely humanistic in nature, meaning, it was man centered and not God centered. Appointments to any particular religious office of ministry in first-century Judaism had little to nothing to do with the input from God. As we will learn later in this letter, such a religion was all about "human effort," not godly effort. This is one of the main themes, if not the main theme, of this letter.

As usually was the case, Paul often linked Jesus with God the Father. This speaks to what we call the "Deity of Christ," meaning, Jesus was God in a human form when He was on earth, and, He is God in some kind of spiritual super-human form right now in heaven.

We see the title Christ here in verse 1. Christ speaks to Jesus being our Saviour. Although the title Lord is not seen here in verse 1, Jesus is in fact Lord. That means He is God, the supreme authority over all things spiritual and all things material. It is important to know and understand the meaning to the titles "Christ" and "Lord" as they apply to Jesus. The gospel message itself is wrapped up in these two titles. As Christ, Jesus offers Himself to us, while as Lord, we offer ourselves to Him. That is the Biblical gospel in the proverbial nut shall.

Both of these titles find their roots in Old Testament Judaism. The fact that Paul and the first-generation Christians preached that Jesus was both Lord and Christ was what got them in trouble with the Jewish religious establishment. The Jewish leaders refused to believe that Jesus was their Christ (Messiah) and Lord (God). They viewed their Messiah in terms of a national, earthly ruler, and that was not Jesus. Of course, that will be Jesus when He returns to earth the second time.

Note that Paul and all of the brothers with him greeted the Christians to whom this letter was penned. Paul never ministered alone. Christians are not islands unto themselves. Christians are a body of believers, or as Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 12, Christians are the Body of Christ. The term "Body of Christ" implies that since Jesus is no longer on earth in physical form, He is on earth in spiritual form, because He dwells in the corporate expression of His people, the church. In one real sense of the word, the unified Body of Christ is, in fact, the replacement body of Jesus on earth. Since Jesus is no longer on earth in physical form, He is alive and well in His new physical form, the church, that consists of individuals functioning in the place of Jesus.

This brings us to the word "churches' in verse 1. The word "church" is translated from the Greek word "ekklesia," which means, a group of people taken out of a larger group of people for a specific purpose. A fishing guild, a farmer's co-operative, the Roman Senate, the Jewish Sanhedrin, would all have been considered an ekklesia. The Greek word "ekklesia" is a good word to describe church because Jesus has taken people for Himself out of the population of the world so they can accomplish His will on earth.

Paul said that it was God, the Father, who raised Jesus from the dead. You might recall Jesus, while on the cross saying, "Why have you forsaken me?" Jesus was directing those words to God, His Father. We should know that God did not forsake Jesus at that moment of time as you might understand the word "forsake." God was in Jesus and Jesus was in God. The two are eternally inseparable, and this is a basic theological truth that a Christian must embrace. If God left Jesus, then, Jesus would no longer be divine, and that is an impossibility.

Some people believe that the very Spirit, the nature of God, left Jesus while on the cross. That is not Biblical and neither is it Biblically logical. God forsook Jesus in the sense that He stood still in silence and did not rescue Jesus from death on the cross. God let Jesus die because that was the plan all along, and both God and Jesus knew that. It was Jesus' human nature that was crying out, "Why have you forsaken me?"

We see in this verse that God did not forsake Jesus by withdrawing Himself from the human form of Jesus because it was God, as Paul wrote, who caused Jesus to rise from the dead. Again, this helps us understand the meaning to the word "forsake" that Jesus spoke to God while on the cross.

Verses 3 and 4

"Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father."

Most historians believe what Paul wrote here in verses 3 and 4 is a typical greeting in a letter that combines both the Gentile and Jewish style of writing.

In Biblical terms, the word "grace" has two meanings. The first meaning, the one that is well known, is God's unmerited love and favour directed towards us who do not deserve it. The second, not as well known meaning, is God's divine ability given to us to accomplish His will. 1 Corinthians 3:10 is an example of this second, not-as-well-known, definition of grace. It reads:

"According to God's grace that was given to me, I have laid a foundation as a skilled master builder, and another builds on it. But each one is to be careful how he builds on it."

The definition of grace meaning God's unmerited love directed to us does not fit into the meaning of what Paul wrote in the above verse. God's divine ability given to us to accomplish His will does fit the meaning to this verse. Paul had the divine ability God gave him to accomplish his God-appointed mission. He certainly needed God's divine ability because his mission was a very difficult mission to accomplish.

Paul said that since Jesus gave Himself on the cross we can now be rescued from this present evil age. The first generation church believed, as we should believe as well, that the age in which they, and us, live in, is evil. It is for this reason we must be rescued from our evil age as well. The apostle Peter said the same thing in the very first Christian sermon ever preached. Acts 2:40 reads:

"With many other words he testified and strongly urged them, saying, 'Be saved from this corrupt generation!'"

It is my thinking, that as Christians today, we do not view the world around us as being evil. We are, in fact, more in love with the world than what we want to admit, and therefore, we become like the surrounding secular culture. That, in turn, destroys the witness for Jesus we are called to be. When the church looks no different than any other organization of the world, the church fails to be the representative of Jesus we are mandated to be.

The apostle John, in 1 John 2:15 concurs with both Paul and Peter when he wrote this:

"Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him."

The word "world" in the above verse should be understood, not in terms of God's creation, but in terms of our culture. It is the same with the word "age" here in Galatians. We can love and enjoy God's creation, but our secular culture is not God's creation. It is evil and any over-participation in our culture should be avoided. We need to think in terms of being rescued from our present evil culture.

Both Paul in this verse, and Peter in that first Christian sermon ever preached, made it clear that Jesus' death has made it possible for us to be rescued from this evil age. How can that be?

From my perspective, Jesus' death is the first step of the final days of Jesus' earthly existence that has provided the means by which we can be rescued from the world. The second step would be His resurrection, when, He conquered death, and a death, although in God's will, was a product of the evil age. Beyond that, Jesus returned to heaven, where within forty days, came to live within the disciples that gave them the power to be rescued from the world around them. This is the context of Peter's remarks on the Day of Pentecost that I quoted above. After the Holy Spirit came into Peter's life, and the lives of one hundred and nineteen others, they had the power to be rescued from their present evil age. Peter said that those hearing him on that day could also be rescued as well.

Verse 5

"To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen."

The pronoun "Him" in verse 5 refers to Jesus, and it is to Jesus, that we must glorify. In New Testament terms, the word "glory" means to speak well of someone or something. All we do as Christians, must speak well of Jesus so the culture around us will see Jesus through us.

Jesus, will be continually spoken well of throughout all of eternity. That is forever, just as Paul wrote here. For those of us who will spend eternity in the presence of Jesus, our very existence, whatever that may look like, will speak well of Jesus.

Galatians 1:6 - 10

The Text

6 - I am amazed that you are so quickly turning away from him who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— ⁷not that there is another gospel, but there are some who are troubling you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. ⁸But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, a curse be on him! ⁹As we have said before, I now say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, a curse be on him! ¹⁰For am I now trying to persuade people,^] or God? Or am I striving to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.

My Commentary

Verses 6 and 7

"I am amazed that you are so quickly turning away from him who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel — not that there is another gospel, but there are some who are troubling you and want to distort the gospel of Christ."

Paul was totally amazed that these Christians were in the process of turning away from the gospel truth that they once embraced. I can picture Paul just shaking his head in confused amazement. You will see his disgust with this whole situation as we study our way through this letter.

It is difficult to really know how soon this turn from the true gospel took place. We assume that Paul wrote this letter somewhere around AD 48 or 49. This is less than fifteen years after the Day of Pentecost when the gospel was first proclaimed. It could easily have been less than two years after these Galatians gave themselves to the gospel of Christ. No wonder Paul was amazed, but that is the way it goes in the Christian world. Whenever God does something good, man and the devil jump right in to mess things up. It's been this way throughout history, and it will be this way until the day Jesus returns to straighten everything out. All you need to do is to do some research on Christian revivals and you will see that to be true. The struggle between true and false doctrine is a constant battle.

Our English verb "turning" is translated from a Greek present middle indicative verb. This means that in present time, and it was a certainty, these people were deserting the gospel based on an outside influence that they themselves were choosing to embrace. This is the first mention in Paul's letter of false teachers swaying these believers away from the truth. The middle voice of this Greek verb makes it clear that the heresy was being pushed on them from without, yet welcomed by these Christians from within them. You do not readily see this middle voice verb in our English text.

These people were not only turning away from the gospel, they were turning away from God Himself. We know that because of the word "him" in verse 6, which, contextually speaking, is in reference to God.

Note that the word "him" does not have a capital "H" in the CSB version of the Bible. The Greek language of Paul's day did not use capital letters in their writing. Understanding "him" to be in reference to God is determined, then, by the literary context. This is the way it is with all pronouns we read in the New Testament. It is the way, for example, with the word "spirit." The context must determine whether we should understand "spirit" as a human spirit or the Holy "Spirit" because there is no such thing as a capital "S" in the Greek text.

Paul said that God (him) called these people by the grace of Jesus. The pronoun "him" in this instance must be in reference to God because if it was in reference to Jesus, the sentence would not make any sense. God, through the preaching of Paul and the work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of the readers, called these people to Himself. This calling was a product of the "grace of Jesus," meaning, Jesus' sacrificial love that was demonstrated through both His life and His sacrificial death on the cross.

The grace of Jesus is important here because we will learn that these believers were in the process of leaving the grace of Jesus in order to be saved through their own merit, their own good works. This is one of the most common ways we have seen Christians depart from the true faith over the centuries. Catholicism is one prime example of this. When a Catholic views himself as being a Christian because of his good deeds, or good works, whether that is infant baptism, purchasing extra good works from dead saints, or being pardoned by a priest, he departs from the truth of the gospel of the grace of Jesus. In fact, he tells Jesus what He did on the cross is not good enough to obtain salvation and so he needs to add the finishing touches on what Jesus did on the cross. That is pure blasphemy.

In verse 7 we note that the source of this "other gospel" that isn't a real gospel is from false teachers. As soon as a true teacher of the gospel comes onto the scene, you can bet that it will not be long before a false teacher arrives to disturb things. Again, it's the depraved nature of man. Jeremiah 17:9 states our depraved nature this way.

"The heart is more deceitful than anything else, and incurable — who can understand it?"

Note the word "troubling" in verse 7. This is how a false teacher gets a foothold into one's life. He teaches things that catch your attention. Once his teaching causes you to think further, then your thought processes begin to be troubled and confused. Then, in this state of confusion, unless you are able to do the needed research on the issue, you fall to the false teaching. Confusion often leads people astray, which was the case with these Galatian believers. God is not the author of confusion, as stated in 1 Corinthians 14:33 (KJV).

"For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints."

The Greek word "euangelion" is translated into English in the New Testament as gospel, as it is here. In Paul's day this Greek word simply meant good news. Paul wrote that this other gospel really was not a gospel at all. Why would he say that? Well, the gospel, or good news that Paul preached, was good. It was good because Jesus had done all of the necessary work for the Galatians, and us too, to find salvation and acceptance in the sight of God. The false teachers were teaching that these people had to obey the Law of Moses in order to be saved. You had to do the needed things for yourself, and for an adult man, that men having the foreskin of your penis cut off. According to this false teaching, what Jesus did was not enough, and what good is in that gospel.

In verse 6 the "free" aspect to the gospel that Paul preached is seen in the word "grace." The definition of this grace means unmerited favour by God directed to us who do not deserve it. Man cannot do anything to receive the grace that is salvation. We cannot earn it; neither can we work for it. It is free because God has chosen to bestow His love, mercy, grace, and salvation on us who don't deserve it. It is important to note that even though salvation is free for us, it is not cheap. It is actually very expensive. Jesus paid a high price for us to receive salvation for free. This is the gospel that Paul preached. It was not the gospel these people were considering switching to. These people were thinking of working for their salvation by obeying certain rules. This is why Paul was writing this letter.

If you had the choice to work a forty hour week and get paid, or not work a forty our week and still get paid the same amount as if you were working, what would you choose? Most people would choose not to work and get paid instead of working and getting paid. Most people view not working and being paid as good news. Changing your mind and wanting to go back to work and get paid can't really be seen as good news. That's Paul's point here.

Here is an example from the Law of Moses where we see that the Law demands us to do good works. I'll take just one law from the Law of Moses. If you read Numbers 15 you will note that a man is stoned for picking up sticks on the Sabbath day. Now you tell me, is that good news? Remember, the word "gospel" means "good news." What good news is that? Leviticus 20:10 says an adulterous must be stoned, but in John 8:11 Jesus said that there is forgiveness available for the adulterous, that is, upon repentance and trusting her life to Jesus. Now that's good news. This is why Paul was so astonished that the Galatians were contemplating forsaking the gospel of Jesus to embrace the Law of Moses. That's also why Paul called this backward movement another gospel as being no gospel, or, no good news, at all.

Verse 8

"But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, a curse be on him!"

Paul felt very emphatic about a false gospel being preached to these Christians, and so should we. He even said that if he himself preached a different so-called gospel, he should be cursed. I suggest being cursed means that Paul thought he should burn in the Lake of Fire for all of eternity if he dared to distort the good news of what Jesus provided through His sacrificial death on the cross. That being said, being cursed might well be receiving all of the curses seen in the Law of Moses because Paul addresses these curses later in his letter.

When Paul wrote about being cursed, he was being serious. Paul was not one to speak or write just off the cuff, so to speak, without giving much thought to his words. Look at what he wrote in Romans 9:3.

"For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the benefit of my brothers and sisters, my own flesh and blood."

If it was possible, and it is not possible, Paul would have been willing to burn in the Lake of Fire throughout eternity if that would save the Jews.

Verse 9

"As we have said before, I now say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, a curse be on him!"

There is nothing difficult to understand about this verse. If Paul was willing to be cursed if he preached a false gospel, then anyone else who preached a false gospel should be cursed as well. I can picture Paul's blood pressure rising at this point in his letter. We will see later in the letter that this had become a very emotional issue for Paul, and why? The gospel of Christ, Jesus Himself, had become so real to him that he could not tolerate a distortion of godly truth. I would suggest that how Paul felt about this issue is how we should feel about the issue as well, but from my experience, we seldom see such conviction among western-world Christians today.

The word "preaching" that we read in here needs a bit of clarification. More often than not in our modern times we view preaching as something a preacher does behind a pulpit, but that's not really the New Testament concept of preaching. Preaching the good news of Jesus is simply proclaiming it, or speaking it, no matter where, how, or who is speaking it. It does not matter who is speaking the gospel. All Christians speak, or preach, the good news of Jesus, not just people we call preachers who preach behind a pulpit. You can share Jesus with a non-believer over coffee in a coffee shop, and in New Testament terms, that is preaching.

Verse 10

"For am I now trying to persuade people, or God? Or am I striving to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ."

Paul was not a people pleaser as some of us are today. People pleasing is often a product of someone with low self-esteem, and for that reason, he feels that he must please people so they can think good of him. I don't think that Paul was a man with low self-esteem, but that being said; he did not put any confidence in any self-esteem he might have possessed.

Paul was a Jesus pleaser because Jesus is in fact the Lord of all things material and all things spiritual. Jesus was Paul's master and we know that you cannot serve two masters. You cannot serve Jesus and people at the same time. That being the case, though, in the process of being a Jesus pleaser, Paul was a servant to those who crossed his path at any given time. Paul did not please people, he served people.

Being a servant to people without being a people pleaser is a difficult road to walk for most. It is human nature that as you serve someone, you want their respect and at times you please them in order to maintain this respect. It happens in church all of the time. That was not Paul. He served these Galatian believers. He sacrificed himself for them, but now, he was speaking a difficult truth to them. What he was telling them could have easily caused a big riff between him and them, but it had to be said. In the process of pleasing God, sometimes we have to speak the truth to those we serve. It is often called "tough love." It is tough on the one speaking the truth and it is also tough on the one hearing the truth.

Paul was not saying that he was a God pleaser in an arrogant spirit. He was not trying to be a rugged individualist. His heart's desire was to please God by serving man. Many times in today's world we hear people repeating these words, but they are often doing so from a spirit of arrogant rebellion, not from a real spirit of humbly wanting to please God by serving people. That was not Paul.

Galatians 1:11 - 24

The Text

11 - For I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel preached by me is not of human origin. ¹²For I did not receive it from a human source and I was not taught it, but it came by a revelation of Jesus Christ.

¹³For you have heard about my former way of life in Judaism: I intensely persecuted God’s church and tried to destroy it. ¹⁴I advanced in Judaism beyond many contemporaries among my people, because I was extremely zealous for the traditions of my ancestors. ¹⁵But when God, who from my mother’s womb set me apart and called me by his grace, was pleased ¹⁶to reveal his Son in me, so that I could preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone. ¹⁷I did not go up to Jerusalem to those who had become apostles before me; instead I went to Arabia and came back to Damascus .

¹⁸Then after three years I did go up to Jerusalem to get to know Cephas, and I stayed with him fifteen days. ¹⁹But I didn’t see any of the other apostles except James, the Lord’s brother. ²⁰I declare in the sight of God: I am not lying in what I write to you.

²¹Afterward, I went to the regions of Syria and Cilicia . ²²I remained personally unknown to the Judean churches that are in Christ. ²³They simply kept hearing, “He who formerly persecuted us now preaches the faith he once tried to destroy.” ²⁴And they glorified God because of me.

My Commentary

Verses 11 and 12

"For I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel preached by me is not of human origin. For I did not receive it from a human source and I was not taught it, but it came by a revelation of Jesus Christ."

In this section of Paul's letter he backed up and reminded his readers of part of his past, something I am sure they would have already known. I believe the following few verses were meant to remind the Galatians of his apostolic authority, something the false teachers had no legitimate claim to make. As Paul would say, his authority to preach the gospel did not come from man but from God Himself. Of course, many can make that claim, but few have had Paul's experiential interaction with Jesus and the productive results of ministry that Paul had to back up their claim. Claims are useless unless backed by positive proof of the claims.

We should know that there is no corresponding Greek word for our English word "sisters" here in verse 11. It has been added in most modern English versions of the New Testament in order for the verse to be better understood in today's culture. Even though Paul only addressed this letter to brothers, it is pretty obvious that all he had to say was directed to both men and women. He was simply writing this letter in the culture in which he lived, which pretty much, was a male dominated culture.

Verse 11 is not difficult to understand. Paul just wanted to re-affirm to his readers that the gospel he preached was not taught him by any man. Paul said that what he preached was taught to him by Jesus Himself. We should know that this is the risen Jesus. Paul did not know Jesus while He was on earth. As far as we know, Paul never met Jesus, or at least we have no record of such a meeting. If Paul had met up with Jesus prior to his conversion, I am sure he would have mentioned it in his letters.

Paul had many visions in which he learned the gospel, much of which we know little of their content. 2 Corinthians 12:1 through 8 tells us just a bit about these visions.

"Boasting is necessary. It is not profitable, but I will move on to visions and revelations of the Lord. I know a man [Paul] in Christ who was caught up to the third heaven fourteen years ago. Whether he was in the body or out of the body, I don't know; God knows. I know that this man—whether in the body or out of the body I don’t know; God knows—was caught up into paradise and heard inexpressible words, which a human being is not allowed to speak. I will boast about this person, but not about myself, except of my weaknesses. For if I want to boast, I wouldn’t be a fool, because I would be telling the truth. But I will spare you, so that no one can credit me with something beyond what he sees in me or hears from me, especially because of the extraordinary revelations."

As I have always maintained, if Paul got his theology wrong, then we as Christians are in one very horrible mess. We have dedicated our lives to something that is not real. For me, and due to the presence of the Holy Spirit within me, I am convinced that Paul did not get his theology wrong. All that being said, here in his letter to the Galatians, Paul confirmed again that his theology came directly from Jesus Himself, and the false teachers could not make that claim. This was in stark contrast to the Judaism of the day when much of Jewish theology was a product of human thinking and tradition.

Note in verse 11 the word "brothers." This is important because Paul still considered these men his brothers in Christ even though they were in the process of leaving the gospel. In Paul's mind, the Galatians, other then the false teachers, had not left the gospel or the brotherhood of the redeemed, at least not until this point in time when he wrote this letter.

Verse 13

"For you have heard about my former way of life in Judaism: I intensely persecuted God’s church and tried to destroy it."

As a zealous Pharisee prior to his conversion to Jesus, Paul persecuted the Christian population throughout Judea, Samaria , and Galilee . He had many put in prison and he probably had some Christians executed because of their association with Jesus. He made this admission, as recorded in Acts 22:4.

"I persecuted this Way to the death, arresting and putting both men and women in jail,"

Some translations of the New Testament translate the Greek word "kata" as violently instead of intensely as does the CSB, in verse 13. This Greek word suggests the idea of doing something that is beyond the normal. This would mean, then, that Paul went beyond the norm in his persecution of the church. This gives us a bit of a clue to Paul's personality. He was very much a driven, focused man and intentional in all he did.

Note the word "Judaism" in this verse. This word is a direct reference to the religion of the Jews, a religion that had begun centuries earlier by a promise spoken to Abraham by God, which has been called the Abrahamic Covenant, which in part, I explained earlier in this book. I would suggest that when God appeared to Abraham as a personal God, the concept of a relational religion began, but, the idea of having a relationship with God was long sense lost by Paul's day. When tradition usurps relationship, religion goes astray, as it has with Christianity over the centuries.

Verse 14

"I advanced in Judaism beyond many contemporaries among my people, because I was extremely zealous for the traditions of my ancestors."

Here in verse 14 Paul admitted that he was caught up in the traditions of Judaism. He had lost focus of the God that spoke to Abraham, a God who was interested more in relationship than tradition.

Paul advanced in Judaism faster than most others of his age, and that probably due to the type of motivated person that he was. He was working his way up the ladder of success as a Pharisee very fast. This shows us the mentality of the day back then. Like today, many men viewed ministry, not really as ministry, but as a career where one could advance up the ladder of success. This is not godly ministry. Godly ministry is actually working your way down the ladder of success. Ministry is all about serving those to whom God has placed before you at any given time.

I once had a pastor friend who used to tell those God had asked him to care for that he was working his way out of a job. He said this because he viewed his pastorate as a servant where he would train others to lead God's people, and thus, take his place.

Note the word "tradition" in verse 14. It was the tradition of Judaism that had begun to really bothered Paul after his conversion to Jesus. It was this tradition that the false teachers were attempting to bring into the lives of the Christians of Galatia. The false teachers were attempting to bring an Old Testament Judaism into a New Testament Christianity. By that I mean, and as Paul understood it, Old Testament Judaism had been redefined in these New Testament times. It was now obedience to Jesus and not to the Law of Moses. For further information on this issue, you can read my books entitled "Clarifying Biblical Interpretation" and "Understanding The Old Testament As New Testament Christians."

From Philippians 3, verses 5 and 6 we learn a few important details concerning Paul's ethnic and religious background. These verses read:

"... circumcised the eighth day; of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; regarding the law, a Pharisee; regarding zeal, persecuting the church; regarding the righteousness that is in the law, blameless."

We learn a lot from the above passage. Paul was a Jew, from the Tribe of Benjamin. Benjamin was the youngest son of Jacob and his wife Rachel.

The Tribe of Benjamin and the Tribe of Judah, along with some from the Tribe of Manasseh, were the tribes that formed the southern Kingdom of Israel , also known as Judah , after Israel 's civil war in 922 BC.

Paul was also a Pharisee, the leading religious sect of Judaism in his day. Being a good Pharisee, Paul would have held the Law of Moses and the traditions of the Jews in high esteem. In his own words, he believed himself to be blameless in these matters. He would have been a perfect Jew, at least in the eyes of Judaism. You do recall, though, that Jesus did not view the Pharisees in a positive light, and that would have certainly included Paul, and thus, Paul's needed conversion to Jesus.

In Philippians 3:5 and 6 we see the word "zeal." Here in Galatians 1:14 we read the word "zealous." Zeal is important in the life of a Christian but zeal alone does not mean one is right, godly, or on track when it comes to Christian ministry. Zeal must be Biblically based, and Paul's pre-conversion zeal was not Biblical.

Verses 15 and 16

"But when God, who from my mother’s womb set me apart and called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son in me, so that I could preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone."

It was Paul's belief that He was actually set apart and called by God to have Jesus revealed in his life before he was even born into this world. Understanding Paul's place in the formation of Biblical theology, we have to believe that he was right when he made this claim. Before he was actually born into the world, God had a special purpose for him and his life. This does raise an important question. Does God set every believer apart and call him or her to a specific ministry calling before he or she is even born? Paul does not address this question in this passage. What he said applied to himself, and for that reason, I believe we cannot conclusively make the same claim. It might be possible that God does call us all while we are in our mother's womb, but on the other hand, we cannot say that for sure based on this verse.

Understanding that God lives outside of our human space time environment, it is not difficult to believe, than, that God does set apart, at least some believers, if not all believers, to have His Son Jesus revealed in the life of the believer.

It is vitally important to know that before God calls one to ministry, God wants Jesus to be clearly seen and revealed in that believer's life. Having Jesus being revealed in you and I as a Christian is basic to us being Christians. It is the primary calling of God on our lives. Only after the successful revelation of Jesus in our lives can we administer a successful ministry. In short, Paul was first called to Jesus and then called to a specific ministry. The same is true with all Christians.

We note here that Paul's personal and specific ministry was to proclaim or reveal Jesus to the Gentile world, a calling that the Jews, even Christian Jews, struggled with, and that due to their traditions in Judaism. Each and every Christian has a specific ministry calling that is meant to reveal Jesus to anyone who crosses his or her path at any given time.

Paul said that once Jesus got a hold of his life, and called him to ministry, he did not immediately consult with anyone, not even the leaders of the church in Jerusalem . This was because, as we have already noted, God had special revelations to show Paul. It would appear to me, then, that Jesus did not want any human instruction to enter the mind of Paul before God had a chance to instruct him on what he needed to know and do. In other words, before consulting with church leaders, Paul needed to consult with God Himself.

Verse 17

"I did not go up to Jerusalem to those who had become apostles before me; instead I went to Arabia and came back to Damascus ."

Paul mentioned here the city of Jerusalem . The early church leaders lived in Jerusalem because that is where the church was born, as recorded in Acts 2. It was also the capital city of the Jews and the first converts to Jesus were Jews. Jesus, just prior to His return to heaven told His disciples to stay in Jerusalem so they could receive the Holy Spirit into their lives, which would give them the ability to effectively preach the gospel of Christ. The day when those disciples received the Spirit of God into their very being, was the very day they were born again of the Spirit that made them real Christians. It was also the day the church was born.

In Acts 1:4 Jesus told His disciples to remain in Jerusalem . Most of them remained there until persecution drove them out of the city. Acts 1:4 reads:

"While he was with them, he commanded them not to leave Jerusalem , but to wait for the Father's promise, 'Which,' he said, 'you have heard me speak about...'"

Paul said that before ever going to Jerusalem to visit the church leaders, he went to Arabia . The part of Arabia that Paul would have went to was south east of the Mediterranean Sea, which would roughly be in the northern parts of Saudi Arabia today or possibly southern Jordan . It was in the Arabian Desert that he had many revelations from Jesus himself that provided the foundation for Paul's faith, his apostolic ministry, and his theology, which in fact, is our theology.

The reason why Paul mentioned his trip to Arabia is because in this part of his letter he was building a case for his teaching and apostleship. Part of his case was the fact that he did not learn his teaching from any of the church leaders, but from Jesus Himself. This was to provide some credibility for Paul, but of course, the false teachers did not care about Paul's credibility.

Damascus is still located in present day Syria . It was where Paul got saved, as seen in Acts 9. It is the oldest continuous existing city in the history of world cities.

Verse 18 and 19

"Then after three years I did go up to Jerusalem to get to know Cephas, and I stayed with him fifteen days. But I didn't see any of the other apostles except James, the Lord's brother. "

Paul got pretty precise here, and again, he is building his case for his teaching and apostolic authority. The word "precise" is probably a good word since precision was just part of who he was, that is, his human nature. It took three years after his conversion before he actually went to visit any of the church leaders in Jerusalem . At that time, Paul only visited with two of the leaders, that being Cephas and James, both of which appear to have been recognized as leaders of the leaders. Cephas is Peter's Jewish name.

Church tradition states that James, the half-brother of Jesus, was the leader of the church in Jerusalem . That being said, and sense Peter is mentioned with Paul in this verse, it appears to me that Peter could have been a co-leader of the church along with James, at least at this point in time.

Paul included James as an apostle in verse 19, but James was not one of the original apostles. Like Paul himself, James was called to be an apostle after the original twelve were called to their ministry. This assumes that James did not become a Christian before the resurrection of Jesus, which, is a good assumption. James did not believe that Jesus was the Christ during Jesus' earthly life and ministry. John 7:5 tells us that the earthly half-brothers of Jesus, including James, did not believe in Him. That verse reads:

"For not even his brothers believed in him."

1 Corinthians 15:7 reads:

"Then he [Jesus] appeared to James, then to all the apostles."

1 Corinthians 15:7 seems to suggest that James was an apostle with the words "and then to all of the apostles." Did James become a Christian when the risen Jesus appeared to him, as referenced by Paul in the above verse? We don't know the answer to this question for sure, but, it might well be possible that James, the half-brother of Jesus, on that particular occasion, gave his life to Jesus. No longer was Jesus a half-brother to James. He was his Lord. I cannot begin imagine how James felt when Jesus appeared to him at this point in time. He must have been flooded with all kinds of emotions and thoughts. I often wonder about Jesus' other half-brothers and half-sisters. Did they ever come to faith in Jesus? We don't know the answer to that question either.

I have often wished that James would have written a biography of Jesus as a child and a young man. He would have known all about the life of Jesus. He could have filled us in on so many things concerning the earthly life of Jesus that we know nothing about, but James never wrote such a book. He wrote one letter that we know of. That is all. I speculate that if James had have written such a book, we would have made an idol of worship out of it.

I would have loved to have sat in with Paul, Peter, and James, to hear all of their conversations over those fifteen days. It's too bad we have no recorded notes of this particular visit. They would answer many of our questions and would certainly be very informative.

Verse 20

"I declare in the sight of God: I am not lying in what I write to you."

Verse 20 is not difficult to understand. Paul was simply, but emphatically, telling his readers that he was, without any doubt or uncertainty, telling them the truth. He made this declaration in the sight of God, meaning, God could testify to the fact that he is not lying. This is yet another way in which Paul was building his case for his teaching and apostleship.

Verse 21 and 22

"Afterward, I went to the regions of Syria and Cilicia . I remained personally unknown to the Judean churches that are in Christ."

After visiting Peter and James, Paul returned to Damascus where he ventured through Syria and Cilicia . Cilicia is in present-day Turkey , on the northern shore of the Mediterranean Sea, at the far east end of Turkey . Syria is where present-day Syria now is. We know very little of Paul's life during this period of time. One thing we do know is that the Christians and their leaders in Jerusalem only heard of Paul's new way of life.

Verses 23 and 24

"They simply kept hearing: 'He who formerly persecuted us now preaches the faith he once tried to destroy.' And they glorified God because of me."

Although most of the Christians in Jerusalem had never met Paul in person, they kept hearing about his new life in Jesus. No more was he persecuting the church. He was bringing new converts into the church through his preaching of the gospel of Jesus, and as a result, all of the believers glorified God for him and his ministry.

Our English word "glory" is translated from the Greek word "doxa," that means to speak well of something or someone. Paul's new life in Jesus caused the Christians to speak well of their God, and why? He had brought Paul into the circle of Christian brotherhood. Paul was now a truly born-again-of-the-Spirit Christian, and that is the only kind of Christian there is. Paul was now one of them. He was on their side. How relieved these Christians must have been.

Paul was one of the main men who persecuted Christians prior to his conversion to Jesus that we read about in Acts 9. I cannot begin to imagine just how the Christians felt because its main persecutor was now on their side. A huge sigh of relief must have echoed its way through the Christian community.

Over the centuries Bible teachers have attempted to correlate the time line Paul wrote about here in his letter to the Galatians with what Luke recorded in the Book of Acts. It is a difficult task to accomplish and there has been much disagreement over the issue. Many believe that the visit Paul wrote about here is the visit to Jerusalem that Luke recorded in Acts 9:26 and 27, that read:

"When he [Paul] arrived in Jerusalem , he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, since they did not believe he was a disciple. Barnabas, however, took him and brought him to the apostles and explained to them how Saul had seen the Lord on the road and that the Lord had talked to him, and how in Damascus he had spoken boldly in the name of Jesus."

The Acts 9 visit might well be what Paul wrote about to the Galatian believers, but still, questions have been raised whether the Acts 9 visit is being referenced here in Galatians 1, and that due to Acts 9:28 and 29. Those verses read.

"Saul [Paul] was coming and going with them in Jerusalem , speaking boldly in the name of the Lord. He conversed and debated with the Hellenistic Jews, but they tried to kill him."

Here in Galatians Paul made no mention of coming and going and debating with the Jews. He seemed to have implied the opposite. For this reason and other reasons, some do not believe the two visits to Jerusalem are the same visit. I have no personal conclusion on this matter.

Galatians 2:1 - 10

The Text

1 - Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along also. ²I went up according to a revelation and presented to them the gospel I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to those recognized as leaders. I wanted to be sure I was not running, and had not been running, in vain. ³But not even Titus, who was with me, was compelled to be circumcised, even though he was a Greek. ⁴This matter arose because some false brothers had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus in order to enslave us. ⁵But we did not give up and submit to these people for even a moment, so that the truth of the gospel would be preserved for you. ⁶Now from those recognized as important (what they once were makes no difference to me; God does not show favoritism)—they added nothing to me. ⁷On the contrary, they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel for the uncircumcised, just as Peter was for the circumcised, ⁸since the one at work in Peter for an apostleship to the circumcised was also at work in me for the Gentiles. ⁹When James, Cephas, and John—those recognized as pillars—acknowledged the grace that had been given to me, they gave the right hand of fellowship to me and Barnabas, agreeing that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. ¹⁰They asked only that we would remember the poor, which I had made every effort to do.

My Commentary

Verse 1

"Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along also."

To understand this section of Paul's letter properly we need to see that there are three groups of people being talked about. The first group is Paul and his co-workers. The second group is the Jerusalem leadership, while the third group is the spies that came in to spy on Paul and those with him.

We also need to understand that in the Book of Acts, Paul visited Jerusalem at least four or five times, depending on how you view Acts 9:26, where it says that Paul visited Judea . If Paul visited Judea, it is likely that he visited Jerusalem , although the text does not specifically say that to be the case. In this letter to the Galatian Christians, Paul mentioned two of these visits. One visit is mentioned here in chapter 2.

Another thing to understand before talking about this chapter is that we need to think about the Jewish Christians that Paul came in conflict with. They were those who were indoctrinated, and for good reason, in the Old Testament Law of Moses, which was, the Law of God for the Jews in that era. To disregard the Law of Moses for the purpose of salvation was difficult for these Jewish Christians to handle. It would have been difficult for Paul to take, but Jesus Himself convinced Paul of the New Testament gospel. We need to, at least to a degree, have a little sympathy for these Jewish Christians. They were being asked to set aside the Law of Moses, the foundation, even the constitution of their nation, to be replaced by Jesus.

We also need to understand that the Law of Moses made provision for Gentiles to become Jews. The first thing a Gentile man had to do in order to become a Jew in Old Testament days was to be circumcised, and then agree to obey the Law of Moses.

Gentile converts to Judaism were called "proselytes." So, with this thinking entrenched into the mindset of a Jew who recently converted to Christian belief, it would make sense to him that Gentile converts to Jesus would have to be circumcised. If a Gentile wanted to become a Christian, he must first become a Jew, and that meant he had to be circumcised and agree to obey the Law of Moses. Again, I say this to say that we need to have some sympathy for these Jewish Christians. It was not easy for them to accept what Paul was telling them, even demanding of them, which was, a Gentile man does not have to be circumcised and obey the Law of Moses in order to be saved. Beyond that, the same applied to any Jew that became a Christian, and that would have been even more difficult for a Jew to embrace.

Verse 1 says that fourteen years later, the events of this section of Paul's letter took place, but fourteen years after what? Some say fourteen years after the three years Paul spent in Arabia . Others say fourteen years after his conversion. It has even been questioned that Paul actually spent three whole years in Arabia . I would not place too much importance in trying to figure out the time line here. It really does not affect the theology of the letter.

We note that Paul did not go alone on this trip to Jerusalem . Barnabas and Titus went with him. This is typical Paul. He believed in team work because it is the nature of the Body of Christ, the church. Like Paul, we must believe in team work as well when it comes to church. It is one fundamental concept when thinking of church.

Note the names Barnabas and Titus. Barnabas was a Jew while Titus was a Gentile, and it is Titus that is key to this chapter.

Verse 2

"I went up according to a revelation and presented to them the gospel I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to those recognized as leaders. I wanted to be sure I was not running, and had not been running, in vain."

As I have been saying, what trip to Jerusalem Paul wrote about here is questionable. Many believe it was the gathering of Christian leaders as recorded in Acts 15. It was at that meeting the debate over how the Gentile Christians were to respond to the Old Testament Law of Moses was addressed. Personally speaking, I am not convinced that the Acts 15 meeting is what Paul wrote about here.

Whatever gathering Paul had in mind was in defense of the gospel that he had been preaching, which he said was a result of a revelation he had. I wrote earlier about Paul's revelations. He had many revelations and from those revelations, the gospel he preached was formulated. That being said, there is debate over the wording of this verse, especially concerning the wording and meaning of the word "revelation." What I have just said implies the Paul wanted to explain his revelation of the New Testament gospel. Some suggest that the revelation was not about the gospel but was a revelation telling him to visit Jerusalem . Again, we probably cannot know the mind of Paul on this issue.

It appears, at least to some, from this verse that Paul wanted to confirm from the leaders in Jerusalem that the gospel he had been preaching was correct. I say that because Paul said that he did not want to run his race in vain, suggesting to some that he did not want to waste his time preaching a wrong gospel. Paul often viewed his ministry calling in terms of a race that he was running, as we read in 2 Timothy 4:7.

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."

Another way of thinking about this, and it is my position, is that Paul did not have any doubts about the gospel he had been preaching. He was convinced, beyond any doubt, of that. What Paul wanted to establish with the church leaders was that what he was preaching was, in fact, the true New Testament gospel. He wanted to make sure that the church leaders in Jerusalem were on board with him because he did not want them to come and preach another gospel to those he had led to Jesus. That, indeed, would be a complete waste of his time. There is no doubt in my mind that Paul was totally convinced that the gospel of grace that he preached was the only true and correct New Testament gospel.

The CSB version of the Bible calls the leaders of the church in Jerusalem "recognized leaders." Other translations say something like "seem to be leaders." There has been debate over how Paul viewed these leaders. Did he question their leadership? Did he not believe in their authority? I believe that Paul did believe in these leaders being God-appointed leaders. There is nowhere in the Book of Acts or in his letters that hints at Paul not recognizing the leaders in Jerusalem as being legitimate. The words "seem to be" in my thinking are a bit misleading.

Verse 3

"But not even Titus, who was with me, was compelled to be circumcised, even though he was a Greek."

At this point in the letter Paul began to get to the reason for which he was writing. He had built his case for his apostolic ministry and the gospel message that he had been preaching. He now began to state his doctrinal position by introducing a certain event that brought the issue into the forefront.

Note that Paul mentioned Titus. Titus was a Gentile, a Greek, and not a Jew. That means he would not have been circumcised. Again, with the mentioning of circumcision, Paul opened the theological door to which he was writing, that being, how New Testament Christians should understand and relate to the Old Testament Law of Moses.

Whatever event Paul had in mind here, in the beginning of the event, no one seemed compelled to have Titus circumcised. Titus' uncircumcised penis did not seem to concern anyone. It was no big deal. In was just unimportant. It did, however, become an important issue as we are about to see.

Verse 4

"This matter arose because some false brothers had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus in order to enslave us."

Note the words "false brothers." These are two very strong words. Paul believed that those espousing another gospel were false brothers, meaning, they were not true Christians.

The word "spy" that we read in verse 4 is translated from the Greek word "katascopio," which means to get down and view closely. The English word "infiltrated" is translated from the Greek word "paralathra," meaning, to come in alongside unnoticed. These men who were spying out the Gentile Christians' freedom from the Law of Moses were acting like real spies. They did not come openly to ask about these believers' freedom. They came into their midst acting as if they were just as free as the Gentile believers. At least at first, they were unnoticed by the church, as spies would be unnoticed. They came alongside the Gentile believers, looked closely at their freedom, and once they saw that Paul wasn't teaching the Law, they tried to expose Paul for being a false teacher.

These spies not only noted Paul's teaching, but from the two Greek words I mentioned above, they zeroed in on Titus, the Gentile. They, without being noticed, looked closely at Titus and saw he had not been circumcised.

I personally find this a bit humorous. I often have wondered just how these spies, without being noticed, looked closely and spied out Titus' uncircumcised penis. One could come up with all sorts of funny scenarios as to how this could have happen, but I won't go there. On the other hand, there is a good chance they discovered that Titus was not circumcised just from the general conversations that would have taken place.

We need to know that these false teachers were not the leaders of the church who lived in Jerusalem . We do need to make this distinction. Some, though, suggest that these false brothers, the spies, were sent from the church leaders in Jerusalem . I believe that is somewhat speculative.

One thing that I believe we should understand here is that the early church was a church in progress. It was in transition from what you might say was Judaism to Christianity. In Biblical thinking, Christianity is actually the fulfillment of true Judaism, although the Judaism of Paul's day was far removed from true Judaism. The same can be said when people become Christians. They, especially in the beginning stages, are in a transition from one life to another life, and therefore, it takes time to complete the transition. Really, it takes a lifetime to complete the transition. We do need to give people, and the early church, some grace in this respect.

Note also the word "enslave." Paul saw himself as a bond slave to Jesus. A bond slave was a man who freely chose to become a slave. A bond slave was not compelled to slavery. If Paul had freely chosen to become Jesus' slave, how could he return and be a slave to the Law of Moses, which he once was. You can only be a slave to one master at a time. I wonder how many Christians consider themselves as a slave to Jesus these days. I think many Christians think of themselves more as little kings, as in "Kids of the King," than slaves. In that respect, we have our priorities wrong.

Verse 5

"But we did not give up and submit to these people for even a moment, so that the truth of the gospel would be preserved for you."

Note the word "moment" in this verse. It is translated from the Greek word "hora" which means "hour." It's clear that our English word "hour" comes directly from the Greek.

When it comes to the truth of the gospel, Paul did not give into anyone. The gospel must never be compromised, and, those promoting circumcision in order to be saved were compromising the truth of the gospel. Worst still, they were telling Jesus that what He did on the cross was not sufficient enough to save someone. It implies that as human beings we must add to what Jesus has done in order to find acceptance in the sight of God. That is pure blasphemy.

In today's Christian world, the pressure is on Christians to compromise the gospel by giving into the modern-day false teachers who, for example, are seeking to unite us with other religions, like Islam. We must stand against, even publically expose, those in what has been called Clislam. This movement states that Christians and Muslims believe in the same God. That makes no Biblical sense. Christians believe in the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ while Muslims believe that God does not have a son. Christianity and Islam are miles apart in their most fundamental concept of God.

There is also a resurgence today to incorporate Judaism into one's life as a Christian. Some stress this more than others. If someone demands that you must obey the laws of Judaism, that is not Biblical. It compromises the truth of the gospel that Paul taught. If someone freely wants to keep the Sabbath laws, for example, which would be difficult in our day, that's fine for them, but, he cannot teach others to do the same.

Verse 6

"Now from those recognized as important (what they once were makes no difference to me; God does not show favoritism) — they added nothing to me."

Once again, here in verse 6 Paul wrote the phrase "recognized as important." I commented on this earlier. Some suggest that the CSB's wording here implies that those recognized as important, were not important in the mind of Paul. The ESV version of the Bible uses the word "seems," as in "seems to be important." The NASB uses the word "considered." That also seems to suggest some doubt in Paul's mind concerning the importance of these leaders. It is my opinion that Paul had no doubts about the validity of the church leaders in Jerusalem . He might well have been simply saying that these leaders are indeed the recognized leaders.

However you want to view the importance of the leaders mentioned here, they appear to be the leaders of the church in Jerusalem , and not the false teachers Paul wrote about in verses 4 and 5. That being the case, the leaders of the church in Jerusalem did not add anything to what Paul had been teaching. Paul did not change any aspect of the gospel that he had received directly from Jesus. The leaders added nothing to the gospel and they took nothing away from the gospel.

Paul wrote that the publically recognized importance of people makes no difference to him, and why? God Himself does not show any favouritism. God does not esteem one person higher than another. I believe that Paul might say such a thing, at least in part, because he viewed all Christians as being servants of God. Servants are not normally held in high esteem. Another reason for Paul's view on this issue might be that God is just. If God played favourites, as we would say it, how could He then be a just God? That would be an impossibility for God.

I don't believe that Paul was playing down authority in the church by what he said in verse 6. He did believe in apostolic or ecclesiastical authority. He believed that as an apostle, he had apostolic authority. He just did not exercise this authority in a dictatorial way. 2 Corinthians 13:10 reads:

"This is why I am writing these things while absent, so that when I am there I may not have to deal harshly with you, in keeping with the authority the Lord gave me for building up and not for tearing down."

I believe Paul was simply saying that the truth of the gospel trumps authority, even God-appointed authority in the church. This, in part, was the point Paul was making in this chapter. Church leadership is subject to the truth of the gospel like anyone else, and if leadership compromises the truth, then leadership must be exposed for their compromise.

Many over the years have overly stressed the concept of submission to authority. They say one must submit to authority because of the position the one in authority holds. That's not Biblical. One submits to authority when the authority submits to the truth of the gospel, or, the One in authority over him. If the authority does not submit to the truth of Scripture, then you don't submit to that authority.

Catholicism believes in what they would call "ecclesiastical authority," meaning, the church and its leaders are as authoritative as the Bible. That is false teaching, and it has led to many dictatorial false leaders within the Catholic religion.

Verses 7 and 8

"On the contrary, they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel for the uncircumcised, just as Peter was for the circumcised, since the one at work in Peter for an apostleship to the circumcised was also at work in me for the Gentiles."

In verse 7 Paul made it clear that the church leaders in Jerusalem acknowledged the validity of his apostolic ministry and that God entrusted him to preach the gospel for those not circumcised, that is, the Gentiles. The word "entrusted" is a good word because it is translated from the Greek word "pisteo" that means to trust. I would think that it is a very high honour for God to trust anything with anyone, and the gospel is no exception.

There is a comparison made here between Paul and Peter. Both were publically recognized as having a valid apostolic ministry to those whom God had called them to preach. Paul was called to the uncircumcised, meaning the Gentiles, while Peter was called to preach to the circumcised, meaning the Jews. This does not mean that Paul never ministered to the Jews or Peter never ministered to the Gentiles. We see that Peter preached the gospel to Gentiles in Acts 10.

It was Paul's normal routine when he entered a city to first go to the Jews, who would often disregard his message. Paul would then turn to the Gentiles in that city. In Acts 14:1 we read, for example, that when Paul came to Iconium, he went directly to the Jews and preached to them.

"In Iconium they entered the Jewish synagogue, as usual, and spoke in such a way that a great number of both Jews and Greeks believed."

Although Paul preached to both Jews and Gentiles, his main ministry was to the Gentile world. It was part of the calling the God placed on his life, as seen in Acts 9:15.

"But the Lord said to him [Ananias], 'Go, for this man [Paul] is my chosen instrument to take my name to Gentiles, kings, and Israelites.'"

Despite Paul's calling to the Gentile world, he did believe that the gospel should be preached first to the Jews and then to the Gentiles. Jesus Himself, was sent to the Jewish world, not to the Gentile world. John 1:11 reads:

"He [Jesus] came to his own, and his own people did not receive him."

Paul believed in the concept that God deals with the Jews first, and then He deals with the Gentiles. Romans 1:16 reads:

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek."

Note the word "work" here in verse 8. It is translated from the Greek word "energeo." We derive our English word "energy" from this Greek word. How we define energy fits well into the meaning of this verse. God gives His people His divine energy so we can accomplish His will. It is His energy that is important. Yes, our energy plays a part in doing God's will, but without God's energy our attempts at doing God's will is humanistic in nature, and Paul will address humanism later in this letter. We derive God's energy from His Spirit that lives within us.

Verse 9

"When James, Cephas, and John — those recognized as pillars — acknowledged the grace that had been given to me, they gave the right hand of fellowship to me and Barnabas, agreeing that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised."

Note the name Cephas in this verse. That is Peter. Cephas was Peter's Hebrew or Aramaic name. Hebrew is a variation of the Aramaic language.

Along with Peter we see James and John mentioned in this verse. This James has always been recognized as being the half-brother of Jesus, while John was the apostle John who wrote the gospel of John and the three letters of John that we read in the New Testament. It appears to me that Peter, James, and John were the leaders of the Jerusalem church that Paul has been addressing in this part of his letter. Whether there were more recognized leaders, they are not mentioned here, and thus, we do not know if the church in Jerusalem had more than three leaders.

The Greek word "stylos" is translated as pillars in this verse. Stylos meant an upright structure that supports the weight of something, like a building. The implication here is that Peter, James, and John, carried the authoritative weight of caring for the Christians in Jerusalem . The word "pillars" is a good word here because it does describe the responsibilities of a church leader. Any truly appointed-by-God leader of God's people will surely tell you that there is a weight of responsibility that comes along with his ministry calling.

Notice the word "grace" in verse 9. As I have said, there are two definitions of the word grace seen in the New Testament. The first definition is well known. It is God's divine favour and love extended to us who do not deserve it. Some might suggest that this definition fits into the context of this verse, but I suggest otherwise. Grace can also be understood in terms of God's divine ability given to us to accomplish His will in our lives. This is the definition of grace that fits best into the context of this verse. Paul's life and ministry certainly does prove that he had God's divine ability working in his life. There is another Greek word in this verse that proves this to be true as well, as seen back in verse 8 where Paul talked about God's will being at work within him. The Greek word "energeo" is translated as work in verse 8. Again, we derive our English word "energy" from this Greek word, and how we define energy is how the Greek word "energeo" is defined. God's divine energy was clearly seen at work in Paul's life and ministry.

Paul and Barnabas were given the right hand of fellowship by Peter, James, and John. This was a recognition by these men that Paul and Barnabas had a divinely appointed ministry to the Gentile world. Recognition of people in leadership ministries is important. Everyone in the church, whether the local expression of church or the universal expression of church, must know who there leaders are. Without some kind of public recognition of ministries, those to whom are being ministered, will always have some doubt to whom they should embrace as leaders.

Verse 10

"They asked only that we would remember the poor, which I had made every effort to do."

In verse 10 we note that the only thing that these leaders suggested to Paul and Barnabas was to remember the poor, which they were already doing. In the Greek verb tense, the words "remember the poor" means to keep on remembering the poor. The leaders weren't telling Paul and Barnabas to do something they were not already doing.

From the Book of Acts we know at least two occasions in which Paul collected money for the poor. The first time is recorded in Acts 11:15 and following. The second time was his collection of money for the poor saints in Jerusalem , which was in part, the reason for his third missionary trip. Paul mentioned this a few times, one of which is in 1 Corinthians 16:1.

"Now about the collection for the saints: Do the same as I instructed the Galatian churches."

We see the word "eager" here in verse 10. I suggest that the very use of this word implies that Paul was feeling much better about things after this visit with Peter, James, and John.

Galatians 2:11 - 21

The Text

11 - But when Cephas came to Antioch , I opposed him to his face because he stood condemned. ¹²For he regularly ate with the Gentiles before certain men came from James. However, when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, because he feared those from the circumcision party. ¹³Then the rest of the Jews joined his hypocrisy, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. ¹⁴But when I saw that they were deviating from the truth of the gospel, I told Cephas in front of everyone, "If you, who are a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you compel Gentiles to live like Jews?" ¹⁵We are Jews by birth and not "Gentile sinners," ¹⁶and yet because we know that a person is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we ourselves have believed in Christ Jesus. This was so that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no human being will be justified. ¹⁷But if we ourselves are also found to be sinners while seeking to be justified by Christ, is Christ then a promoter of sin? Absolutely not! ¹⁸If I rebuild those things that I tore down, I show myself to be a lawbreaker. ¹⁹For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live for God. ²⁰I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. ²¹I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died for nothing.

My Commentary

Verse 11

"But when Cephas came to Antioch , I opposed him to his face because he stood condemned."

Once again, the name Cephas in this verse is in reference to Peter. Cephas was Peter's Hebrew or Aramaic name. Both of these languages are very similar in nature.

This verse opens with the phrase "when Cephas came to Antioch ." It appears to me that Paul has just switched to another situation. It is not in the same time frame as we have seen in the previous verses here in Galatians 2.

Peter most likely came to Antioch from Jerusalem to see how the church was doing, especially because of the Gentiles within that church.

Note that Paul opposed Peter to his face. This was a very public opposition. Paul did not pull Peter aside and quietly talk things over with him. This is important to note, because, as we will see, Peter's actions violated the truth of the gospel and they did so in a very public way. Any violation of the truth of the gospel that has been committed in a public format must be exposed in public. Such a violation must be exposed in a public format because others will follow the violation, especially if the violation is committed by a leader of the church.

If a violation of the truth of the gospel, or a sin, is committed in private, and unless it has no public implications, you can go to the person who is in violation and confront him privately. I will address this further when we come to Galatians 6:1.

The Greek word "anthistemi" is translated into English here as "opposed." This Greek word is comprised of two other Greek words meaning, against and to stand. In other words, Paul stood up against Peter. Interestingly enough, our English word "anthistemi" comes from this Greek word. Anthistemi drugs stand up against the medical problem it is supposed to oppose.

We need to look at the word "condemned" in this verse. It is translated into English from the Greek word "kataginosclo." This Greek word consists of "kata" which means against and "ginosko" which means to know something. So, in this sense of the word, Peter's actions exhibited a violation of the truth of the gospel that he certainly knew all about. What this word does not mean is that Peter was condemned by God and on his way to the Lake of Fire . This is an example of a good hermeneutical interpretation of the Bible. That is to say, we interpret a passage based on the original text and the meaning of the Greek words and not the present-day meaning of our English words.

The Antioch Paul mentioned here is Antioch of Syria, which would also be in present day Syria . You might say that Antioch was the center or headquarters of the early Gentile church.

Verse 12

"For he regularly ate with the Gentiles before certain men came from James. However, when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, because he feared those from the circumcision party."

In verse 12 Paul said that it had been Peter's usual routine to eat with Gentile Christians. I assume that this was the case, whether in the city of Antioch or elsewhere. You should recall that as recorded in Acts 10, Peter had a vision. It was then that Jesus told him that the days of a Gentile Jew distinction that existed in the mind of God in Old Testament times was now over. Peter would then visit with a Gentile family and lead them to salvation in the name of Jesus. It is clear from the vision that Peter was not to call anything to be impure that God has called clean. The words "impure" and "clean" are Old Testament Law of Moses words, where some things were considered clean and some things were considered unclean. Jews were to stay clear of all that God considered unclean, but in these New Testament days, Gentiles were no longer considered unclean. Acts 10:15 and 16 read:

"Again, a second time, the voice said to him, 'What God has made clean, do not call impure.' This happened three times, and suddenly the object was taken up into heaven."

It took some convincing by Jesus, but Peter got the message. Gentiles were no longer considered by God to be unclean. Peter was immediately asked to visit a Gentile family. He preached to them and before he even finished his message, the Holy Spirit came into the lives to whom Peter preached and they were saved.

God no longer viewed Gentiles as being unclean. He had created all humans and He wanted all humans to find His salvation. It is for this reason that Peter routinely visited with Gentile Christians and ate with them. In Old Testament times, eating with a Gentile was not permitted, but those days were now over. This had become a major problem, a point of dispute, for recently converted Jews.

There has been some controversy over the centuries if the Peter spoken of here is the apostle Peter, one of the twelve men Jesus chose to be the first apostles. Many Catholic scholars have a difficult time believing that the apostle Peter could ever be in the wrong, like we will now see. According to them, Peter was the first pope, and popes are infallible. I believe this is the apostle Peter, and as is the case with much of Catholicism, these Catholic scholars are wrong.

One reason why I believe this is the apostle Peter is because of his association with the apostle James, as noted in verse 12. Another reason is simple. No one, not even Peter or Paul is infallible. As stated by Paul about himself and every other human being in Romans 7, we are all prone to sin. No one is excluded from a sinful nature.

Note the word "fear" in this verse. It is translated from the Greek verb "phobeo." We derive our English word "phobia" from this Greek word. I personally don't think of Peter as being one who would normally fear anyone or anything. In my thinking, he was one who just jumped into things without giving it much thought of fearing what he would get himself into. That being said, he was human and Paul said that he stopped eating with the Gentile believers when those sent by James from Jerusalem came to visit. Peter feared what might happen if James knew of him eating with Gentiles, even if they were Christians.

It is somewhat speculative, but this might hint at the idea that at this moment in time, James himself would still not eat with Gentiles, even if they were Christians. It is for this reason that many Bible teachers believe this event took place prior to the gathering of church leaders we read about in Acts 15. There, James, Paul, Peter, and others agreed that the Gentiles did not have to obey the Law of Moses, implying also that it is okay for a Jew to eat with Gentiles. If this is truly the case, then Peter came to a New Testament understanding of these things before James, and this event might well have been prior to the Acts 15 gathering. Nevertheless, Peter withdrew himself from the Gentile believers because he was afraid of James, when in fact, he should have feared Jesus who told him that no one was considered so unclean that you could not eat with them.

Verse 13

"Then the rest of the Jews joined his hypocrisy, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy."

Note the word "hypocrisy" in this verse. It is translated from the Greek word "synypokrinomai." This Greek word implies a pretending to be someone you are not. The word was often used in the world of theatrical entertainment. An actor, for example, would pretend to be someone he was not in real life. He only played the part of someone in a play. With the use of this Greek word, we begin to see that Paul was feeling upset and frustrated with Peter and the whole situation. You might call it "righteous anger."

Peter was acting out someone that he was not. He claimed to be free from the Law of Moses, but out of fear, he acted as if he was under the Law. That was a public violation of the truth of the gospel and Paul could not tolerate that. In today's language, Peter's actions were indeed hypocritical. This tells me that our culture's view of tolerance these days has limits. Tolerance ends when the truth of the gospel is being violated, and as Christians in conflict with culture, this is something we must understand.

If it was just Peter who was being hypocritical, that is one thing, but others followed his hypocritical action. Peter's hypocrisy, his violation of the truth of the gospel, became a public event when others joined him. It is for that reason, why we will see that Paul publically rebuked Peter. Paul did not, neither could he, simply pull Peter aside and rebuke him in private. A public sin must be exposed in a public format, if it is going to be corrected. This is what I believe is a Biblical truth that needs to be acted upon in our western-world church today. Far too often public sins get pushed under the proverbial carpet, when they should be publically exposed for the sins they are. If the one committing the sin is embarrassed, so be it. It is better for one to be embarrassed than many fall astray into sin.

Even Barnabas, Paul's co-worker, was led astray. If Barnabas was led astray, you know that this was one very serious situation that needed to be immediately addressed.

The passive voice of the Greek verb "led astray" in verse 13 tells us that Barnabas' action were founded from an outside source, and that outside source was Peter and his hypocrisy. Since Peter was the one leading other's astray, he was the one that needed to be publically rebuked.

Verse 14

"But when I saw that they were deviating from the truth of the gospel, I told Cephas in front of everyone, 'If you, who are a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you compel Gentiles to live like Jews? '"

This verse is where we learn the content of Paul's public rebuke of Peter. Again, this had to be a public rebuke because the violation of the truth of the gospel was a public sin. As a prominent leader of the church, Peter was leading people astray. This had to be dealt with right away. It could not be tolerated. It could not wait for another day. The sin had to end.

Again we see the name Cephas, and again, Cephas is Peter's Hebrew or Aramaic name. Just why Paul reverts back and forth from Cephas to Peter, we don't know. Maybe it had something to do with the situation being a Gentile and Jewish situation.

Paul's point is logical. A study of the Book of Romans makes it very clear that by nature, logic was who Paul was. He was able to build a very convincing case in the Book of Romans and here as well. We actually see Paul debating with philosophers in Acts 17 that proves he had the capability of being logical. Acts17:16 through 18 reads:

"So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and with those who worshiped God, as well as in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there. Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also debated with him. Some said, 'What is this ignorant show-off trying to say?' Others replied, 'He seems to be a preacher of foreign deities" — because he was telling the good news about Jesus and the resurrection."

In the present situation from Galatians 2, Paul's point from logic is this. Peter, a Jew, was living like a Gentile who was not bound by the demands of the Law of Moses. Paul had no problem with that, but, Peter's hypocritical actions implied that Gentiles should live like Jews and that there was a clear distinction between the two ethnicities in the mind of God. This was the implication because Peter aligned himself with the Jews and the belief that Jews must obey the Law of Moses and if a Gentile was to be a Christian, he too must obey the Law.

This particular event and this particular issue challenged the unity of the faith that Christians are to have among themselves. The briefest of reading of John 17, that is, Jesus prayer for unity among His people, is a priority in His thinking. That being the case, this problematic issue had to get resolved before it blew up into a divide that could not be rectified. The fact is that the gathering of church leaders that we read about in Acts 15 did solve this problem. There was a unified decision agreed upon by the church leaders that the Gentiles did not have to live like Jews in order to be true Christians. Even though that decision was agreed upon by all, over the centuries the same issue has divided the church, and it does so to this very day. There is a movement, for example, among certain Christians that wants to revert back to obedience to the Law of Moses. If Paul was here with us today, he would certainly oppose that movement.

Verses 15 and 16

"We are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners, and yet because we know that a person is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we ourselves have believed in Christ Jesus. This was so that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no human being will be justified."

There is a lot in these two verses. What Paul taught in the first six chapters in Romans, he sums up here. This should tell us that if we want to understand what Paul wrote here, we must endeavour to understand all that he wrote in the Book of Romans.

We see the words "faith" and "believe" in these two verses. Both of these words are translated from the Greek word "pistis." Pistis simply means trust. So, if I say "I have faith in Jesus," what I am saying is "I trust my life with Jesus." If I say that "I believe in Jesus," I am saying that "I trust my life with Jesus." Faith is not merely giving mental assent or agreeing with the fact that Jesus exists and that He offers us salvation. Merely believing in Biblical truth in your mind does not constitute Biblical faith and belief. Biblical faith and belief is trust and one who has real faith or belief in Jesus trusts his life with Him.

We also see the word "justify" in these two verses. Justify is translated from the Greek word "dikaioo," which simply means to be right, deemed to be right, or to be made right. This is an important theological word and concept in the world of Christian doctrine. From the word "justify" we derive our theological word "justification." Biblical justification is the process by which God has declared those who have accepted Jesus' offer of forgiveness of sin to be righteous, just as He Himself is righteous. In other words, the Christian is deemed to be righteous in the sight of God. That does not mean the Christian is in fact righteous, because in his humanity, he is unrighteous.

The doctrine of justification was lost from much of Christian theology during the period of history known as the Dark Age of church. This period lasted from roughly AD 400 to AD 1500. It was Martin Luther (born 1483 - died 1586) and other Reformation theologians in the sixteenth century who, at least in part, began to restore the Biblical doctrine of justification to the church.

The doctrine of Justification finds its roots in the fact that God is just. By His very nature God is one hundred percent just. It is who He is. God does not only act justly, He is just. He, therefore, cannot act unjustly. The concept of justice both begins with God and ends with God. Because God is just, and humans are inherently sinfully unjust by nature, God must make all humans accountable for their wrongs, their sins. If God didn't do that, He would not be just, and God acting unjustly is an impossibility. In short, sin must be accounted for and the one who sins must be convicted of his sin and duly punished.

God is just as much love as He is just. Both His sense of justice and His love are equal in intensity. That being the case, all that He does is done from His nature that sacrifices Himself for others without violating His sense of justice. It is called "agape." Agape is the Greek word the New Testament uses to define God's love, and agape means love that is demonstrated through sacrifice. If there is no sacrifice in your love, then you do not express God's love. You express human love. If, on the other hand, you step beyond the boundary of Biblical truth and justice in your attempt to love, you also do not express Biblical love.

It has often been said that both God's love and His justice met on the cross. I will explain that. All humanity is guilty of sin, is guilty of breaking the commands of God, and therefore, must be held accountable, convicted, and punished for their sin. God's love found a way around us receiving the ultimate punishment for our sin, without violating His sense of justice. God Himself was born into a human body. We know Him as Jesus. Jesus lived the sinless life but was convicted and punished by death on the cross because of our sin. In other words, Jesus was punished on our behalf. When we hand our lives over to Him and accept the forgiveness of sins, we are justified. We are viewed as being perfectly just, just as God Himself is just, even though we are not just. This is the meaning of the doctrine of justification. It is one very important Biblical truth. The cross of Christ was an act of sacrificial love and that loving act satisfied God's justice. Love was demonstrated and justice was carried out when Jesus took our punishment as He hung on that cross.

In verse 15 Paul said that he and Peter were Jews and not Gentile sinners. Biologically speaking both men were Jewish by birth. The reason why Paul said that the Gentiles were sinners, is that is how Jewish tradition viewed the Gentiles. By using the term "Gentile sinners," Paul was speaking the language and the tradition of Judaism that Peter was now representing through his actions.

The fact of the matter is, as Paul taught in the first three chapters of Romans, that both Jews and Gentiles are sinners. A tradition-filled Judaism had it wrong. Just because one is born a Jew does not mean he is a saint. Even Jesus made that clear when He told the Pharisees that their father was not Abraham but the devil. John 8:44 reads:

"You are of your father the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he tells a lie, he speaks from his own nature, because he is a liar and the father of lies."

Paul said that a person is not justified, is not viewed as being just and right in the sight of God, by the works of the Law. Paul was talking to a Jew, that is Peter, about Jewish traditions. The law, therefore, he was referencing, was the Old Testament Law of Moses. Paul said that no one could be justified, deemed to be righteous in God's sight, or saved, by obeying the Law of Moses.

From my Biblical perspective, the Law of Moses was never meant to save people in the first place. Later on in this letter we will see that Paul called the Law of Moses a guardian that led people to Jesus. I will talk more about that when the subject comes up. The Law of Moses was in fact the covenantal constitution for the nation of Israel , much like the American Constitution is for the United States . It was never meant to be a means to save an individual from the Lake of Fire . It was never meant to take away the sins of the Jews before the eyes of God so that they could be justified.

Paul reminded Peter, and all who were present that day, that only when someone trusts His life with Jesus, which would result in that one receiving the Holy Spirit into his life, is one saved and justified. Paul will talk further about the Holy Spirit in chapter 3.

Everyone in that room would have known what Paul was telling them. They all knew the truth. Maybe those from Jerusalem still had doubts, but the rest knew Paul was right in what he said. Peter, one who was justified in the sight of God because he trusted Jesus with his life, was behaving that his trust in Jesus meant nothing. It was like he reverted back to the Law of Moses to find his salvation and that would have meant that Jesus' life on earth, and His sacrificial death, meant nothing to him.

I think Peter must have been devastated by what Paul said. Peter lived his life with Jesus for three or so years on this planet. He was there when the Holy Spirit came to live within him and one hundred and nineteen others on the Day of Pentecost. He preached the very first Christian message, and as a result, he led about three thousand people to Jesus. He was persecuted soon after that sermon because of his faith in Jesus. He saw a lame man healed because of the words he spoke to that lost soul. He was told in a vision that Gentiles were now deemed to be clean people and they must hear the Word of the Lord. Now, he was acting as a hypocrite, and that denied the reality of His Lord. I am convinced that Peter repented immediately. Barnabas and others would have soon followed Peter's repentance. The men from Jerusalem , if they did not repent at that precise moment, had much to think about.

Verse 17

"But if we ourselves are also found to be sinners while seeking to be justified by Christ, is Christ then a promoter of sin? Absolutely not!"

I believe the pronoun "we" in the phrase "but if we ourselves are also found to be sinners" is in reference to Jewish Christians. I think the context shows that to be true.

In the first three chapters of the Book of Romans Paul set forth the point that all people everywhere, whether Jew or Gentile, are sinners. I believe he is making the same point here but in a much briefer way. What I believe Paul was saying here is that Jews are sinners as they seek to be justified by what Jesus has done for both the Jew and the Gentile. In short, Jews are no different than Gentiles when it comes to a life of sin.

The Jews who were trying to impose the Law of Moses on Gentile Christians were saying that those who do not obey the Law are sinners. Paul opposed that view because it violated the truth of the gospel. All people are sinners, as he stated in Romans 3:23

"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."

Paul asked this question here in verse 17. "Is Christ, then, a promoter of sin?" It is similar to the question he asked in Romans 6:1, that reads:

"What should we say then? Should we continue in sin so that grace may multiply?"

This question here in Romans 6:1 implies something people were accusing Paul of teaching, and that is this. Some people were saying that Paul taught the more we sin, the more grace we can receive from God. Therefore, we should sin all we want because the more we sin, the more grace we will receive. This actually became a wide-spread heretical teaching by the end of the firs century. So, here in Galatians 2:17, Paul seems to be implying what he wrote about in Romans 6.

The answer to the questions found here and also in Romans 6:1 is the same. No, Jesus does not promote sin. He does not want you to sin so He can offer you more of His grace. That is pure false and Biblically nonsensical.

Verse 18

"If I rebuild those things that I tore down, I show myself to be a lawbreaker."

The things that Paul tore down, as stated in this verse, are the six hundred and thirteen laws found in the Law of Moses. It is what Paul meant when he wrote that Christ is the end of the law, as seen in Romans 10:4.

"For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes,"

Paul said something similar in Colossians 2:14.

"He erased the certificate of debt, [Law of Moses] with its obligations, that was against us and opposed to us, and has taken it away by nailing it to the cross."

In metamorphic language, Colossians 2:14 tells us that the Law of Moses was nailed to the cross with Jesus. In fact, the Law died along with Jesus. Although Jesus rose from the dead but the Law of Moses remained dead.

In terms of the Law of Moses, if anyone breaks a law, they break the whole Law. That means the one who breaks one law is a lawbreaker. According to the Law of Moses, Paul was one very bad lawbreaker. He not only disregarded a law or two, he maintained that the Law itself had been set aside and replaced with Jesus. Although he did not say it here, the Law of Moses was never meant to provide salvation for individuals in the first place, that is, salvation as we understand it in New Testament terms.

Verse 19

"For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live for God."

This verse may sound confusing at first. I admit to that. I think the New Living Translation of this verse helps us understand the meaning to what Paul was writing. Galatians 2:19 in the NLT reads:

"For when I tried to keep the law, it condemned me. So I died to the law—I stopped trying to meet all its requirements—so that I might live for God."

Attempting to follow every last of the six hundred and thirteen laws in the Law of Moses was an impossibility. It results in much frustration and even condemnation. As Paul just said, if you break the Law you become a lawbreaker, and thus, are condemned by the very Law you have broken. In other words, the Law of Moses dooms you, so to speak. It does not save you. You could say, then, that the Law killed your relationship with it. You become dead to the Law and the Law becomes dead to you, and that, was God's will. This death makes it possible for you to become alive to Jesus and the New Testament salvation He offers.

Paul maintained that the Law of Moses actually brought a person into a state of death. Romans 7:5 reads:

"For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions aroused through the law were working in us to bear fruit for death."

The term "in the flesh" here in Romans 7:5 is in reference to one's pre-Christian life when that one did not have the Spirit of God within Him. Paul called that living in the flesh. As a Christian, we now live in the Spirit because the Holy Spirit is living within us. This is the meaning to the very next chapter in Romans, that is, chapter 8 where Paul taught about life in the Spirit within the believer.

The implication Paul made in Romans 7:5 states that when the Law, or really, any law, tells us to do something, our sinful nature wants to do that which the law tells us not to do, and we want to do it more than ever. It is like telling a child not to eat the cookies that he sees in a jar on the table. The mere mention of that makes him want to eat, and therefore, he eats a cookie. When we do that which the Law says not to do, the Law condemns us. We are sinners that deserve death. This was Paul's view of the Law, and we see that stated here in Galatians, but even more so in Romans.

Verse 20

"I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."

What did Paul mean when he said that he had been crucified with Christ? Obviously he did not hang on the cross with Jesus. What we read here is New Testament theology that Paul developed for us. If you read Romans 6, Paul expanded on what he wrote here.

Paul did not die on the cross alongside Jesus. Jesus, on the other hand, died on the cross in our place, and in Paul's place. Jesus suffered the punishment of death on our behalf. We should have been the one's who were nailed to that cross. Because Jesus died on the cross in place of us, when God saw Jesus on the cross, He saw you and I on the cross. In that sense of the word, Paul, and us, were crucified with Jesus, but it does not end there. If, then, Jesus died on our behalf, He also rose from the dead on our behalf, and that provides us with a new life here on earth. This is seen when Paul said here that Christ lives within him. Christ Jesus lived within Paul because the Spirit of Christ, the Holy Spirit, lived within Paul, as He does everyone who is a true Christian.

We should know that the Holy Spirit is not only called the Spirit of God in the New Testament. He is called the Spirit of Christ. In actuality, the Holy Spirit living within you, the true Christian, is in fact Jesus in spirit form. Romans 8:9 is an example where we see that the Holy Spirit is in fact the Spirit of Christ, or, Jesus in spirit form. That verse reads:

" You, however, are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to him."

Due to the fact that Jesus, by His spirit, lives in us, Paul told us that we are no longer the person we once were prior to our salvation. 2 Corinthians 5:17 reads:

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come!"

This is why Paul, here in Galatians 2:20, wrote that it is not really him that lives any more. It is Jesus who lives through his life. He is not the person he once was, as seen in 2 Corinthians 5:17. This is a powerful Biblical truth. Unless this truth is understood in your mind and then is burned into your heart and soul where it becomes the convictions by which you live, your life as a Christian will not be as it should be. You will not be the Christian you are called to be.

Paul ends Galatians 2:20 by telling his readers, and us as well, that the life that he now lived, he lived by the faith, or, the trust that He has in Jesus. Paul trusted Jesus with his life. Paul trusted Jesus that Jesus' life would be seen in and through his life, and that, is what being a Christian is all about. In other words, our hope is that people will see Jesus, not us. It's a very high calling.

Paul personalized the cross of Christ, something we should do as well. We see this when he said that Jesus loved him. Yes, Jesus died for all of humanity, but He died for each and every individual. He did not die for the masses, so to speak. God did not see the masses when He looked at Jesus hanging on the cross. He saw individual people. He saw Paul. He saw you and He saw me. Jesus both loves and died for individual people, real people with names. I can say, as Paul said, Jesus loves me and He died for me, Stephen Sweetman.

Verse 21

"I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died for nothing."

This chapter ends with another great Biblical truth. Paul did not set aside the grace of God. Paul did not ignore God's unmerited love directed towards us that was demonstrated on the cross of Christ. Our salvation is found through God's grace and not through the Law of Moses, and not through any man-made church law or rule. If righteousness, meaning, right standing with God, came through obedience to the Law, or any law, then Christ died for nothing, and what a horrible waste that would have been.

Throughout this chapter Paul has used the word "law" in reference to the Law of Moses. In this verse he said that if your attempt to follow and obey the six hundred and thirteen laws in the Law of Moses could cause you to be in right standing before God, then Jesus died in vain. If that is the case with the Law of Moses, the Law that God Himself set forth for the Jews, how much more is it the case with our man-made, ecclesiastical church laws.

Some of us were raised in an Evangelical Christianity in the 1950's and 1960's where it was implied that we are saved by faith in God's grace, but to stay saved we had to observe and obey certain rules, many of which were man-made church rules. If obedience to God's Law of Moses would have nullified the cross of Christ, how much more would our man-made rules nullify the death of Jesus? We must be extremely careful in what we believe and claim to be Biblically true. We don't want to make Jesus' death on the cross a big waste. God's time and energy is of utmost importance. We are saved by trusting our lives with Jesus and we stay saved by trusting our lives with Jesus. It is what Paul wrote in Romans 1:17.

"For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, just as it is written: The righteous will live by faith."

Staying in right standing with God is a matter of faith and faith alone. It is a life of taking one step of trust in Jesus to the next step of trust in Jesus.

Galatians 3:1 - 9

The Text

1 - You foolish Galatians! Who has cast a spell on you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified? ²I only want to learn this from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law or by believing what you heard? ³Are you so foolish? After beginning by the Spirit, are you now finishing by the flesh? ⁴Did you experience so much for nothing—if in fact it was for nothing? ⁵So then, does God give you the Spirit and work miracles among you by your doing the works of the law? Or is it by believing what you heard— ⁶just like Abraham who believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness?

⁷You know, then, that those who have faith, these are Abraham’s sons. ⁸Now the Scripture saw in advance that God would justify the Gentiles by faith and proclaimed the gospel ahead of time to Abraham, saying, All the nations will be blessed through you. ⁹Consequently, those who have faith are blessed with Abraham, who had faith.

My Commentary

Verse 1

"You foolish Galatians! Who has cast a spell on you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified?"

Chapter 3 of Galatians is a shortened version of Romans 4, so I suggest you study Romans 4 to get more of an understanding on what Paul was teaching concerning the subject matter here in Galatians 3.

Verse 1 begins with Paul calling the Galatians foolish. You can certainly tell how upset Paul was by using such words. He could easily have called these people stupid. The Greek word "anoetos" is translated as foolish in this verse. This Greek word means a lack of understanding or senselessness. This does not mean that the Galatians didn't have the capacity to understand. It means they did have the capacity to understand, and actually did understand at some point, but were failing to implement this understanding. They knew the truth on this issue and they were now beginning to reject it, and that was senseless, stupid, and illogical. The truth they were in the process of leaving was good news, while the so-call truth they were beginning to adopt, was not good news, and that did not make sense.

Another thing to note here is the use of the ethnic word "Galatians." Galatians were Galls who lived in the north of Asia Minor, present day Turkey . Much of the Roman Empire considered this ethnic group of people to be a backward, uneducated, or, even a stupid group of people. Some scholars suggest that Paul might have been using an ethnic slur here when he put the word "foolish" in front of the word "Galatians." He might well be saying that what culture thinks of you people might actually be right after-all.

Paul asked who has bewitched or cast a spell on these people. The Greek word "baskano" is translated as cast a spell, or bewitched, in some other translations. This Greek word paints the picture of someone casting an occult spell on the Galatians, something those in the surrounding pagan world were well familiar with. Some suggest that this spell was Satanic, and that might well have been the case. Some say that these people were being demonized. They were beginning to adopt the doctrine of demons, a phrase Paul used in 1 Timothy 4:1.

"Now the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will depart from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and the teachings of demons"

Verse 1 also states that Jesus Christ was had been portrayed as being crucified before the very eyes of the Galatian believers. These Christians understood with much clarity what Jesus and the cross of Christ was all about. It was as if they had watched a documentary movie on the death and resurrection of Jesus as Paul taught them.

I think we should understand that these people had received the Holy Spirit into their lives, who, would have painted this picture for the Galatians into their hearts as Paul taught them. Human beings like Paul preach and teach, but it is the Holy Spirit that speaks what is preached and taught to the hearts of those who hear the message.

The simple point here is that these Galatians did understand the gospel as Paul taught it. It was not a matter of them not understanding it. They knew the gospel and now they were beginning to trade it in for another gospel.

The idea that Jesus was crucified is important here. Paul was stressing the point that Jesus died because of our sinfulness. Nothing can take the place of the cross of Christ. Nothing can be added to the significance of the cross.

The cross of Christ is fundamental to the Christian faith. When we see Jesus in the next life, His appearance, in one form or another, will remind us of His death on the cross. If you read Revelation, chapter 5, I believe you will see that to be true. There, Jesus is pictured as a lamb that had been slain. Revelation 5:6 reads:

"Then I saw one like a slaughtered lamb [Jesus] standing in the midst of the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent into all the earth."

In the next few verses here in Galatians 3 Paul asked a series of rhetorical questions that everyone would have known the answer to. These questions are meant to remind these people of who Jesus is and what He has done for them. Paul wanted them to rationally think things through once again. Paul was comparing the living Jesus to what he will call a dead law.

Verse 2

"I only want to learn this from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law or by believing what you heard?"

Since the Galatians clearly understood the gospel, in verse 2 Paul asked them if they had received the Spirit of God into their lives by doing the works of the Law of Moses, or by believing what they heard preached by Paul. The answer is obvious. These people received the Holy Spirit by believing what Paul preached to them, that is, by trusting their lives with Jesus, and not because they were obedient to the Law of Moses. If Paul's readers were honest, it would not have taken these people long to answer this question.

We need to note that this is the first time Paul introduced the Holy Spirit in this letter. You cannot separate the Holy Spirit from being justified, that is, being made in right standing before God. The Spirit of God is vital to our salvation. As a matter of fact, there is no salvation apart from the Holy Spirit's involvement in our lives. Paul introduced the Holy Spirit here as a preliminary point to what he will say later.

One thing that is implied in this verse is that when someone first believes, or, when someone first gives his life to Jesus, he receives the Holy Spirit into his life. He does not receive the Holy Spirit at some kind of secondary experience called the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, Sanctification, a second work of grace, or, whatever term you want to use. The fact is that if one does not have the Holy Spirit in his life, he does not belong to Jesus and is not a true Christian, as Romans 8:9 clearly states.

"You, however, are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to him."

The answer to Paul's question here in verse 2 is, "no," and these people knew that "no" was the correct answer.

To learn more about the entrance of the Spirit of God into our lives, you can read my book entitled "Revisiting Pentecost."

Verse 3

"Are you so foolish? After beginning by the Spirit, are you now finishing by the flesh?"

The question here in verse 3 has a clear "no" answer as did the last question, and again, these Galatians would have known the correct answer and that is why Paul deemed them to be foolish, or stupid. These people began their lives as Christians by means of the Holy Spirit. Without the Spirit's intervention in a life, whether at initial salvation or during one's post conversion life, there is no Christian life. These believers got saved as a result of the Holy Spirit speaking to their hearts and then entering their very being.

The verb "after beginning" is a middle voice Greek verb. This means that in the beginning of their Christian lives was a combination of them giving themselves to the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit giving Himself to the believers. The same is true with the verb "now finishing." It too is a middle voice Greek verb that means that these people are giving themselves to an external force and that external force is influencing them. The external force is the false teachers with their false doctrine.

It is foolish to believe that the life of a Christian, that begins with the entrance of the Holy Spirit into his life, continues without the Holy Spirit's influence in hiss life. The lack of logic by these people shows that they were foolish. That being said, such foolishness has been seen in church throughout the centuries. Our human tendency is always to lean on our own human effort when it comes to all things Christian, when in fact, it is the Holy Spirit's effort in conjunction with our effort that must be demonstrated in our lives as Christians.

Over the years the church has mandated rules and regulations that need to be observed in order for us to be the Christian the church expects us to be. Catholicism is a prime example of this. Evangelical Christianity in times past, with its legalistic approach to the Christian life, is another example. The bottom line is that we must not leave the Holy Spirit out of our lives as Christians.

Verse 4

"Did you experience so much for nothing — if in fact it was for nothing?"

In verse 4 Paul asked these people if they had suffered so much for nothing. Paul was a good steward of his time and energy, and he felt that those to whom he was writing should be like him in this respect. Paul wanted to do nothing in vain. He was asking these Galatians if all they had suffered, which would have included persecution because of their association with Jesus, was for nothing. If they were going to revert back to the old system, that is, obedience to the Law of Moses, some suffering, at least from the Jews, might end. That might be nice, but the persecution that they had already suffered, would be a total waste. Suffering for no valid reason is not a pleasant thought.

Paul was not quite ready to concede that these people would revert back to the old system. He was fighting for their faith. He finished his question by asking if it really was in vain. With the addition of this phrase, we see that Paul believed he might be able to persuade these people to stay on the right track. They were on the verge of reverting back to the Law of Moses for the purpose of salvation, but they had not taken the last step in crossing the line into Law.

Concerning the Galatians suffering for the gospel of Christ, Acts 14:21 and 22 speak of Christians suffering. Suffering for Jesus was to be understood before anyone became a Christian. They would have had to count the cost of their decision to give their lives to Jesus. Acts 14:21 and 22 read:

"After they had preached the gospel in that town and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, to Iconium, and to Antioch , strengthening the disciples by encouraging them to continue in the faith and by telling them, 'It is necessary to go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God .'"

During certain periods of Christian history, Christians have suffered persecution and many trials due to their faith in Jesus. Paul's day was one of those difficult times. As a matter of fact, during the first three hundred years of Christian history there were ten major times of state sponsored persecution. Even today, in many Muslim and Communist nations, Christians are persecuted for their faith in Jesus.

Verses 5 and 6

"So then, does God give you the Spirit and work miracles among you by your doing the works of the law? Or is it by believing what you heard — just like Abraham who believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness?"

The words "so then" in verse 5 suggest that Paul's next question is to make the point clear that he was making in his last question.

Paul asked these believers if God gave them the Holy Spirit and caused miracles to be happening among them because they obeyed the Law of Moses or because they believed the gospel message that they heard. Of course, believing what they heard led them to Jesus and the reception of the Holy Spirit into their lives that resulted in the miracles taking place in their midst. The answer to this question is obvious to us and would have been obvious to Paul's readers. Merely performing duties of the Law of Moses did not cause them to receive the Holy Spirit and participate in miracles. That was never the case in Old Testament times, so why would it be the case in these New Testament times?

The correct answer to this question, which these people would have known, should have caused them to think seriously about what they were thinking of doing. Again, Paul was trying to bring some simple common sense to this issue. Common sense was what these people were lacking. We saw this earlier when Paul used the word "foolish" to describe these Christians. Obviously, Christians can be foolish at times. I'm sure you would agree with me on that point.

By the use of the word "miracles" in verse 5 we see that the Galatians were still seeing miracles in their midst. This is impressive by our standards today. This tells me that these believers had not conclusively departed from the truth of the gospel. If they had, these miracles would not have been experienced among them. That being said, even with the evidence of the Holy Spirit as seen in these miracles, these people were considering leaving the gospel of grace and reverting back to something that Paul said was no gospel, that is, obedience to the Law of Moses. It only goes to show us, that miracles don't always convinced people of the truth.

In verse 6 Paul introduced Abraham into the discussion. He asked the Galatians to consider Abraham, the Father of all things Jewish. Abraham, said Paul, believed God, and, as a result of his faith in God, was credited or counted as being righteous in God's sight, when in fact, he was not righteous.

The word "credited" is important here. It is a bookkeeping term. If a friend goes to the bank and deposits fifty dollars into your checking account, the bank credits your bank account by fifty dollars. That fifty dollars was not yours in the first place. You did not earn it, but, it is yours now as if you had actually earned it. This is what Paul was getting at here. Abraham's heavenly account was credited with righteousness by God even though he did not earn it by doing any good work.

Verse 7

"You know, then, that those who have faith, these are Abraham's sons."

Paul told his readers that those who have faith are in fact Abraham's sons. For the non-Christian Jew that would have been considered pure blasphemy. For them, being children of Abraham was a matter of biology, not faith. Paul was telling the Galatians that the real children of Abraham are those who have faith, those who trust God, as Abraham himself trusted God. Paul did not say, at least at this point, just where the faith or trust is to be directed, although it was probably implied. He was simply making the point that those who have faith are sons of Abraham. This, as Paul said by the words "you know," was something that the Galatian believers fully understood, at least in times past.

Jesus Himself questioned the biological approach that the Jews had concerning them being children of Abraham. John 8:44 reads:

"Yare of your father the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he tells a lie, he speaks from his own nature, because he is a liar and the father of lies."

Abraham might well have been the Jews biological father, but in Jesus' mind, their father was the devil.

Verse 8

"Now the Scripture saw in advance that God would justify the Gentiles by faith and proclaimed the gospel ahead of time to Abraham, saying, 'All the nations will be blessed through you.'"

Note the word "Scripture" here in verse 8. It is translated from the Greek word "graphe." This Greek word means to write, which in its general usage could imply a drawing. We derive our English word "graph," as in "photograph" from this Greek word. The Scripture that Paul wrote about here is the Old Testament. There was no such thing as a New Testament as we know it when Paul wrote this letter.

In verse 8 Paul wrote that the Scripture saw in advance that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham. Note that the Scripture saw in advance that the Gentiles could find justification by faith. Even though this was announced to Abraham, Paul did not specifically say that this was Abraham's understanding. It was the Scripture's understanding. I personally don't believe that Abraham understood the Gentiles would be justified in the eyes of God by trusting in God, let alone Jesus. Whatever the case, Paul viewed God's promise of all nations being blessed through Abraham as the gospel. Paul saw more to the Abrahamic Covenant than Israel of old saw, and this was part of the problem Paul had with both the Jews and the Jewish Christians.

The exact portion of Scripture Paul had in mind would have been Genesis 12:3, that reads:

"I will bless those who bless you,

I will curse anyone who treats you with contempt, and all the peoples on earth

will be blessed through you."

The promises that God gave to Abraham, which Genesis 12:3 is one, is called the Abrahamic Covenant. This covenant should be distinguished from the Mosaic Covenant, which in the letter to the Galatians is referred to as the Law of Moses. The Law of Moses was in fact a covenant between God and Israel . The Abrahamic Covenant was a covenant the God made with Himself, not with Abraham, to bless Abraham and his descendents, and in the end, the whole world. More of the promises God spoke to Abraham are found in Genesis 12:3, 18:18,28:14 to18. You can read my book entitled "Irrevocable Promises" (the Abrahamic Covenant and Biblical prophecy) to learn more about this covenant. Without an understanding of both the Abrahamic Covenant and the Mosaic Covenant, you will find it difficult to understand much of Paul's teaching. You will also not fully grasp the importance of what has been called the New Covenant, the gospel truth that Paul wrote about in this letter. I refer you back to an earlier chapter in this book where I write about both the Abrahamic and Mosaic Covenant.

The word "justify" is a legal term. Justification is the process whereby God removes the designation of sinner from our lives. He replaces that designation with the words "righteous saints." This process was accomplished on the cross with Jesus' death and is realized in our lives when we repent and hand our lives over to Jesus.

Concerning Abraham, we should understand that God justified him by faith long before he was a Jew, long before he was circumcised, and long before the Law of Moses came into existence. Paul's point throughout his writings concerning this is that the Jewish Gentile issue, circumcision, and the Law of Moses, have nothing to do with being justified, and never did have anything to do with being justified in the sight of God. Paul's bottom line is that all along, throughout human history, long before circumcision and the Law, and even during the period of the Law, God wanted people to trust Him. Trust in God is fundamental whether there is a Law of Moses or not. Nothing has ever changed when it comes to trusting one's life to God. It's always been that way, and it will always be that way.

There is one important issue that I need to mention at this point. There is more to the Abrahamic Covenant than the promise of all nations being blessed. Paul, in Galatians 3, only, and I say only, addressed this one promise of the Abrahamic Covenant. There are other promises found in the covenant, one of which is that Israel will have a certain portion of land, and they will possess it forever. Paul did not address that part of the covenant here. I say that to say this. There are three recipients of the Abrahamic Covenant. They are, Abraham himself, his descendents who is Israel , and his seed, who Paul said is Jesus in the next section of his letter. The promise of the world being blessed through Abraham applies to Jesus blessing the world. The promise that Israel would be a great nation forever and possessing a certain portion of land applies to Abraham's descendents Israel , and is yet to be fulfilled. When this promise is fulfilled, as it will be at the end of this age and into the thousand year rule of Christ, then Israel too will be a blessing to all the nations of the world.

The simple point to this part of Paul's letter is that the Abrahamic Covenant that Paul wrote about here in Galatians 3 has two aspects to it. One is salvation through Jesus which Paul addressed here. The other is the salvation and restoration of Israel that Paul does not address here but he does address in Romans 9 through 11.

In short, verse 8 says that the Old Testament predicts that Gentiles would be made right in the sight of God if they had faith like Abraham's faith, and Abraham's faith was in God, not in the Law of Moses because the Law of Moses did not even exist in Abraham's day. Justification is thus a matter of faith and not law. Paul's interpretation of Genesis 12:3 was foreign to Abraham and the Jews in Old Testament times. It is for this reason that this issue became a real problem in the early church, especially with Jewish Christians, and even more so in the world of Judaism. This is where we must trust in Paul's theology. If he got this wrong, then as Christians, we have wasted our lives because Paul's theology on this issue has become our theology.

Verse 9

"Consequently those who have faith are blessed with Abraham, who had faith."

Verse 9 sums up what Paul has been writing about. Abraham was a blessed man, and, if we can trust in God as Abraham did, then we, whether Jew or Gentile, will be blessed with being considered as being in right standing before God, even though we do not deserve this right standing, and have not worked for it.

We should know that even though Abraham put his faith and trust in God, his faith did waver, but that did not change his right standing before God. The same would apply to us today. We do have faith, but the odd doubt does not nullify the fact that God views us as being in right standing with Himself.

Galatians 3:10 - 14

The Text

10 - For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, because it is written, Everyone who does not do everything written in the book of the law is cursed. ¹¹Now it is clear that no one is justified before God by the law, because the righteous will live by faith. ¹²But the law is not based on faith; instead, the one who does these things will live by them. ¹³Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, because it is written, Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree. ¹⁴The purpose was that the blessing of Abraham would come to the Gentiles by Christ Jesus, so that we could receive the promised Spirit through faith.

My Commentary

Verse 10

"For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, because it is written, Everyone who does not do everything written in the book of the law is cursed."

In verse 10 Paul said that whoever relies on observing the Law of Moses is under the Law, and whoever is under the Law is cursed. Why is a person cursed who is under the restrictions of the Law? It is because, as Paul wrote, cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law. This is a direct quote from Deuteronomy 27:26. That verse reads:

"Anyone who does not put the words of this law into practice is cursed. And all the people will say, Amen!"

The Law of Moses provided a list of blessings that Israel would receive if it obeyed the Law of Moses. It also provided a list of curses if it did not follow through and obey the Law. The point that Paul was making here is that one must continue to obey all of the Law of Moses. If one failed to obey just one aspect of the Law, one has failed to obey the whole Law, and therefore, is cursed as the Law stated. This means that all Jews were under the curse of the Law. The whole nation is cursed. No Israeli has continued to obey the Law in all aspects. This is really one of the major themes of the Old Testament. That is, man can try as hard as he can, but he will never be able to meet God's standards of living a righteous life. That is why we need a Saviour. I personally believe this is one reason why God set up the Law of Moses in the first place. It was to prove that we are unable to live as God would have us to live, and the Law proved that to be true.

Concerning the point that if you break one law, you break them all, James agreed with Paul when he wrote the same thing, as recorded in James 2:10. That verse reads:

"For whoever keeps the entire law, and yet stumbles at one point, is guilty of breaking it all."

Concerning these curses of the Law, I believe we should view them in two ways. One way concerns Israel , to whom the Law was given. As a nation, it has been experiencing the curses because it has consistently failed to obey the Law of Moses which it promised to keep, as seen in Exodus 19:8.

"Then all the people responded together, 'We will do all that the LORD has spoken.' So Moses brought the people’s words back to the LORD."

At the end of what Prophetic Biblical Futurists call the tribulation period that ends this age, a remnant of Jews will turn back to its God and recognize that the Lord Jesus Christ was their Messiah after-all. The curses that were prophesied about in the Law will have been fulfilled, and at that point in time the blessings of the Law will be bestowed upon Israel in the thousand year rule of Christ from Jerusalem .

The other way of viewing these curses is more spiritual in nature, which Paul wrote about in this chapter. That is, Jesus died on the cross. He actually experienced the curses so the Jews, and Gentiles too, would not have to experience any curse. Believers in Jesus therefore, have no curse hanging over their heads. Paul made that clear in 2 Corinthians 5:21, that reads:

"He [God] made the one [Jesus] who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."

Jesus actually became sin as He hung on the cross. Becoming sin, would then, imply that Jesus was cursed by God while hanging on the cross. Of course, as Paul wrote, Jesus never sinned. It was our sin that He bore on the cross. He became our sin, and as a result, was executed in our place.

There are some Christians who believe in what they call "generational curses." That means that some of the difficulties they have in their lives are due to God cursing them by way of a curse being past from one generation to the next generation. I believe such a concept is unbiblical. Christians are not under any kind of curse because Jesus was punished with all of the curses God has to give, and He was cursed on our behalf.

Verse 11

"Now it is clear that no one is justified before God by the law, because the righteous will live by faith."

In verse 11, in no uncertain words, Paul wrote that no one is justified before God by the Law, because the righteous, or the just, as some texts state, will live by faith. This is something Paul wrote many times in both Romans and here in Galatians. The Law of Moses justifies no man. Again, as I have said, if God's Law does not justify anyone, then any man made church law will not justify anyone either. Salvation, and being a member of God's family, is by faith alone, by trusting Jesus, from the beginning to the end.

Paul backed up his point by quoting from Habakkuk 2:4, that reads:

"Look, his ego is inflated; he is without integrity. But the righteous one will live by his faith."

Paul's point here was that the Old Testament itself, the very Old Testament the false teachers were relying on and using to back their theology, stated that the righteous, or the just, shall live by faith, by trusting God. Paul was saying that even in Old Testament times, faith, or faithfulness, is the foundation for justification and being part of God's true family.

Many Bible scholars say that the Hebrew Old Testament of Habakkuk 2:4 states that just will live by faithfulness, meaning God's faithfulness. This puts a whole different slant on Habakkuk 2:4. It would mean that we as believers do not live by our own faith or even our own faithfulness, but by God's faithfulness. We have no faithfulness as defined by God's standards of faithfulness.

In the CSB version of verse 11 it states that the "righteous will live by faith." Other versions say something like "the righteous one, or man, will live by faith." Whatever version you prefer, Paul does not say that the just person or righteous person will get saved by faith in this verse, although that is a true statement. The fact is that we do not just get saved by faith, but we stay saved by faith, and, even beyond that, we live each day of our lives by faith. We live out every moment of our lives by relying on Jesus and His faithfulness. We do not rely on any law to keep us save or help us live each moment of our lives. We have the Holy Spirit to help us with living our lives as we are meant to live.

Whether you understand Habakkuk 2:4 to say that we live by faith or by God's faithfulness, in the end, we put our faith, our trust, in the faithfulness of God and nothing else.

Verse 12

"But the law is not based on faith; instead, the one who does these things will live by them."

In verse 12 Paul stated that the Law of Moses is not based on faith. The working out of the Law is a matter of works. It is a matter of people doing something that law requires. That is called work in Biblical terms. You read a law, and you do what it says. You don't really need faith. For example, if I say to you, "put your coat over there." You don't need any faith in me to obey what I say. You just put your coat where I asked you. The Law of Moses, or any law as far as that goes, is simply a list of rules to obey, whether you trust the One who gave the law or not. Our governments have given us many laws, and many of us don't trust the government, but we still obey the laws.

In the long run, throughout the Old Testament era, God did want Israel to obey the Law of Moses, not just because it was the law of the land but because it should obey the One who gave it the law. In the final analysis, obeying the Law of Moses is premised on having faith in the One who gave the law to be obeyed.

1 Samuel 15:22 reads:

"Then Samuel said: Does the LORD take pleasure in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the LORD? Look: to obey is better than sacrifice, to pay attention is better than the fat of rams."

Micah 6:8 reads:

"Mankind, he has told each of you what is good and what it is the LORD requires of you: to act justly, to love faithfulness,

and to walk humbly with your God."

Verse 13

"Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, because it is written, Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree."

It has been debated over the years to whom the pronoun "us" is in reference. Does "us" refer to Jews alone or to both Jews and Gentiles? Paul was writing to both Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians in this letter. Those who believe "us" refers to Jews alone say that Gentiles were never under the Law of Moses, and therefore, "us" must refer to Jews. Those who say "us" refer to both ethnicities say that the community of believers to whom Paul was writing, were both Jew and Gentile. I'll let you think this one through for yourself.

In verse 13 Paul said that Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law by becoming a curse. What does this mean? First of all the word "redeem" means to purchase. In this context, we were once slaves to the Law of Moses. If someone broke the Law he would be cursed and punished. Jesus, who never broke the Law, took the curse of the Law on Himself and was punished on our behalf. You might say, then, as a person takes the place of a slave in the world in order to set the slave free, Jesus did the same for us. By being cursed on our behalf, Jesus became a slave of the Law so we could be set free from the Law.

Jesus redeemed us so that the blessing given to Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ. This blessing is being counted as righteousness, just as Abraham was counted righteous.

Paul said that it was written that anyone who hangs on a tree is cursed. What passage of Scripture might Paul have been quoting? It might be Deuteronomy 21:23, that reads:

"... you are not to leave his corpse on the tree overnight but are to bury him that day, for anyone hung on a tree is under God’s curse. You must not defile the land the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance."

Jesus did not hang on a tree. It was a wooden cross, and the exact shape of the cross has been debated for years. Was it a capital "T" shape, a small "t" shape, or, a capital "X" shape? The shape of the cross does not matter. What matters is that Jesus, in the sight of God, was cursed as He hung on that cross made of the wood from a tree.

Verse 14

"The purpose was that the blessing of Abraham would come to the Gentiles by Christ Jesus, so that we could receive the promised Spirit through faith."

The words "the purpose" here in verse 14 is in reference to the fact that Jesus was cursed by God while hanging on the cross.

Paul was saying that Jesus was cursed by God so Gentiles would be recipients of the blessing of Abraham as well as the Jews. The blessing that Abraham was blessed with was because of his trust in God. He was, thus, considered as being in right standing with God. Beyond that, one of the promises of the Abrahamic Covenant, the promises God spoke to Abraham, was that all nations would be blessed through him. All nations obviously include Gentiles. Paul, therefore, concluded that through Jesus, who was the offspring of Abraham, Gentiles could be considered as being righteous, as being in right standing with God, if they, like Abraham were people of faith in the God of Abraham. Remember, the promised that God would bless all nations through Abraham is found in Genesis 12:3.

"I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."

What we should note from Galatians 3:13 and 14 is that when Jesus died on the cross, He came under the Law of Moses and was cursed by it. He did so that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles. What we should understand here is that Paul did not say that Jesus was cursed by God through the Law so the Gentiles might receive the blessings of the Law. No, Jesus was cursed by the Law so the Gentiles might receive the blessings, not of the Law, but of Abraham. The Law, the Mosaic Covenant was directed to Israel , while the Abrahamic Covenant's end result was for all nations. This is just another way for Paul to say that the Law of Moses, the Mosaic Covenant is no longer in effect. As Romans 10:4 states, Christ is the end of the Law.

"For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes,"

In verse 14 Paul ends this paragraph with the reason why we need to be viewed or declared as being righteous by God. The reason is so that we might receive the Holy Spirit into our lives. You see, before God’s Spirit can come to live within us, the sin problem has to be dealt with. Jesus took care of that by being cursed and receiving the punishment for our sin. Sin was finally punished through the death of Jesus. Of course, we should have been the ones punished, but we weren’t. Jesus was punished in our place. God’s justice in punishing sin was satisfied. He could now look on us without anger and wrath. As a result, He could now give us His Holy Spirit. As long as He saw sin in us, He could not give us His Spirit, nut now or not ever.

Although God still sees sin in our lives, He does not count that sin against us. How thankful we should be for that. Sin has been laid on the back of Jesus. What God sees is our faith, or our trust in Jesus. If He does not see that within a person, then that person has no other way to be made right with God. That person only waits until that terrible day of the Lord when all of God’s wrath and anger will be poured out on those who refuse His provision that was made on the cross.

If you think of it, even though we have been made righteous through Jesus' act of grace, we are still unrighteous in our actions. For this reason, it is one huge miracle that God allows His Spirit to live in us.

Many Evangelicals don't understand the relation between forgiveness and the reception of the Holy Spirit into one's life. God will not give His Spirit to anyone who has not repented and received His forgiveness. For this reason, I believe there are many in the church who do not have the Holy Spirit, because they have not really repented and received God's forgiveness. Also, many people stop at forgiveness, not knowing that the Holy Spirit is there for them. You cannot live the life of a Christian without the Spirit of God and His involvement in your life. Again, Paul said in Romans 8:9 that if you do not have the Holy Spirit living in you, you do not belong to God.

"You, however, are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to him."

In saying what I have just said, we should also understand that there are three aspects of what I call "initial salvation," that is, how one gets saved. They are, repenting, believing, and receiving the Holy Spirit into his life. All three of these aspects are separate and distinct. They can happen all at the same time or over a period of time. Both are seen in the Book of Acts. In Acts 8, people's initial salvation took place over a period of time. In Acts 10 people's initial salvation was instantaneous. You can read my book entitled "Revisiting Pentecost" for more information on this Biblical issue.

Concerning the cross of Christ, many Christians simply see the cross as that place where God forgave our sins, but the cross is much more than that. Another aspect to the cross is that Jesus was condemned as a sinner. He not only was punished for our sins, He was condemned as being a sinner on our behalf. The only righteous One was executed as a sinner. Jesus was viewed by God as a sinner so we could be viewed by God as saints.

At this point I would like to insert an article on verses 13 and 14. It is a more detailed explanation at these verses that many Christians miss.

The Law of Moses, also known as the Mosaic Covenant, was a conditional agreement between God, Jews, and Gentiles living among the Jews. Like any agreement between two or more parties there were stipulations in the covenant that all participants agreed to be responsible to keep. If any party defaulted on its responsibilities it would suffer the curses set forth in the covenant. The blessings offered in the covenant were conditional upon the Jews and Gentiles living among the Jews keeping their side of the agreement, thus making this a conditional covenant.

In contrast to the Mosaic Covenant, the Abrahamic Covenant was an unconditional covenant. There were no conditions placed within it to be met by Abraham and his descendents. It was a unilateral agreement, not made between God and Abraham, but between God and Himself. The covenant stipulated that God would bless Abraham and his descendants no matter their response to the covenant. Abraham and his descendants had no responsibilities or obligations to keep in order to receive the blessings of the covenant other than to trust that God would be true to His covenant.

With the above in mind I quote and make a couple of comments on Galatians 3:13 and 14. It reads:

"Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: 'Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole. He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit."

Paul said that Jesus redeemed us, or rescued us, from the law's curses by becoming cursed on our behalf. In context, the word "law" refers to the Law of Moses, the Mosaic Covenant.

You might conclude that since Jesus rescued us from the curse of the Mosaic Covenant we would now be recipients of the blessings of the Mosaic Covenant. Look closely. Paul said no such thing. He said that Jesus rescued us from the curse of the Mosaic Covenant so we could benefit from the blessings, not of the Mosaic Covenant, but from the blessings of Abraham, the Abrahamic Covenant. This fantastic news is often missed when we read this text. Those of us who trust that Jesus was cursed on our behalf have been released from any curse associated with the conditional Mosaic Covenant in order to receive the unconditional benefits of the Abrahamic Covenant. Like Abraham, our only obligation is to trust that God will be true to His word.

This is what the gospel of Jesus, also known as the New Covenant, is all about. It is central to all that Paul taught. The blessings promised by God to those who trust Him are not a matter of obedience to law but trusting in God's faithfulness to His word. It is not a matter of our performance but of God's performance, which is seen in Him giving us His Spirit as Paul concluded in Galatians 3:14.

Christians cannot be cursed by God and to suggest otherwise is to negate what Jesus did for us on the cross.

Galatians 3:15 - 18

The Text

15 - Brothers and sisters, I’m using a human illustration. No one sets aside or makes additions to a validated human will. ¹⁶Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say “and to seeds,” as though referring to many, but referring to one, and to your seed, who is Christ. ¹⁷My point is this: The law, which came 430 years later, does not invalidate a covenant previously established by God and thus cancel the promise. ¹⁸For if the inheritance is based on the law, it is no longer based on the promise; but God has graciously given it to Abraham through the promise.

My Commentary

Verse 15

"Brothers and sisters, I’m using a human illustration. No one sets aside or makes additions to a validated human will."

We should understand that the words "and sisters" are not found in the original Greek text. They have been added by the CSB translators to make Paul's statement more culturally relevant to today's culture. You may struggle with that, but in reality, all that Paul wrote here should be understood to be directed towards both men and women.

This section in the Book of Galatians is important to understand. It is quite controversial, and I believe some people have gone astray doctrinally because they have misunderstood what Paul was talking about here. It's one of the primary passages that those who believe in Replacement Theology use to back their thinking. Simply put, Replacement Theology states that the church has replaced Israel in the mind of God when it comes to prophetic history. The doctrine, thus sates, that all of the promises and prophecies directed towards Israel in the Old Testament are now directed towards the New Testament church. I will leave more discussion on that for another day. As I see things, Replacement Theology totally misrepresents this passage because the doctrine fails to understand what the Abrahamic Covenant is all about.

The Greek word "diatheke" is translated here in the CSB as a human will, as in, a last will and testament. In many other versions of the Bible diatheke is translated as covenant. Our English word "covenant" is probably the best translation of diatheke because covenant is what the word means. That being said, the majority opinion is that the specific type of covenant spoken of by Paul is most likely a last will and testament, and thus, the CSB's rendering of the Greek word "diatheke." If you write a will, it can't be set aside , ignored, or added to in any way, unless it is properly and legally replaced by a new will.

The human illustration, then, that Paul is using here in his argument is a last will and testament.

Verse 16

"Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say 'and to seeds,' as though referring to many, but referring to one, and to your seed, who is Christ."

At this point I remind you that it would be a good idea to read my book entitled "Irrevocable Promises.' It goes into much detail about the Abrahamic Covenant that would go a long way in helping you understand this portion of the letter to the Galatians.

The word "promises" in verse 16 is in reference to all of the promises of the Abrahamic Covenant the God spoke to Abraham.

Here in verse 16 Paul said that the promises were spoken to Abraham and his seed. First of all I want to point out that the word "promises" is plural, not singular. There were more than one promise spoken by God to Abraham. There was the promise that all the nations of the earth would be blessed through Abraham's descendents. There was the promise of a specific portion of land that God would give his descendents. There was the promise of national statehood and greatness. There was the promise of Abraham having a son via a miraculous birth. There was the promise that those who bless Abraham would be blessed and those who cursed Abraham would be cursed. All tallied, there were thirteen promises that I have counted.

Verse 16 states that God spoke these promises to Abraham and to his seed. The word "spoke" is important because that is exactly what happened. God did not enter into a covenant with Abraham. He simply spoke the terms and the blessings of the covenant to Abraham. If you read Genesis 15 you will note that when the covenant ceremony was being ratified, God put Abraham to sleep. Abraham had no part in making the covenant. God made the covenant with Himself. He only spoke it to Abraham, and as Paul said here, to Abraham's seed. Again, it is vital for us to know that the Abrahamic Covenant was a unilateral agreement between God and Himself. God will fulfill the promises He spoke to Abraham, and that despite what Abraham or his descendents Israel says and does.

Unlike the Mosaic Covenant, the Law of Moses, where God entered an agreement with Israel , Israel had to do certain things to benefit from the covenant. If Israel failed in this respect, it would be cursed, as was stated in the covenant.

In short, the Abrahamic Covenant is an unconditional covenant. God will fulfill what He promised no matter what happens. The Mosaic Covenant was a conditional covenant, conditioned on Israel fulfilling its stated responsibilities.

Verse 16 states that the covenant was spoken to two people, Abraham and to Abraham's seed. If, however, you read the Genesis accounts, of which there are many, you will notice that the covenant had three recipients, not two as stated here. They are Abraham, his seed as Paul stated here, and Abraham's descendents Israel .

One important thing I need to point out here is that I do not believe that Abraham's seed and his descendents are the same recipients. Part of Paul's argument here is that the word "seed" is singular. He made a big deal over that fact. That is how precise Paul gets. Well, if the word "seed" being singular is important, then the word "descendents," which is plural must be important as well. Simply put, if seed is singular and descendents is plural, then both words can't refer to the same recipient of the promises God spoke to Abraham.

Although I am quoting the Christian Standard Bible in this commentary, I want to make a point as seen in the New International Version of the Bible. The NIV has clarified much for me in respect to the Abrahamic Covenant, and specifically, its recipients.

The NIV does not use the single word "seed" in its text. Instead, it uses the word "offspring" and also the word "descendents," thus making the offspring and descendents two different recipients of the promises spoken to Abraham. This is not the case with the KJV. It uses the one word "seed" throughout the Genesis account. The KJV does not distinguish any difference between offspring and descendents as the NIV does. You might wonder why does the NIV make this distinction. I believe it is because the context clearly determines whether a specific promise is directed to one offspring or Abraham's descendents, which would be the Jews, or Israel .

The Hebrew word "zera" is translated as "seed," "offspring," descendent," and "descendants" in many of our English Bibles, the NIV included. The simplest meaning of "zera" is "sowing," and thus is used in many ways in the Old Testament. In the Old Testament zera is used in reference to planting seed, or a man impregnating a woman. Understanding zera is important, but I admit, it is a difficult Biblical word and concept to think through.

One more point concerning the Hebrew word "zera" is that, as in our English word "seed," it can be thought of as being both singular and plural. This is where the difficulty arises in translating zera into English. Which should translators use, the singular or plural in their translations? This is where the difference between the King James Bible and the New International Version of the Bible comes into play. One's theology often motivates one to translate "zera."

It is my understanding that most of the King James translators had a low view of Israel , and therefore, would have naturally translated zera as being singular throughout the Genesis account. Most middle aged theologians, including reformed theologians, believed in Replacement Theology, meaning, the church replaced Israel in prophetic history. These theologians could not see Israel as being a legitimate recipient of the gospel.

The reason why I believe Paul did not comment on the word "descendents," or the plural meaning of the word "seed" in this passage is because he was majoring on the "seed" and how the "seed" relates to salvation by faith. Paul taught on the descendents, meaning Israel , in Romans 9 through 11. Teaching on the descendents of Abraham, which is Israel , in this passage would only have confused the point he was making.

As I said, Paul made a point of saying that the word "seed" is singular, not plural. There is no "s" on the word "seed." Paul was sure getting technical and specific here. This could be a case for our Biblically illiterate world today. If Paul can get this detailed, this specific and technical, so why can’t we? It seems to me that most Christians prefer not to study the Bible in such detail. If Paul were speaking in many churches today, making such a point, he would lose most of the people for lack of interest. They would rather be blessed by easy words to hear.

Getting back to Paul’s point, he said that the word "seed" singular, can only refer to one person, and that is Jesus, not several people, meaning the descendents of Abraham who is Israel. What Paul was saying here is important. If he was wrong ont this one point, then every Christian has wasted his time being a Christian over the centuries. Paul was putting Jesus in the forefront here when it comes to the things of God, and as we will see, he was putting the Law of Moses in the background.

Verse 17

"My point is this: The law, which came 430 years later, does not invalidate a covenant previously established by God and thus cancel the promise."

Paul went on to say that the Law of Moses that came four hundred and thirty years later cannot nullify or invalidate God's promise to Abraham. I will not comment on the four hundred and thirty years. There is some controversy whether the count is four hundred and thirty years or four hundred years. You can read other commentaries and learn more about that. I will only say that it is a matter of dating, that is, when one actually begins dating this period of time.

Paul's point in verse 17 is simple. The Abrahamic Covenant came long before the Mosaic Covenant, and, the Conditional Mosaic Covenant in no way nullifies the unconditional Abrahamic Covenant. The two covenants are in fact two separate and distinct covenants, each having its own purpose. The Abrahamic Covenant, as Paul stated here is still in affect, even to this day. Paul did teach, as we will see later, and in other letters, that the Mosaic Covenant has ceased to exist for the purpose of making people be counted righteous in the eyes of God. Even as I say that, the Law of Moses was never meant to declare us as being right in God's sight as we would think in New Testament terms. See Romans 10:4 and Colossians 2 15 to 25.

Many people are confused to what the Abrahamic Covenant and the Mosaic Covenant are all about. One point of the confusion is, as I have stated, they are two separate and distinct covenants, each having a specific purpose. The Abrahamic Covenant was an eternal covenant while the Mosaic Covenant was temporary and for a specific nation of people, that is the Jews. Due to the fact that the Abrahamic Covenant is eternal and the Mosaic Covenant was temporary, the Mosaic Covenant can't invalidate the Abrahamic Covenant. This is just common sense.

Verse 18

"For if the inheritance is based on the law, it is no longer based on the promise; but God has graciously given it to Abraham through the promise."

Verse 18 is necessary to understand. If you miss this point, you will fail to understand Paul's logic. We see the word "inheritance" here. With the use of the word "inheritance,", Paul confirms the covenant spoken of in verse 15 is in fact a last will and testament. The Abrahamic Covenant is a will. It can't be nullified and it provides an inheritance to its recipients.

Paul said that if the inheritance seen in the covenant depends on the law, meaning the Law of Moses, then the inheritance is no longer a promise. This makes perfect sense. A last will and testament is a list of things promised to someone upon the death of the one who owns the will. In this case, the promises of the will, the Abrahamic Covenant, has no conditions added to it. Therefore, the Law of Moses does not nullify the Abrahamic Covenant. The Mosaic Covenant is in fact a separate and distinct covenant, with separate and distinct purposes.

Paul ends verse 18 by saying that the promises spoken to Abraham depends on God's grace alone. They do not depend on anything that anyone does or can do. If the promises depended on what anyone does, then they are no longer unconditional, and we know those promises were unconditional. It's a matter of simple logic.

I say the following to summarize what I've just written. Paul emphasized the word "seed" as being singular, thus can't be referring to many people, as in Abraham's descendents. Therefore he says the seed is Jesus. Paul is only defining the word "seed", or the word "offspring" as it is seen in the Genesis accounts in the NIV. He is not defining the word "descendents" that is also found in the Genesis accounts. We must still understand the word descendents as being Abraham's descendents, that is Israel . If Paul emphasized the word "seed" as being singular, then it is logical that we emphasize the word "descendents" as being plural, and, if we do that, then we cannot ignore the word "descendents" which is Israel , in the Genesis accounts of the Abrahamic Covenant.

I make this point because some say that the whole of the Abrahamic Covenant is fulfilled in Jesus because of what Paul wrote here. They say that Israel is now excluded from the covenantal promises and has no more prophetic significance in the mind of God. That's not so. In short, Paul stated that the Abrahamic Covenant is directed to both Abraham and Jesus, yet, when you read the Genesis accounts of the covenant you will notice that the covenant is directed to three people or groups. They are Abraham, his descendents who we know as Israel , and the offspring who we now know is Jesus. It's, therefore, only logical to conclude that what God promised Abraham, He promised to Abraham. What God promised to Abraham's descendents Israel , He promised to Israel . And, what God promised to the offspring, who we now know is Jesus, He promised to Jesus. All of the promises directed to all three recipients will surely be fulfilled. There is no doubt about that.

My point is simple. The promises found in the Abrahamic Covenant were made to three people or groups of people. We, therefore, must make a distinction between Abraham , Israel , and Jesus. God promised salvation to all mankind through Jesus. That being said, there were specific promises, like land promises, promises of national greatness, that God made to Israel that will yet be fulfilled. It is clear from many Biblical passages, that God did not lay aside Israel , or replace Israel with the church. Taking the land promises as an example, Jesus is involved in the fulfillment of land to Israel as well, since He is the one who returns to earth and gives Israel its promised land.

The great nationhood status of future Israel also comes through Jesus. When Jesus returns, Israel will be what it was always meant to be.

Just to confirm, Paul, in Galatians 3:16 is not speaking of the word "descendents," only the word "offspring." He has defined offspring for us. He does not define, or redefine the word "descendents," that is still a plural word that refers to Israel . This section of Paul's letter is not a commentary on the Abrahamic Covenant with all of its promises. What Paul said here about the Abrahamic Covenant is simply in support of his main topic of the letter, which is, righteousness in God's sight, is by faith, not by works of the Law. In Romans 9 through 11 Paul spoke to the issue of Israel , the descendents of Abraham and their prophetic and historical significance.

Galatians 3:19 - 26

The Text

19 - Why, then, was the law given? It was added for the sake of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise was made would come. The law was put into effect through angels by means of a mediator. ²⁰Now a mediator is not just for one person alone, but God is one. ²¹Is the law therefore contrary to God’s promises? Absolutely not! For if the law had been granted with the ability to give life, then righteousness would certainly be on the basis of the law. ²²But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin’s power, so that the promise might be given on the basis of faith in Jesus Christ to those who believe. ²³Before this faith came, we were confined under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith was revealed. ²⁴The law, then, was our guardian until Christ, so that we could be justified by faith. ²⁵But since that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, ²⁶for through faith you are all sons of God in Christ Jesus.

My Commentary

Verse 19

"Why, then, was the law given? It was added for the sake of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise was made would come. The law was put into effect through angels by means of a mediator."

In verse 19 Paul anticipates the obvious question in response to what he has just written. He did this throughout the Book of Romans. It's a writing style that he often used, which is also the writing style of Greek philosophy. Paul would make a point, anticipate someone asking a question, so he asked the question and gives the answer.

Paul asked why the law was given to Israel in the first lace. Again, the Law spoken of here is clearly the Law of Moses. Paul's answer gives one of a number of reasons for the Law of Moses. He said that it was added because of transgressions. Paul didn't specifically say whose transgressions he had in mind. The transgressions were either ALL people's transgressions, or, just the Jews' transgressions. The Law was given to Israel , and that might suggest Paul had Israel in mind. On the other hand, all people's everywhere, commit transgressions, so, Paul might have had the Gentiles in mind as well.

The Greek word "parabasis" is translated here as "transgressions." This Greek word is made up of two Greek words meaning, "to go" and "across." Transgressions, thus men, to "go across," as in, "to go across the boundary line of the Law." Simply put, a transgression is to go beyond the will of God. If you see a sign, for example, that says "no trespassing beyond this point," that means if you go beyond that point you have trespassed. In this respect, the Law of Moses was added in order to tell us, especially Israel , that we have trespassed God's commands or will. If the Law wasn't given, we would not know that we have trespassed God's ways.

Note the word "added" in verse 19. To what was the Law of Moses added? I would suggest that the Law of Moses, otherwise known as the Mosaic Covenant, was temporarily added as a secondary covenant to the Abrahamic Covenant. It did not replace the Abrahamic Covenant, and, it was not incorporated into the Abrahamic Covenant. The two covenants were distinctly separate.

Concerning the Law of Moses, if you read the Genesis account, it will tell you lots about issues surrounding the Law. Much of the Law of Moses was already in existence prior to the time God spoke it to Moses. Many of these laws that were already in existence were codified in the Law of Moses. One example of this is seen as far back as the days of Cain and Abel. We don't know how or when, but Cain and Abel offered sacrifices to God. I don't believe this was a matter of their own choice. God accepted one sacrifice and not the other. There had to have been some law or rule given in order for these sacrifices to have been offered to Him. From that point on, men were supposed to offer acceptable sacrifices. That is why you see sacrifices in all the old civilizations, not just in Jewish society. All civilizations drifted from the true meaning of these sacrifices and perverted them. So, God gave Israel the Law in order in order to display the proper ways to sacrifice, as well as the proper way for all of the other rituals to be made.

The next phrase in verse 19 is important. It says, "until the Seed to whom was made." Note the word "Seed" is capitalized in the CSB, as it is in many versions of the Bible. We know who the Seed is from verses 15 through 18. The Seed is Jesus, and thus, the capital "S" on the word "Seed."

The "promise" spoken of here is one of the promises God spoke to Abraham, and according to Paul, the recipient or ultimate fulfillment of the promise was seen in Jesus. The point to this phrase is that the Law of Moses was added until Jesus came, to whom the promise of salvation was spoken in the Abrahamic Covenant would be realized and fulfilled.

What Paul said here makes it clear once again. The Law of Moses was in effect until Jesus appeared on earth. The word "until" is also important. As Paul said in Romans 10:4, "Christ is the end of the Law." This was what was being debated among the Galatian believers, and even today, it's a matter of debate in parts of the church. Christians who feel the need to revert back to what they call "the churches Jewish roots" which includes obedience to the Law of Moses, are in the wrong.

I will comment on the last part of verse 19 in my comments on verse 20.

Verse 20

"Now a mediator is not just for one person alone, but God is one."

The last half of verse 19 and verse 20 takes some thought and is difficult to understand for many. Many scholars have debated just what Paul meant when he said that the Law of Moses was put into effect through angels and by a mediator. Part of the problem lies in these angels that Paul spoke of. In my thinking, as the Law was being spoken to Moses, and, it was being spoken in the presence of a myriad of angels. Deuteronomy 33:2 reads:

"This is the blessing that Moses, the man of God, gave the Israelites before his death. He said, 'The LORD came from Sinai

and appeared to them from Seir;

he shone on them from Mount Paran

and came with ten thousand holy ones,

with lightning from his right hand for them.'"

The ten thousand holy ones are in reference to angels.

Hebrews 2:2 reads:

"For if the message spoken through angels was legally binding and every transgression and disobedience received a just punishment,"

It seems to me from the above passages that God Himself, spoke the Law to Moses, but He did so in the presence of angels, but where does the idea of the angels being mediators come into play?

I believe, and I can't be dogmatic, that Paul was referring to Moses being the mediator since God spoke the Law to Moses and Moses spoke it to Israel . So, he was the mediator. Some even suggest the mediator is pre-incarnate Jesus. I think if is a difficult task to get into the mind of Paul on this issue, but I will attempt this difficult issue with the understanding I might be wrong and I might change my mind at a later date.

Paul said that a mediator represents more than one party. That's a correct statement. When it comes to the Law of Moses, Moses was the mediator between God and Israel . The Mosaic Covenant, unlike the Abrahamic Covenant, was conditional. God and Israel entered into a joint agreement which included the blessings that Israel would receive if it obeyed the Law, and, the curses if it disobeyed the Law. Both parties clearly understood that, and thus, the necessity of a mediator, who might well have been Moses.

In verse 20 Paul said that a mediator doesn't just represent one party, but God is one. This is the trickiest part of verses 19 and 20 for me to understand. When Christians read the words "God is one," they immediately think of the Trinity, yet this was not the case with the rabbis of Israel . Every day a good Jew would speak from Deuteronomy 6:4, where the text reads, "Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord" (KJV). The NIV reads, "Here, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one." The CSB reads, " Listen , Israel : The LORD our God, the LORD is one." Different versions of the Bible translate this verse differently because there is some inherent trouble in the translating process. The simplest way to think of this may be to say that "Yahweh (Lord), our Elohim (God) is one Yahweh," or, "Yahweh is our God and He is one." For the most part, rabbis strongly interpreted this verse in reference to polytheism. That is, there is only one Israeli God and He is Yahweh, while the Gentile pagans worship multiple gods. That is to say, "we believe in one God, you believe in more than one God." Christians, because of their Trinitarian theology tend to see this differently. They say God is one, even though He consists of three identifying parts in His essence. Whatever view one holds on this, the rabbinical thinking should be fundamental in any theology of the Godhead.

All the above being said, there is a good chance that Paul was not even thinking of the oneness of God, especially the Trinitarian view of God, when he wrote these words. Some have interpreted Paul this way that a mediator represents more than one party, but God is one of the two parties. I cannot disregard this view.

Verse 21

"Is the law therefore contrary to God’s promises? Absolutely not! For if the law had been granted with the ability to give life, then righteousness would certainly be on the basis of the law."

In verse 21 Paul asked another question. He asked if the Law of Moses was contrary, as in, opposing or nullifying the promises. The promises here are in reference to the Abrahamic Covenant. Paul's answer was a clear "no." After what he has just said, you might think that the Law does oppose God's promises. Paul, then, will spend the next few verses to explain why the Law of Moses does not oppose the promises of the Abrahamic Covenant.

The first thing Paul pointed out in answering this question was that the Law of Moses could not impart life to anyone, even if he or she obeyed the Law. If the Law could impart life, then righteousness, that is, being in right standing with God, would have come through obedience to the Law. Another way to say this is that if the Law could make men and women totally right and perfect in who they are, then we should be obeying the Law, but it can't do that. It's just a list of rules with a number of relevant blessings and curses associated with these rules. A list of rules can't make one in right standing with God. It can, to a degree, cause one to do righteous things, but that's not what Paul is talking about. Doing righteous things and being righteous are two separate and different things. Besides, one might do some right things, but that his core, still be unrighteous, as Paul taught in Romans 7. Paul was simply pointing out the short comings of the Law of Moses. In short, the Law of Moses was never intended to make Jews to be righteous in who they were at their core.

Verse 22

"But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin’s power, so that the promise might be given on the basis of faith in Jesus Christ to those who believe."

In verse 22 Paul gets to the heart of the New Testament gospel of Christ. He said that the Scripture, that is, the Old Testament, says that the whole world is a prisoner of sin. Every human being is sinful, and therefore, commits sinful acts, and there is no way to escape our miserable state of being. We are prisoners. This is a fundamental Biblical truth that we all must understand about humanity and about ourselves. It's foundational to the gospel because if we don't accept the fact that we are prisoners of sin, we will not repent, and repentance is the first step in the process of salvation.

Beyond people being imprisoned by sin, Paul said that everything finds itself imprisoned by the sin of humanity. The events recorded in Genesis 3 tells us that all of creation has been plunged into a life of entropy, that is, a life of decay that leads to death, and, Genesis 3 is part of the Scripture that Paul wrote about here. Paul wrote about this in Romans 8:19 to 22.

"For the creation eagerly waits with anticipation for God’s sons to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to futility — not willingly, but because of him who subjected it — in the hope that the creation itself will also be set free from the bondage to decay into the glorious freedom of God’s children. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together with labor pains until now."

When Christians are set free from their sinful state and placed into their brand new glorified sinless bodies, creation will be set free as well, because all creation fell under the curse of sin, as seen in Genesis 3.

One thing I will mention at this point is that some theologians say that we become sinners when we commit the first sin. That is, we're sinners because we sin. I don't believe that to be the case. I believe we sin because we are sinners. We are born in sin, born with a sinful nature, and thus, we sin.

The last half of verse 22 states that what was promised, and what was promised is speaking of the Abrahamic Covenant, not the Mosaic Covenant, can only come through Jesus. That's totally logical. If God gave the promises, only God, through Jesus could secure the promises

What Paul is doing here is linking Jesus to God and the Abrahamic Covenant, and rightly so, because, as I stated earlier, Jesus is one of the three recipients of the promises. Trusting your life, therefore, with Jesus and nothing else, is the only way to receive the promises of God and to be freed from sin. The Law of Moses could never do that, and it was never meant to do that.

Verse 23

"Before this faith came, we were confined under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith was revealed."

Verse 22 says that we are all prisoners of sin. Now, here in verse 23, Paul said that before faith came on the scene we were held prisoners, all locked up by the Law of Moses. So, we are not only prisoners of sin, but prisoners of the Law of Moses. By this I believe Paul meant that Law bound people, making them to submit, but never being able to submit. It was total frustration on those who were attempting to obey the Law. I might, then add, if God's Law locks us up, our own man made church laws will do the same.

Verse 23 begins with, "before faith came", and, ends with, "until faith is revealed." Does this mean that faith did not exist before Jesus came to earth? No, it does not mean that at all. Israel was to have faith in their God, just as Abraham had faith in God. I should remind you that faith in God is simply trusting Him to fulfill all that He has promised. Now, however, faith is being redirected specifically to Jesus, and this is what the Jews and the Jewish Christians struggled with. The concept of Jesus being God in a human form was difficult for them to grasp. It almost sounds more like polytheistic paganism than anything else.

The pronoun "we" in this verse, and also in other similar verses, has always been difficult to whom "we' is in reference. Does "we" refer to the Jews, or to all of Paul's readers which would have included Gentile Christians? The difficulty arises because the Law of Moses was only given to the Jews, not to any Gentile culture. In that sense of the word, "we" would refer to Jews only, which Paul is one of the Jews. On the other hand, "we" in the context of the letter could be in reference to all of the Galatian Christians, including Gentile Christians. That too, makes sense. One way to solve this difficulty may be, and I say, "may be," that the false teachers were attempting to make Gentile Christians into Jewish Christians, and in that sense of the word would refer to all of Paul's readers, who were thinking of becoming Jewish Christians.

Verse 24

"The law, then, was our guardian until Christ, so that we could be justified by faith."

In verse 24 Paul gave us another reason for the existence of the Law of Moses. The Law was a guardian. The concept of a guardian in much of the known world in Paul's day was this. While a child was growing up, a guardian was often employed to care for the child in every way until he became of age. In modern terms, you might say that the Law of Moses was a nanny, a nanny being a full time care giver of a child or children.

As with the pronoun "we" in the previous verse, the pronoun "our" in this verse is difficult to know exactly who it is in reference. You can refer back to my comments in verse 23 to see what I said there.

Once Christ came to earth, the reason for the Law of Moses no longer existed as a guardian. In my opinion, that Law still has some significance, especially in terms of prophetic history as it applies to Israel , but, as a guardian, the Law has lost that job.

The Law of Moses was temporary. It was in effect until the Lord Jesus came to replace it. This is mandatory for us to know, especially in this day when many Christians are turning to what they call the churches Jewish roots, which includes obedience to the Law. We don't need to return to Judaism. We need to return to Jesus.

In verse 24 Paul closes this thought with another key verse concerning the Law. He said that now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the Law. How clear can you get. The Law does not apply to us any longer, even if we are Jews. Once again, remember Romans 10:4 says that Christ is the end of the Law for the purpose of making one righteous in the sight of God.

Verses 25 and 26

"But since that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for through faith you are all sons of God in Christ Jesus."

Paul returned to the subject he began a while back and that is, who are the real Sons of Abraham, and in turn, the real Sons of God. In this verse, the pronoun "we," I would suggest, is clearly in reference to all of Paul's readers, who are, both Jew and Gentile. All who have trusted their lives with Jesus are now considered to be Sons of God.

Paul used the word "faith" here, as in, "faith has come," in contrast to works, as in, works of the Law. Once again, faith in Jesus has replaced works of the Law when it comes to being sons of Abraham, Sons of God, and being in right relationship with God.

Galatians 3:27 - 29

The Text

27 - For those of you who were baptized into Christ have been clothed with Christ. ²⁸There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male and female; since you are all one in Christ Jesus. ²⁹And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, heirs according to the promise.

My Commentary

Verse 27

"For those of you who were baptized into Christ have been clothed with Christ."

Our English word "baptize" is translated from the Greek word "baptizo" in the New Testament. This Greek word simply means to immerse. Baptizo was not a religious word as it has become in our English Christian world. It was an every day usage word. If a wife rinsed a cup in water, she would have baptized the cup in the water. The meaning of this Greek word portrays a soaking, and as it refers to water baptism, a soaking, or immersing, in water. In respect to Spirit baptism, as seen in Acts 2, it is in reference to being soaked or immersed in the Holy Spirit. As it pertains to being baptized into the Body of Christ, as seen in 1 Corinthians 12;13, it means that when you or I became a Christian, we did not simply join the church, we were immersed into church, or, immersed into the lives of those Jesus has placed us alongside in the Body of Christ.

In verse 27 Paul said that if you have been baptized into Christ, you have clothed yourself with him.

The Greek word "endyo" that is translated as clothed here means to get into, as in, getting into your clothes when you awake in the morning. In other words, when we were baptized into Christ, we became clothed with Christ. You might say that we have been clothed with the righteousness of Christ and not our own righteousness because we have no inherent righteousness. You might also say that we now where our robes of righteousness. Revelation 7:13 reads:

"When one of the elders asked me, "Who are these people in white robes, and where did they come from?'"

The white robes of Revelation 7:13 are in reference to our spiritual robes of righteousness that the true Christian is now wearing in the sight of God.

The majority of commentators believe Paul was talking about water baptism in this verse, although Paul does not specifically confirm that. If Paul was indeed thinking of water baptism here, then, as one goes down into the water and is fully drenched by the water, as if he was wearing the water, then in that since of the word, we wear Jesus, or, we wear His righteous robes.

If, however, Paul had Spirit baptism in mind, when a person receives the Holy Spirit into his life, he is drenched or immersed into the Spirit, or, he wears the Spirit as if he was wearing a robe. This, at least at the moment, is how I view Paul's use of the word "baptism" in this verse.

However you view the word "baptism" here, in the end, we are in a metamorphic sense, clothed with Jesus. That means when God looks at the Christian, He does not see the sinfulness of the Christian, but He sees Jesus. In fact, just as Jesus represented us while on the cross, He represents us before God as our High Priest right now.

For clarity sake, when I use the term "Spirit baptism" I am not referring to that which Pentecostal Christians call the "Baptism in the Holy Spirit," which they call a second work of grace that is subsequent to one's salvation. When I use the term "Spirit baptism" I am talking about initial salvation, when one gets saves and receives the Holy Spirit into his life by means of a baptism or an immersion when the Spirit comes into his life. For more details on this issue, you can read my book entitled "Revisiting Pentecost."

Verses 28 and 29

"There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male and female; since you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, heirs according to the promise."

Verse 28 is a well known verse. It said that in Christ, there is no difference, no distinction, between Jew and Gentile. This is important to the context of Paul's letter. He was addressing Jewish issues, which includes, obedience to the Law of Moses, and, who the real children of Abraham are. He was writing to people who were being enticed to revert back to Judaism as a way of life, or convert to Judaism, if they were a Gentile. Paul said that when it comes to New Testament salvation and Jesus, Jew and Gentile are alike. There is no difference in God's eyes. The same applies to slaves and free men, along with women and men. In terms of being seen as in right standing before God, everyone everywhere is the same.

All that being said, when it comes to prophetic history, there is still a distinction between Jew and Gentile. You can read my book entitled "Irrevocable Promises" for further detail on this subject. In short, God spoke promises to Abraham that included all nations, all people being blessed through him. This blessing was not just to the Jew. On the other hand, God spoke promises to Abraham about his descendents Israel that have not yet been fulfilled. God cannot break a promise. It is not part of His nature. That means, for example, the promises of a specific portion of land God would give to Israel , and, that Israel will be a great nation, will be realized, and I believe, at the end of this age. For this reason, there is still a distinction between Jews and Gentiles when it comes to prophetic history, but, when it comes to salvation in this age, there is no distinction.

In verse 29 Paul said that if you belong to Jesus then you are Abraham's seed. If Jesus was a descendent of Abraham, which he was, and, if we belong to Jesus, then we too must be Abraham's children. The pronoun "we" in verse 29 would refer to all of Paul's Galatian readers, which, many, if not most were Gentiles. That means that even if you are a Gentile, if you belong to Jesus, you belong to the children of Israel and all the promises that God to Abraham pertain to you as well.

This is where those who embrace Replacement Theology, at least in part, derive their thinking. As a reminder, Replacement Theology states that the church has replaced Israel in the mind of God. There is no more distinction between Jews and Gentiles in God's mind, and that seems to be what Paul wrote here. If the Jews have lost their special distinctiveness in God's mind, then they are now irrelevant, no different than a Gentile. For this reason Replacement Theology states that all of the promises directed towards Israel in the Old Testament are now directed towards the church. That means, for example, that the promise of a certain portion of land and the greatness of nationhood promised Israel is now promised to the church. It is my opinion that this thought process reads too much into what Paul said here. Paul was thinking, according to the context, in terms of salvation history only in these verses. He was not addressing prophetic history and the fact that God cannot break any promises spoken to Jews, or, even change his mind about the promises. Certain promises were directed to Israel and you can be sure they will be realized.

If God's intent in the Abrahamic Covenant was to bless the church and not Israel , then He deceived Abraham. Abraham clearly understood that his descendents, the Jews, were incorporated into the covenant God spoke to Him, then God should have told Abraham that his thinking was wrong. God should have told Abraham that it was not his descendents the Jews, but the church that would be beneficiaries of the covenant, but God did not do that. He did not correct Abraham's thinking, and thus, Abraham's thinking was correct. Israel still has a place in the mind of God when it comes to prophetic history. All that was promised to Israel will be realized. Until then, in a spiritual sense of the word, all who have trusted their lives with Jesus, whether Jew or Gentile are Abraham's children for the purpose of New Testament salvation.

Galatians 4:1 - 7

The Text

1 - Now I say that as long as the heir is a child, he differs in no way from a slave, though he is the owner of everything. ²Instead, he is under guardians and trustees until the time set by his father. ³In the same way we also, when we were children, were in slavery under the elements of the world. ⁴When the time came to completion, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, ⁵to redeem those under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. ⁶And because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba, Father!" ⁷So you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then God has made you an heir.

My Commentary

Verses 1 and 2

"Now I say that as long as the heir is a child, he differs in no way from a slave, though he is the owner of everything. Instead, he is under guardians and trustees until the time set by his father."

Verses 1 and 2 are not difficult to understand in the culture in which Paul wrote this letter. Children were often cared for by a guardian, or, a full time care-giver, until he or she became of age and would be considered an adult. So, the child, like a slave, would be subject to the care-giver guardian.

Due to the words "guardians" and "trustees," many scholars suggest that Paul had the Roman culture in mind here, not necessarily the Jewish culture, even though Jewish children were often under the care of a guardian until about age thirteen. In Jewish culture, children were deemed to be adults earlier than in the Greco-Roman culture. Roman and Greek culture had a two step path to adulthood. As I said earlier, a guardian would raise the child to about age seventeen, then a trustee would continue to care for the older child to about age twenty five, or, whatever age the father would stipulate.

The words "until the time set by the father" are important as we will see in the next verse. I am convinced, that as both the Jews and the Romans had set times for children to be considered adults, so God has set times for everything He does. You see this all the way through the gospel account of Jesus, and really throughout Scripture. Simply put, God has a time table for events to begin and end. You may recall on many occasions that Jesus said that it was not his time. One example of this is found in John 7:6, that reads as follows.

"Jesus told them, 'My time has not yet arrived, but your time is always at hand.'"

Verse 3

"In the same way we also, when we were children, were in slavery under the elements of the world."

In verse 3 Paul said that when we were children we were enslaved by the elements of the world. We need to understand who the word "we" refers to here. Paul was speaking to the Galatian Christians who were composed of mostly Gentiles, but also some Jews. This is important in understanding what Paul was saying in this verse when he wrote about the elements of the world. The word "elements" is translated from the Greek word "stoicheion," which means, any first thing from which other things are derived. The Greco-Roman society was built on polytheistic paganism that had been around for centuries, which at times included emperor worship. So, Greco-Roman religion penetrated all aspects of culture in Paul's day. The worship of angels and planets were basic or fundamental to their societal norm. I believe, as many other Bible teachers believe, that Paul was thinking of a time when the Gentile Christians were once enslaved to their societal traditions, but now, it's time to grow up and move on from these enslaving traditions. The same would apply to the Jews. They should grow up and move away from their societal traditions that enslaved them as well, which was, being slaves to the Law of Moses and the traditions of their religion that had long since departed from its godly roots. Paul wrote more about these things in Colossians 2. You might want to read that chapter.

It is difficult to know whether Paul had Jewish or the Greco-Roman culture in mind when he penned the words "elements of the world," but, both would apply, depending on whether you were a Roman, a Greek or a Jew.

Verses 4 and 5

"When the time came to completion, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons."

Note the word "time" in verse 4. It is translated from the Greek word "chronos." This is where our English word chronology finds its roots.

Verse 4 states that when the time came to completion, or, in the fullness of time, as other versions put it, God sent His Son. I said this a couple paragraphs back, but God does have a time table of events for all that He does. When the time table stated it was time for God to send His Son to the earth, He did just that.

This verse tells us a few things about Jesus, God's Son. It tells us that He existed prior to being born into humanity. The pre-existence of Jesus prior to His conception into humanity is basic to Christian theology.

The first few verses of the gospel of John elaborate on the Biblical fact of Jesus' pre-existence as being God is also fundamental to Christian theology. 1 John 4:3 clearly states that if you don't believe that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh, then you are of the spirit of the anti-Christ. That verse reads:

"... but every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming; even now it is already in the world."

When John wrote about Jesus coming from God, or, being in the flesh, as some versions put it, he was saying that Jesus existed prior to Him being born into humanity. Again, this suggests the Deity of Christ. This Biblical fact must be incorporated into your view of who Jesus is, and if you neglect this, you do not believe in the real Jesus.

In verse 4 Paul said that God sent His Son. Then he said two more things concerning this process of sending. God's Son was born of a woman, meaning, although the Son existed prior to His birth, and we know from other passages that God and Jesus are one, He (Jesus) was completely human while on earth, despite His divinity. Understanding the humanity of Jesus is also fundamental to the Christian faith and Biblical theology. Here is what Hebrews 2:14 says about the humanity of Jesus. I like how the NIV words this verse. Here it is.

"For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people."

Jesus, while on earth, was fully human and fully divine. That is basic to the Christian understanding of Jesus. If that is not your understanding about Jesus, you do not believe in the Jesus of the Bible. Jesus, would then have, suffered in all ways that you and I suffer. He would have caught a cold. He would have felt pain. He got tired. He got frustrated. On and on it goes.

Paul went on to say that the Son, Jesus, was born under law. There are two ways to think about the Son being born under the law. Because the corresponding Greek word for our English word "the" does not appear before the word "law" in the Greek text, some suggest that this law is in reference to the basic elements of the world mentioned in verse 3. I would not be surprised if this is what Paul had in mind concerning law. Jesus was born like any other human being, brought up in the world like other humans, and therefore, would live under the world systems. Others suggest that "law" is in reference to the Law of Moses. I can see how that could be the case as well since Paul has been writing about the Law of Moses and Jesus was a Jew who lived within Judaism. Even if Paul was not writing about the Law of Moses here, we do know that Jesus did, in fact, live under the Law of Moses. There is no doubt about that.

Jesus being under the Law, and obeying the Law perfectly is important to our salvation, and especially so when it concerns righteousness, that is, our right standing before God. God views the true Christian as righteous, even when we are not righteous, because in part, Jesus lived the righteousness demanded by the Law on our behalf. Again, we are in Christ, and Christ lived the Law of Moses perfectly, and since He did that, we lived it perfectly too, because in metamorphic terms, we are inside of Christ, or in other words, when God sees Jesus, He sees us.

In verse 5 Paul said that Jesus came in order to "redeem" those under law. Again, the text does not say "under the Law." If law refers to the basic elements of the world, then Jesus has redeemed us so we would not have to be influenced by, the traditions of men. If this means the Law of Moses, then Jesus redeemed us so that we don't have to be under the Law of Moses. Whatever the case, both concepts are equally valid as Biblical thinking. That being said, the word "redeem" is often used in relation to being set free from the Law of Moses in Paul's writings, and thus, being redeemed from law can easily be understood as being redeemed from the Law of Moses.

The word "redeem" means "to purchase." Jesus purchased us from God, not the devil, as many think. God's justice demanded us to be judged, convicted, and condemned to death because of our sin, but, God's love found a way that we could be free from this judgment call. Jesus stepped into picture and paid the price so God could set us free from judgment. In part, this is what the cross of Christ is all about.

In terms of the Law of Moses, the Law condemns us, but since Jesus suffered the punishment of the Law on our behalf, we have been freed from both the Law's punishment and the Law itself.

Verse 5 continues with the reason for our redemption. It is so that we might have the full right of being sons of God, or as the CSB puts it, in order for us to be adopted sons of God. This is yet another aspect of the cross of Christ. The cross is more than about forgiveness of sins and the pathway into heaven. The cross of Christ is a multi-faceted event. Here, we note that Jesus made it possible for us to be sons of God, just as He is the Son of God. That being said, there is clearly a distinction between who Jesus is and who we are in this respect, and that is why the CSB uses the word "adoption" in this verse.

The word "adoption" implies that as Christians God has placed us into His family, even though we are not His biological children as Jesus is. Jesus, while on earth was God in human flesh. As Christians, we are human with the Spirit of God within us. This is the clear distinction between us and Jesus. That being said, we are real sons of God.

Verse 6

"And because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba, Father!'"

Paul, in his logical approach to issues, was in the midst of a progression in his argument in these verses. He first wrote that Jesus redeemed us so that we could become sons of God. He didn't stop there. In verse 6 Paul said that since we have become God's sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts. Note here that the Spirit of God is called the Spirit of His Son, or, the Spirit of Jesus here. The Holy Spirit is called many things in the New Testament. He is both the Spirit of God and the Spirit of Jesus. Christians often miss the point that the Holy Spirit is actually Jesus in another form. Also, too often Christians only see the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of the Father, and that's not true. The Holy Spirit is both the Spirit of Jesus and the Spirit of the Father, because, they are one. Father, Son, and Spirit, are what I call a "unified plurality."

Note also in verse 6 that the Holy Spirit enables us to call God our Father. We see the word "abba" here. It is a Greek word that suggests an affectionate relationship we have with a father, whether an earthly father or God. This word is used only in two other places in the New Testament. When Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane pleading with His Father to release Him from the cross, the word Father is preceded by the word "Abba." In Romans 8:15 Paul said that the Holy Spirit enables us to cry out to God with the words "Abba Father." That verse reads:

"You did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear. Instead, you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father!'"

Concerning Jesus calling His Father "Abba" while He was in the Garden of Gethsemane , Mark 14:36 reads:

"And he [Jesus] said, 'Abba, Father! All things are possible for you. Take this cup away from me. Nevertheless, not what I will, but what you will.'"

I believe that some Christians misapply the word "Abba." They say the modern word for "Abba" is daddy or poppa, and there might be some validity to that. For this reason, many say we can call God our Father daddy or poppa. I'd just suggest that if you call God "daddy or poppa, which I don't, just remember, the same God who you call daddy or poppa must be feared because He is a consuming fire, as stated in Hebrews 12:29. My point is simple. We do have an affectionate relationship with God the Father, or at least we should have, but that should never mean we lose our reverence, respect, and godly fear for Him.

Hebrews 12:29 reads:

"... for our God is a consuming fire."

Those who say we should call God our Father daddy or poppa may miss one point when thinking in terms of Abba Father here in Galatians 4:6. It is the Holy Spirit that calls God Abba, or, daddy, not us. Also, this is not a flippant use of the word "Abba." The Spirit calls out, which speaks of intercession. The word "Abba" is also used in Romans 8:15, where Paul said that the Holy Spirit enables us to cry out, which is a form of intercessory prayer. Again, this is not a flippant use of Abba. As I have said, the only other place in the Bible where Abba is seen is in Mark 14:36 where Jesus cries out to His Father. This too was in the form of much weeping and tears. Even though Jesus called His Father Abba while in the garden, He submitted to Abba's will. This tells me that we should be careful how we use the word "Abba" as it relates to God. That's why I don't use the word "Abba" or the English word "daddy" in my vocabulary in reference to God our Father.

If you find yourself in serious Holy Spirit led intercessory prayer, with tears falling from your eyes, in submission to your God, then I believe you can safely call our Father God Abba, or possibly daddy.

Verse 7

"So you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then God has made you an heir."

In verse 7 Paul gave yet another reason why we have become sons of God, and that is so we can be heirs. Sons are heirs of his father's estate. Paul's use of the word "heirs" here in Galatians is in reference to the promises of the Abrahamic Covenant. Both Jew and Gentiles, through trust in Jesus, the Seed of Abraham, will inherit the appropriate promises of the Abrahamic Covenant.

The reference to being a slave goes back to being enslaved by either the Law of Moses or the futile elements of the world I discussed earlier. Paul said that in times past, the Law of Moses, or, the elements of the world, depending on your interpretation of the previous verses, was a guardian. Paul pointed out that those under the care of a guardian are no different than a slave. Both must submit to the one responsible for their care. Once this enslavement is over, then the child is a son in all practicalities. He is an adult who is a legal beneficiary of his father's estate.

Galatians 4:8 - 20

The Text

8 - But in the past, since you didn’t know God, you were enslaved to things that by nature are not gods. ⁹But now, since you know God, or rather have become known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elements? Do you want to be enslaved to them all over again? ¹⁰You are observing special days, months, seasons, and years. ¹¹I am fearful for you, that perhaps my labor for you has been wasted. ¹²I beg you, brothers and sisters: Become as I am, for I also have become as you are. You have not wronged me; ¹³you know that previously I preached the gospel to you because of a weakness of the flesh. ¹⁴You did not despise or reject me though my physical condition was a trial for you. On the contrary, you received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus himself. ¹⁵Where, then, is your blessing? For I testify to you that, if possible, you would have torn out your eyes and given them to me. ¹⁶So then, have I become your enemy because I told you the truth? ¹⁷They court you eagerly, but not for good. They want to exclude you from me, so that you would pursue them. ¹⁸But it is always good to be pursued in a good manner—and not just when I am with you. ¹⁹My children, I am again suffering labor pains for you until Christ is formed in you. ²⁰I would like to be with you right now and change my tone of voice, because I don’t know what to do about you.

My Commentary

Verse 8

"But in the past, since you didn't know God, you were enslaved to things that by nature are not gods."

In verse 8 I believe that Paul directed his thoughts to the Gentile Christians. The reason why I say this is due to the phrase "you were slaves to those who by nature were not gods." I need to remind you at this point that there were more Gentile believers in the Galatian churches than Jewish believers, although there were Jewish believers in these churches. These Gentiles had a background of pagan worship of multiple gods. Paul was saying that the gods they used to worship are not real gods. These people would have known this after meeting Jesus. Paul was simply saying this to build on a point he was making. I'll get to that point later.

The word "know' in verse 8 in Greek is "eido." Eido suggests the knowing of something as a fact, something that you have learned. There is another Greek word that is translated into English as know in the New Testament and that is "ginosko," which can mean "to know experientially." With the word "ginosko" there is often the idea of knowing by relationship where there is some kind of intimacy. These people knew of the pagan religious life they once lived. It was all a matter of pagan theology and following certain doctrinal positions. They had no intimacy with these gods as we can have with Jesus through His Spirit. In fact, these pagan gods were not even living beings.

Concerning the word "know" in verse 8, Paul said that in former days they did not know God. They didn't even know the facts about the real God. All they knew was a false form of worship, which these Galatian Christians would have agreed with Paul on this matter, and thus, once again is why Paul called these people foolish, back in chapter 3.

Note the word "slaves" in verse 8. These Galatians didn't just know about and comply with their pagan rituals; they were slaves of these pagan gods. There was a certain bondage associated with their pagan religion. Bondage is one of the main points in this letter, and in this particular instance, the bondage was to pagan religious rituals.

These Gentile Christians were not enslaved by the Law of Moses prior to their salvation, but enslaved by false gods and their ritual practices, but now, these people who now know God, are being tempted to revert to bondage, albeit the bondage of Judaism.

An example of being enslaved by paganism is this. Some men, who worshipped pagan goddesses, would submit themselves to their goddess of choice and the rituals demanded by her. In some instances, these men, would emasculate themselves and live as women the best they could. Some even were executed as a sacrifice to these goddesses. I would say that is bondage. That if being enslaved.

Note the word "nature" in this verse. It is translated from the Greek word "physis." We derive our English word physics from this Greek word.

Verse 9

"But now, since you know God, or rather have become known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elements? Do you want to be enslaved to them all over again?"

In verse 9 the word "know" is translated from the Greek word "ginosko." With the use of this Greek word the Galatian Christians now knew from experience the real God. There is a major difference between knowing about God and knowing God. That is a real concern to me in the modern-day church, as it sure was in Paul's day. Many so-called Christians don't see the difference between knowing about God and knowing Him experientially. Knowing about God makes no one a Christian.

In verse 9 Paul seemed to have abruptly interrupted his thought when he inserted the phrase "but rather are known by God." Paul was probably making the point that God knows the Galatian Christians experientially more than they know God experientially. Many Christians claim to know God, as in, knowing Him experientially, but really don't. I believe that we don't know God as well as we think we know Him, but He sure knows us more than we think. He knows us better than we know ourselves. Paul was simply making the point that even though the Galatian Christians do know God to a degree, they don't know Him as well as they could or should, and, the totality of God is beyond knowing in this present life.

In verse 9 Paul couldn't understand that once meeting the God of the universe, once being free from pagan bondage, why would these people want to contemplate entering a different kind of bondage. This is an extremely key point here and many of us miss it. The reason why I reminded you that Paul was speaking about the former life of Gentile Christians is key to understanding this verse.

These Gentile believers in the past had been enslaved by paganism. Now they wanted to be enslaved again, but not by paganism, but by Judaism and the Law of Moses. Think about this for a minute. Paul was comparing paganism to obedience to the Law of Moses in terms of being in bondage. That would be blasphemy to a Jew, and this is why Jewish Christians had so much trouble with Paul. These are extremely powerful words written by Paul. No wonder he was in so much trouble with the Jews and also with some Jewish Christians.

The important thing to understand here is that when Paul wrote about these people returning back to weak and worthless elements in verse 9, he was not talking about returning to paganism. The context of the whole book of Galatians tells us the weak and worthless elements are in fact the Law of Moses. Those Christians today who want to return to obedience to the Law of Moses must understand the mistake they are making. Also, the Evangelical's past stance on a legalistic way of life, that is, obedience to parts of the Law of Moses, like Sabbath rules, along with obedience to church rules, is a mistake.

In verse 9 Paul asked how these people could wish to be enslaved by rules of law all over again. Both Jewish and Gentile Christians are to be slaves to Jesus and no one else. The temptation for western-world Christians today is to enslave themselves to our western-world culture. That is our form of paganism today.

Verse 10

"You are observing special days, months, seasons, and years."

In verse 10 Paul gave some examples of how these people were beginning to revert back to their old ways of enslavement, which in one sense wasn't their old ways, but Jewish old ways. They were observing special days, weeks, and years. In fact, they were obeying and being enslaved by the Law of Moses when it came to special days and seasons.

The Law of Moses stipulated that special days, weeks, and years were to be set aside as being sacred and certain things could be done and could not be done. If you read Romans 14 you will note that observance to these special days is no longer necessary. If one wanted to obey the Law of Moses in respect to these days, he could do so. What he could not do is make others follow his example and he could not teach them as necessary for one to be saved.

These special days would include the weekly Sabbath. Evangelical Christians in the past believed that we had to observe Sunday as a Sabbath. If we did not keep this Sabbath, we would be sinning. We would be in violation of the Sabbath laws of the Old Testament. There is no New Testament precedent for this Sabbath rule. As Romans 10:4 states, Christ is the end of the Law of Moses. Besides, if you think you are obeying the Law of Moses by keeping Sunday as your Sabbath, you are actually disobeying the Law, because, Saturday, not Sunday, is the stipulated Sabbath as stated in the Law. You, therefore, are not obeying the Law as you say you are. You are, in fact, disobeying the very law you think you are obeying.

Verse 11

"I am fearful for you, that perhaps my labor for you has been wasted."

In verse 11 Paul said that he feared that somehow he might have wasted his time and effort with these Galatians. Do you see Paul’s feelings coming through here? He had spent much time and effort leading these people to Jesus and instructing them, and it was looking like his time and effort might be wasted. Paul was always concerned about not wasting time. He told those he cared for, and us too, to redeem the time for the days are evil. Ephesians 5:16 reads:

"... making the most [redeeming in the Greek text] of the time, because the days are evil."

I know Paul was speaking about wasting his efforts in verse 11 but he was also fearing for the salvation of these Galatian Christians. We will see this in a few verses down the line. Paul was a man of strong feelings. If you read his second letter to the Corinthian believers you will quickly see how emotional he got at times. His feelings really came through in that letter, and that was because he had a great love for those to whom God had called him to care for.

Verses 12 and 13

"I beg you, brothers and sisters: Become like me, for I also became like you. You have not wronged me; you know that previously I preached the gospel to you because of a weakness of the flesh."

In verse 12 Paul pleaded with the Galatian believers to become like he was, because, he had became like them. We must take note of the word "beg" here. Paul was expressing great passion as he always did. This letter is far more than a teaching lesson. It is a personal pastoral plea by Paul for these people to stop and think about what they are thinking of doing. At this point, Paul stepped back a bit from theological issues and got personal. We cannot leave the personal out of Bible teaching, but many do. Paul was a great teacher, partly because he did a good job at combining doctrinal truth with heart felt passion and feeling for those he taught. You might call it the ministry of shepherding and discipleship.

The Galatian believers becoming like Paul and Paul like the Galatian believers shows us part of what church is all about, and that is, the joining of lives. Paul and those to whom he wrote this letter were living in what I call a state of koinonia. The Greek word "koinonia" means to hold something in common. Paul and his readers held their very lives in common.

Also concerning the idea that Paul wanted these believers to become like him because he had become like them; Paul was a Jew, but in one sense of the word, he became like a Gentile to win them to Christ. He left Judaism behind, which included the Law of Moses, and in that sense Paul became like a Gentile. As strange as it sounds, Paul was actually saying that these Gentiles should become like Gentiles, that is, Christian Gentiles. This is how Paul was begging them. That is to say, he did something that was best for them, and they should do something that is best for Him, that being, sticking with the real gospel. He, then, would not have wasted his time and effort with them.

Note the words brothers and sisters in verse 12. This is yet another way for Paul to be personal with these people. He called them brothers and sisters, and by so doing, he still acknowledged that they were true brothers and sisters in Christ. They had not yet gone too far into false doctrine.

Also in verse 12 Paul said that his readers had done him no wrong. There is debate to what this exactly means. I think we should just take it at face value. These Galatian Christians had not done any real harm to Paul, other than to make him feel sad. You might think that the thought of leaving the faith, which really bothered Paul, would be considered as a wrong done to him, but that's not what he was probably talking about here. He was probably talking about in days past they had not done him wrong.

In verse 13 Paul said that he actually got to preach the gospel to these people because of some kind of illness he had. This is interesting in light of some present day teaching that states we can be free from illness if we have sufficient faith. Paul seemed very sick. His sickness was a trial to these people. They must have had to look after him for a period of time and that did not seem to bother these people. Even though it was a trial for them, they took pleasure in helping Paul. They welcomed Paul as if he was Jesus Himself. These people had a great love and respect for Paul. This speaks well of these Galatian Christians in times past. It also speaks to the fact that even the best Christians can get sick, and I view Paul as the best Christian ever. The Hyper Faith Movement is wrong when it says that if one has real faith in Jesus, that one can live in good health. The Biblical fact is that everyone on earth, Christians included, live in a world of entropy, that is, all things decay and lead to death. This has been the state of all of creation since the events we read about in Genesis 3, and it will be that way until this present universe is replaced by a new heaven and a new earth, as seen in Revelation 21.

It appeared that Paul got sick and was unable to continue on his journey. He had to stay in Galatia instead of moving on. Therefore, because he was sick, that gave him the time to preach the gospel to these people, where, if he wasn't sick, it appears he would not have stayed in this part of the country. This should tell us some things about the Christian life. We, even as Christians, get sick. Jesus can use our sickness to accomplish a purpose in our lives. We should not be too quick to complain and blame the devil on sickness. If, in fact, Jesus has control of our lives as we claim, we do the best in whatever situation we find ourselves in. We are content, as Paul said in 1 Timothy 6:3, that reads:

"But godliness with contentment is great gain."

Verse 14

"You did not despise or reject me though my physical condition was a trial for you. On the contrary, you received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus himself."

In verse 14 we see that the Galatians did not treat Paul with scorn and contempt. Certain diseases, like leprosy, carried severe social consequences. People did scorn those with leprosy. They stayed far away from them and treated them as second class citizens. I am not saying that Paul had leprosy, but whatever inflicted him seemed to have carried some social consequence. Instead of shying away from Paul, these people treated him like an angel, or even like Jesus Himself. That speaks volumes to these people's acceptance of Paul and his message. These people had great respect for Paul and he was counting on this respect to help convince them of the error of their ways. It's difficult to believe that those who had such great love and respect for Paul would now be thinking of leaving what he taught them. In fact, like those in the church at Corinth , as we read in 2 Corinthians, these people were thinking of leaving Paul, not just the doctrine he taught. Their heart felt relationship was dying and being replaced with a relationship with false teachers. That would have hurt Paul immensely. The false teachers must have been very persuasive.

Over the years scholars have tried to figure out what Paul's illness was. Many believe it had something to do with his eyes. What Paul said in the next verse, verse 15, gives some support to this thinking. He said that if these people could have, they would have torn out their very eyes to give to Paul, suggesting Paul had an eye problem. Another allusion to eye problems can be seen in chapter 6, verse 11, where Paul pointed out that he had written this letter with large letters. There is historic evidence that around this time in the Roman Empire there was an eye disease called microphthalmia. This illness affected the eyes and caused them to protrude out from the eye sockets. This might be, and I say might be, the reason why Paul said that his illness could have produced scorn or contempt. It would not have been a pleasant sight for people to look at.

If you remember, in my introduction, I gave what many Bible teachers suggest is a description of what Paul looked like. Part of that description was that he had eyes that protruded out of his eye sockets. The above mentioned illness causes this to happen, so the portrayal of Paul in my introduction might well be correct in this respect.

Verse 15

"Where, then, is your blessing? For I testify to you that, if possible, you would have torn out your eyes and given them to me."

In verse 15 the words "torn out," as in, torn out your eyes, is yet another passionate appeal by Paul based on the past reality. From the Greek text, one could use the words "dug out" or "gouged out." That doesn't paint a pretty picture, but Paul wasn't really trying to soften what he had to say. He was using very descriptive language to make his point in the attempt to win the Galatian Christians back to him and the gospel of Jesus.

The Jewish population would have thought of Paul's illness as being God's judgment against him, and in the present situation, that's probably what they thought. It would have made a good excuse for the Jewish believers to try to distance themselves from Paul and his ministry. Of course, that thinking is not correct. Paul was in God's will. His sickness was clearly God's will. Sickness can be God's will, even in our lives today, despite what Hyper Faith teachers teach.

In verse 15 Paul asked his readers where their blessing was. Paul would not have asked this question if they had not lost a good measure of the blessing bestowed upon them by God. I would suggest that if you were leaving the freedom found in Jesus and reverting to rules and regulations, you would certainly lose a good measure of joyfulness and blessing. Legalism always dampens one's spirits. That being said, freedom from law doesn't mean a license for us to sin, because when Christians sin, they lose there joy as well.

Verse 16

"So then, have I become your enemy because I told you the truth?"

In verse 16 Paul asked if he had become the enemy of the Galatian Christians because he told them the truth. In Paul's mind, these brothers, as he called them, had become his enemy. This is in stark contrast to what he has just said in the prior verse. Those who would have gouged their very eyes out for Paul have now become his enemy, and I would say, the enemy of Christ as well. A great divide had arisen between Paul and the Galatian Christians. This devastated Paul. You can read Paul's second letter to the believers at Corinth to see a similar division. You also see Paul's heart-felt feelings as a result of this division. It is sad to say, that since the beginning days of the church, Christians have divided, and such divisions damage the witness we are to be for Jesus.

Verse 17

"They court you eagerly, but not for good. They want to exclude you from me, so that you would pursue them."

In verse 17 Paul spoke of the motives of the false teachers who were trying to win the Galatian Christians over to their side. They wanted to bring a separation between Paul and themselves. Once this had been accomplished, the false teachers would have their own followers. They simply wanted a following of people. Paul really didn't care about a following of people. What Paul wanted was for these people to follow Jesus. More Christian leaders today need to be like Paul. We have too many church leaders who care more about their following and their bank account than for Jesus and God's people. I am sure that if these false teachers had access to social media web sites, they would have been gathering as many followers as possible.

I suggest that the false teachers were attempting to build what we would call a cult following. When people emphasize obeying rules, whether the Law of Moses, or their own home made rules, what they are doing is in fact building a following. They are dictating to people's lives. An over-emphasis on rules mandated by a leader will often lead to a cult.

Note the words "not for good." The false teachers did not have the good of these Christians in mind. They had the good of themselves in mind, and that is always, noticeable when it comes to false teachers and false prophets.

Verse 18

"But it is always good to be pursued in a good manner — and not just when I am with you."

In verse 18 Paul said that it is good to be pursued in a good way. I'm not sure why the CSB uses the word "pursued" in this verse when the Greek word "zeloo" suggests a zealousness. We actually derive our English word zealous from this Greek word. I like how the NIV Bible renders this verse. It reads:

"It is fine to be zealous, provided the purpose is good, and to be so always, not just when I am with you."

Paul was addressing zealousness here. Both the false teachers and the Galatian Christians themselves were being zealous. The false teachers were zealously trying to get a following. The Christians were zealously thinking of going in a different religious direction. Paul's point is simple. Be zealous, but be zealous for the good and not for the bad. Be zealous for the true gospel and not for a false gospel.

We have a lot of zealous Christians, but being zealous does not equate with Christian maturity. Often young Christians are zealous, but their immaturity sends their zealous actions in the wrong direction.

Some people are zealous or express any kind of positive emotion only when someone more important than them is around. The Galatians might well have been doing that, according to what Paul said here. Our zealousness should be demonstrated even if no one is around to see. Of course, the Lord is always around and He sees who we are and what we do.

Verse 19

"My children, I am again suffering labor pains for you until Christ is formed in you."

In verse 19 Paul called these Christians "my children." He would have called them his children because he led many of them to Jesus and those he didn't lead to Jesus came to Jesus because of those he led to Jesus.

Paul then compared himself to a woman giving birth. We can see the pain in Paul’s life here. He equates this pain to a woman giving birth to a baby. This was no small matter for Paul. He took his ministry calling to care for these people seriously. Like a mother cares for her children, Paul cared for his spiritual children, and at this point in his spiritual children's lives, was causing him great emotional pain. You might even compare this to a parent's pain when one of his or her teenagers goes astray.

In verse 19 Paul said that he was in pain until Christ is formed in these people. The Greek "morphoo" is translated as "formed" in this verse. We derive our English word "metamorphosis" from this Greek word. This tells you something about what this Greek word means. We use the word "metamorphosis" in relation to a caterpillar turning into a butterfly. There is a complete transformation from one existence into another. This is what Paul was writing about here. These Galatians were once pagan sinners, far away from God. They came to Jesus, received His Spirit, and began the process of transformation from being a pagan to being like Jesus. We talked about this in the first part of chapter 3. This transformation has now been interrupted. By thinking of reverting to the Law of Moses, they would be leaving Jesus, and thus the transformation into Jesus likeness would be stifled or even end.

Concerning Christian metamorphosis, the final stage of our transformation will take place at the return of Jesus when our bodies will become like Jesus' present day heavenly body. We see this in 1 John 3:2, which reads.

"Dear friends, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet been revealed. We know that when he appears, we will be like him because we will see him as he is."

This tells us one very important thing. When we come to Jesus, receive His Spirit, it is in order for the transformation of being a sinner into the likeness of Jesus to take place. Our life as a Christian is not about just getting saved and waiting for heaven. It is expected of us that our lives will be transformed, day by day, to be more like Jesus. We cannot be transformed simply by following laws, whether the Law of Moses or man made traditional Christian laws.

There is much talk in Christian circles today about so-called positive thinking as a means to make one's self better. This is no different than the Galatians adopting the Law of Moses to live by. Biblical transformation comes only one way, and that is through Jesus, via the Holy Spirit and the living Word of God. Apart from that, there is no real transformation. It is for this reason that most people don't really change, and that includes Christians.

Verse 20

"I would like to be with you right now and change my tone of voice, because I don’t know what to do about you."

In verse 20 Paul closes this section by saying that he was basically perplexed concerning them. When the CSB states that Paul did not know what to do with these people, or, the NIV's use of the word "perplexed," or, the KJV's "stand in doubt of you," these words are translated from the Greek word "aporeo." Aporeo literally means to be without a way. To me, Paul was beside himself. He just couldn't figure these people out. Why would they want to give back their inheritance? Why would they even think of living by the Law of Moses, especially when those who were Gentiles were never expected to live by the Law of Moses? If you had inherited one million dollars from your father and put it in your bank account, that would surely make you feel blessed. Then, after having all that money for a while you decide that you don't want it any longer, you just threw it in a hole and burned it. That doesn't make any sense, does it? This is exactly what the Galatians were doing with their inheritance. They were throwing it all away.

Paul wished that he could be with these people so he could change his tone. Changing his tone means the way he is writing. He thought that just maybe, if he could be their in person, he could persuade these Galatian Christians to stop heading towards living by law. If he could be with them, and convince them of the error of their way, he'd be so happy, and his tone of voice and speech would be so much different.

I often wonder how Paul would feel if he had phone service, email, and all the other high tech devices we have today. I can see him constantly writing emails and making phone calls. I'm sure he would be carrying his laptop everywhere.

Galatians 4:21 - 31

The Text

21 - Tell me, you who want to be under the law, don’t you hear the law? ²²For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave and the other by a free woman. ²³But the one by the slave was born as a result of the flesh, while the one by the free woman was born through promise. ²⁴These things are being taken figuratively, for the women represent two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai and bears children into slavery—this is Hagar. ²⁵Now Hagar represents Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem , for she is in slavery with her children. ²⁶But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother. ²⁷For it is written,

Rejoice, childless woman, unable to give birth. Burst into song and shout, you
who are not in labor, for the children of the desolate woman will be many, more
numerous than those of the woman who has a husband. ²⁸Now you too, brothers and sisters, like Isaac, are children of promise. ²⁹But just as then the child born as a result of the flesh persecuted the one born as a result of the Spirit, so also now. ³⁰But what does the Scripture say? “Drive out the slave and her son, for the son of the slave will never be a coheir with the son of the free woman.” ³¹Therefore, brothers and sisters, we are not children of a slave but of the free woman.

My Commentary

Verse 21

"Tell me, you who want to be under the law, don’t you hear the law?"

You should note that in this section of Paul's letter that he takes a literal historical event and gives it a secondary, present-day, spiritual meaning. This is called an allegory. When I say "present-day" I am speaking of the present age in which we live, often called "the Age of Grace." We can only conclude that God Himself has given Paul the authority to make such a secondary meaning to a historical event. I strongly suggest, even conclude, that as Christians we should not allegorize an historical event as Paul did here, but if we do, we must clarify that we are in fact allegorizing. We must admit, then, the possibility of our allegory being wrong. If all of us used allegory to prove or make a Biblical point, we would have thousands of interpretations of Old Testament and historical events. Paul could allegorize, but I don't think we should. We need to realize that Paul was an apostle above all other apostles. For those who believe in modern-day apostles, you have to admit that any modern-day apostle is not on the same level of authority as Paul. The modern-day apostle takes what Paul has already said and repeats it to others. He does not say anything new and he does not add to Scripture. He does not preach his own gospel. He preaches Paul’s gospel, which is in fact Jesus’ gospel. The bottom line for me when it comes to allegorizing is that we should stay clear of the practice, although many preachers over the years have consistently indulged in the practice.

In verse 21 Paul was suggesting that those who wanted to revert back to the Law of Moses really did not understand what the Law of Moses and the Old Testament is all about. I would say the same for many, if not most Christians today. How New Testament Christians should view the Old Testament is one of the most misunderstood issues in Christian circles. Many say they are New Testament Christians, but in reality, they live more like Old Testament Jews than New Testament Christians. For more information on this issue you can read my books entitled "Clarifying Biblical Interpretation" and "Understanding The Old Testament As New Testament Christians."

In verse 21 Paul asked these people if they could actually hear the Law. In short, I believe Paul was asking the Galatians if they really understood the Law of Moses in the first place. Many Jews, not necessarily Gentiles, would have heard the Law being read to them, but hearing does not mean understanding. Beyond that, Judaism had distorted the Law of Moses to such a degree that most Jews who heard the Law read to them and then interpreted to them, heard the wrong interpretation. These Christians to whom Paul wrote had heard the Law read to them but it is clear that they did not understand what they heard. I would suggest that the same occurs today when people hear a sermon or a teaching. They hear, but don't understand. They don't understand because they have not taken the time or effort to understand.

Verse 22 and 23

"For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave and the other by a free woman. But the one by the slave was born as a result of the flesh, while the one by the free woman was born through promise."

Paul answered the question we read in verse 21 here in verses 22 and 23. He did so by relating an historical event found in the book of Genesis. Paul wrote about Abraham having two sons, one son named Ishmael born from a slave woman named Hagar, and another son named Isaac born of a free woman named Sarah, who was Abraham's wife.

The first thing we should note right away concerns Paul's thinking to what books of the Old Testament consisted of the Law of Moses. They weren't just Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. The rabbis, Paul included, understood Genesis was part of the Law of Moses. The first five books of the Old Testament are also called the Pentateuch by Christians and the Torah by Jews.

The story of Abraham is well known. He and his wife Sarah were very old and they never had any biological children, for which they were not very happy about. In Genesis 15 we read that God promised Abraham a son through his elderly and infertile wife Sarah. After thirteen years of trying and waiting, Sarah eventually did have a son, and of course, it was a miraculous conception and birth. During those thirteen years, Abraham and Sarah got impatient, and so, Sarah gave Abraham permission to have sex with her slave girl named Hagar. In turn, Hagar gave birth to a son who they named Ishmael.

In verse 23 Paul said that the son that was born from Hagar was born the natural way. He then said the son that was born by Sarah was born because of the promise God spoke to him, and thus, it was a miracle birth.

The word "promise" has been important in Paul's thinking and theology all the way through his discourse, and it still is, here in chapter 4. The reason for this is because our salvation is a result of a promise, a promise that finds its roots in the Abrahamic Covenant.

Verse 24

"These things are being taken figuratively, for the women represent two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai and bears children into slavery — this is Hagar."

When we see the word "figuratively" here we know that Paul is about to allegorize the historical event of the birth of two of Abraham's sons.

Paul said that these things can be "taken figuratively." By this he meant that you can take these literal events and give them a secondary meaning that is applicable for us today. In short, Paul was spiritualizing these historical literal events. Again, I believe Paul could do this, but we can't, or least we should be careful if we do.

In review, Paul understood that both Sarah and Hagar represented two covenants. Sarah represented the Abrahamic Covenant while Hagar represented the Mosaic Covenant, also called the Law of Moses. We should know that these are two separate and distinct covenants. They are not two aspects of the same covenant, and, the Mosaic Covenant is not an extension of the Abrahamic Covenant.

Verse 24 states that Hagar represents " Mount Sinai ." This mountain represents the Mosaic Covenant, the Law of Moses, because it was on Mount Sinai where God entered into a covenantal relationship with the Jews. The exact location of Mount Sinai has been a matter of debate, but, it was probably located in what we know as Saudi Arabia today.

Paul said that the children born of Hagar, figuratively speaking, represent Israel of Paul's day who was enslaved by the Law of Moses, something he mentioned back in Galatians 3:23 when he said that Israel was imprisoned by the Law.

Verse 25

"Now Hagar represents Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem , for she is in slavery with her children."

In verse 25 Paul said that Hagar, Sarah's slave girl, stands for Mount Sinai, and Mount Sinai stands for the city of Jerusalem in Paul's day. Again, this is pure allegory. There is no Old Testament passage that makes this assertion. We have to believe that Paul was inspired by the Holy Spirit to write this.

There is some logic in what Paul was saying. Hagar was a slave, and that meant her son Ishmael was a slave as well. We also know that Paul believed the Law of Moses enslaved Israel . So, it only makes sense that he compared Hagar and Ishmael as slaves under the Law of Moses. Where Jerusalem comes in to play is that the Jerusalem , the capital city of the Jews of Paul's day were enslaved by the Law of Moses. It is, thus, easy to conceive that Hagar would represent Jerusalem .

Verse 25 ends with "she is in slavery with her children." I believe the pronoun "she" refers to Jerusalem . Paul was simply saying that the Jews of Jerusalem, those Jews he once helped lead, were slaves to the very centerpiece of their religion.

Verse 26 and 27

"But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother. 'For it is written, Rejoice, childless woman, Unable to give birth.

Burst into song and shout, you who are not in labor, for the children of the desolate woman will be many, more numerous than those of the woman who has a husband.'"

In verse 26 Paul wrote of another Jerusalem . It is the Jerusalem that is above, above meaning in heaven. This is distinguished from the Jerusalem that was on earth in Paul's day. I believe Paul had a glimpse of this Jerusalem in his many visions he received from Jesus. This might well be one of those things he was not to speak about, as seen in 2 Corinthians 12:1 to 4. That passage reads:

The idea of a heavenly Jerusalem was a new idea to the Jews, and also to the Jewish Christians. I wonder if Paul saw what John saw and wrote about concerning the New Jerusalem in the last few chapters of the book of Revelation. It is quite possible that Paul actually saw the New Jerusalem, as we read about in Revelation 21:2.

"I also saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband."

Paul said that Sarah, Abraham's wife stands for the heavenly city of Jerusalem . He also said that the earthly Jerusalem is enslaved to the Mosaic Covenant. Here in verse 26 he said that the heavenly Jerusalem is free. In context, Paul was saying that the heavenly Jerusalem is free from the bondage of the Law of Moses. Again, you can see why Jewish people had so much trouble with Paul.

The pronoun "our" in the phrase "is our mother" is in reference to Christians. You might say that as the city of Jerusalem was the headquarters for Jews, so the heavenly Jerusalem is the headquarters for Christians.

In verse 27 Paul quoted from Isaiah 54:1 to further enhance his allegory. Isaiah praises the barren woman Sarah, Abraham's wife. In the long run, Sarah, who had one child, would end up having more descendents than Hagar.

We know that Sarah having more descendents than Hagar came to pass because Jesus would be born in the lineage of Isaac, Sarah's son. All those who have given their lives to Jesus, both Jew and Gentile, can be considered as Sarah's children. In the long run, when it is all said and done, there will be many more Christians than Jews. We actually see this in Revelation 7:9 that reads:

"After this I looked, and there was a vast multitude from every nation, tribe, people, and language, which no one could number, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes with palm branches in their hands."

Verse 28

"Now you too, brothers and sisters, like Isaac, are children of promise."

Verse 28 begins with the phrase "now, you too brothers and sisters." With the words "you, too" Paul emphasizes his thinking that these people are still Christian brothers and sisters. They had not gone all the way in obedience to the Law of Moses and the false gospel.

Paul said that the Galatian Christians were like Isaac, born of a promise. Again, the word promise refers back to the Abrahamic Covenant and not the Mosaic Covenant. Paul was simply saying that those who have faith or trust in Jesus are recipients of all the promises God spoke to Abraham, and in Paul's theology, that meant Gentile Christians are children of Abraham, children of the promised son Isaac.

The verb "you are" in this verse is a Greek present active indicative verb. This means that in present time, it is a certain fact that these believers are recipients of the promises of Abraham. They are Abraham's children, no matter their ethnicity.

Verse 29

"But just as then the child born as a result of the flesh persecuted the one born as a result of the Spirit, so also now."

In verse 29 Paul compared the days of Abraham to his own day. As Hagar and Ishmael persecuted Sarah and Isaac, so the Jews in bondage to the Law of Moses in Paul's day persecuted Paul and those who were born again of the promised Spirit.

This may be difficult for some to comprehend, but I don't believe you can serve the Law of Moses and Jesus at the same time. You cannot obey the Law and Jesus at the same time, and if you do, you disregard all that Jesus has done for us. It's one or the other. Jesus said that you cannot serve two masters. I know He was speaking of money, but His statement applies here as well. You cannot serve the Law and Jesus at the same time.

Notice the words "born of the Spirit" in verse 29. This is a play on words. Isaac was obviously born because of the Holy Spirit's miraculous involvement in the life of Sarah. Paul and the followers of Jesus were also born of the Spirit. That is what Acts 2 is all about. It is the Holy Spirit that comes to live in the body of the believer that breaks the chains of slavery imposed by the Law of Moses.

The Holy Spirit's involvement in the life of a person is essential to being a real Christian. If you do not have the Holy Spirit in your life, you are not a Christian. Paul made that clear in Romans 8:9, that reads:

"You, however, are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to him."

It is the Holy Spirit within you that proves you are a Christian. Ephesians 2:13 reads:

"In him you also were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and when you believed."

Verse 30

"But what does the Scripture say? 'Drive out the slave and her son, for the son of the slave will never be a coheir with the son of the free woman.'"

In verse 30 Paul quoted Genesis 21:10. That verse reads:

"So she said to Abraham, 'Drive out this slave with her son, for the son of this slave will not be a coheir with my son Isaac!'"

Paul was spiritualizing, or allegorizing, this event. It was Sarah who actually said these words. Sarah was very angry with Hagar and so she wanted to vanish Hagar and her son from her presence. So Abraham did what Sarah demanded. He sent both Hagar and Ishmael away from his family. They had no inheritance in the family of Abraham.

Paul was saying that the present day meaning of this historical event is that those who follow the Law of Moses will never share in the promise of the Spirit. In other words, you cannot mix Judaism and Christianity. You cannot mix law and faith, but that is what the church and Christians have consistently done over the centuries.

This is one verse that those who believe in Replacement Theology often quote. They say that this verse clearly states that the Jews have no more prophetic and historic significance in the sight of God because this passage says they were thrown out. Again, I have to say that the Abrahamic Covenant had three recipients, Abraham, Jesus, and Israel . Paul is not addressing the prophetic and historic significance of Israel here. He is writing about salvation by faith. There are other sufficient Biblical passages that state that at all that God promised Abraham, including land and nationhood, will be realized at the end of this age. God made certain promises to Abraham and it is impossible for Him to break a promise and it is impossible for Him to mislead Abraham. You can read my book entitled "Irrevocable Promises" for further details on this issue.

It is very important to understand that the promises in the Abrahamic Covenant that were spoken to Abraham must be understood in the same way that Abraham understood them. I believe that is good hermeneutics. To go back and redefine the promises to fit one's theology is bad hermeneutics. Abraham understood that his descendents Israel would receive the promises God spoke to him. If Abraham misunderstood God, then God should have corrected his misunderstanding, but God did not do that because Abraham understood correctly.

Paul was using very strong words when he said "get rid of the slave woman." Everyone knew what he was saying. He was saying, "get rid of all that pertains to the Law of Moses.

Verse 31

"Therefore, brothers and sisters, we are not children of a slave but of the free woman."

Paul ends his allegory in this section of his letter here in verse 31 by saying once again that the true believers in Jesus are children of the free woman, not the slave woman. That means Christians live under the promises of God, which include their salvation and the reception of the Holy Spirit into their lives. True believers are not under the domination of the Law of Moses.

Paul took a historical event from the Old Testament and turned it into something like a prophecy for his day. This historical event is more than history. It symbolizes a great New Testament truth. Sarah represents Christians who are free from the Law and Hagar represents the Jews who were still in bondage to the Law. Sad to say, some parts of the church today are still in bondage to parts of the Law of Moses, tithing and Sabbath laws being two such examples. Concerning the issue of tithing, you can read my book entitled "Should I Tithe?"

Galatians 5:1 - 15

The Text

1 - For freedom, Christ set us free. Stand firm, then, and don’t submit again to a yoke of slavery. ²Take note! I, Paul, am telling you that if you get yourselves circumcised, Christ will not benefit you at all. ³Again I testify to every man who gets himself circumcised that he is obligated to do the entire law. ⁴You who are trying to be justified by the law are alienated from Christ; you have fallen from grace. ⁵For we eagerly await through the Spirit, by faith, the hope of righteousness. ⁶For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision accomplishes anything; what matters is faith working through love.

⁷You were running well. Who prevented you from being persuaded regarding the truth? ⁸This persuasion does not come from the one who calls you. ⁹A little leaven leavens the whole batch of dough. ¹⁰I myself am persuaded in the Lord you will not accept any other view. But whoever it is that is confusing you will pay the penalty. ¹¹Now brothers and sisters, if I still preach circumcision, why am I still persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been abolished. ¹²I wish those who are disturbing you might also let themselves be mutilated! ¹³For you were called to be free, brothers and sisters; only don’t use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but serve one another through love. ¹⁴For the whole law is fulfilled in one statement: Love your neighbor as yourself. ¹⁵But if you bite and devour one another, watch out, or you will be consumed by one another.

My Commentary

Verse 1

"For freedom, Christ set us free. Stand firm then and don’t submit again to a yoke of slavery."

Paul began this chapter with the phrase "for freedom Christ has set us free." In other words, it was for the sake of our freedom that Jesus has set us free, and He did so by taking upon Himself the curses of the Law of Moses while on the cross.

Many may know the King James Version of this verse better. It says, "stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ has set us free." It is my opinion that this is one misunderstood verse. I hear this verse used many times in worship services. The song leader will encourage the congregation to express themselves more enthusiastically than they are presently doing because Christ has set them free. These worship leaders use this verse to back up their thinking that people should be dancing, clapping their hands, and getting all excited in a worship service. In its context, Paul was saying no such thing. This verse is not talking about singing, dancing, shouting, or anything like that. Paul was telling the Galatians that they have been set free from the Law of Moses, the very Law that God Himself instituted for the Jews to obey in times past. Don’t get entangled all over again with the bondage that comes from living by rules to attain right standing in the sight of God, was Paul's point. If you are happy and joyous because you have been set free from any kind of law, then go ahead and sing, dance and shout. Just understand that the point Paul was making has nothing do with the way one worships in what we call a worship service.

Paul used the words "slavery" and "yoke" in reference to obedience to the Law of Moses in verse 1. Paul, more than most, understood what it meant to live a life in obedience to the Law of Moses. After meeting Jesus, as recorded in Acts 9, Paul's life was completely turned upside down. Nothing compared to Jesus, including a life of obedience to the very Law that God Himself had instituted.

This verse reminds me of what Jesus said, as recorded in John 8:32, that reads:

"You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

Both Jesus and Paul were not saying that we are free agents to do as we wish. Jesus was talking about being free from the bondage of committing sin and the consequences of our sin. Paul was talking about being free from the Law of Moses. The reason why we are free in both senses of the word is so we can become servants of Jesus. Paul viewed himself as a servant, or a slave, not of the Law but of Jesus.

Verse 2

"Take note! I, Paul, am telling you that if you get yourselves circumcised, Christ will not benefit you at all."

In verse 2 Paul got very specific and for emphases sake he told his readers to take note of what he was telling them. The words "I Paul" are to give credit to what he was saying. He could have just used the pronoun "I" but he didn't. He added his name Paul, and by so doing, was saying that the one who once lived by the Law who brought you to faith in Jesus is now telling you not to enslave yourself to the Law.

Paul was saying that if the Galatian Christians thought that being circumcised made them in right standing with God, then Christ would become meaningless to them. That is to say, what Jesus did for these people, both in His life and death, means absolutely nothing. To make Jesus and what He did for them, and us as well, meaningless, is blasphemous. You might as well tell Jesus that He wasted His earthly life. You might as well tell Him what He did on the cross is insufficient and we, sinful human beings, need to improve on what He did.

The meaning of this verse has been debated for centuries. Those who believe that one can lose his salvation will use this verse, along with other verses, to back up their point. They say that if Christ becomes meaningless to you, how could you be saved? If you have substituted faith with law, how can you be saved? Those who believe that once you are saved you can't lose your salvation will say that this verse only says that all that you have received from Jesus, including your salvation, won't benefit you. It doesn't mean you get unsaved. I will let you figure this one out for yourself. For me, I come as close as one can get in believing that you cannot lose your salvation without actually fully giving myself to this doctrine. I say this because of certain passages that seem to suggest that there is a possibility of losing your salvation. That being said, I do not believe that sin, any particular sin, can cause you to lose your salvation because all of our sins have already been forgiven. All of the sins of Christians, that is, past, present, and future sins, have been forgiven. Colossians 2:13 reads:

"And when you were dead in trespasses and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, he made you alive with him and forgave us all our trespasses."

In the above verse, the word "all" means "all." It is that simple. All sin has been forgiven.

One important thing to know here is that Paul was not saying that one should not get circumcised. What he was saying that if you get circumcised for the purpose of finding acceptance in the eyes of God, that will not work. Your circumcision is useless in that respect.

Many of us men were circumcised at birth. That does not mean that we have no chance at being saved. I was not circumcised in order to be saved in 1951 when I was born. Most people back then circumcised male babies for what they considered to be health reasons, not religious reasons.

Look what Paul did as recorded in Acts 16:6.

"Paul wanted Timothy to go with him; so he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those places, since they all knew that his father was a Greek."

Paul wanted Timothy to join him on an apostolic trip to preach to Jews. Timothy had not been circumcised because his father was not a Jew, and apparently that was a known fact. Paul, therefore, had Timothy circumcised, not for the purpose of salvation, but so the gospel could be easily received by the Jews. There was nothing wrong with that. Paul would bend over backward, that is, without compromising the gospel, to lead people to Jesus. He lived a life of sacrifice for the sake of Jesus and the gospel. He became all things to all people so he could win some. 1 Corinthians 9:22 reads:

"To the weak I became weak, in order to win the weak. I have become all things to all people, so that I may by every possible means save some."

Verse 3

"Again I testify to every man who gets himself circumcised that he is obligated to do the entire law."

Now for the second time in this letter to the Galatians Paul said that if you want to get circumcised for the purpose of finding acceptance with God, you must submit to all of the Law of Moses, not just the law of circumcision. Simply put, you must obey all six hundred and thirteen laws. You cannot pick and choose what laws to obey and what laws not to obey. You also must accept the curses of the Law if you disobey just one of the laws. You can read these curses in Deuteronomy 26:9 and following. This should make anyone stop and think twice about submitting to the Law of Moses.

Modern-day Evangelical Christianity, at least in times past, has mandated that Christians need to obey a few of the laws in the Law of Moses, like Sabbath and tithing laws. Paul would say that is not acceptable. It is all or nothing, and he chose nothing because he serves Jesus, not the Law.

Verse 4

"You who are trying to be justified by the law are alienated from Christ; you have fallen from grace."

This is one of the most important verses in the Bible when it comes to the debate over if one can lose his salvation. It does need considerable thought.

I believe verse 4 is one of the key verses in the whole book of Galatians. If the false teachers understood what Paul was saying, after reading verse 4, they would be furious with him. Paul went as far to say that if you who are trying to be justified by law, then, you have been alienated from Christ. You have fallen away from grace. What does that mean?

However you understand what Paul said here, I think you might agree with me that these words are very serious words. Paul said that these people would fall from grace and be alienated from Jesus if they adopted the thinking and practices of the false teachers. Does fallen from grace mean that you have lost your salvation or does it mean that God's grace to live each day of your life is being blocked from reaching you?

Those who believe you can lose your salvation believe that falling from grace means that you have laid aside the love of God, His grace, and His act of love shown on the cross. Falling from grace would mean, then, that you have rejected Jesus and have replaced Him with the Law. That being the case, you have forfeited your salvation. Falling from grace would mean that you were once in God's grace, but you are no more. You can't fall from grace if you weren't in God's grace in the first place.

Years ago I was told that I would loose my salvation if I did certain things, like playing cards and going to a movie theatre. This meant that in order for me to keep my salvation I had to trust Jesus and also obey certain rules made up by the church. If I broke the doo not play cards rule, I was in danger of loosing my salvation. Paul said just the opposite is true. If I think my salvation depends on obeying such rules, then that is what makes me in danger of falling from grace, however you understand those words.

When it comes to how to interpret Paul's words here, I cannot reject the thinking of those who believe you cannot lose your salvation. Paul might well have been simply saying that when you live by law, you no longer benefit from God's grace, the very grace you need to live every day of your life as a successful Christian. That being said, I am far from convinced that was what Paul meant in this verse.

We should note that the word "the" in the phrase "you who are trying to be justified by the law…" is not found in the original Greek text. This might suggest that Paul did not just have the Law of Moses in mind when he penned these words. He might well have had any law in mind, including any man-made church law. Anyone who attempts to be justified by any law alienates himself from Jesus.

The word "alienated" is extremely important in verse 4. If one is alienated from another, there is a severance in the relationship. You might even call it a divorce. This might imply the loss of salvation. On the other hand, the Greek word "katargeo" can suggest inactivity according to some Greek scholars. This could suggest that God's grace is still available, but not active. It might mean that one is still saved, but the free flow of grace has been blocked or become inactive.

Verse 5

"For we eagerly await through the Spirit, by faith, the hope of righteousness."

In verse 5 Paul introduced the Holy Spirit into the discussion as he did back in chapter 3. He said that we, as in we Christians, have a hope of righteousness. We maintain this hope with the help of the Holy Spirit and our trust in Jesus. You might ask why we wait to be righteous when God has already declared us to be righteous.

First of all, righteousness as it pertains to God and the Christian means that the Christian is in right standing with God. The concept of being in right standing is the fundamental meaning to the word "righteous." That being said, one who is in right standing with God should live as if he is in fact in right standing with God. This is where the secondary meaning of righteousness comes into play. In this secondary meaning, righteousness is defined in godly and moral terms.

So, God does view us as being righteous, when in fact, we are not righteous. We are still sinful human beings, and will be, until the day comes when we will be like Jesus Himself. That is the hope Paul had in mind in this verse. He understood that he was sinful, but he also understood that when this age is over, the true Christian will be in deed, fully and completely righteous in godly moral terms.

We read the word "hope" in verse 5. I think our modern day definition of hope has a bit of a negative connotation to it. We say, "I hope such and such will come true." We hope to win the lottery. We hope to get a new car next year. When we make such statements, there is an element of doubt. Maybe, or maybe not such and such will come true. That is not how Paul viewed hope in this verse. It's not really how the Bible views hope either. From my perspective, Biblical hope is a certain expectation of a future reality.

Note the word "eagerly" in verse 5. While we wait for a future righteous existence, we wait in eager expectation. We do not forget about our future reality. We do not allow our surrounding culture to detract us away from our hope. We simply possess an inner, and even eager, assurance that our declared righteousness will be totally realized one day.

In verse 5 Paul associated the return of Jesus, when we will be made righteous, with faith and with the Holy Spirit. When we really have faith, really trust our lives with Jesus, the Holy Spirit will enable us to eagerly await the return of Jesus. If you don't await His return, you might want to question your faith and how much the Holy Spirit is being allowed to work in your life. Many Christians aren't excited about the idea that Jesus will return for them. The reason for that is because they are too much in love with this world. I am sure that the Holy Spirit is eagerly waiting for the return of Jesus to earth, and, if He is waiting eagerly, and, if He is in you, you should be eagerly waiting for that special day as well.

Verse 6

"For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision accomplishes anything; what matters is faith working through love."

Verse 6 says that in Christ Jesus there is neither circumcision or non-circumcision. Note the words "in Christ." Paul was talking about circumcision as it pertains to our salvation. Outside of salvation, circumcision does have some value in some people's mind, and there is no problem being circumcised for non-religious reasons. Many men in the past have been circumcised and their circumcision had nothing to do with them getting saved and finding righteousness in the sight of God. That being said, circumcision has no value to a true Christian's relationship with God. For the Jews in Paul's day, and for the Jewish Christian, this was a difficult thing for them to hear. Circumcision was part of their culture, part of their heritage. God Himself demanded that all male Jews must be circumcised and now Paul said that it's a worthless endeavor. No wonder Paul was criticized for his theology.

I remind you again what we read in Acts 16. There, we note that Paul had Timothy circumcised in order for him to be more effectively used in the gospel among the Jews. What we need to understand here is that Paul was not having Timothy circumcised for the purpose of salvation. He would never have done such a thing. On the other hand, as we saw in Galatians 2, Paul did not have Titus circumcised, because, in that instance, it would have meant he was circumcised for the purpose of salvation. Paul could never do that.

What does matter, as Paul said in verse 6, is faith that is expressed in love. First of all it is faith, or our trust in Jesus, that is important. From this faith, love is expressed in our lives. You might say that to the degree we have true faith will be the degree in which we can truly love. Look at it this way. To the degree we can truly love, shows us how much real faith we have. In this sense of the word, faith being a passive trust in Jesus produces active works of love.

The Greek word "energeo" is translated into English as "working" in the phrase "faith working through love." Our English word "energy" is rooted in this Greek word. You might say that our trust in Jesus provides the energy to do acts of love.

Verse 7

"You were running well. Who prevented you from being persuaded regarding the truth?"

Paul often used the analogy of running a race in relation to one's life as a Christian. In verse 7 he does just that. He acknowledged that the Galatian Christians were running a good race of faith. They had given themselves to the New Testament truth, but now, someone was tripping them up. They were no longer being totally obedient to the truth.

Picture yourself in a race. You are in one of the lanes on the track, running as fast as you can, and the guy in the next lane crosses into your lane and trips you up. You go flying onto the ground, and for you, the race is over. This is exactly what Paul was talking about. These Galatians were being tripped and they were falling out of their God-appointed race.

The verb "regarding" in this verse is a passive voice Greek verb. This suggests to me that the truth of the gospel should have a major impact on one's life as a Christian. An active voice verb in this verse would suggest that the believer has an influence on the truth, and of course, that should never be. What should be is that the truth of the gospel should be influencing one's life in a real way, and that was no longer the case with these Galatians. A false gospel was now influencing them.

Verse 8

"This persuasion does not come from the one who calls you."

In verse 8 Paul said that the kind of persuasion being directed their way does not come from the one who is, in present time, calling them. Paul is obviously talking about Jesus being the One who is calling these people, and just maybe, calling them back to the truth of the gospel.

Paul was being blunt. The one who was persuading these Christians away from the truth was not from God. It is just that simple.

Verse 9

"A little leaven leavens the whole batch of dough."

In verse 9 Paul said that a little yeast or leaven causes the whole batch of dough to rise. It doesn't take much error before it infiltrates the whole church and messes everything up. This is what was being done throughout the churches in Galatia . A little twist to the gospel distorts the gospel all out of shape and causes great damage to both the gospel and to the church.

This distortion of truth is seen in the church today, and it is due to the Biblical illiteracy that presently infects the western-world church. Often such Biblical error is more truth than error, but it only takes a little error to corrupt the truth.

Verse 10

"I myself am persuaded in the Lord you will not accept any other view. But whoever it is that is confusing you will pay the penalty."

In verse 10 Paul expressed confidence in the Galatian Christians. He believed that they would not fall to this corrupted gospel. The way Paul worded this should tell us that even though these believers were being influenced by this corrupted gospel, they had not yet fully embraced it.

Paul said that he was persuaded in the Lord. That shows us that he had more faith in Jesus than he had in the Galatians. The Lord is there for them, as He is for us. If we will simply reach out, He will provide a way out of the error.

Note in verse 10 that Paul pointed out the ring leader of the false teachers, but not by name. He might not actually have known who the ring leader was. Notice also that this leader will receive a penalty, and I believe the penalty is from the Lord, not from Paul or any man. It is not our place to penalize the false teacher. It is our place to expose the false teacher and the false teaching so the Body of Christ will be protected. Part of this exposure would be to kick the false teacher out of the church.

Verse 11

"Now brothers and sisters, if I still preach circumcision, why am I still persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been abolished."

We see in verse 11 that some people were distorting Paul's words by telling the Galatian Christians that Paul was really preaching circumcision for the purpose of salvation. Paul answered that accusation by saying that if he was still preaching circumcision, why was he being persecuted. Of course, Paul was not preaching circumcision for the purpose of salvation, and, he was being persecuted for that.

One reason why this criticism was leveled against Paul might be because he had Timothy circumcised, as recorded in Acts 16, and that was not for the purpose of salvation. It was to cause less friction between Paul and the Jews. The false teachers could have been telling the Galatian Christians that Paul was telling them not to get circumcised but he was telling others, like Timothy, to get circumcised. This assertion was to produce doubt in the minds of the Galatians concerning Paul. It would, thus, bolster their chances of taking Paul's place in the Galatian churches.

Paul also made another great theological truth in verse 11. He said that if he was still preaching circumcision, that is, circumcision for the purpose of salvation, then the offense of the cross is abolished. Simply put, if circumcision for the purpose of salvation is valid teaching, the sacrificial death of Jesus becomes useless. It has lost its meaning.

The Greek word "skandalon" is translated as "offense" in this verse. This Greek word suggests a trap or something someone stumbles over. The cross of Christ is a stumbling block for many. It is something they just cannot figure out, so they trip over it, so to speak. The trip causes them to avoid the cross. The cross of Christ was certainly a stumbling block for the Jews in Paul's day. They just could not figure it out and this resulted in their rejection of both Jesus and the cross of Christ. The same is true with people today.

Verse 12

"I wish those who are disturbing you might also let themselves be mutilated!"

I like how the NIV words this verse. It reads:

"As for those agitators, I wish they would go the whole way and emasculate themselves!"

Paul's point was simple and a bit exaggerated here. If the false teachers were going to persist on teaching that circumcision was necessary for salvation, then, he wished that they would go all the way and emasculate themselves. In other words, the false teachers shouldn't just cut the foreskin of the penis off; they should cut the whole penis off. This bit of hyperbolic wording was probably made to cause the Galatians to think seriously about what Paul was saying. Maybe they would be taken aback once they read this. Whatever the case, this shows how serious Paul was about this issue.

Verse 13

"For you were called to be free, brothers and sisters; only don't use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but serve one another through love."

The freedom Paul wrote about here was freedom from the domination of the Law of Moses. Christians have, as Paul wrote, been called to freedom, not just from the Law of Moses but from all laws that would mandate obedience in order to be saved. Salvation is a matter of a person trusting in God's grace, the cross of Christ for his salvation and nothing else. Anything we add to the cross of Christ is telling Jesus that His death needs to be improved upon, and in my thinking, that is one of the worst sins one can commit.

All of the above being said, we need to be clear on what we are free from and what we are free to do. We are free from law, but we are not free to sin. We are free from law in order to freely serve Jesus. We now obey Jesus, not the Law of Moses. The freedom that Paul wrote about here and elsewhere needs to be clarified. It's not the freedom that was seen in the nineteen sixty's Cultural Revolution where everyone was free to indulge in everything and anything. In the end, that freedom is destructive.

The word "flesh" in this verse is in reference to our sinful nature. Paul uses this word throughout his writings to denote how sinful we are. You can read Romans 7 for further clarification on this matter. That chapter clearly sets forth the New Testament teaching on our human nature.

Notice Paul wrote about serving one another in love. Unless the love of God that we claim to have is expressed in loving those Jesus has placed us alongside in the Body of Christ, we cannot claim to have God's love within us. Love is not love unless it is given away, and such love, only comes through freedom from law that binds. Submission to Jesus, with the help of the Holy Spirit, will cause us to love one another as we should.

Verse 14

"For the whole law is fulfilled in one statement: Love your neighbor as yourself."

Verse 14 is somewhat of a conclusion to what Paul was saying. He told his readers that the love spoken of in the last verse is really what the Law of Moses is all about. If you love as God wants you to love, you will then in fact be obeying the Law, because according to Paul, that is the intent of the Law. That is certainly true when it comes to the Ten Commandments. You even see this in the civil aspect to the Law of Moses. The civil part of the law is about loving and respecting others, and the punishment that results when you don't love and respect others is clearly stated. You might go as far to say that the ceremonial aspect to the Law is about love as well, because it all represents Jesus, and the love He demonstrated in both His life and death.

Paul did not come up with this idea on his own. Jesus Himself told us that love is the fulfillment of the Law. After Jesus said that the two greatest laws were to love God and your neighbour, He said that all of the Law of Moses hangs on these two laws to love. That is to say, if you love, you fulfill the Law of Moses. Matthew 22:40 reads:

"All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands."

Matthew 22:40 in the NIV reads:

"All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

Verse 15

"But if you bite and devour one another, watch out, or you will be consumed by one another."

What Paul wrote here is not difficult to figure out. He closed this section by saying that if these people keep biting one another, they better be careful. They might well end of destroying each other. I would suggest that this might also be a word of wisdom to the church today, as it always has been throughout the centuries. We have done a lot of back-biting in the church, and in one sense of the word, we have destroyed each other. We have also destroyed our witness for Jesus in the process. Many Christians have fallen away from Jesus because of the way other Christians have treated them. Many non-Christians refuse to come to Jesus because of the bad example of Christians. It is a fact that the church is its own worst enemy. You can blame the devil all you want, but the devil is not the fundamental problem. Christians are the problem, and when Christians go wrong, the devil has a foothold and makes matters worse.

Galatians 5:16 - 26

The Text

16 - I say, then, walk by the Spirit and you will certainly not carry out the desire of the flesh. ¹⁷For the flesh desires what is against the Spirit, and the Spirit desires what is against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you don't do what you want. ¹⁸But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. ¹⁹Now the works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, moral impurity, promiscuity, ²⁰idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambitions, dissensions, factions, ²¹envy, drunkenness, carousing, and anything similar. I am warning you about these things—as I warned you before—that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God . ²²But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³gentleness, and self-control. The law is not against such things. ²⁴Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. ²⁵If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. ²⁶Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

My Commentary

Verse 16

"I say then, walk by the Spirit and you will certainly not carry out the desire of the flesh."

What we need to understand as we go into this section of Galatians is that once becoming a Christian, we are not free from sin. As a matter of fact, if we are serious about our life with Jesus, we will struggle over the fact that we are sinful. The Holy Spirit wars against our sinful nature. If we have no struggle with our sinfulness that should tell us that we have given into our sinful nature and have forsaken the life in the Spirit. The only other possible reason why we would not be struggling with sin is that we have become perfect, and it is clear that none of us are perfect.

In verse 16 Paul told Galatians how to stop destroying each other, as he said would happen if they continued in their sinful ways, as seen in verse 15. He told these Christians to live by the Spirit and they would not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. This will solve the division problems in which these churches suffered. It would also help solve our problem of committing sinful acts. Yes, God has declared us to be sinless, but we still sin. If we devote ourselves to the Holy Spirit and walk with Him, He is quite capable of helping us in overcoming our natural tendency to sin. One reason why this is so is because we have our attention fixed on Jesus instead of our sinful nature. The other reason is that the Holy Spirit does have the ability to help us in this matter.

Note the words "live by the Spirit" in verse 16. That implies a moment by moment living. It is not a Sunday morning meeting to Sunday morning meeting way of living. It is not saying a morning prayer after reading a Bible verse or two and then saying a evening prayer when you are about to fall asleep. Life of a Christian is a serious moment by moment matter with life in the Spirit.

Paul said that if we live this moment by moment life in the Spirit we will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. That says a lot. First of all, the words "will not" in Greek is a double negative. This emphasizes the fact that when you live in the Spirit, you will never never give into your sinful nature. The important thing, then, is to make ourselves available to the Holy Spirit.

The second thing this phrase tells us is that we do have a sinful nature. Becoming a Christian doesn't get rid of who we are. This also tells me that we sin because we are sinners. We don't become sinners when we first sin. This has been a debate throughout the centuries. I believe we are all born with a sinful nature and because of that, we sin. If you read Romans 7 Paul sets fort the New Testament teaching on this issue. Romans 7 must be studied thoroughly when thinking of sin and our sinful nature.

Verse 17

"For the flesh desires what is against the Spirit, and the Spirit desires what is against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you don't do what you want."

Verse 17 sounds a little like the whole chapter of
Romans 7 in a nut shell. Paul made the point that our sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit desires what is contrary to the sinful nature. Both the Holy Spirit and our human nature oppose each other to the extent that you do not do what you want or know you should do. This is our ever-present struggle in life, and if we do not have this struggle, as previously stated, you have given into your sinful nature, and thus, there is no battle to be fought. Nevertheless, we should not feel condemned because we have to deal with sin. It is part of the Christian life. Paul said something similar in Romans 7:15, that reads:

"For I do not understand what I am doing, because I do not practice what I want to do, but I do what I hate."

The fact that we should not feel condemned because of our sin is because of the freedom we have in Jesus. He does not condemn us and so we should not condemn ourselves. Right after Paul's teaching on our sinful nature that commits sin, as recorded in Romans 7, in Romans 8:1 and 2 he wrote about not needing to feel condemned. Those verses reads:

"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus, because the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death."

To be accurate, condemnation, like guilt, is not a feeling. It is a position in which we stand before a judge, and in this case, the judge is God. As Christians, we stand in right relationship with God. We stand as innocent people, despite the fact that we still continue to sin. To the degree that we have this fact burned into our hearts is the degree to which feelings associated with condemnation and guilt will not be found in us.

Verse 18

"But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law."

Paul goes on to say in verse 18 that if indeed we are led by the Holy Spirit, we are not under the Law of Moses. Paul clearly said here that the Holy Spirit has replaced the Law of Moses. It cannot be any clearer. This is the crux of the whole New Testament. The Old Testament had external laws to obey. The Law was something outside of ourselves that gave us no power over sin. Now, in these New Testament times, we have the Spirit of God within us, giving us the power to overcome sin. This is the underlying point of the New Testament and Paul's letter to the Galatians. The Holy Spirit in our lives gets right to the core of our sin problem, something a law can never do, and that includes the Law of Moses.

No external law can change the internal heart. This is an important truth when it comes to legal and legislative laws of our nation. These laws are meant to curb wrong doing. They can never end the practice of wrong doing. Only the Holy Spirit can change a heart, and He does so from within. Abortion, for example, can be outlawed, but a law against abortion won't end the practice. It will merely send abortion underground where it once was.

Verse 19, 20 and 21

"Now the works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, moral impurity, promiscuity, idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambitions, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and anything similar. I am warning you about these things — as I warned you before — that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God ."

In verse 19 Paul said that the acts of the sinful nature are obvious. It shouldn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what is sin and what is not sin. Paul lists a number of acts of the sinful nature in verse 19 through 21. In context, I believe these sins characterize the lifestyle of the pagan culture these Gentile Christians came out of. The same sins can be seen in our own culture today. Our western-world culture, when it comes to sin, is not much different from the pagan society these people came out of. There are, of course, some obvious differences, like worship of multiple gods. That being said, human nature is human nature, and human nature does not change from era to era. It is only how sin is expressed within any given culture that changes.

I'm sure you could add more sins to Paul's list. I don't think Paul was trying to make a complete list.

The first three sins are sexual. The first is sexual immorality which is simply a general term for sexual sins. The next sin is sexual impurity, which is simply the wrong use of sex. The next sin is promiscuity, which is flaunting of ones sexuality in public. All three of these sexual sins were commonplace in Greek and Roman culture in Paul's day. As a matter of fact, they were part of Greek and Roman religious worship. Sex and religion went hand and hand in the first century Greco-Roman world. You would often see mass sexual orgies in the market squares of Roman cities as an expression of worship to certain gods. Homosexuality was also commonplace. In many respects, wives were seen as baby machines to carry on the family name. Husbands would go elsewhere to release sexual desire, and homosexual relationships were included in this.

The next two sins are idolatry and sorcery, otherwise called witchcraft. Again, this was part of Greek and Roman religious worship back then. Idolatry is simply giving one's self to anything other than the only true God. In the case of these Gentile Christians, they were once idolaters because they worshipped multiple gods. The word "sorcery" comes from the Greek word from which we derive our English word "pharmacy." This was in fact the mixing of drugs and religious worship, something that is on the rise today. Evangelical Christians may not use drugs to enhance their worship but they do use other things, such as music that easily stimulate emotions. Some sectors of the church even use incense, the burning of candles, and other New Age influences to enhance their worship experience, all of which in my opinion, are not Biblical.

The rest of these sins are relational. Hatred is simple to understand. It's surprising how anger, hared, and discord manifests itself in church today. The next sin is discord. You don't have to look far to see discord in the modern church. The Galatian churches were clearly struggling over these issues. What camp would they fall in, Paul's camp or the false teachers camp? I won't comment on all of these relational sins. They are quite common and we know how to define them.

One of these sins, however, selfish ambition, I will comment on. Pushing one's way to the top of the ecclesiastical maze today is very prevalent. Viewing the pastoral ministry as a career and not a ministry provides ample opportunity for selfish ambition to help one rise to the top of the ecclesiastical ladder. This should never be, and it is for this reason that I often compare much of the western-world church to a Dow Jones Company.

Paul ends this list of sins in verse 21 with the words "and anything similar." This tells us that many more sins could be added to this list.

Paul then said that those who live like this will not inherit the Kingdom of God . How you understand the Kingdom of God will determine how you interpret this sentence, and there are a few interpretations.

There are two aspects to the Kingdom of God . There is the present-day spiritual Kingdom of God that Christians represent to the world. That kingdom came to earth when the Holy Spirit entered the lives of the believers on the Day of Pentecost. The other is the material Kingdom of God , as I put it, that will come to earth when Jesus returns to set up His earthly kingdom.

If Paul was thinking of the present day Kingdom of God, which is spiritual, then he was saying that a Christian cannot really live and participate in the Kingdom of God and live a life of sinfulness at the same time. If, however, Paul was thinking of the Kingdom of God that will come to earth in the next age, then we must see this sentence differently. Those who live out the above sins are clearly not Christian. By that I mean that those who make a lifestyle of these sins cannot be Christians. I am not talking about people who may slip and fall at times and indulge in such sins. We all slip into these sins from time to time, but slipping into a sin is not living that sin, and living that sin might well be what Paul had in mind here. What we cannot say from this sentence is that any particular sin will cause us to lose our salvation. All sin, as I have said, has already been forgiven if you are truly a Christian, and that includes past, present, and future sins.

Verse 22 and 23

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The law is not against such things."

In verses 22 and 23 we have the nine well known fruit of the Spirit. Paul said that there is no law against these good things. No law will stop you from doing them. He just reminds us that these acts of love are a result of God's Spirit living within you. They do not constitute salvation in themselves. They are a result of your salvation. They are a result of your faith. Good works save no one.

Note the word "fruit" in verse 22. An apple tree, if in good health, naturally produces apples. That should be the way with Christians. If we live by the Holy Spirit; if He is our source of life, we will naturally produce the good characteristics that Paul sets forth here. The point here is that it is just natural. Nothing is forced. That being said, we do have our human nature to contend with. Doing good does not come natural, so, in this sense of the word, some force aided by the Spirit may be necessary in the production of good works in our lives.

The first fruit is love. Some actually feel that love is the entire fruit here, and that the others in the list are a by-product of love. The word "love" here is translated from the Greek word "agape," a word that is quite familiar in Christian circles today. Agape suggests loving acts based on some kind of sacrifice. It is a word, that to a degree, went out of use in the first-century Greco-Roman world, so, Christians used it to express God's love, which is clearly sacrificial in nature. Sacrificing ourselves for others does not come natural, and thus, the reason for agape's lack of use in the first-century Greco-Roman world.

The Greek word "phileo" was the more common word for love in first-century Roman society. Philos is a reciprocal expression of love, as in, I love you as you love me in return. For this reason, it is often called brotherly love.

The next fruit of the Spirit is joy. Living by the Spirit does produce a deep heart-felt joy in one's life. This is not a superficial joy. Just because someone is a happy-go-lucky person, does not mean he has true joy. A happy-go-lucky person from my experience can easily turn on you in a moment. Superficial joy is fleeting and is not what Biblical joy is about. Biblical joy is a heart-felt, deep-seated contentment based on your relationship with Jesus.

Peace is another fruit of the Spirit. Biblical peace is seen in two aspects. We have peace with God and we have peace in God. We have peace with God because we are no longer His enemy. We are in right standing with Him, and thus His Spirit within us creates a measure of peace and contentment in our lives, and that is peace in God.

Patience is the next fruit of the Spirit. Today's world sure lacks patience. You see it throughout our various forms of media. We jump all over each other. We criticize. We speak and write hostile words. Rage abounds. The Holy Spirit can produce a good measure of patience in our lives if we are willing to allow Him the freedom to help us in this matter.

The next fruit of the Spirit is kindness. Kindness is the opposite of selfishness. The more we live by the Spirit, the more we will become like Jesus, a selfless person. Again, kindness does not come natural to most of us, but of course, the Christian has the supernatural living within him, and thus, kindness is at our disposal.

The next fruit of the Spirit is goodness. Doing good things for others marks the life ruled by the Holy Spirit. It is what the term "good works" is all about. As I have been saying, we are not saved by good works, but, once we are saved, we will do good works, and that, because it is a fruit of the Spirit living within us.

Faithfulness is the next fruit of the Spirit. This too is something that is sadly lacking in today's world, even the Christian world. It's seen in divorce rates, church splits, and a myriad of other ways. God Himself is ultimate faithfulness. It is not that He just does faithful acts. It is more than that. By His very nature, who He is, is faithful. Since, then, He lives within us by His Spirit, we have the divine ability to be more faithful than our human nature will allow.

The next fruit of the Spirit is gentleness. Gentleness, a form of being humble, is what I call a channeled strength. Gentleness does not imply weakness. When one is gentle, you know that he is secure in himself, and therefore, can allow himself to deal softly and gently with others, despite how others deal with him. One who is not secure in himself must push his way around to give him some kind of a sense that he is in charge, but of course, it is a false sense of security.

The last fruit of the Spirit is being self-controlled. This is not a humanistic attempt at being self-controlled. The lack of self-control is seen throughout our social media environment these days. People say and write whatever they want, without giving it any thought to the results of their lack of self-control. It is a mark of our present western-world culture and should not be seen in the Christian, but we see it all of the time. The Holy Spirit clearly gives us the power to control ourselves. To the degree that we have self-control over sin is the degree to which we live by the Spirit of God.

As noted earlier, verse 23 ends with Paul's point that there is no law restricting us to exhibit these fruit of the Spirit. Paul still hasn't forgotten the Law of Moses. This is simply another way of saying that if you exhibit these godly character qualities in your life, you are in fact fulfilling the Law of Moses.

Verse 24

"Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires."

In verse 24 Paul said that if you belong to Christ, then you have crucified the sinful flesh. This is a difficult verse to figure out since we still have our sinful nature that raises its ugly head and causes us to do things of the flesh that Paul just listed above. In Galatians 2:20 we noted that Jesus crucified our sinful flesh. Here is that verse again.

"I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."

Here in Galatians 5:24 Paul said that we have crucified our sinful nature while in Galatians 2:20 he said that it was Jesus who crucified our sinful nature. Both must be true. When Paul said that he had been crucified with Jesus, I believe he meant that because Jesus died in his place, in that sense of the word, he died on the cross. The result of Jesus dying in the place of Paul eventually meant that Paul would receive the Spirit of God who would help him put to death his sinful nature that still bothered him. In this sense of the word, with the help of God's Spirit, Paul could execute his sinful nature.

For a detailed discussion on how Paul viewed his sinful nature and how that relates to him as a Christian you must study Romans 7. In short, Paul teaches us that as Christians we are a brand new creation of people. This is because the Holy Spirit of God lives within us. If God lives in us, then common sense tells us that we are not who we once were. As a man is different from a woman, so a Christian is different from a non-Christian. That being said, we have yet to reach our state of perfection that will be realized in the next life. Until then, as Paul taught in Romans 7, our old sinful nature is like a heavy backpack weighing us down. We are no longer that sinful nature, but it is still clinging to us.

Getting back to Galatians 5:24 and Galatians 2:30. In Galatians 5:24, the verbal phrase "have crucified" is a Greek aorist active indicative verb. This means that at one particular time in life, a Christian, beyond any doubt, has crucified his life. There is only a one time choice in a life where that could have taken place and that is when a person receives the Holy Spirit into his life and he becomes a born-again-of-the-Spirit Christian. On the other hand, the verbal phrase in Galatians 2:20 that reads "have been crucified" is a perfect passive indicative verb. This means that the crucifixion of your life is a past completed event, not that you have done, but someone else has done to you. Of course, this someone else was Jesus.

Verse 25

"If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit."

Verse 25 says that since we live by the Spirit we should keep in step with the Spirit. You might think that living by the Spirit would be the same as keeping in step with the Spirit, but apparently not.

I suggest that living by the Spirit means that we derive our new life as Christians from the Holy Spirit who resides within us. Our transformed new life is a direct result of God's Spirit, and, that being the case, we should then keep in step with the Holy Spirit's leading of our lives. In this sense of the word, living by the Spirit and keeping in step with the Spirit are two different issues.

Verse 26

"Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another."

Paul ends this chapter with the admonition to not become conceited or envious of each other. The sins of our fallen human nature hang onto our backs and cause relational problems among us. The fruit of the Spirit brings us together, and this was the prayer of Jesus in John 17. This is what the Body of Christ really needs today. This is what the world needs to see in us, but does it?

From verse 22 to the end of chapter 5 is a very short version of Romans 7 and 8. Paul said that we have victory over sin when we live according to and with the help of the Holy Spirit. He said in verse 25 that we should keep in step with the Holy Spirit. Simply put, we should walk with Him during each day of our lives. He should always be by our side, because in reality, He is within us.

Galatians 6:1 - 10

The Text

1 - Brothers and sisters, if someone is overtaken in any wrongdoing, you who are spiritual, restore such a person with a gentle spirit, watching out for yourselves so that you also won’t be tempted. ²Carry one another’s burdens; in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. ³For if anyone considers himself to be something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. ⁴Let each person examine his own work, and then he can take pride in himself alone, and not compare himself with someone else. ⁵For each person will have to carry his own load.

⁶Let the one who is taught the word share all his good things with the teacher. ⁷Don’t be deceived: God is not mocked. For whatever a person sows he will also reap, ⁸because the one who sows to his flesh will reap destruction from the flesh, but the one who sows to the Spirit will reap eternal life from the Spirit. ⁹Let us not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up. ¹⁰Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us work for the good of all, especially for those who belong to the household of faith.

My Commentary

Verse 1

"Brothers and sisters, if someone is overtaken in any wrongdoing, you who are spiritual, restore such a person with a gentle spirit, watching out for yourselves so that you also won’t be tempted."

Verse 1 opens with the word "brothers and sisters." As I have said before, the word "sisters" does not appear in the Greek text. It has been added to fit into our cultural understanding that Paul would have been addressing both men and women.

With the words "brother and sisters," Paul still viewed these Galatians to be Christians. He obviously believed that they had not yet crossed the line and alienated themselves totally from Jesus.

In verse 1 Paul wrote about people being overtaken in a wrongdoing. The word "overtaken" in the Greek text denotes someone who has unknowingly or innocently fallen into wrong doing, or has been deceived into this trap of sin. It's not necessarily a willful, thought out plan to sin. We all have the tendency to sin and sometimes before we know it, we are caught, or trapped, in sin and need help to find our way out. The point that this wrongdoing is not something that has been thought out is important because Paul is going to tell us to help such a person caught in the sin. If the person willfully sins, he most likely does not want help to get out of the sin. It would appear to me that Paul was not telling us to help that person. If someone desires to stay in sin, it is a waste of valuable time to help him. You can confront him in the hope that he will see the error of his ways, but if he does not want to stop sinning, there is not much you can do.

The Greek word "paraptoma" is translated here as wrongdoing or trespass in other versions of the New Testament. This Greek word simply means a misstep. This meaning also suggests an unintentional sin.

Paul told us that those who are spiritual among us, that is, the ones who are led by the Spirit, should restore the person trapped in a wrongdoing. The Greek word used for "restore" is "kataritze" and is in the present continuous tense. This suggests that the spiritual person must continuously be restoring the trapped person. It is a present ongoing process, not merely a one time event. For the most part, the process of restoration takes time and patience. In fact, Paul was in the midst of trying to restore these Galatians who were being deceived with false teaching. Those among these Galatians who were not being influenced by the false teachers should help restore those who are being so influenced.

Paul said that the spiritual person, or the mature person, who is helping the one caught in a trespass must be gentle. Gentleness among men in Roman culture was not something that was a masculine character trait. Men were trained to be rough and tough guys. Gentleness was seen as weakness, not strength.

While the spiritual person is in the process of restoring his brother, he should be careful himself that he doesn't fall into the same trap. That is why a mature Christian should be the one to help such a trapped person. The gentle person would be the type of person who would take the needed time to sit down and work through the needed issue with the one caught in the sin. It's a thoughtful process that both protects the one caught in sin and the one helping the one out of his sin.

The fact that a brother in Christ can be overtaken in a wrongdoing tells me that any particular sin does not cause one to lose his salvation as I was taught in Methodism as a youth. We still sin as Christians and we sin more than we think, and thus, if we neglect to ask forgiveness that does not mean that sin is not already forgiven, because it is. All of our sin, past, present, and future sins, have been forgiven. We see this New Testament truth in Colossians 2:13, that reads:

"And when you were dead in trespasses and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, he made you alive with him and forgave us all our trespasses."

Note the word "tempted" at the end of Galatians 6:1. We are all tempted by sin. Depending on the sin, one might be tempted more than another. It is clear that if one has similar problems to the one caught in sin, the one with similar problems should not be helping the one caught in sin.

Verse 2

"Carry one another’s burdens; in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ."

In verse 2 Paul said that we are to carry each others burdens, or, offer support to those so burdened. A burden is something that weighs us down, something we carry on our shoulders, something that causes us stress. Paul said that we should help carry this burden. Sometimes things are too heavy for us as one person to carry as Christians. Sometimes we need help. Burdens can be seen in more than one light. The context of this particular burden seems to be the burden that a wrongdoing places us under. Again, Paul said that we must help the one who is caught or trapped in wrongdoing that has snuck up on him. The one who wants out of the burden caused by his trespass is the one who needs help in carrying this burden.

The point here is that we are joined together in the Body of Christ. We are not islands unto ourselves, and for this reason, we must care for those to whom Jesus has joined us.

We have seen the word "law" mentioned throughout Paul's letter to the Galatians, but here wee see law mentioned in a new context. It's not the Law of Moses. It's not any religious law. It's the law of Christ. Yes, Jesus has His law. It is His law we are to obey, not the Law of Moses. By helping each other, Paul said that we actually fulfill the law of Christ. What is the Law of Christ? The Law of Christ is the law of love. It is to love God with all of your heart and then love your neighbour as yourself.

In today's world we think of our neighbour as the person living next door to us, but back in Paul’s day the word neighbour had a more far reaching meaning. People lived in villages and went out into the country side to work the land together. At the end of the day they would return to the village. They also went out to work as groups of people, not as individuals, and therefore, when one spoke the word neighbour back in those days, he most likely meant those in his community. I would suggest that our neighbour might well be any person the Lord puts before us at any given time. That would mean the mail man or a mail lady as he or she approached your front door would be a neighbour. It would mean someone you meet in a store would be your neighbour. It would mean a fellow employee at your place of employment would be your neighbour.

Verse 3

"For if anyone considers himself to be something when he is nothing, he deceives himself."

Why did Paul interject the thought in verse 3 that states that if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, deceives himself? Paul has just told his readers that the one who is spiritual should help the one who is trapped in a wrongdoing. He should provide help in a spirit of gentleness, in case he himself gets trapped in the wrongdoing in the process. Too often as Christians we think of ourselves way better than what we really are. We go into a situation to offer help as the expert, the one who knows it all. This is not the attitude we should have. If we think of ourselves as something when we are not, then Paul said we are deceived. We are to humbly try to help our brother who is in need, and if we can't do that, we pass the task onto someone who can.

Verse 4

"Let each person examine his own work, and then he can take pride in himself alone, and not compare himself with someone else."

In verse 4 Paul said that each person should examine his own work. If we think we are somebody, the things that we do should back our words. Talk is cheap. Many times our words don’t back up our actions. If our actions prove our words and thoughts of ourselves to be true, then fine, but if they don't, we are deceived.

We tend to compare ourselves with each other in a way that is not healthy. As a result of this comparison we tend to think that we are better than others, or, worse than others. Paul told us not to make such comparisons. We are to test ourselves in accordance with God's Word and will. It is important to understand that it is the Bible that should determine whether we pass or fail this self-imposed test. It is too easy for us to think we pass the test if we do not use the Bible as our standard. Again, what Paul was talking about here is in reference to helping a brother or sister in need. We don't compare ourselves with that brother or sister. We just humbly come alongside him or her and provide our help.

Verse 5

"For each person will have to carry his own load."

Verse 5 says that each man should carry his own load. Now what was Paul saying? He has just told us that we should help each other carry our burdens, and now he said that we should carry our own load. When a person is overwhelmed by something we should help that person. On the other hand, we are responsible to the Lord to carry our load. We cannot expect others to carry what we can carry ourselves. This is why we have the Holy Spirit residing within us. He can help us, if we allow Him to help us. When the burden gets too overwhelming, that is when we need help from our brothers in the Lord.

We should note that the word "burden" in verse 2 is in relation to being trapped in a wrongdoing, a trespass, as slip up. The word "load' in verse 5 is not in relation to a wrongdoing, or so I think.

Verse 6

"Let the one who is taught the word share all his good things with the teacher."

The Greek word "koinonia" has been well documented in the Charismatic Movement of the 1960's, 1970's and 1980's. This word means to hold something in common, or, to share. Paul penned the Greek word "koinonia" here in verse 6 when he wrote that the one receiving instruction in the Word of God should share all good things with the one instructing him. On first glance you may think that Paul was asking these people to pay their instructor for all of his work. Most commentators don't believe this is what Paul was saying. What they say is that the Galatians were being encouraged to keep the fellowship they had with Paul and his company. Koinonia is often translated as "fellowship" in the New Testament. The point then, is for the Galatians not to leave fellowship with those who have taught them in order to fellowship with false teachers. I would say, then, as they remain in fellowship with Paul, and those with him, they, as Paul has been saying, would support Paul and his team in whatever way was needed.

You might be able to translate this verse to say that we are to hold in common, or share, our lives with our instructor, and in this instance that would be a pastor. One of Paul's concerns was the breaking of the fellowship that he and the Galatians Christians once had. Remember in chapter 4:17 through 20 Paul said that the false teachers were trying to rip apart the good relationship they had built with each other. This verse, thus, should be interpreted as the Galatians sharing in all good things, sharing their very lives with those who originally instructed them in the truth of the gospel, which would have been Paul and his helpers.

In today's modern western world we don't think much in terms of sharing our lives with our brothers and sisters in Jesus, let alone with those who teach the Word of God. We think more of sharing things in a meeting, or sharing the work load in a church. Paul thought in terms of sharing his life with his brothers and sisters in Christ, and it is my firm conviction that we should follow Paul in this matter.

Verses 7 and 8

"Don't be deceived: God is not mocked. For whatever a person sows he will also reap, because the one who sows to his flesh will reap destruction from the flesh, but the one who sows to the Spirit will reap eternal life from the Spirit."

In verses 7 and 8 Paul set forth a natural principle that works in all aspects of life. What we sow, we will reap. If we plant tomato plants in a garden, we will reap tomatoes. If we plant weeds, we will reap weeds. If we plant good things in our lives, we will reap good things. The more we plant good seeds in our lives, the better chance we have at reaping a good harvest in our lives. The false teachers were planting discord. They will reap accordingly. Paul was planting godly fellowship, truth, and good things. He would expect good things as a harvest.

Many sales people over the years have taken this principle and have used it in business because it works. The more of anything you plant, the more you are likely to reap what you have sown. If an insurance sales person on average sells one policy to every ten people he talks to, then the one who meets one hundred people will sell more policies than the sales person who only meets with ten people.

Paul told his readers in verse 7 that God can't be mocked. Don't attribute to God things that don't belong to Him. The false teachers wanted a following. The things they were teaching were not from God and God certainly knew that. Paul knew that. The Galatians should have known that. The false teachers, were in fact, mocking God with their heresy.

Verse 9

"Let us not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don't give up."

If we sow seeds that belong to our sinful nature, we will reap accordingly. If we sow seeds that belong to our spiritual nature, we will also reap accordingly. People wonder why they get into so much trouble. They tend to blame everyone but themselves for the trouble they find themselves in. They do not understand that what they sow, they will reap. If they sow evil, evil will return to them. If they make wrong decisions based on their sinful nature, they will reap trouble. The opposite is just as true.

This was why Paul, in verse 9 encouraged his readers to not be weary in doing good, for at the proper time they will reap a harvest. We should, therefore, do as much good as we can. If we do good things, we will also reap good things in due time. It only makes sense. If we are nice to others, they will want to be nice to us. If we are nasty to others, they have no reason to be nice to us.

The admonishment to not give up doing good to others suggests that because you do good to others does not mean they will do good to you. If goodness is returned to you immediately, then Paul would not have had to make this statement. This is the reality of agape, selfless love. Just because you love someone, that someone may not, or may never, return the love. That being said, Jesus will reward you some day for the love you give to others. Jesus Himself experienced love that was not reciprocated. His act of love on the cross has been, and will be, neglected by many. Paul, in his second letter to the Corinthians wrote much about unreturned love. He loved people. He gave Himself to them and suffered in the process. Nevertheless, Paul knew that he had a reward waiting for him. If you read 1 Corinthians 3:10 and following, you will note that our acts of service, when performed out of good and right motives, will be rewarded by Jesus in the next life. This was one strong motivation for Paul and it should be a strong motivation for us as well.

What Paul wrote about doing good makes it clear that he was not against doing good works, as he was often being accused. Some say that James and Paul had an ongoing problem with each other concerning the matter of faith and works, but I don't see it that way. Paul believed that true faith would produce good works. Works should be a result of our faith. James said that he would know if you have true faith if he saw your good works. There's no discrepancy between the two men. The simple point is this. Good works can't or won't save you. Faith in God's grace alone saves you, yet, once you have genuine faith, that genuine faith will produce good works in your life.

Verse 10

"Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us work for the good of all, especially for those who belong to the household of faith."

In verse 10 Paul told his readers, and us too, that we have to make the best of every opportunity to do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. Paul told us that we have a responsibility to love everyone, but this should be especially so with our brothers and sisters in Christ. This suggests priority to me. Our first priority of doing good should be directed to those Jesus has joined us to in the Body of Christ. Beyond that, we do good to others.

Church is more than an organization that we have joined ourselves with. It is people to whom Jesus has placed us alongside in His earthly body. More than anything else, we are joined to people. We, the church, are family, and thus, we act and live as family.

Galatians 6:11 - 18

The Text

11 - Look at what large letters I use as I write to you in my own handwriting. ¹²Those who want to make a good impression in the flesh are the ones who would compel you to be circumcised—but only to avoid being persecuted for the cross of Christ. ¹³For even the circumcised don’t keep the law themselves, and yet they want you to be circumcised in order to boast about your flesh. ¹⁴But as for me, I will never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. The world has been crucified to me through the cross, and I to the world ¹⁵For both circumcision and uncircumcision mean nothing; what matters instead is a new creation. ¹⁶May peace come to all those who follow this standard, and mercy even to the Israel of God! ¹⁷From now on, let no one cause me trouble, because I bear on my body the marks of Jesus. ¹⁸Brothers and sisters, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.

My Commentary

Verse 11

"Look at what large letters I use as I write to you in my own handwriting."

In verse 11 Paul began to close this letter by referring to the large letters that he wrote. This little verse has caused a lot of discussion and speculation over the years. Many people think that Paul had an eyesight problem; therefore, he had to write with large letters. We have already seen that the Galatians were willing to cut out their eyes if that would help his illness get better. This suggests to many people that Paul indeed did have a vision problem. See chapter 4, verse 15 and my comments on Paul's eyes.

There has also been much debate over whether Paul actually wrote this whole letter or just the final remarks that we read in these last few verses. Paul would often dictate his thoughts to someone who actually penned the letter. It is, thus, possible that Paul just wrote the last part of this letter in large letters.

Verse 12

"Those who want to make a good impression in the flesh are the ones who would compel you to be circumcised — but only to avoid being persecuted for the cross of Christ."

Paul was being persecuted for the cross of Christ, that he preached. He preached Jesus, Him crucified, and risen from the dead. This was in direct opposition to what the Jews believed. It was for this reason that the Jewish leadership wanted to kill Paul.

In verse 12 Paul said that the only reason why these false teachers were not preaching Christ crucified was because they did not want the same afflictions that Paul was experiencing. They did not want to be persecuted as Paul was being persecuted, and that due, to the gospel he was preaching. They would prefer the easy life. They would prefer fame and fortune over godliness. Nothing really changes in this respect. The same temptation is alive and well today.

Paul also said that the false teachers wanted to make a good impression on the Galatian Christians. We have seen earlier in this letter that part of the motivation for the false teachers was that they wanted their own following, and for that reason, they needed to make a good impression on these Galatians.

Verse 13

"For even the circumcised don't keep the law themselves, and yet they want you to be circumcised in order to boast about your flesh."

Also in verse 13 Paul went on to say that not even the circumcised, that is the Jews which included the false teachers, obeyed the Law of Moses. Nevertheless, these false teachers were persuading the Galatian Christians to do that which they could not do. It was simply hypocritical.

The one thing the false teachers liked was the sense of power and authority they had over the Galatians. They liked to boast in the fact that they had whole churches under their control. For these false teachers it was all about boasting over their control. For Paul, it was all about care, that is, caring for those Jesus had given him the responsibility to care for.

The words "boast about your flesh" in verse 13 are in reference to what I have just said. If the false teachers could get these Gentile Christians circumcised, that would show everyone how much success they had in preaching their brand of the gospel, which of course, is no gospel. The Gentile men's flesh, that is a circumcised penis, would be a testimony to the success of these false teachers.

Verse 14

"But as for me, I will never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. The world has been crucified to me through the cross, and I to the world."

In verse 14 Paul shows how he went out of his way to be a servant of Jesus. He never boasted about anything he did. He served Jesus with humility and with much willingness, without any need to be recognized by men. He found his personal security in Jesus, not men.

Paul only boasted in the cross of Christ. He only boasted in what Jesus had done for and through him. The success of his ministry had more to do with Jesus and his own ability, and for that, Jesus is worthy of all boasting.

The false teachers were boasting that they were obeying the Law of Moses. Paul understood the Law of Moses to be a mere shadow of the real thing which was Jesus. See Colossians 2 for Paul's thinking on this. Paul would not boast in the Law, but boast in what Jesus did on the cross.

In verse 14 Paul said that he was crucified to the world and the world is crucified to him. Simply put, he was dead to the things of the world and the things of the world were dead to him. The surrounding culture had no power or control over him. It is as if the world didn't even exist. He was single hearted and single minded to the Lord. In this verse Paul noted that he was dead to the world and the world dead to him. Earlier we saw he used this thinking in two other ways. He saw himself as being dead to the Law of Moses and also to sin. Both the Law of Moses and sin had no place in Paul's life. How great it would be if more Christians had the same testimony. Much of today's western-world Christianity cannot make the claim that Paul made here, and why? Christians in the West are in love with their surrounding culture. It has more influence on their lives than Jesus has on their lives, and that should never be. The result of this compromise is that Christians and the church look more like the world than the Community of Christ, and thus, the church's witness for Jesus is blurred, if not lost altogether.

Verse 15

"For both circumcision and uncircumcision mean nothing; what matters instead is a new creation."

In verse 15 Paul reminded his readers that if one is circumcised or not circumcised, that doesn't really matter. What matters is that once we give our lives to Jesus, we become a brand new creation. All the old things have passed away. That doesn't mean the old things won't fight against our new selves, for they will. It means that our desire will be towards the new things, that is, towards all things pertaining to Jesus.

According to Paul, as seen in 2 Corinthians 5:17, we are new creations in Christ. We are not what we once were, and that, is due to the residency of the Holy Spirit into our lives. 2 Corinthians 5:17 reads;

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come!"

Christians struggle with sin, or at least they should. If they don't, that means they have given into sin. Just because Christians find themselves in this struggle doesn't mean they aren't Christians. The true Christian still struggles with sin but his desire is to serve Jesus. For the false Christian, he may struggle with sin, but he has no desire to leave his sin to follow Jesus.

Verse 16

"May peace come to all those who follow this standard, and mercy even to the Israel of God!"

In verse 16 Paul hoped that peace and mercy would follow those who embraced this standard, which was, the gospel of Christ. It's the new life we have in Jesus that means everything. Paul pointed out just one aspect of the Law of Moses here, that is, circumcision, but throughout this letter he had the whole Law of Moses in mind.

Note the word "standard" in verse 16. The Greek word that is translated as "standard" is the word "kanon". Kanon in Greek means a measuring rod, something that is straight. This is where we derive our English word "canon." We speak of the Bible as the Canon of Scripture. We say that the books of the Bible are Canonical. By this we mean that the Bible is the authoritative measuring rod by which we measure and compare our lives. Some people call the Bible a road map to show us how to live. It is that and more. It is the book by which we line up our lives. May the Holy Spirit help us bring our lives up to the standard of the Word of God, not for purposes of salvation only, but for purposes of spiritual growth and maturity. Remember, we do not follow Biblical principles in order to be saved. We are saved by faith, by trusting Jesus with our lives, and thus, good works, as in, following Biblical principles, will be a direct result of our genuine faith.

In today's post-modern world there are many so-called Christians who no longer believe the Bible to be our road map by which we are to live. They say it's just a devotional book. We should not be studying the Bible and analyzing it. It isn't a history book. It may not even be historically accurate. It's just a book to read with certain moral lessons to be learned. It's a book to be inspired by. I do not believe that for a minute. It is the canonized, authoritative message book by which we must live.

As seen in verse 16, Paul hoped that peace and mercy would extend to the Israel of God. The term "Israel of God" that Paul penned here has caused all sorts of problems among Bible teachers over the centuries. Who is the Israel of God? Some say the Israel of God are those who follow the standard Paul just wrote about. The Israel of God, therefore, is the true believers in Jesus and the cross of Christ, which includes Gentiles. It is my thinking that the term Israel of God, in this specific context, is in reference to Christians, the church. I think that is clear. That being said, others see the Israel of God as being national Israel .

This letter to the Galatians concerned both Jews and Gentiles becoming Christian and being considered children of Abraham. Children of Abraham were the Israel of God in Old Testament times, but the New Testament Israel of God, according to Paul in Galatians, are Christians, the church.

All of the above being said, we do need to understand that Israel still has prophetic and historical significance in the sight of God. God promised Abraham and his descendents after him certain things in the Old Testament, and He will certainly fulfill those promises as they were originally understood by Abraham. So, concerning salvation, there is no difference between Jews and Gentiles. In New Testament terms, all ethnicities who have faith in Jesus are the Israel of God, but, concerning prophetic history, there is indeed a nation of people called the Israel of God who will come back into the prophetic picture at the end of this age.

As you read through Paul's writings, you can certainly see how both the Jews and the Jewish Christians opposed Paul on this point. His teaching on the Old Testament Law of Moses which Israel was to follow for centuries was very new to the Jews. How could they forsake what God had established? I have often said, that if Paul got this wrong, then the church and Christians are in serious trouble because it is Paul who has defined more than anyone else Christian teaching.

What Paul wrote here in Galatians 6:16 is one of the central verses that those who believe in what is called Replacement Theology base their thinking on. To remind you, Replacement Theology states that the church has replaced Israel in the mind of God. No longer is Israel prophetically or historically significant. That being the case, those who embrace this doctrine interpret all of the Old Testament passages directed towards Israel to now be directed towards the church. I do not hold to this position. Other parts of Paul's writings, like Romans 9 through 11 for example, clearly tell us that the Jews, or Israel, still have historic and prophetic significance in God's mind, and this we will see as this age comes to a close. It will be then that Israel will come back into the historic picture, and all that God promised Abraham concerning his ethnic descendents will be fulfilled.

Verse 17

"From now on, let no one cause me trouble, because I bear on my body the marks of Jesus."

In conclusion here in verse 17, Paul reminded the Galatian believers of all that he had suffered for the sake of Jesus Christ. He told them that no one should cause him trouble, and that would include any of the Galatian Christians as well as the false teachers. Why was Paul being so strong in his wording here? It was because he bore in his body the physical marks of following Jesus. He had visible marks from being beaten and stoned. The false teachers had no such marks in their bodies.

When Paul said that the marks of Jesus could be seen in his body he might have been comparing his marks to the marks that Jesus had in his hands, feet, side, head, and elsewhere from His death on the cross. If that was not what he was referring to, I think I can safely say the marks on his body were Jesus' marks because it was because of his association with Jesus that he had these marks.

These visible marks in Paul's body strike me as being signs of his love and commitment to these people in Galatia . He was willing to risk his life for their salvation. With the reference to these marks, he was now pleading with them to not forsake the truth of the gospel. He wanted the fractured relationship between them and him to be restored. If I was a Galatian, at this point, my heart would be saddened, knowing that Paul had these marks because of me. I would be especially saddened because I am now in the process of breaking my relationship with Paul. Even more, I am in the process of leaving Christ, who was the reason why Paul had these marks in the first place.

The Greek word "stigma" is translated here as marks in our English Bible. You would compare these marks to when a branding iron would place a burn mark on a slave. Those marks were placed on a slave through much pain. Paul's marks were caused through much pain as well. As a mark on a slave meant being owned by a master, so Paul's marks were a sign of being owned by Jesus.

We see how dedicated Paul was to Jesus and the cause of Christ. Such dedication is seldom seen in many western-world Christians, but, there will come a day when we in the West will have to decide. Will we be willing to receive the marks of being a Christian from an anti-Christ culture?

Verse 18

"Brothers and sisters, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen."

Verse 18 ends Paul's letter to these Galatian Christians. Paul prayed that the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ would be with each one of their spirits. Notice Paul called for God's grace to be with these people's spirits. Remember these are people in danger of falling from God's grace, as we saw earlier in chapter 5, verse 4. Notice too how Paul addressed Jesus. He used his earthy name, which is Jesus and also the two titles attributed to Him, that is, Lord and Christ. The one we serve is Jesus, and He is both Lord and Christ. He is the Saviour of all mankind which is inherent in the title Christ. He is also the Lord, the God over all things, which is implied in the title Lord.

We do not merely serve God, a God we really cannot understand in human terms. We serve the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. We can know God, at least in some limited way, because we are in touch with Jesus, who is, God in some kind of superhuman form as I type these words. This is the God of the Christian. This is what Christians should really understand in these days, these days when everyone talks about God as if all religions end up at the same god. They don't.

All books of the Bible are important, but this little letter of Paul's is especially important because it clearly sets forth the foundations of the Christian faith. It teaches us exactly what salvation and what being a Christian is all about. A lack of understanding of this book will produce all sorts of problems in the life of the individual Christian and also in the life of the church. In our modern times, when we don't take the Bible seriously, we have gone astray because we fail to understand the meaning to what Paul wrote in his letter to the Galatians.

One way this lack of understanding is seen today is among some Christians who want to adopt the Law of Moses into their lives. Paul made it very clear in this letter that the Law of Moses no longer exists for the Christian to follow. Those wanting to live by the Law of Moses today are in the same situation as these Galatian Christians were in. I suggest that those who want to revert to what they call "the Jewish roots of the church," study, restudy, and study again, what Paul is telling us. If that is you, your salvation might well be at stake.

. . . . . . . .

Paul's letter to the Galatian Christians is a shortened version of his letter to the Romans. It speaks to the foundational principles of the Christian faith. If, as Christians, we fail to understand what Paul taught us in this short letter, we will inevitably fail in being the Christians we are called to be. For this reason, all that Paul wrote in this letter must be burned into our minds and into our hearts so it will become the conviction by which we live. In our Biblically illiterate, Christian world, we must return to a proper hermeneutically based understanding of Biblical truth, and a good place to begin this return is Paul's letter to the Galatians, because, there is no other gospel than what Paul taught in this letter.

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My Commentary

Verse 1

"You foolish Galatians! Who has cast a spell on you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified?"

"You, however, are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to him."

The answer to Paul's question here in verse 2 is, "no," and these people knew that "no" was the correct answer.

To learn more about the entrance of the Spirit of God into our lives, you can read my book entitled "Revisiting Pentecost."

Verse 3

"Are you so foolish? After beginning by the Spirit, are you now finishing by the flesh?"

Verse 4

"Did you experience so much for nothing ​— ​if in fact it was for nothing?"

"After they had preached the gospel in that town and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, to Iconium, and to Antioch , strengthening the disciples by encouraging them to continue in the faith and by telling them, 'It is necessary to go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God .'"

Verses 5 and 6

"So then, does God give you the Spirit and work miracles among you by your doing the works of the law? Or is it by believing what you heard ​— just like Abraham who believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness?" ​

"Did you experience so much for nothing — if in fact it was for nothing?"

"So then, does God give you the Spirit and work miracles among you by your doing the works of the law? Or is it by believing what you heard — just like Abraham who believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness?"