Verse 1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
The Apostle Paul is commanding (not suggesting) the Galatians to stand their ground based on faith in the work and testimony of the LORD Jesus Christ and to be free of religious entanglements which only create bondage. They are not to be moved by false doctrine or pressured to return to the Law and all of its mandates.
Verses 2-3 Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. 3 For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law.
Circumcision was a sticking point with the Jews. Gentiles were like cattle and referred to as the “uncircumcised” by the Jews. So anyone converting to Judaism was to be circumcised. The Apostle Paul is saying here that, as stated in previous chapters, if a Gentile believer becomes circumcised to obey the Law of Moses, he must obey all of the Law. He will fail as no one can keep the Law. The Law will not make him righteous and acceptable to God. Following the Law will not save him. One cannot put one’s faith in the Law for salvation and in Christ Jesus at the same time. Obeying the Law and its requirements and rituals makes Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross of no effect to those following the Old Covenant Law. One can only come to Jesus through faith and the New Covenant and not through the works of the Law.
Application: This writer recently has severed a friendship that has spanned over 20 years with a believer that has slowly been lead astray by web sites promoting Judaism for Christians and by reading extra-Biblical books such as the book of Enoch. The first obvious sign of this believer’s falling away from the simple faith in the LORD Jesus Christ was when instead of using the name of Jesus, the Hebrew name Yeshua or Joshua became the normal. This former friend is not Hebrew and does not know Greek, but speaks English, and the name in English is Jesus. Then the announcement was made that the King James Bible had errors. When asked where these errors were, they could not be provided at that time and were never provided. Then quoting from books that are not in the Bible instead of from the Word of God became prevalent. If God had wanted these books in the Bible, they would be there. A careful study of these books reveals contradictions with the Scripture and therefore they cannot be written by God through men by divine inspiration. The 66 books of the Bible compliment each other and do not conflict with each other. Then the following of so called Messianic Jewish web sites resulted in giving these sites more credit for “truth” than sites of truly converted Christian pastors and lay people. This is a sad situation but one that this writer can only turn over to the LORD. Will this individual return to the truth of the Gospel as preached by the LORD Jesus Christ and His apostles? Only the LORD knows. But like the Galatian Christians, Satan has encouraged this individual to not follow the Gospel as written in the New Testament books of the Bible.
Verse 4 Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.
Grace is God’s good will, favor, and loving kindness to those who do not deserve it. It was God’s loving kindness that caused Him to come to Earth and inhabit a body of flesh. This is what the Old Testament seven day holiday of Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles or Feast of Booths) is all about. It was a foreshadowing of when the God of Heaven would come to Earth and inhabit a physical, fleshly tabernacle and walk among mankind. It is through this grace that salvation has come to all who are called and who respond to that call. It is a free gift and cannot be earned through works of the flesh. So when men try to be justified or made righteous through obeying the Law, they no longer have the grace of God in their lives and are “fallen from grace”. The Law does not save, but only the shed blood of Jesus Christ can save.
Verses 5-6 For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. 6 For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.
The true, converted Christian has the hope of being declared righteous by faith in the promises and the work of the LORD Jesus Christ. Circumcision of men does not mean anything to God. It was originally a commandment to Abraham as recorded in Genesis chapter 17. “This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised: And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you.” Genesis 17:10-11 It was a sign of a covenant in which God promised Abraham he would be the father of many nations, he and his descendants would be given a particular piece of land, and the LORD God would be his God and the God of His descendants. So the act of circumcision was a token of this covenant. It applied to Abraham and his descendants, not to unrelated Gentiles. It also served to mark the Hebrew people so that should the men decide to engage in sinful sexual behavior it would be known who they were as the pagan nations around them did not circumcise and this should have brought shame upon the Hebrew people and their nation. So God did not and does not demand those who are His children by faith to be circumcised. Why? Because the covenant between Abraham and God does not apply to believers today. Believers today are “marked” by the presence of the Holy Ghost/Spirit, they are saved through the blood of Jesus, the Word, and they are already heirs of Christ and have inherited the spiritual Kingdom of God and eternity in Heaven.
Verses 7-9 Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth? 8 This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you. 9 A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.
The Apostle Paul acknowledges that the Galatians started out well but that now they were on the wrong path and not obeying the truth of the Gospel. He does not seem to know who has confused, deceived and led them astray, but it is certain that this new gospel did not come from the LORD Jesus Christ. And unfortunately, a little false doctrine grows and spreads like yeast in bread dough and permeates the whole church.
Application: Cyrus Ingerson Scofield (1843-1921), at the behest of his Jewish supporters and publishers, created the end-time false doctrine of Christ returning for a “rapture” where believers are whisked away to Heaven and unbelievers are left on Earth to suffer a 7 year period of tribulation only to have Christ return again and establish an earthly reign of a thousand years and a Jewish utopia and so forth. His study bible of 1909 set the stage for this false doctrine to spread like leaven in bread dough throughout the Christian churches in America. it was promoted by the Moody Bible Institute and today one has to look far and wide to find a church calling itself Christian that does not teach this heresy. It took about 50 years to infiltrate Christendom, but the damage this false doctrine has done is immense. Most Christian believers, because of this end-time doctrine, have no idea where they are on the Biblical timeline because they are waiting for specific events and periods of time (dispensations) to happen before the LORD Jesus can come back. They are restricting the coming of the LORD in their minds and are not really expecting His return which can be at an time He chooses and not according to the dictates of the Scofield doctrine. They are looking for “the Antichrist” and not aware of all the antichrists walking around on Earth today spreading lies and working destruction for their god, Satan. They believe falsehood and are living as if time will never end. The Apostle Paul was correct in saying that “a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump”. Like the Galatian church, it is time for the churches today to return to the truth of the Gospel and disregard the lies.
Verses 10-12 I have confidence in you through the Lord, that ye will be none otherwise minded: but he that troubleth you shall bear his judgment, whosoever he be. 11 And I, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution? then is the offence of the cross ceased. 12 I would they were even cut off which trouble you.
The Apostle Paul, after chastising them, encourages the Galatian Christians by stating that he has confidence in the LORD that they will correct their incorrect thinking and doctrine and return to the simplicity of the Gospel message that he preached to them from the beginning. And he assures them that the individual that has troubled them will be judged by God and will be responsible for his actions and his false teaching, especially regarding circumcision.
Verses 13-15 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. 14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 15 But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.
All converted Christian believers have liberty in the LORD, but the Apostle Paul cautions the Galatians to not abuse that liberty by walking in the lusts of the flesh, but to serve each other by loving each other. He then summarizes the commandments of the Law which the Galatians are now trying to obey and keep into one sentence: love they neighbour.
Application: There should never be strife, ill will, angry words, or unkind actions between believers and there never will if believers love others more than themselves. This is part of the sacrifice that believers give which has replaced animal and food sacrifices as specified in the Law of Moses. Believers sacrifice to God by loving God and loving others. They sacrifice by offering praise and worship from the heart to God. They sacrifice by interceding for others in prayer and in physical acts of help and support because of their love for one another. A healthy church is a giving church in both financial resources and in time and service to others. A church that is full of self-serving individuals who want power, prestige, and praise will soon become a social club and be of no value in furthering the spiritual Kingdom of God.
Verses 16-18 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. 18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.
There are three ways that people can “walk” through life in this world. One is to walk with Satan and his devils and engage in sin and inherit eternal life in Hell. Another way is to walk in the flesh and give in to all the lusts of the world and inherit eternal life in Hell. If it feels good, do it is the motto of those walking in the flesh. The third and the best way is to walk in and with the Holy Ghost/Spirit of the LORD Jesus Christ and inherit eternal life in Heaven. Three choices which people make every day of every year. When walking with and heeding the guidance of the Holy Ghost/Spirit, the flesh will want to cause the believer to err and to sin and disobey the LORD. They, the flesh and the Spirit, are constantly fighting against each other. If Christian believers walk in the Spirit the Law is no longer necessary as the believers will not do anything that will offend the LORD and which is contrary to a Christ-like way of life. And if Christian believers occasionally sin, they will recognize the sin and seek forgiveness from the LORD. Believers will be obedient to the commandments of the LORD and will love neighbors and love God and consider others before considering themselves.
Verses 19-21 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
The Apostle Paul lists the results/behaviors/sins of walking in the flesh. The Greek word translated as “adultery” is “moicheia” and it means adultery. The Greek word translated as “fornication” is “porneia” from which comes the word pornography. It means illicit sexual intercourse – adultery, homosexuality, lesbianism, bestiality, incest, and in metaphor, the worship of idols. The Greek word translated as “uncleanness” is “akatharsia” and it means physical uncleanness and uncleanness in a moral sense. The Greek word translated as “lasciviousness” is “aselgeia” and it means unbridled lust, excess, outrageousness or shamelessness. The Greek word translated as “idolatry” is “eidololatreia” and it means the worship of false gods and the vices that result from the idol worship. The Greek word translated as ” witchcraft” is “pharmakeia” from which comes the word pharmacy. It means the use or the administering of drugs, poisoning, sorcery, and magical arts. The Greek word translated as “hatred” is “echthra” and it means enmity which means the state or feeling of being actively opposed or hostile to someone or something. The Greek word translated as “variance” is “eris” and it means contention or strife. The Greek word translated as “emulations” is “zelos” and it means an envious and contentious rivalry, or jealousy. The Greek word translated as “wrath” is “thumos” and it means wrath, passion, angry or an anger boiling up. The Greek word translated as “strife” is “eritheia” and it means contention, contentious, a desire to put one’s self forward, to be self-seeking, or selfish. The Greek word translated as “seditions” is “dichostasia” and it means dissension or division. The Greek word translated as “heresies” is “hairesis” and it means choosing, a choice, that which is chosen, a body of men following their own tenets, or dissensions arising from diversity of opinions and aims. The Greek word translated as “envyings” is “phthonos” and it means envy or to be prompted by envy. The Greek word translated as “murders” is “phonos” and it means murder, slaughter or to be slain. The Greek word translated as “drunkenness” is “methe” and it means intoxication and drunkenness. The Greek word translated as “revellings” is “komos” and it means a nocturnal and riotous procession of half drunken and frolicsome fellows who after supper parade through the streets with torches and music in honour of Bacchus or some other deity and sing and play before houses of male and female friends. (Mardi Gras in New Orleans would be an example of revellings.) Obviously, people who engage in any of these sins will not inherit eternal life in the Kingdom of God.
Application: The original pharmacists were witches, and the original pharmacies were from witches and their herbal concoctions usually prepared in their homes. That is not to say that those people today who study the use of herbs in alternative medicine or who use herbs for health reasons or food preparation are practicing witchcraft. This writer uses the leaves of the Hawthorne tree to control blood pressure and mint leaves to sooth the stomach which is far more preferable to taking Metoprolol, Hydrochlorothiazide, Lasix and other anti-hypertensive drugs that are man-made with a myriad of side effects, or to being stuck on antacids. Anything that God has made can be used responsibly and properly for health, for seasonings, or for cooking. Obviously poisonous plants and mushrooms should be avoided as they are the result of sin and the fall of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden. Anything that God has made when it is combined improperly or when it has had spells cast over and on it is to be avoided as evil spirits have attached to the product and can enter into the Christian believer’s life and body and cause trouble. When purchasing supplements or seasonings, the Christian believer needs to research the origin of the product and the company selling it to be sure that it is not associated with witches and witchcraft and evil spirits.
Verses 22-26 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 24 And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 26 Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another. (Galatians 5)
Diametrically opposed to the list of sins and evil behaviors in the above verses are the fruits of the Spirit. The Greek word translated as “love” is “agape” and it means brotherly love, good will or benevolence. The Greek word translated as “joy” is “chara” and it means joy and gladness. The Greek word translated as “peace” is “eirene” and it means peace, quietness, exemption from the rage and havoc of war, peace between individuals, harmony, security, safety, and the tranquil state of the soul assured of its salvation through Jesus Christ and so fearing nothing from God and therefore being content with its earthly lot, of whatsoever sort that may be. The Greek word translated as “longsuffering” is “makrothumia” and it means patience, endurance, constancy, steadfastness, perseverance, forbearance, and slowness in avenging wrongs. The Greek word translated as “gentleness” is “chrestotes” and it means moral goodness, integrity, and kindness. The Greek word translated as “goodness” is “agathosune” and it means uprightness of heart and life, goodness, and kindness. The Greek word translated as “faith” is “pistis” and it means conviction of the truth of anything. In the New Testament it is a conviction or belief in regard to man’s relationship to and trust in God. It is the conviction that God exists, is the creator and ruler of all things, is the giver of salvation through Jesus Christ, and that the Bible is His Word and is Truth. The Greek word translated as “meekness” is “praotes” and it means gentleness, mildness, and meekness (submissiveness). The Greek word translated as “temperance” is “egkrateia” and it means self-control. When converted Christian believers live each day displaying these fruits of the Spirit, there is no Mosaic Law or man-made statute, code, rule, regulation, or law that will be broken or violated. And the converted Christian believer will be a testimony and evidence to an unsaved world that they belong to the LORD Jesus Christ and are His children as they have their flesh and all of its lusts under control. To have the Holy Ghost/Spirit dwelling within Christian believers means that believers must also walk in the Spirit and endeavor to produce these fruits throughout their earthly life.
Application: It is impossible for unsaved people to walk after the fruits of the Spirit of God as they do not have the Holy Ghost/Spirit dwelling within them to guide and strengthen them and teach them how to be like the LORD Jesus Christ. There are “good people” in the world today if they are judged by the world’s standards, but the believer must live life according to God’s standards and His alone. Do Christian believers fail at times to demonstrate these fruits? Yes, but they know when they fail and they seek forgiveness and move forward. It is still a battle between the flesh, the world, and the Devil and occasional failure to demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit will happen, but the important point is to keep walking with and in the Spirit and these times of failure will become less and less over time until it is so normal and natural to be loving, to be patient, to be kind, and so forth that the Christian believer doesn’t have to struggle so hard to overcome the three enemies of the soul.