Galatians 5:7-15
7: You were running well; who hindered you from obeying the truth?
8: This persuasion did not come from Him who calls you.
9: A little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough.
10: I have confidence in you in the Lord that you will adopt no other view; but the one who is disturbing you will bear his judgment, whoever he is.
11: But I, brethren, if I still preach circumcision, why am I still persecuted? Then the stumbling block of the cross has been abolished.
12: I wish that those who are troubling you would even mutilate themselves.
13: For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.
14: For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.”
15: But if you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another.
Paul acknowledged that they had been doing very well and asked who had come and hindered them from obeying the truth? He said it didn’t come from God. A little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough. What might seem to be a small thing, a small compromise, a small addition to faith in Christ alone for salvation, actually spoils the whole thing. As we’ve already seen, you don’t add a little bit of Law to your faith—just in case. Paul said he was confident they would do the right thing and not give in to this one who was “disturbing” them. He said that whoever he was, he would bear judgement for this.
The accusation could have been raised that Paul preached circumcision himself, possibly because of allowing Timothy to be circumcised when in Jerusalem. Yet Paul asked, if he preached circumcision then why was he still persecuted? Why then would the Jews be persecuting him for not following the Law and for preaching Christ alone for salvation?
Paul followed certain Jewish traditions at times when among the Jews (Acts 16:3, 21:24) for he was Jewish by birth and said himself he became all things to all men so he might win them for Christ (Romans 9:20). Yet he had always, since his conversion, preached Christ alone for salvation. We’ve seen this in his letters so far, that he strongly proclaimed that salvation did not come by keeping the Law. It comes by grace, through faith in Christ alone. He felt so strongly about this that he wished those troubling the Galatians would mutilate themselves! (Deuteronomy 23:1).
Paul then gave a plea for love, not wanting any strife among them. He quoted Leviticus 19:18 saying that the entire Law was summed up in this—you shall love your neighbor as yourself. He urged them to use their freedom in Christ to serve one another, not devour each other.
8: This persuasion did not come from Him who calls you.
9: A little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough.
10: I have confidence in you in the Lord that you will adopt no other view; but the one who is disturbing you will bear his judgment, whoever he is.
11: But I, brethren, if I still preach circumcision, why am I still persecuted? Then the stumbling block of the cross has been abolished.
12: I wish that those who are troubling you would even mutilate themselves.
13: For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.
14: For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.”
15: But if you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another.
***
Paul acknowledged that they had been doing very well and asked who had come and hindered them from obeying the truth? He said it didn’t come from God. A little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough. What might seem to be a small thing, a small compromise, a small addition to faith in Christ alone for salvation, actually spoils the whole thing. As we’ve already seen, you don’t add a little bit of Law to your faith—just in case. Paul said he was confident they would do the right thing and not give in to this one who was “disturbing” them. He said that whoever he was, he would bear judgement for this.
The accusation could have been raised that Paul preached circumcision himself, possibly because of allowing Timothy to be circumcised when in Jerusalem. Yet Paul asked, if he preached circumcision then why was he still persecuted? Why then would the Jews be persecuting him for not following the Law and for preaching Christ alone for salvation?
Paul followed certain Jewish traditions at times when among the Jews (Acts 16:3, 21:24) for he was Jewish by birth and said himself he became all things to all men so he might win them for Christ (Romans 9:20). Yet he had always, since his conversion, preached Christ alone for salvation. We’ve seen this in his letters so far, that he strongly proclaimed that salvation did not come by keeping the Law. It comes by grace, through faith in Christ alone. He felt so strongly about this that he wished those troubling the Galatians would mutilate themselves! (Deuteronomy 23:1).
Paul then gave a plea for love, not wanting any strife among them. He quoted Leviticus 19:18 saying that the entire Law was summed up in this—you shall love your neighbor as yourself. He urged them to use their freedom in Christ to serve one another, not devour each other.
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