A Work in Progress Bible Commentary
By: Chip Crush

GALATIANS
CHAPTER 5

Freedom in Christ

1It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
2Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. 3Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. 4You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. 5But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope. 6For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.
7You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth? 8That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you. 9"A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough." 10I am confident in the Lord that you will take no other view. The one who is throwing you into confusion will pay the penalty, whoever he may be. 11Brothers, if I am still preaching circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been abolished. 12As for those agitators, I wish they would go the whole way and emasculate themselves!
13You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature[1] ; rather, serve one another in love. 14The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself."[2] 15If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.

Life by the Spirit

16So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. 17For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. 18But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.
19The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this 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. Against such things there is no law. 24Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. 25Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

Paul turns in chapter five from his doctrinal treatise to the practice application of such doctrine. Here that appears as a discussion of freedom in Christ and living by the Spirit. He’s refuting legalism but not to the extent of becoming an antinomian. There is a balance in the Christian life, and it can only be lived by the Spirit. Let’s take a look:

1)      V1-6 – 1It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. 2Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. 3Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. 4You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. 5But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope. 6For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.

Vincent Cheung begins his commentary on this passage by saying, “V1 is a transition statement, and can be attached to either the end of the previous passage, or the beginning of the present one. First, it summarizes a major thrust of what Paul has been demonstrating by the previous arguments: ‘It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.’ Then, it states what we are to do because of this, anticipating what will follow: ‘Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.’ Positively, believers must stand firm in the freedom that they possess in Christ. Negatively, they must resist all attempts to place them under slavery again, and this means to resist both the practice and the promoters of circumcision.”

Paul refers in v1 to the yoke of slavery. Jews of the day understood this image well, as rabbis would choose disciples and place them under their yoke, to symbolize that they are following their rabbis teaching as oxen pulling a cart, even as slaves following their master. But Christ died for freedom, and Jesus’ yoke, as He declared, is easy, and His burden is light, unlike the yoke of slavery to the law. While you are either a slave to sin or to righteousness (Romans 6:16), Jesus set us free from sin in order that we could obey righteousness, which is true freedom. It is for this freedom (slavery to righteousness) that “Christ has set us free.” Galatians 3:13 says, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us.” Christian liberty is freedom from the law as a system of salvation, freedom from sin’s dominion, and freedom from conformity to the world’s ways, to which Paul refers through his epistles as “basic principles of this world.”

In v2, Paul’s point is that for those set free in Christ to undergo circumcision for the sake of salvation was effectively to reject Christ’s sufficiency, to attempt what they could never do (Galatians 2:21) – earn their own righteousness through obedience to the law. Even if they obeyed that part of the law rightly, both externally in their bodies and internally from their hearts, they would be guilty of breaking the law at other points, which would – and does – bring condemnation (v3). Paul is so firm on this point that he reminds them that he is saying this by using his name and by saying, “Mark my words!” and, “Again.” Calvin is very helpful here:

When [Paul] views circumcision in its own nature, he properly makes it to be a symbol of grace, because such was the appointment of God. But when he is dealing with the false apostles, who abused circumcision by making it an instrument for destroying the Gospel, he does not there consider the purpose for which it was appointed by the Lord, but attacks the corruption which has proceeded from men. A very striking example occurs in this passage. When Abraham had received a promise concerning Christ, and justification by free grace, and eternal salvation, circumcision was added, in order to confirm the promise; and thus it became, by the appointment of God, a sacrament, which was subservient to faith. Next come the false apostles, who pretend that it is a meritorious work, and recommend the observance of the law, making a profession of obedience to it to be signified by circumcision as an initiatory rite. Paul makes no reference here to the appointment of God, but attacks the unscriptural views of the false apostles.”

By no longer relying on grace, Paul says in v4, the Galatians are rejecting the sufficiency of Christ. Yet Paul is confident that God’s people have not and will not fall away permanently, as v10 reveals, and as Kim Riddlebarger exposes, saying, “These are not elect Christians but are instead baptized members of the visible covenant community (the church) but who in reality do not trust in Jesus Christ for justification and who secretly trust in their own righteousness even though they profess faith in Christ alone with their mouths. Such people are members of the visible church (the covenant community) through baptism and the external profession of faith. But they never truly exercise saving faith, do not persevere and they fall away. They are therefore, not among the elect. Professing Christians can and do fall away. Believing Christians numbered among God’s elect cannot.”

Indeed they cannot fall too far for God’s grace to reach them; but that is no license for lawless living, for lawless living may prove that they have never experienced God’s grace in the first place. Thus Paul contrasts the sure hope in righteousness by grace through faith in Christ with the vain hope in righteousness by self (flesh) through law abiding (v4-5). The Holy Spirit is our deposit with that sure hope, our seal or guarantee that God will finish what He started (Philippians 1:6). On v5, Vincent Cheung says, “Those who depend on God’s grace do not work for their righteousness, but they wait for the final revelation of righteousness that will occur on the day when God will publicly pronounce all His chosen ones ‘justified’ in His sight through faith in Christ.” As we noted earlier, John Piper says, “What is it practically that converts the love of Christ for us into our love for others? There are two answers in the book of Galatians. One answer is the Holy Spirit. The other answer is FAITH. …O let us be a people of the Word, and a people of faith, and people of love, by the power of the Spirit.” In doing this, we hope for righteousness, eagerly waiting by the Holy Spirit and through faith in Jesus Christ.

V6 reveals that Paul is not so much concerned with circumcision itself; he is concerned with the motive for it. He sees the Gentile Galatians being pressured into it by the Judaizers claiming that it’s necessary for salvation. However, Paul concludes that the one who is saved in Christ is the one who believes in Christ and demonstrates the genuineness of that faith by living a sanctified life (“faith expressing itself through love”). Kim Riddlebarger sums it up by saying, “Paul is saying simply that the faith which justifies is of such a nature that it expresses itself through love… The problem is not that the gospel leads to license, but that those who live in such fashion do not understand or believe the gospel! Paul’s doctrine is that the faith which justifies, is also a faith which works in love – not to become justified – but because one is already justified.” Vincent Cheung says, “So it is not that faith does not perform works, only that it does not perform works in order to obtain justification. The works of law that strive to obtain a righteous standing before God is bound to failure, and is opposed to the way of grace. But the works of faith proceed from a person who is already justified through faith in Christ.”

2)     V7-12 – 7You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth? 8That kind of persuasion does not come from the One who calls you. 9‘A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough.’ 10I am confident in the Lord that you will take no other view. The one who is throwing you into confusion will pay the penalty, whoever he may be. 11Brothers, if I am still preaching circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been abolished. 12As for those agitators, I wish they would go the whole way and emasculate themselves!

Paul acknowledges that the Galatians were progressing in their growth “in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18), but he asks them rhetorically to consider who has “cut in on” them, or literally, “blocked the way,” and caused them to keep “from obeying the truth.” The Judaizers false gospel was not from God (v8), and, as Vincent Cheung says, “It will spread like a contagious disease if left unchecked” (v9). Jesus also warned His disciples about the “yeast of the Pharisees.” In v10, Paul notes his confidence not in the Galatians but in the Lord that they would agree with him. And it seems that he calls out certain judgment, paying the penalty, on the particular leader of these Judaizers, “the one who is throwing you into confusion,” perhaps even Satan himself.

In v11, Paul is likely referring to a Judaizer charge against him, that he preaches the necessity of circumcision when speaking to Jews but not to Gentiles, in order to gain more followers. If that were true, then the cross would not be offensive (1 Corinthians 1:18-2:5). But he notes his own persecution as evidence that his gospel of the crucified Christ is offensive; therefore, he is consistently preaching that circumcision is not essential, but that faith is what matters, “expressing itself through love” (v6). And his angrily harsh words in v12 are likely due to his understanding that young Gentiles were being led astray. He cared about them with intense passion, like a father (Galatians 4:19) and a brother (v11,13). Vincent Cheung concludes, “It is true that ritual castration was practiced by some pagan religions, and Paul seems to again classify the Jews’ misuse of the law with paganism. To the ancient Jews, this does not decrease the offense, but greatly increases it. Those professing Christians who protest in heated indignation when this type of rhetoric is used against false teachers betray their own enslavement to the worldly ethic and etiquette of their culture. Scripture thinks that such talk is entirely appropriate, so that their attitude demonstrates nothing of the holiness of God or the love of Christ.” In other words, to say, “I wish the Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons would – for the sake of God’s glory and His elect – go ahead and be burned up!” would not be a poor choice of words in the context of what Paul has to say about these legalistic, sham-Christian, Judaizers. See also Deuteronomy 23:1.

3)     V13-18 – 13You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature [or flesh]; rather, serve one another in love. 14The entire law is summed up in a single command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’ [Leviticus 19:18]. 15If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other. 16So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. 17For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. 18But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.

V13 continues the theme from v1, adding that freedom in Christ is to be used not selfishly “to indulge the flesh,” but selflessly to “serve one another in love.” Calvin says, “Liberty is not granted to the flesh, which ought rather to be held captive under the yoke, but is a spiritual benefit, which none but pious minds are capable of enjoying.” While legalism, amounting to salvation by faith plus works, is a gross, right-leaning error, we must also guard against the left-sided error, antinomianism, which may claim that grace is magnified through sin, so sin is no longer a problem over which to struggle. Paul briefly notes that truth throughout this letter (see Galatians 1:6-7; 2:17-20), and he does so in more detail in other letters (Romans 6 for example), but he now elaborates that “faith expressing itself through love” (v6) is actually the fulfillment of the law (Romans 13:8-10). Kim Riddlebarger adds, “As Paul sets this out, there is both a negative and positive element to the imperative – the negative is that we are not to use our freedom in Christ as a pretense for sinning, and the positive command is that we are to ‘serve one another in love.’ This certainly is a further elaboration of the Apostle’s previous comments about true faith being a faith which leads to works done in love (Galatians 5:6b). Christians, now free from the guilt and power of sin, are free to serve one another as Christ has served us (cf. John 13:2-12).”

Calvin intercedes, “Piety to God, I acknowledge, ranks higher than love of the brethren; and therefore the observance of the first table is more valuable in the sight of God than the observance of the second. But as God himself is invisible, so piety is a thing hidden from the eyes of men; and, though the manifestation of it was the purpose for which ceremonies were appointed, they are not certain proofs of its existence. It frequently happens, that none are more zealous and regular in observing ceremonies than hypocrites. God therefore chooses to make trial of our love to Himself by that love of our brother, which He enjoins us to cultivate. This is the reason why, not here only, but in the Epistle to the Romans, (Romans 8:8, 13:10,) love is called ‘the fulfilling of the law;’ not that it excels, but that it proves the worship of God to be real. God, I have said, is invisible; but He represents Himself to us in the brethren, and in their persons demands what is due to Himself.”

Paul quotes Leviticus 19:18, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” which “sums up or fulfills all the other commands that pertain to human relationships,” as Vincent Cheung says. He adds, “But if the former [love] sums up or fulfills the latter [all the other commands], then means that the latter is not ignored or abolished, but rather respected and carried out by the former.” Paul does not abolish the law in his teaching against legalism anymore than Christ, who fulfilled it perfectly (Jeremiah 31:33). Jesus said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished” (Matthew 5:17-18).

Rather than living under the yoke of the law, which sin takes advantage of and which gets ugly – both corporately (v15 speaks of biting and devouring one another unto destruction, probably in doctrinal disputes) and individually – due to the failures of the internal heart attitude to be conformed to the outward behavioral aspects of obeying the law for its sake, we are to live by, or be led by, or walk in, or keep in step with, the Spirit (v16) – both corporately and individually – to fight the sin nature, enabling the inward heart attitude to drive the outward behavior and conform it to righteousness. One commentator says that we walk by the Spirit through the sacraments and studying God’s Word.

Ultimately, we have an intense conflict, a battle of desires within (which is often manifested without), as v17 declares (along with its parallel in Romans 7:14-25), between the indwelling Spirit and the old sin nature (flesh). Calvin notes that the battle is a good sign, saying, “Carnal men have no battle with depraved lusts, no proper desire to attain to the righteousness of God. Paul is addressing believers.” And Kim Riddlebarger concludes, “Nowhere in this whole argument does Paul remotely hint or imply that this will be easy. Paul does not state that by ‘walking in the Spirit,’ we will be able to subdue all manifestations of the sinful nature in our lives, and therefore attain a state of perfection in this life. The sinful nature is not eradicated at the moment of regeneration, but the sinful nature is cut off from its source of life. It will slowly but surely whither and die. But though a defeated foe, it will nevertheless fight a determined guerrilla war until we die or until Christ comes back, whichever comes first. …Therefore, according to the second use of the law, our own inability to love our neighbor as we ought actually condemns us and should drive us to the cross of Jesus Christ for forgiveness.”

Paul wraps up here by saying, “If you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.” Riddlebarger paraphrases Calvin in commenting: “It is important to carefully qualify what Paul means when he says we are not under law. There are three ways in which those who are in the Spirit are not under law. First, Paul means that we no longer suffer the law’s curse for our infractions of God’s perfect will, Galatians 3:13 – “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us.” The curse has been done away through the death of Christ for us. Second, We are no longer under the slavery of the Law (Galatians 3:22; 25; 4:1-3), since Christ has set us free (Galatians 5:1). Third, we are free from all of those ‘things indifferent,’ things which are not expressly forbidden in Scripture. The Spirit gives life and freedom – something the Law cannot do. Although we are not under the Law as a means of justification, this does not mean that Christians are not to strive to obey the law. …We are now free to obey the Law…out of gratitude because we are justified. Now we can serve one another in love since this fulfills the Law, as this is the Spirit’s work in our lives.”

4)     V19-23 – 19The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this 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. Against such things there is no law.

Paul lists a number of gross and obvious sins that follow the sin nature and that would be deemed horrific by the Judaizers. But he also includes a number of sins that the Judaizers would have been guilty of, such as “selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, and envy.” He effectively lumps the Judaizers in the same group as those who engage in “sexual immorality, impurity, debauchery, idolatry, and witchcraft.” Paul goes on, saying, “Those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God” (v21; cf Isaiah 58:1). Vincent Cheung notes, “Under the works of the flesh he lists sexual, religious, mental, emotional, and relational sins. Some of the items appear to overlap. Since he concludes the list with ‘and the like,’ these items are meant to illustrate, and not intended as a perfectly proportioned representative list of the works of the flesh.” Essentially, those who do not exhibit the fruit of saving grace, the fruit of the Spirit (v22-23), will not be saved (because they never had saving grace to begin with). Paul uses this phrase about not inheriting the kingdom four times in Scripture, and the warning is clear (1 Corinthians 6:9-10; 15:50; Ephesians 5:5), though as Calvin points out, “Paul does not threaten that all who have sinned, but that all who remain impenitent, shall be excluded from the kingdom of God. The saints themselves often fall into grievous sins, but they return to the path of righteousness.” While legalism is not the straight and narrow path, falling off the other side into antinomianism is not good either. The balance comes by the Spirit.

The fruit of the Spirit is a loving behavior that comes from within and is genuine, where the outside behavior results from and conforms to inside transformation by the Spirit. The fruit is singular, stemming from love, that single quality that fulfills the law. This purely righteous behavior is contrasted to legalistic self-righteousness, which generally includes a vast distinction between outward behavior and internal attitude (Luke 10:25-37). And our focus ought not solely be in fighting the negatives; rather, in living focused on the positives, we automatically avoid the negatives and naturally avoid a legalistic mindset. When Paul says, “Against such things there is no law,” Calvin notes that Paul’s real meaning is “deeper and less obvious; namely, that, where the Spirit reigns, the law has no longer any dominion.”

Kim Riddlebarger details each of the fruit’s characteristics, saying, “Love is described by Paul as the atmosphere in which we relate to one another (Ephesians 5:2); it is a garment that we are to put on (1 Corinthians 16:14); it is the secret of unity (Colossians 2:2), it is characteristic of Christian maturity (Ephesians 4:15); and provides the proper restraint of Christian liberty (Galatians 5:13; Romans 14:15; 1 Corinthians 8:1; 13). For Paul…love is demonstrated in serving one another. …The joy of which Paul speaks is in a real sense being aware of God’s favor towards us because the work of Christ has been applied to us through the Spirit. Paul exhorts us to ‘rejoice in the Lord’ (Philippians 3:1). We are to have joy in the faith (Philippians 1:25). …Peace is drawn from the Hebrew shalom, and denotes more than the merely negative notion of absence of war and trouble; it denotes a positive state of ‘wholeness’ – ‘soundness’ and ‘prosperity’. …Patience derives from God who is patient with us (Exodus 34:6). Indeed, according to Paul’s letter to Timothy, the supreme example of patience is seen in Jesus Christ, ‘who displays his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life’ (1:16). Thus we are to be patient with others (Ephesians 4:1-2) and to keep the unity of the Spirit. Kindness refers to God’s gracious attitude toward sinners, primarily the kindness by which God leads us to repentance (Romans 2:4). …Goodness is a term closely related to kindness, and refers to ‘an attitude of generous kindness to others, which is happy to do far more than is required my mere justice.’ Faithfulness is understood here in the sense of being trustworthy. Gentleness is a term which means ‘an ethical grace in the believer’s’ life, ‘gentleness’ may be described as a humble, patience, and forbearance towards others, regarding even insult or injury as God’s means of chastisement (cf. 2 Sam. 16:11) or training (cf. Num. 12:3). It implies but is not identical with, self-control.’ Self-control is the ability to keep one’s lust or passions under control.”

5)     V24-26 – 24Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. 25Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

Paul notes that union with Christ in His death and resurrection makes His people new creations in the Spirit. The sin nature is dead and defeated, though it battles until our glorification. Therefore, “since we live by the Spirit,” we need to “keep in step with the Spirit” (v25). Keeping in step with the Spirit involves several things, but v26 points out that it means avoiding conceitedness (arrogant ambition, or the desire of honor), which is the mother of provocation (generally through biting and stinging words, such as slander, even as rumored through gossip), and envy (v26). So legalism is out-of-bounds, but so is antinomianism. Finding the narrow path to salvation is done by walking in the Spirit.

Footnotes

  1. 5:13 Or the flesh; also in verses 16, 17, 19 and 24
  2. 5:14 Lev. 19:18


Bible text from Gospelcom.net.  Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society.

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