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Galatians 5 (NIV)

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Galatians 5 (NIV)
Commentary 1 source group
Tyndale Commentary 4 notes
TyndaleStudyNotes

Gal.5.1

5:1 Paul succinctly summarizes his message to the Galatians, decrying their foolish behavior and offering a positive alternative—freedom. • So Christ has truly set us free: Christians are free to walk by faith in Christ alone (cp. Rom 8). • don’t get tied up (literally don’t take on a yoke): In Judaism, it was a duty and an honor to “take the yoke of the law...

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5:1 Paul succinctly summarizes his message to the Galatians, decrying their foolish behavior and offering a positive alternative—freedom. • So Christ has truly set us free: Christians are free to walk by faith in Christ alone (cp. Rom 8). • don’t get tied up (literally don’t take on a yoke): In Judaism, it was a duty and an honor to “take the yoke of the law.” God’s children in Christ are not called to bear this heavy burden (see Luke 11:46; Acts 15:10); instead, they enjoy Christ’s yoke of freedom (Matt 11:28-30).

Tyndale Open Resources - CC BY-SA 4.0
TyndaleStudyNotes

Gal.5.10

5:10 that person, whoever he is: Perhaps Paul did not know who the false teachers were, or perhaps he meant that their credentials were unimportant (cp. 2:6). • confusing you: The false teaching distorted the Good News, so Paul wrote to clear up their thinking.

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Gal.5.11

5:11 if I were still preaching: This statement probably refers to Paul’s preaching as an ardent zealot of Judaism before his conversion to Christ (1:13-14; Acts 7:58–8:3). As a Christian, Paul had never preached that Gentiles must be circumcised. • why am I still being persecuted? If Paul had been preaching a law-based religion, the zealous Jews would not ha...

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5:11 if I were still preaching: This statement probably refers to Paul’s preaching as an ardent zealot of Judaism before his conversion to Christ (1:13-14; Acts 7:58–8:3). As a Christian, Paul had never preached that Gentiles must be circumcised. • why am I still being persecuted? If Paul had been preaching a law-based religion, the zealous Jews would not have been persecuting him wherever he went. They found the rejection of the necessity of their laws to be scandalous (cp. Rom 9:33; 1 Cor 1:23).

Tyndale Open Resources - CC BY-SA 4.0
TyndaleStudyNotes

Gal.5.12

5:12 mutilate themselves (literally cut themselves off; cp. Phil 3:2): Paul uses biting sarcasm and wordplay with multiple levels of meaning: (1) Paul might be alluding to pagan priests in the province of Galatia who castrated themselves in devotion to pagan gods. An insistence on circumcision for Christians is essentially no different. It involved cutting t...

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5:12 mutilate themselves (literally cut themselves off; cp. Phil 3:2): Paul uses biting sarcasm and wordplay with multiple levels of meaning: (1) Paul might be alluding to pagan priests in the province of Galatia who castrated themselves in devotion to pagan gods. An insistence on circumcision for Christians is essentially no different. It involved cutting the flesh to become acceptable to God by physical deeds rather than by faith in Christ. (2) Depending on circumcision mutilated the false teachers’ standing before God, so they might as well mutilate themselves physically. (3) In the old covenant, emasculated men were not allowed to enter the congregation (Deut 23:1); similarly, those who rely on circumcision have no place in the new covenant community. Paul probably wished that the Judaizers would cut themselves off by removing themselves from the community.

Tyndale Open Resources - CC BY-SA 4.0
Cross Reference8 items
TyndaleCross References

leviticus 19:18

leviticus 19:18

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numbers 11:16-17

numbers 11:16-17

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numbers 11:24-30

numbers 11:24-30

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deuteronomy 23:1

deuteronomy 23:1

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TyndaleCross References

1 samuel 15:23

1 samuel 15:23

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Dictionary & Themes2 items
TyndaleTheme Notes

The Law and the Spirit

The Law and the Spirit

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The Law and the Spirit An enduring question of the Christian faith is, Do Christians need to keep the Old Testament law in order to become mature followers of Christ? Does following God’s law provide sanctification? When the Christians in Galatia had received the Good News of salvation through faith in Christ, they had also received the Holy Spirit as the guarantee of their status as believers. Not only had God given his Spirit to them, but he had also worked miracles among them (Gal 3:5). They knew from experience that the Holy Spirit has the power to make them new people, and Paul had taught them to rely on the Spirit to guide them. Shortly after Paul left Galatia, Jewish-Christian teachers arrived who taught the need to observe God’s law, both to be accepted by God and to be sanctified and become mature. They argued that Paul’s approach to sanctification by the Spirit would lead to lawlessness and sin. Paul responded that, just as God counts us as righteous by faith, so also he makes us righteous by faith, through the working of the Spirit (Gal 5:16-26). Those who rely on the Spirit and follow his leading will not sin—God’s Spirit will never lead people to sin. Th...

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TyndaleTheme Notes

Righteousness by Faith

Righteousness by Faith

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Righteousness by Faith A key issue that emerged in the first-century church was whether or not Gentiles who received the Good News had to follow Jewish regulations—including circumcision—in order to be able to join the family of God. For Paul, the answer was simple: There is nothing people can or need to do. Only Christ could do—and has done—what must be done to make people right with God. Our response is simply to receive his gift, gratefully thank him for what he has done for us, and trust in him. For Jewish Christians in the first century, it was hard to accept this answer. From the time of Abraham, right relationship with God had been marked by circumcision, the rite of cutting off the male foreskin (Gen 17:9-14). Every male who was part of God’s family had to be circumcised, and those who neglected to do so were cut off from God’s people. Those who had received circumcision were also expected to keep the rest of the law, including the Sabbath and dietary regulations. When the Christian faith moved from the Jewish to the Gentile world, it was natural for questions to arise. Do Christians need to be circumcised—and keep God’s law in general—to be accepted as part of...

Tyndale Open Resources - CC BY-SA 4.0