The last verse of chapter 4 describes the believer's position. This first verse of chapter 5 refers to practical behavior—the believer should live in "freedom." Here we have a very good picture of the difference between law and grace. The law says, "If you earn your freedom, you will be free." But grace says, "You are freed because of the high price that Christ paid with His death. Therefore, in gratitude, you should stand firm and not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." The law commands but does not give the ability to obey. Grace provides what the law demands and then enables a person to live a life that corresponds to their position through the power of the Holy Spirit. Grace then rewards them for such a life.
C. H. Mackintosh says:
"The law demands strength from one who has none and curses him if that strength is not produced. The gospel gives strength to one who has none and blesses him as he demonstrates that strength." [1]
C. H. Mackintosh says:
"The law demands strength from one who has none and curses him if that strength is not produced. The gospel gives strength to one who has none and blesses him as he demonstrates that strength." [1]
Footnote
[1] C. H. Mackintosh, Genesis to Deuteronomy, S. 232-233.
 | Author: William MacDonald Rank: Author Posted on: 2024-06-29 Source: Title: Commentary on the New Testament Year (original): 1989 Author: William MacDonald Number of pages: 1504 Publisher/Editor: CLV Print: GGP Media GmbH, Pößneck |
Christ will not be the Savior of any who will not own and rely upon him as their only Savior. Let us take heed to the warnings and persuasions of the apostle to steadfastness in the doctrine and liberty of the gospel. All true Christians, being taught by the Holy Spirit, wait for eternal life, the reward of righteousness, and the object of their hope, as the gift of God by faith in Christ; and not for the sake of their own works. The Jewish convert might observe the ceremonies or assert his liberty, the Gentile might disregard them or might attend to them, provided he did not depend upon them. No outward privileges or profession will avail to acceptance with God, without sincere faith in our Lord Jesus. True faith is a working grace; it works by love to God, and to our brethren. May we be of the number of those who, through the Spirit, wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. The danger of old was not in things of no consequence in themselves, as many forms and observances now are. But without faith working by love, all else is worthless, and compared with it other things are of small value.
Verses that belong to this explanation: 1-6
1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. 2 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. 4 Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace. 5 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.
 | Author: Matthew Henry Rank: Priest AD: 1714 Source: Title: Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible Author: Matthew Henry |
The Christian Freedom
Now Paul can start with the practical section of his letter. In chapters 1-2 he dealt with a small piece of history and in chapters 3-4 he elaborately dealt with the doctrines that the false teachers brought. In the last two chapters Paul talks about the practical impact of the teachings he presented in the previous chapters.
[Verse 1]. This verse is suitable to move from doctrine to practice. It concludes the doctrinal section and at the same time it is the introduction to the practical part. Add it to the end of chapter 4 and it sounds like a conclusion. The main idea is this: the Christian is free from all sorts of laws that kept him in bondage. From this point of view, the negative part is in the foreground – that which is put away.
[Verse 1] also can be seen as an introduction to the next section. From this point of view, the positive part is in the foreground, and that is what Christ had in mind when He set us free: that is freedom itself. He wanted to give us the same freedom which He Himself knew. That is real freedom: to be free as He is. His freedom was and is to accomplish the will of His Father. Our freedom has the same goal: the desire to do the will of the Father.
The Lord Jesus obtained this freedom for us on the cross. By doing so, he has made us free from every imaginable kind of slavery, whether it concerns the law or sin. In chapter 3 which also speaks of freedom, the emphasis is on the price He paid [Gal 3:13]. Here the emphasis is on freedom. Whosoever once shared in this freedom is foolish if he let himself be brought again under a yoke of slavery.
The yoke of which the Savior speaks in Matthew 11 is a yoke of a totally different order [Matt 11:29-30]. That yoke testifies to a voluntarily and joyfully accepted assignment. It is also an easy yoke; it does not oppress.
[Verse 2]. Paul exhorts the Galatians to stand firm in this freedom that Christ has acquired. For them, there was a great danger that they would give up this freedom and fall back under an oppressive yoke. To emphasize his exhortation he uses his position as an apostle when he urgently warns them what the consequence is of adhering to legalistic requirements. A look at the first section of Acts 15 makes clear what was at stake [Acts 15:1-10].
To require circumcision as a condition of salvation meant a degradation of the work of Christ. Circumcision in this case is not a surgical operation but represents a whole system of salvation by works. By putting yourself under the law, you put yourself into a position which does not give you any profit from Christ and His work. Being under the law, you are separated from Christ and if you are separated from Christ you are deprived of all blessings.
[Verse 3]. Because of the gravity of the case, Paul again brings this clearly to the attention of the Galatians and of “every man”. It is a matter of general interest with a general validity, an issue which did not concern the Galatians only. It touched and still touches the foundations of Christian faith. It is all or nothing. You cannot say: I do my part by keeping the law and Christ is doing His part by doing what I cannot do. No, either Christ did everything or He has done nothing. Whoever wants to keep the law is bound to keep the law completely. Therein you cannot act selectively. Again Paul emphasizes the incompatibility of the law and grace.
[Verse 4]. The law sets conditions. No human being is able to meet these conditions; hence he forfeits all the blessing, if he seeks to keep the law. In so doing, you fall away from grace. This falling away does not mean that you can lose your salvation. A passage like in John 10 is a guarantee that that can never happen [John 10:28-29]. Once you are a child of God, you are always a child of God. To fall from grace means that he who seeks to keep the law abandons grace.
[Verse 5]. After his serious warnings about keeping the law, Paul speaks about the privileges that are connected to grace. In [Verse 5] we do not read about the hope for righteousness. If so, this verse would indicate that there is still an uncertainty which results from seeking righteousness out of one’s own efforts. No, we read about “the hope of righteousness”. Every believer possesses righteousness. With that righteousness hope is connected. Again, this hope is not uncertainty but the solid certainty of something that will come – something you expect. Through the Holy Spirit, Who indwells you, you're eagerly looking forward to the glory of God. Isn't that so?
Just read the second verse of Romans 5 [Rom 5:2]. The glory of God is the place to which the Lord Jesus ascended after His death and resurrection. The hope of righteousness is looking forward to that very moment when we shall share the glory that Christ already has right now. The Lord Jesus spoke about this to His Father in John 17: “Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me” [John 17:24]. We will come to this very place when the Lord Jesus comes to take us to Himself [Phil 3:21].
[Verse 6]. What the Christian expects is in every way contrary to what the Judaist expects. Judaists expect to be able to keep the law by fleshly, own efforts in order to earn righteousness. The Christian is looking forward – through the Spirit – to what has been earned for him and what will therefore undoubtedly and securely be his part. This is all related to being “in Christ Jesus”. That is the position of the Christian. And whether you are circumcised or uncircumcised, it does not have any effect on your position in Christ. Whoever is in Christ will show his faith, not by works of the law but by love. Love is the driving force behind all acts that are done in faith.
[Verse 1]. This verse is suitable to move from doctrine to practice. It concludes the doctrinal section and at the same time it is the introduction to the practical part. Add it to the end of chapter 4 and it sounds like a conclusion. The main idea is this: the Christian is free from all sorts of laws that kept him in bondage. From this point of view, the negative part is in the foreground – that which is put away.
[Verse 1] also can be seen as an introduction to the next section. From this point of view, the positive part is in the foreground, and that is what Christ had in mind when He set us free: that is freedom itself. He wanted to give us the same freedom which He Himself knew. That is real freedom: to be free as He is. His freedom was and is to accomplish the will of His Father. Our freedom has the same goal: the desire to do the will of the Father.
The Lord Jesus obtained this freedom for us on the cross. By doing so, he has made us free from every imaginable kind of slavery, whether it concerns the law or sin. In chapter 3 which also speaks of freedom, the emphasis is on the price He paid [Gal 3:13]. Here the emphasis is on freedom. Whosoever once shared in this freedom is foolish if he let himself be brought again under a yoke of slavery.
The yoke of which the Savior speaks in Matthew 11 is a yoke of a totally different order [Matt 11:29-30]. That yoke testifies to a voluntarily and joyfully accepted assignment. It is also an easy yoke; it does not oppress.
[Verse 2]. Paul exhorts the Galatians to stand firm in this freedom that Christ has acquired. For them, there was a great danger that they would give up this freedom and fall back under an oppressive yoke. To emphasize his exhortation he uses his position as an apostle when he urgently warns them what the consequence is of adhering to legalistic requirements. A look at the first section of Acts 15 makes clear what was at stake [Acts 15:1-10].
To require circumcision as a condition of salvation meant a degradation of the work of Christ. Circumcision in this case is not a surgical operation but represents a whole system of salvation by works. By putting yourself under the law, you put yourself into a position which does not give you any profit from Christ and His work. Being under the law, you are separated from Christ and if you are separated from Christ you are deprived of all blessings.
[Verse 3]. Because of the gravity of the case, Paul again brings this clearly to the attention of the Galatians and of “every man”. It is a matter of general interest with a general validity, an issue which did not concern the Galatians only. It touched and still touches the foundations of Christian faith. It is all or nothing. You cannot say: I do my part by keeping the law and Christ is doing His part by doing what I cannot do. No, either Christ did everything or He has done nothing. Whoever wants to keep the law is bound to keep the law completely. Therein you cannot act selectively. Again Paul emphasizes the incompatibility of the law and grace.
[Verse 4]. The law sets conditions. No human being is able to meet these conditions; hence he forfeits all the blessing, if he seeks to keep the law. In so doing, you fall away from grace. This falling away does not mean that you can lose your salvation. A passage like in John 10 is a guarantee that that can never happen [John 10:28-29]. Once you are a child of God, you are always a child of God. To fall from grace means that he who seeks to keep the law abandons grace.
[Verse 5]. After his serious warnings about keeping the law, Paul speaks about the privileges that are connected to grace. In [Verse 5] we do not read about the hope for righteousness. If so, this verse would indicate that there is still an uncertainty which results from seeking righteousness out of one’s own efforts. No, we read about “the hope of righteousness”. Every believer possesses righteousness. With that righteousness hope is connected. Again, this hope is not uncertainty but the solid certainty of something that will come – something you expect. Through the Holy Spirit, Who indwells you, you're eagerly looking forward to the glory of God. Isn't that so?
Just read the second verse of Romans 5 [Rom 5:2]. The glory of God is the place to which the Lord Jesus ascended after His death and resurrection. The hope of righteousness is looking forward to that very moment when we shall share the glory that Christ already has right now. The Lord Jesus spoke about this to His Father in John 17: “Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me” [John 17:24]. We will come to this very place when the Lord Jesus comes to take us to Himself [Phil 3:21].
[Verse 6]. What the Christian expects is in every way contrary to what the Judaist expects. Judaists expect to be able to keep the law by fleshly, own efforts in order to earn righteousness. The Christian is looking forward – through the Spirit – to what has been earned for him and what will therefore undoubtedly and securely be his part. This is all related to being “in Christ Jesus”. That is the position of the Christian. And whether you are circumcised or uncircumcised, it does not have any effect on your position in Christ. Whoever is in Christ will show his faith, not by works of the law but by love. Love is the driving force behind all acts that are done in faith.
Verses that belong to this explanation: 1-6
1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. 2 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. 4 Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace. 5 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.
 | Author: Ger de Koning Rank: Author Posted on: 2024-04-20 Source: Title: Galatians Author: Ger de Koning Copyright: kingcomments.com Note General: All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the author or the publisher. |
For the Jews say, that from the beginning God sanctified the seventh day, by resting on it from all His works which He made; and that thence it was, likewise, that Moses said to the People: "Remember the day of the sabbaths, to sanctify it: every servile work ye shall not do therein, except what pertaineth unto life.".
As we have found, they were both sketched out beforehand. When he speaks of "the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free".
It was not meet that those who had received liberty should be "entangled again with the yoke of bondage".
Xerophagies, however, (they consider) the novel name of a studied duty, and very much akin to heathenish superstition, like the abstemious rigours which purify an Apis, an Isis, and a Magna Mater, by a restriction laid upon certain kinds of food; whereas faith, free in Christ,
 | Author: Tertullian of Carthage Rank: Author AD: 220 |
By the name of yoke he indicates to them the gravity of the affair. By “again” he shows how profound is their confusion. Paul implies, “If you had no experience of that yoke, you would not deserve such recriminations. But when those who have learned by experience the heaviness of the law submit themselves to it again, what forgiveness do they deserve?” Homily on Galatians
 | Author: John Chrysostom Rank: Bishop AD: 407 |
Do you see how many reasons he employs to lead them away from the error of the Jews? He shows first that it is the utmost foolishness, having become free instead of slaves, to desire slavery again instead of freedom. Second, he reveals them to be unmindful of and ungrateful to their benefactor, despising the one who frees them and preferring that which enslaves them. Third, he shows that this is absurd, since [as Paul says] “the law has no power over you, since another has purchased you once for all from it.”
| Author: John Chrysostom Rank: Bishop AD: 407 |
With freedom did Christ set us free; stand fast therefore . Have you wrought your own deliverance, that you run back again to the dominion you were under before? It is Another who has redeemed you, it is Another who has paid the ransom for you. Observe in how many ways he leads them away from the error of Judaism; by showing, first, that it was the extreme of folly for those, who had become free instead of slaves, to desire to become slaves instead of free; secondly, that they would be convicted of neglect and ingratitude to their Benefactor, in despising Him who had delivered, and loving him who had enslaved them; thirdly, that it was impossible. For Another having once for all redeemed all of us from it, the Law ceases to have any sway. By the word, stand fast, he indicates their vacillation.
| Author: John Chrysostom Rank: Bishop AD: 407 |
And be not entangled again in a yoke of bondage. By the word yoke he signifies to them the burdensomeness of such a course, and by the word again he points out their utter senselessness. Had you never experienced this burden, you would not have deserved so severe a censure, but for you who by trial have learned how irksome this yoke is, again to subject yourself to it, is justly unpardonable.
| Author: John Chrysostom Rank: Bishop AD: 407 |
He adds “again,” not because the Galatians had previously kept the law … but in their readiness to observe the lunar seasons, to be circumcised in the flesh and to offer sacrifices, they were in a sense returning to the cults that they had previously served in a state of idolatry. .
 | Author: Jerome Rank: Priest AD: 420 |
He had to add an exhortation that they should persevere in the same way that they had first begun to receive from him the gospel and not return to the slavery under the law. He says “stand” which is not possible for one who is under a heavy yoke. For he bows his neck submissively and therefore cannot stand. .
 | Author: Gaius Marius Victorinus Rank: Author AD: 400 |
He obviously means that freedom by which our mother [the church] is free, and she obviously is free by faith. For this is true freedom, to keep faith in God and to believe all God’s promises. Therefore by faith Christ has brought us back to freedom and made us free by the freedom of faith. .
| Author: Gaius Marius Victorinus Rank: Author AD: 400 |
The listed verse explanations of the individual persons have nothing to do with the explanations of the other persons. This also applies to the Bible translations.
