Galatians 5

¹For freedom Christ set us free; so stand firm and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery.[#: Paul stresses as the conclusion from the allegory in Gal 4:21–31 this result of Christ’s work for us. It is a principle previously mentioned (Gal 2:4), the responsible use of which Gal 5:13 will emphasize.; #2:4; 4:5, 9; Jn 8:32, 36.]

²It is I, Paul, who am telling you that if you have yourselves circumcised, Christ will be of no benefit to you.[#2:21; Acts 15:1–29.]

³Once again I declare to every man who has himself circumcised that he is bound to observe the entire law.[#3:10; Rom 2:25; Jas 2:10.; #Cf. Gal 3:10–12. Just as those who seek to live by the law must carry out all its contents, so those who have faith and live by promise must stand firm in their freedom (Gal 5:1, 13).]

⁴You are separated from Christ, you who are trying to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.

⁵For through the Spirit, by faith, we await the hope of righteousness.[#Rom 8:23, 25.]

⁶For in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.[#3:28; 6:15; 1 Cor 7:19.; #Cf. Rom 2:25–26; 1 Cor 7:19; Gal 6:15. The Greek for or “faith expressing itself through love” can also be rendered as “faith energized by (God’s) love.”]

Be Not Misled.

⁷You were running well; who hindered you from following [the] truth?[#: as in an athletic contest; cf. Gal 2:2; 1 Cor 9:24–26; Phil 2:16; 3:14.]

⁸That enticement does not come from the one who called you.[#1:6.; #: see note on Gal 1:6.]

⁹A little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough.[#1 Cor 5:6.]

¹⁰I am confident of you in the Lord that you will not take a different view, and that the one who is troubling you will bear the condemnation, whoever he may be.[#1:7.]

¹¹As for me, brothers, if I am still preaching circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case, the stumbling block of the cross has been abolished.[#: this could refer to Paul’s pre-Christian period (possibly as a missionary for Judaism); more probably it arose as a charge from opponents, based perhaps on the story in Acts 16:1–3 that Paul had circumcised Timothy “on account of the Jews.” Unlike the Gentile Titus in Gal 2:3, Timothy was the son of a Jewish mother. : cf. 1 Cor 1:23.; #6:12, 14; 1 Cor 1:23.]

¹²Would that those who are upsetting you might also castrate themselves![#A sarcastic half-wish that their knife would go beyond mere circumcision; cf. Phil 3:2 and the note there.]

Freedom for Service.

¹³For you were called for freedom, brothers. But do not use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh; rather, serve one another through love.[#5:1 / Rom 6:18; 1 Cor 8:9; 1 Pt 2:16.; #: cf. Gal 5:6.]

¹⁴For the whole law is fulfilled in one statement, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”[#Lv 19:18; Mt 22:39; Rom 13:8–10.; #Lv 19:18, emphasized by Jesus (Mt 22:39; Lk 10:27); cf. Rom 13:8–10.]

¹⁵But if you go on biting and devouring one another, beware that you are not consumed by one another.

¹⁶I say, then: live by the Spirit and you will certainly not gratify the desire of the flesh.[#5:24–25; Rom 8:5.; #: cf. Gal 3:3 and the note on Rom 8:1–13.]

¹⁷For the flesh has desires against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you may not do what you want.[#Rom 7:15, 23; 8:6.]

¹⁸But if you are guided by the Spirit, you are not under the law.[#Rom 6:14; 8:14.]

¹⁹Now the works of the flesh are obvious: immorality, impurity, licentiousness,[#Such lists of vices and virtues (cf. Rom 1:29–31; 1 Cor 6:9–10) were common in the ancient world. Paul contrasts (Gal 5:19) with (not “works”) (Gal 5:22). Not law, but the Spirit, leads to such traits.; #Rom 1:29–31; 1 Cor 6:9–10; Col 3:5–6, 8.]

²⁰idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, rivalry, jealousy, outbursts of fury, acts of selfishness, dissensions, factions,[#Rev 22:15.]

²¹occasions of envy, drinking bouts, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.[#: after the Greek word phthonoi , “envies,” some manuscripts add a similar sounding one, phonoi , “murders.”]

²²In contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness,[#Eph 5:9 / 1 Cor 13:4–7; 2 Cor 6:6; 1 Tm 4:12; 2 Pt 1:6.]

²³gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.[#1 Tm 1:9.]

²⁴Now those who belong to Christ [Jesus] have crucified their flesh with its passions and desires.[#2:19; Rom 6:6; 8:13.]

²⁵If we live in the Spirit, let us also follow the Spirit.[#5:16.]

²⁶Let us not be conceited, provoking one another, envious of one another.[#Phil 2:3.]