Galatians 4:12-31
Summary for Gal 4:12-20: 4:12-20 a Turning aside from scriptural arguments, Paul appeals personally to the Galatians by reminding them of their close relationship with him. 4:12 b live as I do: Paul, the scrupulous Jew, abandoned his own efforts at righteousness and received the free grace of God in Christ. Now he calls these Gentiles to adopt his position rather than take on the practices he had abandoned. Paul’s exhortations throughout the rest of the letter (4:12–6:10 c) grow out of this single command.• You did not mistreat me: Likewise, the Galatians should not mistreat Paul now but should continue in their warm acceptance of his ministry and message.
Summary for Gal 4:13-14: 4:13-14 d I was sick: Paul might have had a chronic physical ailment, but it is not certain what it was (cp. 2 Cor 12:7 e). Paul’s condition was serious and apparently caused difficulty or even offense to the new church in Galatia. Physical trouble was often regarded by both Jews and Gentiles as a sign of God’s judgment (cp. John 9:1-2 f; Acts 28:4 g). The Galatians saw past Paul’s outward condition and received him as God’s messenger (literally angel; Greek angelos).
• or even Christ Jesus himself: Cp. Luke 10:16 h.
4:15 i The Galatians had been joyful and grateful in response to Paul’s preaching of the Good News.
• your own eyes: Some conclude from this phrase that Paul’s eyes were diseased, but Paul might have been using eyes as a word-picture of a precious asset (cp. Deut 32:10 j; Ps 17:8 k; Matt 18:9 l). In their gratitude to Paul for the message of good news, the Galatians would have ... given him their most valuable possession.
4:16 m The contrast couldn’t be greater between the Galatians’ acceptance of Paul and his message at the beginning of their Christian life, and their current suspicion or even rejection of him.
4:17 n are so eager: The Greek word can have the positive meaning of zeal and eagerness or the negative meaning of jealousy and envy. The same word is also translated will pay attention and “is eager” (4:18 o).
• They are trying to shut you off from me: Perhaps the Judaizers were so eager because they envied the Galatians’ devotion to Paul and wanted it for themselves (cp. 2 Corinthians; see also Luke 11:46-52 p). Another possibility is that the Judaizers wanted the Galatians to become dependent on them as interpreters of the law.
4:18 q Paul’s statement might mean that it was fine for people to seek the Galatians’ loyalty, but those other teachers were not in fact eager to do good things for them. Alternatively, this verse could be translated It is good to be always sought eagerly for good things, and not just when I’m with you. In this case it would mean that it was good for the Galatians to continue eagerly embracing Paul and his message and not change their attitude toward him in his absence.
4:19 r The Galatians were Paul’s spiritual children (cp. 1 Cor 4:14-15 s; Phlm 1:10 t). The process of bringing them to Christ had been like going through labor pains, a hard labor with a definite and joyful conclusion. Now Paul felt that it wasn’t finished after all.
• until Christ is fully developed in your lives: Paul uses wordplay, switching the metaphor so that the Galatians would give birth to Christ’s image if they continued in the faith that Paul delivered to them. However, if they took up the law, they would produce a stillbirth. Paul must continue his hard work as a midwife in order to prevent this from happening.
4:20 u Had Paul been personally present, he would have been able to “read” his hearers and thus shape his appeal to their exact spiritual and emotional condition. From afar, he wasn’t sure if the tone he was using would be effective.
Summary for Gal 4:21-31: 4:21-31 v Paul now returns to arguing from Scripture, using the contrast between Hagar and Sarah and between their children. Paul argues for a similar contrast between those who are slaves under the law and those who are free in Christ.
• Paul’s argument uses the allegorical techniques of rabbinic Judaism (see study note on 4:24). Having been trained as a rabbi (Acts 22:3 w), Paul could out-argue the Judaizers using their own methods. 4:21 x do you know what the law actually says? They were trying to achieve righteousness by the law, but they did not truly understand its meaning (cp. Luke 24:25-27 y; 1 Tim 1:7 z).
Summary for Gal 4:22-23: 4:22-23 aa The son of the slave wife was Ishmael, born to Sarah’s servant Hagar (see Gen 16:15 ab). Sarah gave Hagar to Abraham in a human attempt to obtain the heir (see Gen 16:1-4 ac) that God had promised (see Gen 15:1-6 ad). Sarah’s son, Isaac, was the son of the freeborn wife (see Gen 21:2-3 ae); he was miraculously conceived as God’s own fulfillment of his promise (see Gen 17:15-21 af).
Summary for Gal 4:24-25: 4:24-25 ag Paul connects Abraham’s human attempt to fulfill God’s promises (4:23 ah) with the human attempt in Galatia and elsewhere to attain salvation by keeping the law. Hagar’s status as a slave-wife corresponds with Israel’s enslaved status under the law. This status contrasts with the status of those who have faith in Christ (4:26-27 ai). 4:24 aj serve as an illustration (literally are being allegorized): In allegorical writing, every character and event is symbolic of a deeper meaning. Allegorical interpretations often ignore the historical meaning of the text and invent fanciful meanings. Here, by contrast, Paul understood the story correctly in its historical context and recognized the story as history. But he interpreted the characters of the historical story as symbolizing the current situation. Paul’s opponents were apparently also using allegorical methods of interpretation, so Paul refuted faulty allegory with true allegory (cp. 1 Cor 9:22 ak).
• God’s two covenants: The old covenant was formed through Moses; the new covenant came through Jesus Christ.
• Hagar represents Mount Sinai: Just as Hagar was a slave-wife who represents human effort, Mount Sinai brought slavery to following the law.
4:25 al Both Hagar and Mount Sinai were symbols of Jerusalem, which stood for Judaism in Paul’s day. Judaism continued to trust in the law and in physical descent from Abraham for their status before God (cp. John 8:31-59 am); they rejected Christ and continued to live in slavery to the law (Gal 3:23-24 an; 4:1-3 ao).
• Mount Sinai in Arabia: The traditional location for Mount Sinai is in the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt. However, some have suggested that in Arabia means that Mount Sinai was in Midian, where Moses once lived (see Exod 3:1 ap).
4:26 aq Just as Hagar represents slavery to human effort based on Mount Sinai (4:24-25 ar), Sarah represents freedom in the heavenly Jerusalem, the ideal city of God. Abraham’s true children by faith (3:29 as) now live in the reality of God’s reign in Christ.
• she is our mother: Sarah’s child, Isaac, was the freeborn recipient of all of God’s promises apart from the law. Similarly, Jews and Gentiles who live by faith in Christ are Sarah’s true children—they receive God’s promises to Abraham freely apart from the law (3:26-29 at; 4:4-7 au).
4:27 av The quoted passage, Isa 54:1 aw, promised Israel that they would be fruitful after the Exile. Because those who have faith in Christ are Sarah’s children (Gal 4:26 ax), they fulfill the promise that Sarah (the childless woman) would be more abundantly fruitful than the slave-wife Hagar. To the Judaizers, those who don’t follow the law may have been considered “barren,” but through faith they are abundantly fruitful as the bride of Christ (2 Cor 11:2 ay; Eph 5:31-33 az).
Summary for Gal 4:28-31: 4:28-31 ba Paul applies the allegory of Hagar and Sarah (4:21-27 bb) to the situation in Galatia. Isaac represents those who are born through God’s promise (3:8 bc) by the power of the Spirit (3:2-5 bd; cp. Eph 1:13-14 be) and who trust in God for salvation through Christ by faith alone. Ishmael represents those who believe that human effort by keeping the law will make them acceptable to God (Gal 3:10-11 bf). This identification would have been shocking to the Judaizers, who thought of themselves as the legitimate children of Abraham because of their insistence on law-keeping.
4:29 bg Ishmael persecuted Isaac, the child of the promise, at Isaac’s weaning ceremony (see Gen 21:9 bh). Similarly, in Galatia, those who want you to keep the law were persecuting those who trusted in God’s promise, the message of God’s grace through faith in Christ alone (cp. Acts 13:50-51 bi; 14:1-7 bj).
Summary for Gal 4:30-31: 4:30-31 bk Sarah’s demand regarding Ishmael, quoted from Gen 21:10 bl, becomes a principle (see Gen 21:12 bm) for dealing with the current son of the slave woman—anyone who refuses to abandon slavery to the law. God does not allow those who seek righteousness through human effort to share in his inheritance (see Rom 9:30-33 bn). Those who come to God through Christ alone, by faith and not by keeping the law, are children of the free woman who inherit God’s blessings.
Galatians 5
5:1 bo 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 bp).
• 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 bq; Acts 15:10 br); instead, they enjoy Christ’s yoke of freedom (Matt 11:28-30 bs).
Summary for Gal 5:2-6: 5:2-6 bt The Judaizers taught that keeping the law would earn God’s favor (cp. Acts 15:1 bu), but that path actually leads to alienation from God. Real righteousness comes to those who live in Christ by the power of the Spirit. 5:2 bv Paul reminded the Galatians of who was talking to them: the apostle of Christ who represented the Lord to the Gentiles and who had first proclaimed the Good News to them.
5:3 bw Those who seek righteousness through the law must obey every regulation of it (see 2:15-16 bx; cp. Jas 2:10 by).
5:4 bz People who think circumcision is necessary for salvation are putting faith in the law and in themselves, not in Christ. Such people are cut off from Christ, outside of his grace (cp. Rom 5:2 ca); they are under the judgment of the law. They have fallen away from the benefits of God’s grace (cp. Gal 1:6 cb; 1 Pet 5:12 cc).
5:5 cd The alternative to living by faith in the law is to live by complete reliance on the Spirit to make us pleasing to God.
• eagerly wait to receive by faith the righteousness God has promised to us (or eagerly await by faith the hope that righteousness gives us): We receive God’s righteousness at our salvation (Rom 5:9-11 ce; 10:10 cf), in an ongoing way through the Spirit’s sanctification (Rom 8:1-14 cg), and fully at the resurrection when Christ returns (Rom 8:18-30 ch). It is God’s power that provides righteousness, and he fulfills his promise (Gal 3:14 ci, 22 cj).
5:6 ck Faith in Christ Jesus provides access to all of God’s favor and grace, so no further benefit is available through human effort. Faith is expressed by exercising love toward others (cp. Rom 13:10 cl; 14:17-19 cm; 2 Cor 8:8-13 cn).
5:7 co The life of faith is like running a race (cp. 1 Cor 9:24-27 cp; Phil 3:13-14 cq; 2 Tim 4:7-8 cr). The law became a hindrance to the Galatians in this race rather than a help (cp. Luke 11:52 cs).
5:8 ct The Galatians thought that their commitment to the law would please God, but God wasn’t calling them to this slavery. God called them to freedom.
5:9 cu This verse was apparently a well-known adage (literally A little yeast makes the whole loaf rise; cp. Matt 13:33 cv; 16:6 cw, 11-12 cx; 1 Cor 5:6-7 cy). A little reliance on the law for acceptance by God soon results in forgetting that Christ saves by his work alone.
5:10 cz 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 da).
• confusing you: The false teaching distorted the Good News, so Paul wrote to clear up their thinking.
5:11 db 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 dc; Acts 7:58–8:3 dd). 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 de; 1 Cor 1:23 df).
5:12 dg mutilate themselves (literally cut themselves off; cp. Phil 3:2 dh): 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 di); 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.
Summary for Gal 5:13-26: 5:13–6:10 dj Having shown that justification comes by faith alone, Paul now addresses the question, “If we don’t keep the law, then what will guide our conduct?” His answer is that righteousness comes from the Spirit. The Judaizers probably warned that Paul’s message of freedom (5:1 dk) would put believers on a slippery slope to moral ruin. Paul argues that freedom is not a license to sin, because love guides Christians. Liberty should be used to serve one another in love (cp. 2:20 dl; 2 Cor 5:14-15 dm).
5:14 dn the whole law can be summed up (or the whole law is fulfilled): Christ’s followers fulfill the law by exercising love toward every neighbor (Lev 19:18 do; see Matt 7:12 dp; Luke 6:27-36 dq; 10:25-37 dr; John 13:34-35 ds; 15:9-17 dt; Rom 13:8-10 du).
5:15 dv The opposite of love is biting and devouring one another (cp. Ps 35:25 dw; Prov 30:14 dx; Jer 8:17 dy). People who do not love are characterized by strife and bitterness. They will end up destroying one another. By contrast, love gives life to others (John 3:16 dz; 15:12-13 ea).
Summary for Gal 5:16-26: 5:16-26 eb A law-free faith will not lead to moral ruin because having the Holy Spirit to guide people’s lives changes their hearts to follow the will of God and not sin (cp. Jer 31:33 ec; Heb 8:10 ed).
5:17 ee We cannot simply decide to keep the law and not sin: A war rages between God’s Spirit and our sinful nature (see Rom 7:14-25 ef; 1 Pet 2:11 eg; cp. Gen 4:7 eh). The answer is not human effort at law-keeping, but living by God’s Spirit. When we are resurrected, we will finally be freed from sin (see Rom 8:18-25 ei).
5:18 ej Those who are directed by the Spirit are under the Spirit’s authority and not under obligation to the law. They do not answer to the law but to the Spirit of God. It was not Paul’s intent to justify civil disobedience (see Rom 13:1-7 ek; Titus 3:1 el; cp. 1 Pet 2:13-17 em). He was addressing the means of obtaining spiritual righteousness before God.
Summary for Gal 5:19-26: 5:19-26 en These two lists contrast life dominated by the sinful nature (5:19-21 eo) with life led by the Spirit (5:22-26 ep). Living by the Spirit means observing a higher ethical standard than can be achieved under the law. 5:19 eq When you follow ... the results are (literally The works of the flesh are): An emphasis on law-keeping and sinful actions both flow from trying to live apart from the power of God’s Spirit.
• very clear: Basic understanding of right and wrong is universal (cp. Rom 1:32 er; 2:14-15 es; 1 Cor 5:1 et), though some people suppress this awareness (Rom 1:18-21 eu).
• The list begins with sexual immorality; in contrast, the list of Christian virtues begins with love (Gal 5:22 ev). All kinds of sexual misconduct were common (cp. Rom 1:24-27 ew; 1 Cor 5:1 ex; 6:15-18 ey; 2 Cor 12:21 ez; 2 Pet 3:10 fa, 18 fb). Sexual immorality was connected in paganism with fertility worship (cp. Rev 2:14 fc, 20 fd).
• Moral impurity removes holiness and makes fellowship with a holy God impossible (see Matt 23:27 fe; Rom 6:19 ff; 2 Cor 12:21 fg; Eph 5:3 fh; Col 3:5 fi; 1 Thes 4:7 fj).
5:20 fk Idolatry, the worship of false gods, was common in Galatia and was often accompanied by sorcery (see Acts 19:19 fl; cp. 1 Sam 15:23 fm; Rev 9:21 fn; 18:23 fo; 21:8 fp; 22:15 fq) and sexual immorality (cp. 1 Cor 6:9 fr, 15-20 fs).
• Hostility arises from angry pride rather than the Spirit’s humility and love (Gal 5:22-23 ft).
• Quarreling refers not to standing up for what is right, but to stirring up discord and looking for a fight (1 Cor 3:3 fu; 2 Cor 12:20 fv; 1 Tim 6:4 fw; Titus 3:9 fx). Those who are guided by the Holy Spirit seek to speak the truth in love with a peacemaking attitude (Gal 5:22 fy; Eph 4:15 fz; 2 Tim 2:23-26 ga).
• Jealousy (Greek zēlos, “zeal”) has both a positive sense (“passionate commitment”) and, as here, a negative one (“intense desire for another’s things”); cp. Jas 3:14-16 gb.
• Outbursts of anger (or fits of rage) contrast with self-control (Gal 5:23 gc; see, e.g., Acts 19:28 gd; 2 Cor 12:20 ge; 1 Tim 3:3 gf; Titus 1:7 gg).
• Selfish ambition (or Selfishness) is the antithesis of Christian love (cp. Rom 2:8 gh; Phil 2:3 gi; Jas 3:14 gj, 16 gk).
• Division (Greek haireseis, “heresies, factions, sects”) refers to people using differing beliefs or practices to divide the community (cp. 1 Cor 11:17-19 gl; 2 Pet 2:1-3 gm).
5:21 gn Drunkenness has no place in the Christian life (see Luke 21:34 go; 1 Cor 11:20-22 gp; Eph 5:18 gq).
• wild parties: Festivals in honor of pagan gods were often accompanied by drunken orgies (cp. 1 Pet 4:3 gr).
• other sins like these: This list is only representative of the vices of the sinful nature (cp. Mark 7:20-23 gs; Rom 1:29-31 gt; 1 Cor 6:9-10 gu; Eph 5:3-5 gv; Col 3:5-8 gw; 1 Tim 1:9-10 gx; 2 Tim 3:2-5 gy; Jas 3:13-18 gz; Rev 21:8 ha). People living that sort of life are not living by the Spirit, and thereby demonstrate no relationship with God by faith. Such people will not inherit the Kingdom of God: They are still slaves of their sinful nature (Gal 4:8-9 hb, 22-25 hc; cp. Rom 6:16-22 hd; 1 Cor 6:9-10 he) and are not under God’s rule.
5:22 hf Unlike following the sinful nature (5:19-21 hg), letting the Holy Spirit guide (5:16 hh) produces a life pleasing to God, which human effort and the law cannot do (cp. John 15:1-8 hi).
• These virtues directly address the issues in the church of Galatia.
• love: The greatest Christian virtue encompasses all the others (1 Cor 13:4-7 hj). Only the Spirit of God can produce in us love for those who hate us (Matt 5:43-48 hk; Luke 6:35-36 hl).
• Joy produced by the Spirit does not depend on circumstances (Rom 15:13 hm; 2 Cor 6:10 hn; 8:2 ho; 1 Thes 1:6 hp).
• Peace with God creates internal well-being (Rom 5:1 hq; Eph 2:15 hr; Phil 4:6-7 hs; Col 1:20 ht) that spills into our relationships with others so that we become peacemakers (Matt 5:9 hu; Rom 8:6 hv; 12:18 hw; 14:17-19 hx; 2 Cor 13:11 hy; Eph 4:3 hz; 6:15 ia).
• Patience (or tolerance, or long-suffering) gives us forbearance toward other people and endurance under unfavorable circumstances (Eph 4:2 ib; 2 Tim 4:2 ic; Jas 5:10-11 id). God is patient with us (Exod 34:6 ie; Ps 103:8 if; Rom 2:4 ig; 9:22 ih; 1 Tim 1:16 ii; 2 Pet 3:15 ij) and promises his presence with those who are patient with others (Isa 57:15 ik).
• Kindness connotes generosity, a giving spirit that reflects how God treats us (Rom 2:4 il; 11:22 im; Titus 3:4-6 in).
• goodness: Cp. Rom 15:14 io; Eph 5:9 ip; 2 Thes 1:11 iq.
• Faithfulness (or faith) means exercising good faith and fidelity in our relationships, just as God does with us (1 Cor 1:9 ir; 10:13 is; 2 Thes 3:3 it).
5:23 iu Gentleness is antithetical to the vices of 5:20 iv and requires strength (see Prov 15:1 iw, 4 ix; Matt 11:28-29 iy; Eph 4:2 iz).
• self-control: The Holy Spirit does not give moral license but empowers people to avoid sin (cp. Gal 5:13 ja; Rom 6:14-18 jb; 1 Thes 4:3-7 jc; 1 Pet 2:16 jd; see also Acts 24:25 je; Titus 1:8 jf).
• There is no law against these things! Paul is stating the obvious, but also making the point that those who are virtuous by the Spirit do not need law to govern them.
5:24 jg Those who have faith in Christ are crucified with him (cp. 2:19-20 jh; Rom 6 ji) and become new people (Rom 6:1-2 jj; 2 Cor 5:17 jk; Col 3:5-15 jl): They have died to their sinful nature and to the law (Gal 2:19 jm; Rom 7:4-6 jn; 2 Cor 5:14 jo; Col 3:1-4 jp).
• passions and desires: As in 5:19-21 jq.
5:25 jr Christians do not live by the law but follow the Spirit’s leading.
5:26 js The Galatian church was apparently having trouble with factions (see also study note on 5:20; cp. 1 Cor 3 jt) instead of following the Spirit’s leading.
Galatians 6:1-10
Summary for Gal 6:1-10: 6:1-10 ju Living by the Spirit (5:13–6:10 jv) results in doing good (6:1-5 jw) and reaping rewards from one’s work (6:6-10 jx).Summary for Gal 6:1-5: 6:1-5 jy Paul outlines how to treat other Christians with love when they sin. 6:1 jz Perhaps some of the Galatians were proud of their obedience to the law or their spiritual freedom and willpower. But those who are truly godly are not proud of their accomplishments but humbly help others.
• be careful: We are all susceptible to the same temptation to sin (Rom 3:9-20 ka).
6:2 kb Carrying each other’s burdens (6:1 kc) fulfills the law of Christ to love one another (5:13-14 kd; see also Lev 19:18 ke; Matt 22:36-40 kf; John 13:34 kg; 15:12 kh; 1 Jn 3:23 ki).
6:3 kj Those with a proud attitude wrongly assume they are too important to help the weak (see study note on 6:1).
6:4 kk Instead of regarding ourselves as better than others, we should examine our own work and ensure that we obey Christ in everything (cp. 1 Cor 3:12-15 kl).
6:5 km If believers carry their own load (6:4 kn), they will have no occasion to treat a brother or sister with contempt (6:3 ko).
Summary for Gal 6:6-10: 6:6-10 kp In financially supporting those who teach them God’s message (6:6 kq), believers harvest a spiritual crop. 6:6 kr Supporting Christian teachers applies 5:13 ks and 6:2 kt (cp. 1 Tim 5:17-18 ku).
6:7 kv you cannot mock the justice of God: God cannot be fooled by spiritual pretenses. All people will harvest the consequences of their actions (what you plant; see also Job 4:8 kw; Ps 126:5 kx; Prov 22:8 ky; Hos 8:7 kz; 10:12-15 la; Luke 19:21-23 lb; 1 Cor 3:12-15 lc; 9:11 ld; 2 Cor 9:6 le).
6:8 lf Living to please the Spirit is only possible in the Spirit’s power (3:3 lg; 5:16 lh). Those who trust in human effort and those who think they can do as they wish are in the same position: They live to satisfy their own sinful nature. Such people harvest decay and death. Those who live by the Spirit’s power and trust in God will harvest everlasting life.
6:9 li Let’s not get tired: Either by letting sinful behavior creep in or by grasping for a legal code of conduct rather than being in step with the Spirit (5:25 lj).
• At just the right time we will reap: This assurance is a source of strength for Christians to continue doing good work (cp. Rom 8:28 lk).
• if we don’t give up: The fulfillment of God’s promises to believers requires their steadfast perseverance in faith (see also Luke 18:1 ll; 2 Cor 4:1 lm).
6:10 ln Therefore: This statement forms an inclusio (bookends) for the section (5:13–6:10 lo) by stating the same theme as 5:13 lp: Freedom in the Spirit compels us to do good to others in love.
• Doing good to those in the family of faith demonstrates God’s faithfulness to his children: He provides for all their needs.
Copyright information for
TNotes