Chapter Five
Read Chapter 5
What do we learn from key words?
Circumcision (circumcised)
If you receive circumcision (go back to the law), Christ will be of no benefit to you
If you receive circumcision, you are under obligation to keep the whole law, and you have been severed from Christ
Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything in Christ
Law
If you seek to be justified by law, you have fallen from grace
The whole Law is fulfilled in this - “You shall love your neighbor as yourself”
There is no law against the fruit of the Spirit
Spirit
Through the Spirit, by faith, we are waiting for the hope of
righteousness
Walk in the Spirit and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh
The flesh and the Spirit are in opposition to each other
If you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law
The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.
We are to live and walk by the Spirit
Some thoughts on verses 1-5:
Verse 1 - keep standing firm - to me, this means that we should live
by faith (the just shall live by faith), and we should stay focused on
God’s Word so that we are not deceived into practicing legalism, or
any other false doctrines.
Verses 2-4 - by receiving circumcision, the Galatians would have put
themselves back under the curse of the law, essentially rejecting
Christ’s work of redemption.
Verse 5 - hope - the word “hope” here does not mean that you wish
something will happen, (which may or may not happen) - it means
anticipating the complete fulfillment of the promise
Verse 6 - faith working through love - we demonstrate our faith by
showing love