Down an Unfamiliar Road

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

PAUL’S LETTER TO THE GALATIAN CHURCHES

CHAPTER FIVE (Lesson LXX)

Why did these Judaizers have such an adverse reaction to Paul’s position on circumcision? It all started when God told Abraham how important the mark of circumcision serves to identify someone who is part of their covenant.^[1] So Paul was not surprised that some men came to Antioch from Judea and began teaching the non-Jewish believers your salvation is incomplete if you are not circumcised as Moses taught us. He knew that he could show them a letter sent by the Council in Jerusalem, denying that they ordered such teaching on the part of these Judaizers.^[2]

The Greek verb apokoptō used here in verse twelve answers to the Hebrew verb karath in Genesis 17:14, which is often made use of by the Jews in solemn curses. In the Talmud we read a righteous man, Rabbi Simeon ben Gamaliel chanced to visit the town where Rabbi Tarfon lived. He asked them: ‘Has Rabbi Tarfon, who used to swear by the life of his children,^[3] (often used as an oath), “May I bury my children.” which means “may I cut off my children from any inheritance” left a son?’ They replied: “He left no son,” implying that he denied his son any inheritance.^[4] Paul was saying, in a somewhat ironic way, that since the Judaizers were having so much trouble with circumcision being a sign of obedience to the covenant, why not go all the way and cut off all communication with Gentile believers who refuse circumcision.

 To intensify the Galatians’ examination of the difference between the Judaizers’ instructions and what he was teaching, Paul wants to show them how these false teachers lied to them. Consequently, he is insisting that the Galatian believers force these agitators to take responsibility for what they are saying.  No doubt, the Judaizers were trying to cut down Paul’s credibility; make him look like a hypocrite or two-faced liar. It’s the old attack known in Latin as “argumentum ad hominem.” Today we call it “character assassination.”

In other words, if you can prove that your opponent has a bad trait, you may then convince others to doubt the quality of their whole character, even if the lacking mannerism is irrelevant to the argument. As such, people who use this tactic direct their malicious charges against the person’s character rather than their point of view. Such a maneuver appeals to emotion rather than reason. Unfortunately, it appears to be the mainstay of today’s political climate.

There is some evidence that Paul did allow circumcision to be received, but not as a condition for salvation.^[5] Today some Gentiles practice circumcision, not to join the Jewish faith, but for good hygiene. So, in Paul’s mind, the Judaizers attacked his character for other reasons. They did not want the truth to expose them for who they were, which would derail their attempt to get rid of the self-proclaimed apostle they despised. That’s why medieval commentator Bruno the Carthusian sees Paul’s retort as the Apostle’s way of claiming that if his opponents are right, that he was preaching circumcision, then the scandal created by the Cross is removed. Jews were scandalized because he taught that human beings become justified through the Cross alone. Yet if the Apostle did mix circumcision with the Cross and say that people are justified by both, then these Jews would be very pleased with him. It was Paul’s way of telling the Galatians that he was not the one being an antagonist, the Judaizers were!^[6]

Early church scholar Jerome, always the skeptic, asks how could Paul, a disciple of Him who said, “Bless those who curse you,” ^[7] now turns around and curse those who were disturbing the Churches of Galatia? Jerome feels that the words Paul uses are prompted not so much by anger against his opponents as by affection for God’s congregations. Nor is it any wonder that the Apostle, as a man, enclosed in a frail physical vessel, who confessed to the spiritual battle within him, between the Spirit and his sinful tendencies that took him captive and led him into the struggling with the law of sin allowing himself to speak this way, just as we observe such lapses to be frequent in holy people we know.^{[8] [9]}

Adam Clarke proposes that it is very likely that some of the false apostles, hearing of Paul’s having circumcised Timothy to make him look like an advocate for circumcision, and by this endorsed their doctrine.[10] To this, the Apostle replies that if it is true that he is a friend of those that preach circumcision, then why is it that he is still the object of persecution by the Jews? Why is it that everywhere he goes, they seek to oppress and harass him because he is known to be an opponent of requiring circumcision of Gentiles? If he was indeed a proponent of this doctrine, then preaching of the Cross as being the only way to salvation by the sacrifice of the Anointed One, would soon cease. Why would they expect him to be inconsistent with his calling? If he preached the necessity of circumcision, that would force him to stop preaching Jesus the Anointed One crucified, and then the Jews would be no longer his enemies.^[11] I agree with Clarke that the likelihood of Paul doing such a thing was unthinkable.

Martin Luther draws from his own experience about what happens when one stands up for the truth of the Gospel. He encourages all of those who preached the reformation Gospel not to be surprised or offended when their opponents go berserk. Instead, look upon it as a good indication that all is well with the Gospel of the Cross. God forbid that we ever resist the offense of the Cross. That would be the case if we were to preach what the prince of this world and his followers would be only too glad to hear – becoming right with God by good works. They would never dream that the devil could be so gentle, the world so sweet, the opposition so gracious, and those who govern so charming. But because true believers seek the advantage and honor of Jesus the Anointed One, they remain persecuted on all sides.^[12] Luther goes on to say that if Paul placed so much importance on even the smallest points of Christian doctrine, what right then do we have to make little of such principles? For Luther, no matter how nonessential a position of one’s faith may seem, if insulted, it may prove the gradual disintegration of the truths of salvation. In his mind, we should do everything we can to advance the glory and authority of God’s Word.

John Calvin joins Luther in sending a notice to all those who tamper with God’s Word. He wants to warn all those who introduce confusion into churches, who break the unity of faith, and who destroy their harmony should listen intently to what he is about to say. If they have any sense of feeling, let them tremble at this warning: God declares, by the mouth of Paul, that none through whom such offenses come^[13] will go unpunished. The phrase, “whosoever that might be” is emphatic. These smooth-talking false apostles used such provocative language to terrify the uninformed multitude. It became necessary for Paul to defend his doctrine with identical intent and energy, and not to spare anyone who dared to raise their voice against it, however eminent or distinguished they might be.^[14] Paul’s sense of urgency in warning these troublemakers was not so much to avoid any persecution or attempted disgrace that he may suffer, but what it would do to the Gospel and the work of the Anointed One on the Cross.

Yet, John Wesley hears Paul asking: “Why do I still suffer persecution?” Simple. By not being persecuted meant the offense of the Cross ceased to be a problem. However, the real reason why the Jews were so offended at his preaching Jesus the Anointed One crucified, and so bitterly persecuted him for it, was, that it implied the abolition of the Law. Yet Paul did not condemn people conforming to the Law or suggest that it was a weakness that caused them to become adherents to the ceremonial law. The ones he condemned were those who taught that being obedient to the Law was necessary to earn justification in God’s eyes for Him to declare them right with Him.^[15]

In the last church, I pastored before going to the Philippines; I remember an old farmer started coming back to church after a long absence. In talking to him one day, he told me that many years ago, he was a wholehearted supporter of what was called the “Latter Day Rain Movement.” This theology taught that just like seed needed early rain for the crop to take root, it also required a latter rain for the grain to ripen for harvest. They likened the last days to God’s harvest of souls as the prophecy of the prophet Joel to mean that since the church fell away from its original form into the dark ages, that after the reformation, God was restoring the church through a worldwide revival that would climax with the rapture. This idea is still prevalent in many charismatic and Pentecostal churches today.

This movement started spreading in the early 1800s in America and enjoyed a revival in the 1940s in the area where I was pastoring. Preacher William Branham openly promoted this doctrine. He saw the seven churches described in the book of Revelation represented seven ages of the Christian church, with the last era being from the church in Laodicea to the present. He further identified the seven angels as Paul, the Apostle, Martin Luther, John Wesley, and others. Branham also denounced the doctrine of the Trinity.

The impact caused by this on the farmer’s life made it impossible to fellowship with other believers who disagreed with this view. After Branham died in a head-on collision with a drunk driver, the farmer concluded that Branham’s prophecy of living to see Jesus return and rapture the church expired with him.  By then, he had become an outsider to the local church he once attended.  But something in the messages he heard during my daily radio program convinced the old farmer that man was not the one to look to for fulfillment of Holy Scripture, only God.  It wasn’t me who changed his mind; it was the truth of the Gospel and the Holy Spirit.

Paul tries to get the Galatians to see the falsehood in the Judaizers’ claims that he was in favor of circumcision is a part of God’s salvation plan after all. If that were true, Paul wants to know why in the world they were so dead set against him. Furthermore, if Paul did accept circumcision as a valid part of salvation, then why would they be upset with him for including the Cross of the Anointed One? After all, the Judaizers were not against the work the Anointed One did on the Cross; it’s just that it was insufficient without circumcision. German Bible scholar Johann Bengel (1687-1752) makes a good point here related to verse eleven. The more the church emphasizes rites, rituals, and regulations, the less meaning there would be in the Cross as a stumbling block on the way to salvation by works.^[16]

[1] Genesis 17:14

[2] Acts of the Apostles 15:1, 24

[3] See Babylonian Talmud, Seder Mo’ ed, Masekhet Shabbath, folios 115b-116a, Cf. Folios 16b-17a

[4] Ibid. Seder Nezikin, Masekhet Bava Metzia, folio 85a

[5] Cf. Acts of the Apostles 16:1-3

[6] Bruno the Carthusian: Commentary on Galatians, op. cit., loc. cit.

[7] Matthew 5:44; Luke 6:28

[8] See Romans 7:15-25

[9] Jerome, On Galatians, Edwards, M. J. (Ed.)., op. cit., p. 79

[10] Acts of the Apostles 16:3

[11] Adam Clarke: Commentary on Galatians, op. cit., loc. cit.

[12] Martin Luther: Commentary on Galatians, op. cit., loc. cit.

[13] Luke 17:1

[14] Calvin, John: Commentary on Galatians, op. cit., loc. cit.

[15] Wesley, John, Galatians: Explanatory Notes & Commentary, op. cit., loc. cit.

[16] Bengel, Johann: On Galatians, op. cit., p. 607

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

PAUL’S LETTER TO THE GALATIAN CHURCHES

CHAPTER FIVE (Lesson LXIX)

Chrysostom points out that Paul tells the Galatians that he still has confidence in the Lord to bring them back to Him through reconciliation. He also goes on to say that Paul connects complaints with praises each time. Here it is as if he said, I know you are my disciples, I know you are ready to be set right. I have good hopes, partly because of the Lord who allows nothing, however trivial, to perish, and partly because of you who can recover yourselves very quickly. At the same time, says Chrysostom, Paul encourages them to be tireless on their part. They know from what Paul taught them that it is not possible to obtain assistance from God if they are lazy in their efforts and not contributing to getting back on track.^[1] Augustine of Hippo agrees that from the way Paul is addressing this issue, “…it is quite clear that such persuaders have not yet gained control over the Galatians.” ^[2]  So this was not exactly a do or die proposition. Therefore, Paul not only concentrated on the Galatians but also on the perpetrators of this confusion.

Jerome tells us that some in his day were saying that Paul is implicating the Apostle Peter here, whom he says he “opposed to his face.” But he doesn’t feel that Paul would speak with such offensive hostility about the head of the church, nor did Peter deserve to be held to blame for disturbing the church. Perhaps he’s speaking of someone known by the other Apostles, or likely, someone from Judea, or one of the believing Pharisees in Jerusalem. At any rate, someone highly respected among the Galatians.^[3] I agree with Jerome on one point, that is, that Paul did not have Peter in mind here as being the one who was throwing them into confusion. However, some of those involved might have been in attendance at Antioch when Peter and Paul clashed. Perhaps, and this is only a thought, they were trying to take revenge on Paul for what he did to Peter. But one thing is for sure; Paul seemed to know who some of these Judaizers were.

Ambrosiaster, a contemporary of both Chrysostom and Jerome, also comments on Paul’s hope that he can trust the Galatians in dealing with these matters. Says Ambrosiaster, in Paul’s mind, these believers would find their way back onto the correct path by avoiding any errors that were mean to lead them astray. That’s why he was going to such lengths to point out the right pathway to them, so it would be easier to find than if they had to do it on their own.  Ambrosiaster also points out that the reward for someone who manages to help a person fallen into error to recover is spelled out by the Apostle James in his epistle. He writes: “Anyone who redirects a sinner from going the wrong way will save that person from eternal death and the forgiveness of many sins.” He also adds that in the same manner, someone who forces a person who is walking in the right way to deviate from that path will guarantee damnation for themselves, whoever that may be.

Ambrosiaster further believes that Paul added this because of those who defended their merit on the grounds they were the descendants of Abraham. Jesus encountered this same attitude when He walked the earth.^{[4] [5]} That’s why Paul goes on to say that he wishes these troublemakers a double dose of their effort to inflict pain on the non-Jewish converts through circumcision, by having to endure castration. Ambrosiaster feels Paul was using this term symbolically. He implied that they should remain cut off from associating and fellowshipping with the believers in Galatia and cut out of the family of God entirely.

Consequently, Paul issues another stern warning that the person causing all this discord is racing toward eternal punishment, and if the Galatians were not careful, they could suffer the same penalty. Believe it or not, some despicable people in this world will persuade an innocent person into committing a wrong that even they would not do, so that if the virtuous person is successful and doesn’t get caught, they can share in the bounty. Still, if the innocent party is detected, then the worthless person who talked them into it will simply point their finger and say, “They were stupid enough to do it, not me!”

In the Galatian situation, there’s evidence that Paul did not believe the Judaizers would succeed, and they did not; all efforts to mingle Judaism with Christianity were thwarted and checkmated by this very Epistle. The Judaizer (whether one or more) would end up bearing the judgment Paul wrote about a few paragraphs earlier, that of being “severed from Jesus the Anointed One” and “fallen from grace.” But there must have been a lot of moaning and groaning over the Galatians who fell with them.

Catholic theologian Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) was addressing the question of whether or not the evil contained in sinning should be the object of fear? He responded by saying that it would seem that the curse of sin can also be the object of fear. He notes that Augustine says that out of pure terror, a person fears separation from God. Now we know that nothing but sin can separate us from God, according to the prophet Isaiah.^[6] Furthermore, hope is contrary to fear. But the goodness found virtues can be the object of faith, and even as the Greek philosopher Aristotle declares that a virtuous and good man wishes to live in contentment with himself, for he does so with pleasure since the memories of his past acts are delightful. His hopes for the future are good, and therefore pleasant.^[7] So the Apostle Paul says here in verse ten that he is confident in the Lord that the Galatians will take no other view. As such, then fear can see the evil in sin.^[8]

Also, by using the clause “whoever that may be,” Martin Luther notes that this seems to indicate that the false apostles in outward appearance at least appeared to be outstanding and devout men. It may be that among them was some outstanding disciple of Paul, a man himself of fame and authority. The Apostle must have felt to be a target of disdain in this situation; otherwise, his fierceness would have been unnecessary. No doubt, many of the Galatians were taken back with the intensity of the Apostle’s words. They perhaps thought: why should he be so upset by such a small matter? Why is he so quick to pronounce damnation upon his brethren in the ministry?^[9] Of course, the answer may be that Paul knew their lives and salvation were at risk, not his, and he was determined to do everything he could to prevent them from being misled into judgment.

Mark D. Nanos sees an underlying message for the Galatians here in verse ten. The news that the Apostle received about the situation in Galatia struck him as already underway. The Gentiles felt strongly influenced to comply and conform to the Judiazers’ form of the Mosaic gospel and begin the rite of passage into the family of Abraham by submitting to Jewish ceremonial laws, including circumcision. So, Paul wanted to express confidence in the Galatians that they would not give in easily. Stay steadfast in their faith will eliminate a lot of confusion. But even more significant, they will be spared the penalty of all those who fail to keep the Law completely. How sad that Jesus the Anointed One took that penalty upon Himself for their benefit, but they are on the verge of throwing it all away.^[10]

Paul’s experience should help us all learn how to keep from making errors in judgment when it comes to distinguishing between discipleship and doctrine. Since so many ways and customs and cultures exist where the Gospel takes root, we must all be open-minded when it comes to how fellow believers in those areas practice discipleship. I experienced this myself when I went to North India, I immediately saw that the men wore long skirts and the women wore pants. It was their culture. To them, it equated modesty.

In some parts of India, they have baptismal services in the morning so that believers walk into the water with the sun behind their backs, and when they come up out of the water, they face the sun to signify a new day in their lives. Yet they do not fault other believers who baptize in church baptismal pools or at a later hour in the day. However, when it comes to doctrine, it must be the same everywhere. It must remain unaltered due to customs or cultural norms. That seems to be at the heart of Paul’s admonition to the Galatian believers.

5:11-12a My brothers and sisters, I don’t teach that a man must be circumcised. If I do promote circumcision, then why am I still being persecuted? If I always taught circumcision, then my message about the cross would not be a problem for you? I wish these people who are bothering you would add castration to their circumcision.

 Paul now addresses the note of caution that the Judaizers were sending to him through the Galatians, that if he would only be more cautious in his denouncing of circumcision, they would find less reason to oppose him. As Paul mentioned to the Corinthians, it seems that no matter what he says, it always gets him in trouble.^[11] Despite all Paul’s been through and all that he suffered on behalf of the Gospel, he still was pushed into saying things he thought were unnecessary. In other words, why did he continuously remind his opponents of his dedication to the cause of the Gospel so that they might agree he had the right to say what he said.^[12]

Paul knew he was in good company with those who suffered for dispensing the Word of God in the past. Didn’t Isaiah once say to his opponents that the Lord All-Powerful is the One they should fear? He is the One they should respect, the One who should frighten them. If everyone reverences Him, God is a safe place for them to find comfort. But they didn’t recognize Him, so He became like a stone that they stumbled over. The Messiah is a Rock that caused both Judah and Israel to fall because they wouldn’t listen. He became a snare that caught all the people trying to bypass Him with their self-righteous search for salvation under the Law.^[13]

Paul had to warn the Roman believers not to fall into the same pit. The reason that all of Israel met such a terrible end is that they failed by trying to make themselves right with God by the things they did. They did not trust in God to make them right. They fell over the stone that makes such people fall. The Scriptures talk about that stone which the Romans should know is none other than Jesus, the Anointed Son of God.^[14] Paul also reminded the Corinthians that the teaching about the cross seems foolish to those who are lost. But to those saved by His grace, it is the power of God.^[15]

[1] Chrysostom: Commentary on Galatians, op. cit., loc. cit.

[2] Augustine of Hippo: Commentary on Galatians, op. cit., loc. cit.

[3] Edwards, M. J. On Galatians, op. cit., p. 78

[4] See John 8:33

[5] Ambrosiaster: Commentary on Galatians, op. cit., loc. cit., p. 28

[6] Isaiah 59:2

[7] Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics: Bk. 9 (4)

[8] Aquinas, Thomas: Summa Theologica, op cit., Vol. 2 – The First Part of the Second Part, Part (2a), Question (11), Article (3), Objection (2), p. 468

[9] Luther, Martin: Commentary on Galatians, op. cit., loc. cit.

[10] Nanos, Mark D., On Galatians, op. cit., pp. 194-195

[11] 1 Corinthians 15:30

[12] 2 Corinthians 11:23-26

[13] Isaiah 8:13-14

[14] Romans 9:32

[15] 1 Corinthians 1:18

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

PAUL’S LETTER TO THE GALATIAN CHURCHES

CHAPTER FIVE (Lesson LXVIII)

I remember, years ago, reading in a church magazine where a woman wrote a letter to the editor and threatened to stop going to church because they didn’t sing out of the old hymnal anymore. She may have forgotten – or didn’t know – that at one point in recent church history, the hymnal she referred to was itself new, and people back then were upset because they didn’t use their older hymnal. I wonder what hymnal the angels used who sang to the shepherds on the night of the Anointed One’s birth, and what hymnal the angelic multitudes in Revelation will be singing out of, and which group will be upset with the other for not singing from the same songbook they use?

Paul was incensed that these Judaizers got in the way of the Galatians being able to obey the truth they received from him. That may have included everything that Paul taught them from the Gospel, to how the Lord’s Supper was observed, to the form of water baptism he taught them, or insisting that they integrate Jewish religious rites and rituals into their worship services.  It doesn’t appear that the Galatians stopped believing in Jesus as the Messiah, or denied His death and resurrection; instead, they started thinking that they could maintain their salvation by way of their efforts instead of walking by faith.  Without realizing it, they were saying, “Jesus, Your suffering; Your death on the cross; Your rising from the dead on the third day; and Your teachings are simply not enough to guarantee me full fellowship with God the Father and eternal life.” So, they tried to assure themselves with their accomplishments, as the Jews had done for centuries. It must have broken Paul’s heart.

I received the privilege and opportunity of traveling with the overseer to one of the more remote areas near the Romanian border in Yugoslavia, to preach for a small congregation in a tiny farming village. As I exited from one of the few paved roads onto a dirt country road to the town, I saw that because of recent rains, the dirt trail was a mix of deep crisscrossing furrows made by wagon wheels. I knew my little Volkswagen would not be able to make it if the tires fell into one of these deep ruts. So, I stopped for a moment and prayed for the Lord to direct me. As I started up the road, the Holy Spirit guided my eyes to a particular set of grooves to straddle. I did so but held my breath most of the way. After two kilometers, the overseer and I arrived in the village safe and sound. As I got out of the car, I shook my head in amazement because those were the only set of ruts that were not intersected by other grooves the whole way. I was ready to shout!

In Yugoslavia, at that time, church services were conducted as follows: Opening prayer, welcoming visitors, one song, then the sermon, followed by an hour of praise and worship. When I prepared for this service the night before, I selected a text I preached on many times and prayed that the Holy Spirit would use it to speak to these precious people. But, as I sat and listened to the song, which I didn’t understand because of the language, I suddenly felt impressed to speak on the Trinity. When I got up, I told the congregation of this leading by the Holy Spirit. Much to my surprise, they all began to weep and cry. When I finished about an hour and a half later – because of the need for translation, of course – they sang and prayed with even greater fervor.

 Later, as we were eating a meal, the pastor came to me with tears in his eyes. He told me that a few weeks ago, a visiting minister had preached against the Trinity, declaring that God the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit were just one person, and His name was Jesus. It brought instant division in the church. So, he told them to pray that when the next preacher came, whether he preached for the Trinity or against the Trinity, they would accept whatever he taught as the truth.

That’s why when I shared about the leading of the Holy Spirit to preach on the Trinity, the whole church accepted it as God’s confirmation to them that what they had believed all along was true. What struck me was that the Holy Spirit waited until I was in the service before bringing me a Word of Wisdom, so that God got all the credit for changing my mind. That should make anybody want to shout!

Jewish writer Mark D. Nanos sees a similar situation here in verse nine with the Galatians and how they dealt with these so-called “fellow believers” from Jerusalem. He points to Paul’s warning about how a little yeast can change the whole lump of dough. Nanos suggests that the Judaizers not be thought of as intruders, because yeast and dough are natural elements that mix well together. If a Jew wanted to make flatbread, they did not mix in any yeast, but if they wished to bake a risen loaf of bread, then the yeast was necessary. Therefore, could it be that Paul was inferring that letting these Judaizers and their Law be allowed to mix in with the believers of Paul’s Gospel they would swell into egotistical believers? But the fermenting yeast must be given time to rise, and so Paul wanted the Galatians to know that they may be in the process of letting these Judaizers cause this to happen unless they rejected them from mixing in immediately.^[1]

Paul compliments the Galatians by telling them that up to that point, they ran the race well. They believed the Gospel and acted on it by following the instructions Paul left with them on how to grow in the Spirit and become fruit-bearing believers. But then he expresses his disappointment and disbelief that they began to ignore his teachings and dismiss the long hours he spent with them, working through the pain and agony of his illness to bring them the truth. It must have given Paul a feeling of being jilted. While he was there, they treated him as an angel from heaven, assisted him in every way possible because of his handicap. But now they were treating him like the devil by calling him a heretic and saying they didn’t love him anymore; they found new teachers who were more interesting and exciting.

Perhaps this had a bearing on why he asked them point-blank: “Who did this to you?” He wanted to make them think. What did these Judaizers offer them through obedience to religious rituals and regulations that they did not already possess in the Anointed One? Paul brings up a point we often see today. A newly baptized believer starts on their spiritual journey with great zeal and enthusiasm. But then things come up that seem to hinder their progress. Sometimes it involves issues from their past; sins they confessed to God but did not share with fellow believers; or the continued battle with physical addictions of a physical nature. Could we honestly say that maybe Satan might be behind such stumbling blocks? Without question! Might we also look at the believer’s weaknesses that can draw them away from the course they are on? For sure! But only with their consent!

I like the way Don Garlington phrases what Paul says in verse seven about how the Galatian’s walk in the Spirit was interfered with and caused to go off track. It was Paul’s way of asking, “Who cut in on you?” The question is rhetorical because Paul knew very well who “cut in.” Frequently thoughts in the Bible are intended to make people think rather than acquire information. Paul wants them to consider just what kind of persons became a hindrance to them. It reminds me that in England and America during the colonel days when someone on a horse or riding in a carriage passed and then quickly pulled in front of another rider or carriage driver, it was quite reasonable for the ones being “cut off,” to become angry. In today’s age, we call this “road rage.” To some degree, Paul expected the Galatians to exhibit more road rage because their strides and pace on the road of Holy Living were rudely interrupted by these Judaizers.^[2]

The sad part is that under those conditions, some new believers begin to feel unworthy of continuing in their relationship with the Anointed One and the Church. Often this humiliation becomes an embarrassment when other believers criticize and pester them to straighten out and fly right. But instead of this becoming a turning point in their lives where they backslide, it has the same potential of becoming a turning point where they lean on Jesus to help them walk back to the right path through His righteousness, not theirs. If one knows the only way to salvation is in the Anointed One, then the only way to remain in the Anointed One is through obedience to Him. Jesus said that once we know the truth, it has the power to set us free from any other influence except His.

Let us teach each new convert; it is not enough just to “know” the truth by hearing it but by “believing” it. To prove we trust it, we must obey it; and for us to follow it, we must carry it out in our living. We not only receive the light provided by the truth, but we experience the power and love it ensures. Therefore, this power and love that causes us to embrace the truth is the same power and passion that serves as our reason to obey it continually. Not only that, but we embrace and obey the truth not out of fear for what happens if we fail, but out of the joy we find in being faithful to it and know what the Anointed One does if we fall. No wonder Paul was so distraught over the Galatians’ suddenly turning back to the old ways.

 5:10a But I’m still confident that the Lord will not let such false teaching fool you. The truth is, the ones causing all this discord, whoever they may be, will have to answer God for this.

Now Paul aims his arrows of truth at those deceivers who thought this might be an easy chore. Even if they did not fear any repulsive actions by the Galatians, nor did they seem to feel intimidated by the Apostle Paul. However, Paul brings in another personality that they should fear with great dread, and that was God Himself. Paul faced these corrupters of the faith more than once.^[3] Even the Apostle John faced a similar faction that he called “enemies of the Anointed One” – antichrists.^[4]

But Paul was confident that God was going to help them fight the battle against such troublemakers. One way was for God to remove any obstacles from their being conquered by death before their time. Another way for that to happen was for the Galatians to rise, as did the Corinthians, and oppose this action by the Judaizers until it drove them away in tears.^[5] Using the weapons God gave them to destroy their human reasoning with the truth of the Gospel, it can happen.^[6] So Paul was only doing for the Galatians what he did for the Corinthians by writing this letter.^[7]

Paul still had faith that the Galatians would see the error of their ways and reject the Judaizers’ attempts to derail them. So, all was not lost; Paul believes that with God’s help, he can restore them to the truth. Any parent who raised or helped raise a child knows the sinking feeling when that child suddenly begins to adopt the attitude, vocabulary, values, and lifestyle of their classmates and peers in contradiction with what their parents taught them.  It makes them want to get in their face and say, “I fed you when you couldn’t feed yourself; I changed your diaper when it was soiled and smelly; I dressed you; walked you to school; held you when you fell; gave you money to spend; picked you up from school on rainy days; gave you a nice bedroom to sleep in; cooked your meals; and taught you what was right. What have these friends done for you or contributed to your upbringing that you should feel obligated to do what they say?” Paul felt the same way about the Galatians believers whom he called his “children.”

[1] Nanos, Mark D., On Galatians, op. cit., p. 192

[2] Garlington, Don: On Galatians, op. cit., p. 147

[3] See Acts of the Apostles 15:1-2, 24

[4] 1 John 2:18-26

[5] 2 Corinthians 2:6-8

[6] Ibid. 10:2-6

[7] Ibid. 13:10

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

PAUL’S LETTER TO THE GALATIAN CHURCHES

CHAPTER FIVE (Lesson LXVII)

Reformer Martin Luther goes on to share what he was up against in his day. His opponents registered the same complaints about him as what the Apostle Paul was experiencing from Galatia. They put him down as contentious and an ill-tempered faultfinder. But these are the crafty tricks of the devil, with which he seeks to overthrow his follower’s faith, says Luther. He answers them with what Paul says here: “A little yeast affects the whole lump of dough.” Their little faults grow into big mistakes. To tolerate what looks like a meaningless error will inevitably lead to harmful misinformation. Biblical doctrines are not anyone’s to take or to allow unchallenged interpretation of what it says. No one has the right to change even a punctuation mark in it.

When it comes to life, true believers are ready to do, to suffer, to forgive anything their opponents demand as long as faith and doctrine remain pure and uncorrupt. The Apostle James says that even if a person can perform complete obedience to the whole Law except for one small point, they are guilty of disobeying the entire Law.^[1] Luther says that this passage supports us against our critics who claim that we disregard all acts of love, causing significant harm to the churches. We protest; we desire nothing more than peace with all people as long as they permit us to keep our doctrine of faith! These pure teachings take precedence over good deeds, apostles, or an angel from heaven.^[2]

One of Luther’s co-reformist, John Calvin, feels that Paul had another purpose in scolding the Galatians for falling prey to such misguided teachings. Calvin writes that the criticism which the Apostle administers for their immediate departure from the truth mingles with approval of their former way of life. His express purpose is that by being shamed for turning away from the Law, they might return quicker to |Grace. The astonishment Paul conveys in his question, “who hindered you?” was intended to make them blush with embarrassment. Calvin chose to translate the Greek word peithsthai in verse seven as “obey,” rather than “believe,” because, having once embraced the purity of the Gospel, they were led away from the path of forced obedience.^[3]

Catholic scholar Leo Haydock (1774-1849) believes that Paul’s reference to the yeast was not in light of what Jesus told His disciples about the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees. Instead, he is alluding to a Jewish proverb that is spoken during Passover when it is not permitted to eat anything except yeast-free bread.^[4] “Even a bite-size pinch of matza made with yeast would make the whole Passover Seder meal unclean.” ^[5]

So, says Matthew Henry, we can see that the life of a Christian is much like a race a person does not give up on to obtain the prize. However, it is not enough just to run in this race, by professing ourselves as followers of the Lord Jesus, we must run well by living up to that claim. Paul agreed the Galatians did well for a while, but then they were hindered in their progress, and either decided to part from the straight and narrow way or just give up and stop running at all.^[6] No doubt you have encountered many Galatian-like believers during your Christian journey, and I’m sure it brought you sorrow and disappointment just like it did the Apostle Paul. Today we tend to call them “backsliders,” but Paul was more inclined to call them “traitors.”

British Methodist theologian Adam Clarke (1760-1832) gives his exposition of what he feels Paul is saying here. He hears Paul telling the Galatians that because the Gospel came, they must reject all legal observances deemed to be essential to earning salvation. Also, that the uncircumcised Gentile’s natural moral principles contribute just as much ineffective assistance to salvation because nothing is more pleasing in God’s eyes than faith made active, or energetic, by love. God acknowledges nothing but aggressive and obedient faith as the operation of His Spirit. The principle of all obedience to God, and beneficial to humanity, is love.

 Therefore, faith cannot work unless permeated with love. Love to God produces obedience to His will: respect for others causes no harm. On the contrary, it promotes every expression of kindness. Faith that does not depend on love to activate it is what either a Jew or Gentile might call faith. However, nothing about such loveless faith will do them any good when they stand before God in judgment. This humble, holy, practical, obedient Love, is the grand touchstone of all human creeds and confessions of faith. Faith without this has neither a soul or a decisive purpose. In the language of the Apostle James, it is dead and cannot perform any function of the spiritual life, no more than a dead person can perform the duties of their private or public life.^[7]

James Hamilton (1769-1829), Irish author and teaching of languages, comments on the hindrances that Paul implicates here in verse seven, by telling a Greek myth about the obstacle of riches. He says that Atalanta, according to Greek mythology, was swift-footed huntress yet a charming young maiden, who challenged all her suitors to run against her in a race. Atalanta pledged to marry the conqueror but attached the death penalty to anyone who failed to beat her. Many competed with her and lost their lives. At last, Hippomenes, the judge, overcome by her charms, offered himself for the contest. Unseen, he took along three golden apples. They both sprang off the start-line and raced along the sand. At one point in the race, Hippomenes felt himself falling way behind. So, he threw down one of the golden apples to detain the virgin. She, amazed, stopped to pick it up while he shot ahead. She soon overtook him when he threw another apple, which she stopped to get. Again, she shot past him. One apple remained, which he threw off to the side, and she, self-confident or undecided, turned aside to go after it. He was able to reach the goal first and win her as his prize. The golden apples defeated her, as they have many others, in the race of life.^[8J

J. B. Lightfoot (1828-1889) provides a very enlightening paraphrase of verse seven: He puts it more or less as though the Galatians were running a race. So, Paul wants to know who suddenly got in their way right in the middle of the racecourse? Who threw down the golden apple of disloyalty to the truth? This sudden change of opinion certainly did not come from the same God who called them. How many deserters were there among them? No matter how many, this kind of thinking was very contagious and will spread. Everyone knows that a little yeast permeates the whole lump of dough.

Lightfoot goes on to say that the phrase: “You were running so gallantly” comes from military operations. It signifies “to break up a road, destroy bridges,” making the way impassable. But it can also denote a pioneer. So, Paul saw the Galatians as pioneers for the Anointed One, exploring new territory for occupation, helping the Kingdom of God grow here on earth. So along come these uninvited Judaizers who told the Galatians they are doing things all wrong. They were not using the material provided by the Law to build God’s Church. They need to make a change while they can, instead of continuing to develop with faith and then find out God doesn’t like it. From Paul’s point of view, how could the Galatians turn away from the Gospel in which Jesus the Anointed One said His Church would be built upon a rock, that rock is the truth of who He is, the only God, the One who came to die on our behalf so that we can be free to serve Him out of love.^[9]

George Whitefield Clark (1831-1895) focused on the Greek noun peismonē used here by Paul and translated as “persuasion.” He notes that this word is not used anywhere else in the Final Covenant. Therefore, we must consider it as having a special meaning. Thayer, in his Greek Lexicon, mentions that this type of persuasion based on treacherous or deceptive forms is harmful. It proves to be just another way of saying that the Judaizers knew they were not telling the whole truth. Still, they said it anyhow to score a victory in bringing the Galatians back under ceremonial Law as a way of discrediting the Apostle Paul’s ministry.^[10]

Marvin Vincent (1834-1922) makes an important note that in verse nine, the yeast that Paul speaks of does not refer to the doctrine of false teachers, but the false teachers themselves.^[11] And except for what Jesus taught His disciples,^[12] throughout the Torah yeast is always a symbol of evil.^[13] So we must see that yeast used in Scripture as a metaphor indicates a type of corruption. Vincent says that yeast is a convenient way of describing a secret, pervading energy, whether bad or good. He goes on to note that the discovery by Louis Pasteur on how fermentation is a necessary consequence for the activity and growth of living organisms.^[14] So Paul is warning that it will take only a few of these Judaizing intruders to sufficiently corrupt the whole Church in Galatia.^[15]

In a letter to the believers in Corinth, Paul pointed out that they must finish the race to collect the prize.^[16] Paul knew the Galatian believers were already in the race, but someone cut in front of them, making them veer off course. Furthermore, it wasn’t that a large group of heretics invading and overwhelming them in number. Only a few Judaizers came to Galatia but soon had the whole church dropping out of the race with their misguided information. Paul wants to warn them that it only takes a few, sometimes only one, to cause spiritual chaos.

But the most painful part of this falling away involved the fact that it persuaded the Galatian believers to go wrong only after giving their consent to follow. It’s not that hard; all it takes is someone choosing one verse of the Bible and interpreting it out of context to throw a whole congregation into confusion. As a matter of fact, according to the last statistics, there are over 38,000 different Protestant denominations in the world today. The only thing that seems to separate them is how they interpret one or two scriptures, or how to perform one or more of the ordinances, or how the church is structured and operates. In fact, there are over one hundred different organizations that claim to represent the Latter-Day Saints movement, and they all feel that they are the only true Church of Mormon.

[1] James 2:10

[2] Luther, Martin: op. cit, loc. cit.

[3] Calvin, John: Commentary on Galatians, op. cit., loc. cit.

[4] See Jewish Encyclopedia – Passover: Recital of the Haggadah

[5] Haydock, George: Catholic Bible Commentary, Galatians, op. cit., loc. cit.

[6] Henry, Matthew: On Galatians, op. cit., loc. cit.

[7] Adam Clarke: Commentary on Galatians, op. cit., loc. cit.

[8] James Hamilton: The Biblical Illustrator, op. cit., Vol. 48 (Kindle Location 15153)

[9] Lightfoot, J. B., On Galatians, op. cit., pp. 285-286

[10] Clark, George Whitefield: On Galatians, op. cit., pp. 111-112

[11] Cf. Mark 8:15

[12] Matthew 8:15

[13] Cf. Exodus 12:15, 19; 13:3, 7; 23:18; Leviticus 2:11; Deuteronomy 16:3

[14] See Dr. William Hanna Thomson’s, The Parables by the Lake, 1923

[15] Vincent, Marvin R., On Galatians, op. cit., pp. 159-160

[16] 1 Corinthians 9:24

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

PAUL’S LETTER TO THE GALATIAN CHURCHES

CHAPTER FIVE (Lesson LXVI)

Now Paul recalls something that Jesus said to those disciples who were following him as a warning against being misled by others who have a different goal in mind. It involved doctrines that Pharisees and Sadducees taught. They mixed in the yeast of their thinking to artificially inflate the dough of God’s Word.^[1] Behind this was the gross hypocrisy of saying one thing and doing another.^[2] He also included the yeast of King Herod, who felt that the government had a right to influence one’s belief.^[3] Of course, the disciples, and the Galatians were familiar with the role that yeast played in making bread.^[4]

He spoke of the effect of the old yeast of earning one’s salvation through the works of the Law, and how that yeast must be gotten rid of so that the pure dough of God’s word was what they ingested. No doubt, Paul was thinking of the Passover Meal, where they served bread made without yeast along with the Passover Lamb.^[5] Although the Church does not follow the Jewish custom of the Passover Meal each year, they do celebrate the Lord’s Supper in its place. Jesus implemented this for His followers to remind themselves of what He did for them by dying on their behalf. He did so that they might have a spiritual life that involves serving God by serving Him and doing what He taught them to do. And to this end, the Word of God must be our source of instruction and guidance. Everything else they read or hear should be done to help them comprehend God’s Word. However, what people say must never be taken as the Word of God itself.

The Apostle Paul reveals a few of his social interests in this section. Living during Greek and Roman dominated eras; there’s every chance Paul may have witnessed some Olympic style races. Anyone who has seen these contests may have observed one runner cutting in front of another runner who then ends up being thrown off stride or even falling. It’s one thing when you make a mistake that hinders your progress, but when someone else deliberately misleads you, they should be penalized and removed from the competition.  Paul sends this warning to the Galatian believers.

Psychologists point out that in several places where Paul applies the image of athletic competition to himself and others,^[6] his purpose in using these metaphors was a conscious effort to promote the rivalry between believers. Others do not agree that it was a deliberate attempt but do concur that the use of such imagery seems to show that Paul unconsciously saw himself and other Christians as competitive.  Such conclusions, however, are out of step with Paul’s message. Keep in sight the fact that Paul was using the runner as an illustration of someone who is committed and dedicated to finishing the course assigned to them by God. Paul does not suggest that believers are in a race with each other, and only one winner gets the prize.

Chrysostom quotes from his Latin text for verse eight, which reads: “Such persuasion does not come from the one who calls you.” He goes on to point out what Paul was saying to the Galatians: “He who called you did not call you to have such ups and downs in your faith.” Chrysostom uses the Latin word “fluctuat,” which means to undulate or make waves. Sort of reminds one of a buoy in a shipping channel, floating up and down with the waves.

Chrysostom then goes on to note that Paul does not establish a law that the Galatians should become Judaized again. And just in case some might object, Paul, asks why do they magnify and aggravate the situation by their words of protest to his teaching? What was the fuss all about over one commandment about remaining steady he asked them to keep and make such an enormous outcry?’ ^[7] Chrysostom tells us to listen to how Paul terrifies them in verse nine, not by things present but the future in these words: “A little yeast affects the whole lump.” And thus, this slight error, he says, if not corrected, will have power (as the yeast has with the dough to lead you back into complete Judaism).^[8]

From this, it appears that Chrysostom feels that Paul is catching this spread of Judaizing in its initial stage, trying to prevent it from metastasizing further and infecting the whole body of the Anointed One.  So often pastors make the mistake of not addressing such issues, merely believing that by waiting, it will all take care of itself, or dies out for lack of interest.  Had Paul taken the same route, there is every reason to believe that the Churches throughout Galatia would have wilted on the True Vine.

Another early church scholar, Marius Victorinus, has Paul asking the Galatians: “Why were you called back from the right path, as if by some spell?” What I taught you, says Paul, through preaching the Gospel was the full truth; this new teaching is false; it’s the opposite of the truth, and will lead to nothing beneficial. So, Paul wants to know: Who got in your way, so you were unable to obey the truth?  Truth is certainly on your side, which you were obliged to follow, to keep you from any other religious system.

Next, Paul admonishes what they should do now because they failed to do so earlier: That is, don’t become followers of every new idea that comes to town. He fights on every front, so they won’t change their opinion and add something beyond what was taught them through the Gospel. Do not adjust, Paul says, to non-gospel views established by others. Your persuasion is from God, who called you. That means whatever persuaded you, be it by me, or be it by some belief you already held with God’s urging through His Spirit, make sure such persuasion comes from the God, who called you. Remember, whom God called, He also predestined, in addition to the other things, says Paul, which I stated earlier.^{[9] [10]}

Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) in answering the question of whether sinful tendencies existed in the soul of the first man, Adam, states that it would seem that the first man’s soul had no such tendencies. When speaking of sinful tendencies lusting against the spirit, as Paul does here in verse seven, it would not apply to Adam or Eve in the Garden of Eden. Such sinful inclinations did not exist in their state of innocence. Therefore, being in a state of innocence, there were no passions of the soul, namely, the sinful tendencies in the unregenerate person.^[11] Let us, therefore, consider that if we are in union with the Anointed One who exists in a state of innocence, then the more we become like Him, the less we become a victim of our sinful tendencies.

Aquinas adds that the obstacle to their standing fast was significant and harmful. Anything considered dangerous compared to all the good they were doing.^[12]  In other words, Paul was not only looking at the dysfunction this legalistic teaching was causing at the moment but all the harm and destruction it would cause later on if not exposed and eliminated immediately.

Likewise, early church writer Ambrosiaster sees Paul congratulating the Galatians on their progress in the work of faith. Still, they had somehow prevented by the wickedness of evil men from finishing the race with the effort which comes from perseverance.  Paul urges them to repent so in the future; they can resist those who try to persuade them to keep the works of the Law, instead of obeying the truth of the Gospel.  Ambrosiaster sees the Jews acting in their human wisdom in trying to subject the Galatians to the yoke of the law, but the Apostle Paul was performing with spiritual understanding.  Paul wanted them to see how something as simple as circumcision could have the same effect as a little yeast in a lump of dough.  In other words, their acceptance of circumcision would undoubtedly lead to the adaptation of other legal requirements until their faith in the Anointed One is so depleted that their only hope would be in the Law.^[13]

Martin Luther (1483-1546) makes an interesting comment on how believers became hindered in their spiritual growth and maturity. The Galatian believers became spiritually stalled after turning from Faith and Grace to the Law. The same is true today when switching from faith in the teachings of Jesus to the sacraments of the Church to save them. The Apostle is indirectly blaming the false apostles from Jerusalem for impeding their progress as Christians. These Judaizers persuaded the Galatians to believe that they were in error and that they were making little or no progress under the influence of Paul’s leadership. Under the harmful impact of the false apostles, the Galatians thought they were well off and advancing rapidly in Christian knowledge and living by adding what they said to what Paul said.^[14] What they didn’t realize was what the Judaizers said meant canceling out all that Paul taught them. Luther became interested in this phenomenon when he saw how a new born-again believer, hungry to know more about God’s Word and their new faith, are slowly weaned from Church teachings emphasizing rites, rituals, regulations, and practical doctrines, onto the Word of God. The Word is the only thing that will help them grow in the Lord.

Luther then goes on to write that Paul is explaining how those who were deceived by false teachers may yet be restored to spiritual health. The false apostles were good-humored fellows. Apparently, they surpassed Paul in learning and doing things right. The Galatians were easily deceived by outward appearances. They assumed they were being taught by the Anointed One Himself. Paul proved to them that their new doctrine was not of the Anointed One, but of the devil. In this way, he succeeded in restoring many of them.

We also can win back many from the errors into which they were seduced by showing that their beliefs are imaginary, harmful, and contrary to the Word of God. The devil is a cunning persuader. He knows how to enlarge the smallest sin into a mountain until we think we have committed the worst crime ever perpetrated on earth. Such stricken consciences must be comforted and set straight as Paul corrected the Galatians by showing them that their opinion is not of the Anointed One because it runs counter to the Gospel, which describes the Anointed One as a meek and merciful Savior.

[1] Matthew 16:6

[2] Luke 12:1

[3] Mark 8:15

[4] See Luke 13:21

[5] See 1 Corinthians 5:6-7

[6] Ibid. 9:24-7; See Galatians 5:7

[7] Scholars believe that Paul here is referring to having Timothy circumcised to keep peace in the church.

[8] Chrysostom: Homilies on Galatians, op. cit., loc. cit.

[9] Romans 8:30

[10] Marius Victorinus: Commentary on Galatians, op. cit., loc. cit.

[11] Thomas Aquinas: Summa Theologica, Vol. 1, op. cit., Question 95, p. 1156

[12] Aquinas, Thomas: Commentary on Galatians, op. cit., loc. cit.

[13] Ambrosiaster: Commentary on Galatians, op. cit., loc. cit., p. 28

[14] Martin Luther: Commentary on Galatians, op. cit., loc. cit.

The following novel facts about Easter, you may not know. If you don’t, they should interest you.

There is no record in the NT that Resurrection Sunday was celebrated by the Apostles or the churches. Jesus did not tell them to make the day He rose into a Holy Day. It wasn’t until 325 AD, some 300 years after our Lord’s rising from the dead that the Council of Nicaea decreed that the first Sunday following the first full moon after the spring equinox (March 21^st) was Resurrection Sunday.

The English word “Easter,” which parallels the German word Ostern, is of uncertain origin. One view, expounded by early Church scholar Venerable Bede in the 8th century, is that Easter is derived from Eostre, the Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring and fertility. At the ancient Celtic feast of Eostre, an ox was sacrificed with its horns becoming a symbol for the feast. This view presumes—as does the view associating the origin of Christmas on December 25 with pagan celebrations of the winter solstice—that Christians appropriated pagan names and holidays for their highest festivals.

Given the determination with which Christians combated all forms of paganism (the belief in multiple deities), this appears a rather dubious presumption. There is now widespread consensus that the word derives from the Christian designation of Easter week as albis. This Latin phrase was understood as the plural of alba (“dawn”) and became eostarum in Old High German, the precursor of the modern German and English terms.

Fixing the date on which the Resurrection of Jesus was to be observed and celebrated triggered a major controversy in early Christianity in which an Eastern and a Western position differed. The dispute, known as the “Paschal controversies,” was not definitively resolved until the 8th century. In Asia Minor, Christians observed the day of the Crucifixion on the same day that Jews celebrated the  Passover offering—that is, on the 14th day of the first full moon of spring, 14 Nisan (see Jewish Calendar). The Resurrection, then, was observed two days later, on 16 Nisan, regardless of the day of the week. In the Western world, the Resurrection of Jesus was celebrated on the first day of the week.

Eastern Orthodox churches used a slightly different calculation based on the Julian rather than the Gregorian calendar (which is 13 days ahead of the former), with the result that the Orthodox Easter celebration usually occurs later than that celebrated by Protestants and Roman Catholics. Moreover, the Orthodox tradition prohibits Easter from being celebrated before or at the same time as Passover.

In Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches, eggs, which are a symbol of fertility and spring, are dyed red to represent the blood of Jesus, before being blessed and distributed to congregants. Now they’re mostly just a fun way to celebrate the springtime season, especially with creative decorating ideas and Easter egg hunts.

While Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, and Good Friday are major holidays for all Catholics, only 12 out of the 50 United States consider Good Friday before Easter an actual federal holiday. Most of the country will go to work on Good Friday. In Europe, Easter Monday is a national holiday, giving the citizens a four-day weekend.

The fluffy Easter bunny stems from the Anglo-Saxon festival of Eastre, which featured a spring goddess who used the rabbit to represent fertility. It wasn’t until Germans settled in Pennsylvania in the 1700s that the tradition of the bunny that brings eggs came to the USA.

Back in the mid-1800s in New York, people believed that buying new clothes to wear on Easter would bring them good luck for the rest of the year. And, lucky for us, the custom continues today. Then in 1933, composer Irving Berlin introduced the Easter Bonnet into American pop culture with his ballad “Easter Parade.” Today, it’s still one of the most popular songs for the holiday. However, both the new Easter outfit, bonnets, and parade are rarely seen anymore. The ornate eggs were called pysanka, which was made by using wax and dyes. It wasn’t until Ukrainian immigrants came to the U.S. that the colorful custom caught on.

So, we ask, is any of this celebration biblical? No! Is any of this spiritual? Yes! Unfortunately, for the most part, the Easter celebration has become commercial and materialistic. Does that mean we should stop celebrating our Lord’s resurrection at the time of the year when it occurred? Absolutely not! Jesus told us to remember His sacrifice and death, as well as His return to resurrect the believers who died and transform those who are alive.[1] But greater still, there is a Resurrection Day Celebration scheduled according to the Bible.

The Apostle Paul was the one who made it famous when he said: For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. So, let these words be an encouragement to you to each other.[2] – Dr. Robert R Seyda

[1] John 14:1-3

[2] 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18

GOD’S SPIRIT WILL FOLLOW YOU WHEREVER YOU GO

Mel Johnson, senior writer for “Godupdates” internet blog, shares this story with us. I believe it will increase your faith that God watches over us more than He does the sparrows. That’s why Jesus came for the broken and the lost because God loves all of us the same. From the addict to the thief and to the porn star — we all have a place in God’s heart. And it’s this truth that saved Viktor, an infamous drug dealer turned pastor.

Viktor fell into the drug dealing business in his twenties. He ran a major drug operation during the 1990s, which smuggled drugs into Central Asia where he lived. The job offered plenty of “easy” money, along with loads of adventure. And best of all, Viktor was good at it. So good, in fact, Viktor’s operation expanded. But it only takes one bust to ruin everything. And that’s precisely what happened to Viktor.

In 1996, Viktor’s success ended. Authorities caught him with nearly 9 pounds of heroin, which sent him straight to prison. For Viktor, it seemed like the end. But God was just getting started! Viktor’s long sentence behind bars dragged on. His mental state continued to deteriorate until he became suicidal. “I felt empty inside,” he said, “and did not want to live anymore. I did not know how long I would be in jail.”

And that’s when God got a hold of him! Viktor’s cellmate received the Gospel of John from his mother as a gift. He offered to let Viktor read it, but he refused. But one sleepless night, Viktor decided to give it a try. At first, it made no sense to him, so he gave up. Words like “the Word was first, and the Word was God” failed to register with him in any way. What did it mean? So, he put it away and stopped reading.”

But more sleepless nights followed, so Viktor tried again. This time, as he read about “eternal life,” and that caught his attention. He didn’t know anything about prayer, but he decided to call out to Jesus: He told the Lord, “You know I am not sure that You exist, but I want eternal life, and I want to be born again,” he said. He continued reading in the Bible alone in his cell with no Christians around. It was just him and the book.

Viktor realized that he was a changed man when some fellow inmates offered him some smuggled drugs. The old Viktor would have jumped at this. But the new Viktor turned the drugs down.

“Looking at the drugs,” recalls Viktor, “I knew that they would drive me insane, I was looking at death, not eternal life.” Examining John’s Gospel, Viktor wanted life, not death, so he made the decision to choose life. He sent the drugs back.”

Being saved doesn’t end our troubles on this earth. That’s when Viktor got some terrible news. Doctors diagnosed him with a terrible disease and informed him he had about a year and a half to live. The news should have crushed him. But instead, a joy that confounded his fellow inmates filled Viktor. Confident in his newfound relationship with Jesus, Viktor had no fear of death. He knew it led to Heaven. So, instead of despair, he found hope! He believed he still had work to do on this earth!

So, to everyone’s amazement, Viktor’s disease didn’t worsen, nor did he become thin and frail. In fact, he thrived! Viktor believed God was keeping him alive and healthy, and it was all by grace alone. And to thank his Almighty Creator, he and some fellow inmates started a church within the jail. The group gathered together to worship and pray. Soon, Viktor began preaching to the inmates.

Viktor finished out his jail sentence and decided to make his transformation of drug dealer turned pastor official. He headed to a Bible seminary, and while working on his studies, began sharing the Good News with drug addicts at a nearby rehab center. Now, he continues to share God’s lifesaving Word as the pastor of an underground church in Central Asia. And it’s no easy task. But for this drug dealer turned pastor, danger is nothing new. Only now, he serves and lives under the protection of the One True King!

“We realized it was not our own plan,” Viktor said, this was never my own plan to spread the Gospel and develop this ministry, it came from God. It is hard work and does not produce a high profit, but it works, exclaims Viktor!

How awesome is our God?! One of Victor’s favorite verses goes: “We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.” (2 Cor. 4:8-9) In fact, Victor is living proof that in everything we do, we show that we are true ministers of God. We patiently endure troubles and hardships and calamities of every kind. (2 Cor 6:4) We could say that Victor, along with the Apostle Paul said, that the road is not always easy. “I have been in prison many times. I cannot remember how many times I have been whipped. Many times, I have been in danger of death.” (2 Cor 11:23)

Keep this in mind: God may want to lead you to a mountain top experience, but first, you must go through a valley. That’s what Paul told the Romans: We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us because He gave us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with His love. (Rom. 5:3-5) – Dr. Robert R Seyda

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

PAUL’S LETTER TO THE GALATIAN CHURCHES

CHAPTER FIVE (Lesson LXV)

Another current British commentator, Nicholas T. Wright, sums it up by saying that for Paul, there’s no other choice. You cannot have it both ways. If you want to walk with the Redeemer, you cannot drag the Law behind you. By clinging to it, you are declaring that you don’t want to belong to the Messiah’s people. Two great sentences sum up what Christianity is all about.  First, in verse five: we are waiting eagerly, by the spirit, for the hope of righteousness. Second, in verse six: neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any power for those with the Messiah because what matters is faith working through love.

The initial sentence establishes the emphasis on the future. Paul speaks of the time when God declares publicly and entirely that all those in union with the Anointed One are His people. That is “the hope of righteousness.” It means they long for the time when God’s pardon and justification of all His faithful people will be made manifest to all the world.  And, Paul says, we await this great event, the conferring of this public status, “by the spirit” – in other words, not by the mark made on the human body by circumcision. So, if you want evidence here and now that your future hope is not in vain, you should find such evidence, not in the status you attain through having a minor physical operation, but in the new life gained in the Spirit. Look at it this way; the Spirit is the ticket that guarantees us a place on the boat which, unlike the Law which cannot offer a boarding pass, will carry us across the river into the heavenly Promised Land.^[1]

Don Garlington, Pastor of Grace Valley Christian Center in Davis, California, notes that in verse six, we read that one day our righteousness is going to be completed and fully realized in the Anointed One and the Spirit (apart from the Law). However, for now, it is confirmed using slightly different words: it is not circumcision or uncircumcision that matter, but “faith working through love.” The operative principle of God’s ultimate vindication of His people is not the boundary markers of Jewish identity but faith in the Anointed One motivated by love. Paul’s statement here invites comparison with what Paul told the Thessalonians: We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus the Anointed One.” ^{[2] [3]} So it is not circumcision, but character, that identifies a believer as being in union with the Anointed One.

Ronald Y. K. Fung helps explain how the word “hope” should be understood here in verse five. What believers are waiting for is “righteousness” (a right standing before God here and in eternity). This deceptively simple phrase lends itself to a wide variety of interpretations. When we regard “hope” to be a figure of speech, meaning “expectant hope” and firm possession “of righteousness,” we can consider it as an objective or maturation process. In that case, the phrase will mean “hoped-for righteousness” or “righteousness hoped for.” Of the more exact meaning of the words, however, there are at least four views.

First: Using “hope” and “eagerly await” on the one hand and “justified” in verse four requires that “righteousness” here refers to that future justification spoken of in Romans 2:13, 16. Thereby, our anticipated righteousness is “ethically-connected.” That means our ultimate right standing before God depends on our current standing with God. You cannot have one without the other.

Secondly: Very similar, but without reference to the ethical aspect, is the view that takes the phrase to denote the hope of final acquittal in the last judgment when God publicly pronounces His verdict. Against both these views remains the truth that there is no futuristic justification mentioned. Instead, a person’s justification in the present comes through faith in the Anointed One. Some doubt Paul intended to say there is justification at the last judgment; in his letters, Paul consistently speaks of the believer’s justification as something that has taken place in the here and now.^[4] He does so without implying that this justification will be disclosed publicly at the last judgment. Indeed, Paul’s conviction that God imparts His righteousness now is “the new point in comparison with Judaism.”

Thirdly: Hoped-for righteousness in the subjective sense of “inward personal righteousness,” which is synonymous with “Christian holiness, conformity to the moral ideal.” But to understand “righteousness” here in this ethical sense does not blend well with verse four, where justification appears to be a matter, not of the quality of life but of standing in grace related to the Anointed One. Since verse five supports verse four, it is reasonable to expect “righteousness” in verse five to bear a similar sense to that which is involved in “being justified” in verse four. And that sense is distinctly legal, not ethical.

Fourth: Another suggestion regards “righteousness” here as a synonym for “the awaited future blessing of salvation.” But while it is true that righteousness and salvation are closely associated with Paul’s thought,^[5] they are nevertheless differentiated from each other. As Paul told the Romans, it clearly shows that for the Christian, justification belongs to the past (“we are justified,”) but salvation is to occur in the future (“we shall… be saved.”)

Again, although “righteousness” and “salvation” stand in formal parallelism to each other, they are not identical in content: whereas “righteousness” is a reference to present justification, “salvation,” which resumes the thought of “you will find salvation,” refers to salvation at the last day.

Thus, the linking of “righteousness” and “salvation” unifies present and future – which are distinct. The Final Covenant emphasizes both to “save” and “salvation” in the future, keeping it in harmony with its general usage, although the present aspect remains visible in Paul’s teachings.^[6] This clear distinction between “righteousness” as present and “salvation” as future renders it unlikely that in our passage, “righteousness” is intended as a synonym for “salvation.” ^[7]

David A. Brondos notes that according to the Apostle Paul, God’s gift of right standing and His justification sparing us of sin’s death sentence is obtainable only by faith. That doesn’t mean that faith replaces obedience to God’s will as a condition necessary for salvation. Instead, it is understood as faith saves because, through faith, one receives the gracious gift of God, the life of being right with Him by faith, through faith.^[8] This new life flows out of belief, just as love is produced by faith, as Paul says here in verse six. So that means, by being obedient to God by faith, this is a result of unwavering trust. It isn’t that faith itself produces love or obedience, but that through faith, a person receives from God through the Anointed One and the Holy Spirit the ability to love and obey. Now believers are right with God, but not of their own making, especially by following the Law. Instead, being right with God is theirs through faith in His ability to forgive^[9].^[10]

5:7-9a You were doing so well. Who caused you to stop paying attention to the truth? It certainly wasn’t the One who chose you in the beginning. So be careful! Just a little yeast makes the whole batch of dough rise.^[11]

 Paul expressed this same concern to the Corinthians about people following a specific way to a selected goal but diverted off that path into failure. He asked them that since they knew that in a race all the runners run, but only one runner gets the prize. So, run this way. Run to win!^[12] So, says the writer of the Book of Hebrews, seeing all those great people around us who set an example, look at what their lives tell us about putting faith to work. In the same way, we, too, should run the course that is set before us and never give up. We should remove from our lives anything that would slow us down and the sinful tendencies that so often make us stumble and fall.^[13]

We accomplish this, Paul tells the Galatians, by staying on the track that leads to the finish line. Just look at others who were selfish and refuse to follow the trail of truth. Instead, they tried to take a shortcut and get there on their own. God will let them know He is not pleased with their choice, and they will end up suffering the consequences.^[14] Just remember the Israelites and their failure to listen to the testimony of Joshua and Caleb that the Promised Land was ready for them to move in. So, they ended up spending forty years in the wilderness, and anyone over the age of twenty-one never made it in.^[15]

That’s why Paul spent no time in telling the Romans about all he accomplished in trying to impress them with his exploits. No! He spent time telling them about what the Anointed One did with him in sending him to the Gentiles to help them to obey what God said. It was the Good News that would persuade them to follow Yeshua, the Messiah, not merely Paul’s recommendation.^[16] God’s way of doing things goes as far back to the time of the Prophets in Israel. Obeying what God says will never lead anyone astray from the trail of truth.^[17]

Paul composed the same message for the Corinthians that they, too, must knock down every proud idea that raises itself against the knowledge of God. Also, that they capture every thought they think and make it surrender to obeying the Anointed One, Jesus.^[18] When he wrote the Thessalonians, who were always looking to the future and the return of the Messiah, he warned them that He would come with a burning fire to punish those who don’t know God – those who refuse to accept the Good News about our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One.^[19] Until then, He was made our perfect high priest to ensure that everyone who obeys Him will receive eternal life.^[20] Just look at Abraham, who did not have the Gospel nor was sent an ambassador to explain why God told him to leave his homeland and go to a foreign place where he would be blessed. He did it all by faith in what God told him to do.^[21]

[1] Wright, Nicholas T., Paul for Everyone: Galatians, op. cit., loc. cit.

[2] 1 Thessalonians 1:3; cf. 1 Corinthians 13:13

[3] Garlington, Don: On Galatians, op. cit., pp. 144-145.

[4] See Romans 3:24; 5:1, 9-10; 1 Cor. 6:11

[5] Cf. Romans 5:9ff; 10:9ff

[6] Cf. Romans 8:24; 2 Corinthians 6:2

[7] Fung, Ronald Y. K., On Galatians, op. cit., pp. 224-226

[8] See Romans 1:17; 3:22, 26, 30; 4:13; 9:30; 10:6; 14:23; Galatians 2:16; 3:7; Philippians 3:9

[9] Philippians 3:9

[10] Brondos, David A., Paul on the Cross: op. cit., p. 91

[11] Paul makes the same reference in 1 Corinthians 5:6 (Cf. Matthew 16:6, 12)

[12] 1 Corinthians 9:24

[13] Hebrews 12:1

[14] Romans 2:8

[15] Ibid. 10:16

[16] Ibid. 15:18

[17] Ibid. 16:26

[18] 2 Corinthians 10:5

[19] 2 Thessalonians 1:8

[20] Hebrews 5:9

[21] Ibid. 11:8

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

PAUL’S LETTER TO THE GALATIAN CHURCHES

CHAPTER FIVE (Lesson LXIV)

Maclaren offers a homily on this text. He says that when groups or Churches insist on including external rites as essential for justification, or, elevate any rituals and ceremonies as an accompanying source of grace, attaching them to the bond which fastens our souls to Jesus so that it becomes another channel of grace, as well as the bond of union, then it is time to arm for the defense of the spirituality of the Anointed One’s kingdom and to resist the attempt to bind on freed shoulders the iron yoke of legality. Maclaren says that we should let groups and churches do as they please, so long as they do not turn their optional forms of dedication into essential molds for justification.

 Maclaren notes, in the broad freedom of expression and spirituality, which holds fast to the one central principle of not being troubled by less important matters – we exhibit tolerance for other opinions on this subject of grace alone. But this does not arise from casual differences but a clear understanding of our perception, and from the strong commitment we have for the basic essential for living the Christian life, let us be guided by the significant, calm, lofty thoughts which these verses spread out clearly before our eyes.^[1]

Marvin Vincent (1824-1922) comments on Paul’s inference here in verse four that those who reach for the Law will fall from Grace. The Apostle Peter makes the same point.^[2] Paul’s declaration is aimed squarely at the Judaizers, who taught that joining the freedom of Grace and the obligation of the Law make it legal. They are mutually exclusive, making this impossible.^[3] Vincent notes that the Greek verb ekpiptō means “to fall from a thing, to lose grip of it.” ^[4] Vincent says that in classic Greek writings, they used it in case an insubordinate seaman was ordered off the ship, banished, and deprived of any office. It described actors booed off the stage.^[5] I believe that Paul used the strongest of words, says Vincent, to warn the Galatians of what they faced if they rejected the Anointed One as their sole source of salvation.

Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892) sees Paul eliminating any trust in the external rituals of religion, which has always been a common temptation. Circumcision was a great thing with the Jews, and frequently they trusted in it, but Paul declares that it adds up to nothing gained. There might be others who were glad that they were not Jews, but Paul says that by them not being circumcised, it did not give the Jews any advantage over others. Certain matters connected with godliness are external, and yet they are only useful for the purpose assigned to them, especially in the case of water baptism and the Lord’s supper, the assembling of ourselves together, the reading of the Word, and public prayer and praise. These things are proper and profitable, but none of them must be made in any measure or degree to serve as the grounds of our hope of salvation. This text sweeps them all away, and plainly describes them as availing nothing if established as foundations of our trust in God’s saving grace.^[6]

George G. Findlay (1849-1919) says that the Galatians faced two roads to follow on their way to justification and salvation. One is called the Roadway of Law, the other, the Highway of Grace. If they chose to follow the Highway of Law, they cease to be Christians. They will leave behind the light and joy of the heavenly Zion; they will find themselves wandering around in the gloomy desolate wilderness of Sinai. So, look at this picture. There are the Galatians all in an uproar about which Hebrew feasts to celebrate and what rites to perform, totally absorbed in the details of Mosaic ceremonial law. On the other side is Paul with the Church of the Spirit, walking boldly in being right with God by faith and the communion of the Holy Spirit, joyfully awaiting the Savior’s final coming and the hope laid up in heaven.^[7] When putting it this way, how could anyone choose any other way than the Way of the Cross?

Findlay goes on to say that these two sentences (verses five and six), sums up faith in the Anointed One. Verse five gives us the dynamo; verse six gives us its dynamics. It is a condition, an occupation, a grand outlook, and an intent pursuit, a Divine hope for the future, and a sovereign power for the present with an everlasting fountain of energy in the love of the Anointed One. These are the active and passive elements of the Christian life we must balance appropriately. Christians and the Church committed many errors because of one-sidedness.  Some just sit with folded hands, patiently waiting until the Lord returns; others are too busy to think of His coming at all. Waiting can degenerate into laziness; serving in a hectic hurry and anxiety can become a mechanical routine, says Findlay. Hope is what gives us calmness and dignity, bubbliness, and brightness to our work. Let us all have Jesus find us working for Him as we await His coming.^[8]

Alvah Hovey, (1892-1903) adds to what he said in the previous verse about being separated from the Anointed One because of forsaking Him in favor of the Law, by noting how it affects a person’s hope of being right with God. The fact is any believer that awaits by faith, the fulfillment of their expectation is evidence that they have turned to religious legal works for salvation and abandoned the method of grace. The “hope” spoken of here cannot mean having the feeling of hope because Christians are not “waiting” for that; they already possess it. It must rather signify that which is hoped for, the object of trust. But it is not the “faith” that provides the substance of that for which we hope.^[9]

But this hoped-for good, says Hovey, is in some way defined by the words “of righteousness.” What then does the term righteousness signify? It may denote a perfect moral character for which we hope by obeying the Law, or it may denote acceptance with God through the Anointed One, which is the down payment of our hope for eternal life. In other words, it may signify either self-righteousness based on Law and Works or justification based on Faith and Grace. Paul’s previous arguments all show it is Faith and Grace. With this said, then this verse teaches that eternal life, for which Christians wait in hope, belongs to justification and will eventually flow from it. However, that justification and hope are dependent on faith in Jesus the Anointed One, and that this faith itself is due to the work of the Holy Spirit provided the Galatians with an exceedingly rich cluster of truths, every one of which is a protest against the Judaistic movement among the Galatians.^[10]

Kenneth Wuest (1893-1961) gives his view of the righteousness he feels Paul is talking about here in verse five. It is not justifying righteousness, and for three reasons. First, it is a righteousness that finds its source in the operation of the Holy Spirit. Justifying righteousness is a purely legal matter and has to do with a believer’s standing before God. The Holy Spirit has nothing to do with that. That is a matter between God, the Father, and God the Son. The Father justifies a believing sinner based on the work of the Son of God on the Cross. Second, the context is dealing with the Christian’s experience, not their standing, with the method of living a Christian life, not the relation of that person to the laws of God. Third, love is a Fruit of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Christian spoken of in verse six, which verse links up with verse five. Again, this shows that the grace spoken of in verse five is sanctifying grace, of which the Galatian saints were depriving themselves by their act of depending upon self-effort in an attempt to obey the Law.^[11]

Current Bible commentator Grant R. Osborne notes that Paul explains here in verse six why the rite of circumcision is not enough to make us right with God. The truth is that “any union with Jesus the Anointed One does not depend on being circumcised or uncircumcised of any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.” Faith appropriates that right standing with God that the Anointed One made possible that guides our responses throughout the Christian life. We are first justified by faith (not by the Law, verse 4) when God declares us to be right with Himself in His court of grace. Then we continue to live by faith through the process of sanctification. Living right before God, by faith, makes this happen.

Circumcision is not a part of this process. Along with the Law, it has been removed from the equation by the Anointed One and no longer counts as part of the covenant process. It does not matter whether one is circumcised (like Jews) or not (like Gentiles). Both groups of believers stand before God by grace through faith, not by works. So, we can see the link between the “saved” life and the “sanctified” life with its Fruit of the Spirit.^[12]

I like the way Messianic Jewish writer Avi ben Mordechai approaches this strong statement by Paul here in verse six about circumcision and uncircumcision, amounting to nothing compared to love and faith. He points back to the Apostle’s words in the first-century period after the coming of the Anointed One, whose teachings were the counter alternative to the Rabbi’s teachings. Mordechai offers an amplified paraphrase of what he believes Paul is saying. How you religious Jewish leaders define the terms circumcision or uncircumcision is of no consequence to me because what really matters is not its legal definition based on oral law and rabbinic tradition; rather, circumcision is always defined within the context of what it means to keep faith with Yahweh which is fulfilled through our love for Yahweh as Yeshua already say, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments,” ^[13] which is restated in many places of Scripture.^[14] In other words, circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but keeping the commandments of God is everything.^[15]

Dutch Bible scholar Alfred E. Bouter notes another consequence is switching from Grace to Law. He notes that if the Galatians placed themselves under the Law or want to be justified by the Law, there would also be a conflict with the Holy Spirit because the Holy Spirit acts on the principle of faith. So just as they would lose their profit from being in union with the Anointed One, they also lose the help of the indwelling Spirit. Here, Faith connects with Hope. Paul contrasts the impossibility of justification by the Law with the hope of righteousness through grace. True believers are justified based on faith, and they have real hope, the hope of righteousness. Here faith, hope, and love are linked together. Through faith, we benefit from the help of the Spirit, and we have the right kind of hope, the hope of righteousness; but if we are under the law, if we want to be justified by the Law, our hope is gone.^[16]

[1] Maclaren, Alexander: Expositions on the Holy Scriptures, Galatians, op. cit., loc. cit.

[2] 2 Peter 3:17

[3] Cf. Romans 4:4, 5, 14, 16

[4] See Acts of the Apostles 12:7; James 1:11

[5] Vincent, Marvin R., Word Studies on Galatians, op. cit., p. 157

[6] Spurgeon, Charles H., The Luther Sermon at Exeter-Hall, on Sunday evening, Nov. 11, 1883, Sermon Num.  #1750

[7] Findlay, George G., On Galatians, op. cit., pp. 309-310

[8] Ibid. pp. 314-315

[9] Hebrews 11:1

[10] Hovey, A., On Galatians, op. cit., p. 65

[11] Wuest, Kenneth: Word Studies, op. cit., loc. cit.

[12] Osborne, G. R: Galatians, op. cit., pp. 165–166

[13] John 14:15

[14] See Exodus 20:6; Deuteronomy 5:10, 7:9, 11:1, 22; 30:16; Joshua 22:5; Nehemiah 1:5; |Daniel 9:4

[15] Mordechai, Avi ben: On Galatians, p. 68

[16] Bouter, Alfred E., On Galatians, op. cit., p. 68

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

PAUL’S LETTER TO THE GALATIAN CHURCHES

CHAPTER FIVE (Lesson LXIII)

Chrysostom did not live long enough to read the Reformers’ works. But one wonders what he would have thought of Calvin’s commentary on verses five and six. He claims there would be no difficulty in understanding this passage, were it not for the dishonest manner in which it was twisted by those who uphold the righteousness of works. When they attempt to refute the doctrine that we are justified by faith alone, they use this argument: If the faith that justifies us is by works done out of love, then faith alone does not justify on its own. Calvin answers, they do not comprehend their silly talk, and even less do they comprehend our teachings.

It is not our doctrine that faith alone justifies, says Calvin. We maintain that faith leads to good works. We only contend that faith alone is sufficient for justification, which is then accompanied by good works. The Vatican itself is accustomed to ripping up faith in a perverse fashion, sometimes presenting it all out of shape and unaccompanied by love, and at other times, in its true character. We, again, refuse to admit that, in any case, we cannot separate faith from the Spirit of regeneration. However, when the question comes to be in what manner we are justified, we then set aside all works.^[1] One example to prove Calvin’s point is the thief on the cross. Since he did have faith, he had no opportunity to add good works for complete justification.

John Bunyan (1638-1688) is speaking on the subject here in verse six that being a Jew or Gentile makes no difference in how one gains faith that comes by God’s Love. Take note, says Bunyan, it does not say here that faith acts lovingly, or that faith’s fruit is Love. True faith is a consequence of pure Love. So then, since faith is the offspring of Love, faith then believes and acts out of love. God’s Love is the basis for justifying one’s faith in the work of Jesus the Anointed One on the cross, which then results in justification in God’s sight as being right with Him. It starts with Love, the Love of God, who gave His Son to be our Savior and the Love of the Savior in sacrificing Himself on our behalf. Therefore, Love working in us stirs up a holy boldness in taking hold of all things that concern the Anointed One and providing all our affection for His wonderful and blessed redeeming Love.^[2]

Charles Simeon (1759-1836) noted that there were some who, like the Apostle Paul, considered themselves the worst of sinners,^[3] and some who are so highly moral that salvation seems to be an easy thing for them. But the truth is, salvation is simply by faith in Jesus the Anointed One. That’s why some who might think it is very presumptuous on their part to entertain any hope of receiving that they don’t even think it’s possible and push the offer away, and some who feel that they can access it at any time with little effort.

Simeon says that both high and low attitudes come based on false humility and self-pride. Who possesses any worthiness to think they would be content to receive salvation from God’s hands? And who feels they have no worthiness and so would never qualify to receive such a free blessing. But both of these views greatly dishonor God and are a grievous insult to our Lord Jesus the Anointed One. Anyone should be content to receive all things freely from God, just as they receive the light from the sun, and the very air they breathe.

Remember, says Simeon, that the more unworthy you feel yourself to be, the more will His grace be exalted and magnified. There is righteousness already bought for you, and ready to be imparted to you. It is appointed to be received simply and solely by faith. It is “the hope laid up for you in heaven:” and you are to “wait for” it, in the exercise of earnest and continual prayer. O! beg the Holy Spirit to reveal it fully to your soul, prays Bunyan, and to overcome all your doubts and all your fears; and so impute faith into your heart, that you are filled with peace and joy in this world, and attain, in a better world, “the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.” ^[4]

J. N. Darby (1800 -1882) says that this life, produced in us by the operation of the Holy Spirit through the Word, is led by the Spirit given to believers; its rule is also in the Word. Its harvest is the Fruit of the Spirit. The Christian’s new life and walk with the Anointed One manifested their relationship with Him for all the world to see. If we follow this path – the way of the Anointed One – if we walk in His steps, we will not fulfill the desires of the flesh. That way, sin is avoided, not by having the Law to compel a person to do what they do not like; the Law has no power to compel a person to obey, for it is not subject to the Law of God, neither indeed can it be.

The new life loves obedience, loves holiness, and the Anointed One is its strength and wisdom by the Holy Spirit. The flesh is indeed there; it envies the Spirit, and the Spirit is jealous of the flesh. Together they prevent a believer from living as they want. But if we walk in the Spirit, we are not under the Law; we are not as the person in Romans, chapter seven, compelled by the new nature to do good, but being captive to sin, they find no way of doing what they desire. The Law gives neither strength nor life. Under Law, even if life is there, there is no strength: humankind is the captive of sin.

But sealed by the Holy Spirit, says Darby, the believer is free, they can perform the good they love. If they are in union with the Anointed One, the body no longer has control. The old self gets crucified with the Anointed One. The Spirit is life, and that Spirit, as a divine and mighty Person, works in them to bring forth good fruit. The flesh and the Spirit are in their nature opposed the one to the other. Still, if we are faithful in seeking grace, the power of the Spirit in the Anointed One enables us to treat the flesh as dead, and to walk in the footsteps of the Anointed One, bringing forth the fruit that pleases Him.^[5]

Englishman Charles J. Ellicott (1819-1905) would be frustrated today if he entered into some churches, especially Messianic Jewish fellowships, to see how people, with good intentions, are trying to marry the ceremonial law of Judaism with the freedom of grace in Christianity. As far as Ellicott was concerned, there can be no compromise between Christianity and Judaism. If you accept the one, you must give up the other. Circumcision is a pledge or engagement to live by the rule of the Law. That whole rule must be observed. Out of obligation, you are committed to the practice of the entire Law, and in that way, and only that way, seek justification.

Our position is something entirely different, says Ellicott. We are accepted into a state of righteousness through the action of the Spirit on God’s side, and through faith on our own. The Christian owes any righteousness attributed to Him, not to circumcision, but to a life of which faith is the motive and love the Law.^[6]

Ellicott says for the Jews, good works represented the credibility of their commitment to the Law based on their outward appearance. It awarded them with self-righteousness, something they could experience here and now. The Christian, and the genuineness of their service to God, involved their inward, future, and salvation through faith in the Anointed One. Therefore, water baptism should transpire with the same intensity and loyalty to the Kingdom of God. More than being a suggestion, it is a rule. Furthermore, it is not complied with out of obligation, but out of love for the One who took our sins to the cross and died on our behalf. The Law would not let you choose when, where, and how to carry out your responsibilities, but Grace set us free so that we could seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit in fulfilling a vow to serve the Lord out of love.^[7]

William A. O’Conor (1820-1874) continues what he said in verse four about the Anointed One being of no effect to those who choose to be saved through the Law and focuses on being right with God through faith. He notes that religious legalists and formalists aim at immediate and perfect obedience, either moral or sacramental. This method does not admit gradual advances through failures and victories, for they deal with a rigorous law that allows for no noncompliance. Christians live spiritual lives, in the breadth and freedom of spiritual principles, as opposed to the obligations of a compact with the Law.

They do not work and then wait for the hope of righteousness through faith. Instead, they hunger and thirst for righteousness and believe the promise that they will be satisfied. Such righteousness is not challenged and measured by the Law. It springs from faith in the work of the Anointed One, not their works. It is in Him through Him. Faith is placed in Him for His sake. Yes, He who was found perfect and whose power to forgive both their present and future imperfections is complete.

For Alexander Maclaren (1826-1910), the whole tenor of the Epistle shows that the Apostle viewed the attempts of the Judaizing party with indignation. At this point, his language takes a more than usually stern and imperative tone. He speaks with the full weight of his apostolic authority and warns the Galatians that no half-measures will avail, but that they must decide, once for all, either to give up Judaism or the Anointed One. Some scholars use such passages to show direct antagonism on Paul’s part with other Apostles. Anyone who enters into the thinking of the Apostle, and follows the course of his intense reasoning, will see how unnecessary any such assumption is.

Nothing is more harmonious with human nature than that the same man should at one time agree to the amicable compromise of Acts 15, and at another, some years later, with the field all to himself, and only his converts to deal with, should allow a freer scope to his convictions. He is speaking with feelings highly roused, and with less regard to considerations of policy. Besides, the march of events had been rapid, and the principles of the system themselves changed naturally.

This will help us, says Maclaren, to graciously believe that people may love Jesus, and be fed from His living water and bread of life, whether they are on one side of this controversy or the other. Let us watch the tendencies jealously in our hearts to trust in our forms of worship or our freedom. And whenever or wherever these less important things become essentials to justification, and the ordinances of the Anointed One’s Church are elevated into the place which only belongs to loving-trust in His love, then let our voices be heard on the side of that mighty truth that “in union with Jesus, the Anointed One, being circumcised or uncircumcised does no help at all. It is faith alone which works by love.” ^[8]

[1] Calvin, John: On Galatians, op. cit., loc. cit.

[2] Bunyan, John: A Discourse Upon the Pharisee and Publican, op. cit., Ch. 8, pp. 253-254

[3] 1 Timothy 1:15

[4] Simeon, Charles: On Galatians, op. cit., Sermon (2079), p. 201

[5] Darby, J. N. Notes on Galatians 5, loc. cit.

[6] Ellicott, Charles: On Galatians for Christian Readers, op. cit., loc. cit.

[7] Ibid. Critical and Grammatical Commentary, On Galatians, op. cit., p. 120

[8] See verse 6