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Texts -- Galatians 5:1-8 (NET)

Context
Freedom of the Believer
5:1 For freedom Christ has set us free . Stand firm , then , and do not be subject again to the yoke of slavery . 5:2 Listen ! I , Paul , tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised , Christ will be of no benefit to you at all! 5:3 And I testify again to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law . 5:4 You who are trying to be declared righteous by the law have been alienated from Christ ; you have fallen away from grace ! 5:5 For through the Spirit , by faith , we wait expectantly for the hope of righteousness . 5:6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision carries any weight– the only thing that matters is faith working through love . 5:7 You were running well ; who prevented you from obeying the truth ? 5:8 This persuasion does not come from the one who calls you !

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  • Mahakasih Yang Ilahi [KJ.58] ( Love Divine, All Loves Excelling )
  • [Gal 5:1] He Set Me Free
  • [Gal 5:1] I Am Resolved

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James 2:13; Redemption Means…

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Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • The Israelites were not to exploit one another (vv. 35-38). They were not to charge one another interest on loans (v. 37; cf. Exod. 22:25; Deut. 23:19-20). This policy would have enabled a poor farmer to buy enough seed for t...
  • 3:19 Jeremiah prayed that the Lord would remember his affliction and bitterness (cf. Job 13:15).3:20-21 He himself remembered something that gave him hope.3:22 The prophet remembered that the Lord's loyal love (Heb. hesed) ne...
  • The last of the seven oracles against Egypt fittingly pictures the nation in its final resting place, the grave or Sheol, surrounded by other dead nations that had preceded it in judgment."The language is highly poetical and ...
  • Stephen continued dealing with the Mosaic period of Israel's history, but focused more particularly now on Moses' teaching, the Mosaic Law. This is what the Jews of his day professed to venerate and follow exactly, but Stephe...
  • 15:6 Evidently a large group of people observed the meeting that the church convened to debate the issue (vv. 12, 22).60915:7-9 First, spokesmen for each side presented arguments pro and con. Then Peter rose and reminded thos...
  • 7:1 "Those who know law"--the article "the"before "law"is absent in the Greek text--were Paul's Roman readers. They lived in the capital of the empire where officials debated, enacted, and enforced laws. They of all people we...
  • In verses 13-25 Paul continued to describe his personal struggle with sin but with mounting intensity. The forces of external law and internal sin (i.e., his sinful nature) conflicted. He found no deliverance from this confli...
  • Paul proceeded to expound on the thought that he introduced at the end of verse 17. This passage gives a very wide perspective of God's great plan of redemption, which is the heart of Paul's theology.2648:18 In the light of e...
  • The reason for Israel's failure mentioned in 9:32-33, namely her rejection of Christ, led Paul to amplify that subject further in this section.10:1 This pericope opens with Paul returning to his feelings of compassionate conc...
  • Alford, Henry. The Greek Testament. 4 vols. New ed. Cambridge: Rivingtons, 1881.Allen, Kenneth W. "Justification by Faith."Bibliotheca Sacra135:538 (April-June 1978):109-16.Auden, W. H. For the Time Being. London: Faber and F...
  • At this point Paul moved back from specific situations to basic principles his readers needed to keep in mind when thinking about marriage (cf. vv. 1-7). He drew his illustrations in this section from circumcision and slavery...
  • Paul moved on to point out that Christian love (agape) characterizes our existence now and forever, but gifts (charismata) are only for the present. The Corinthians were apparently viewing the gifts as one evidence that they ...
  • 3:4 Jesus Christ had given Paul confidence that the changes that the gospel had produced in the Corinthians validated his apostolic credentials. That confidence was not merely the product of Paul's imagination.3:5 Paul did no...
  • To answer his critics and prove the extent of his own service and sufferings for Christ, Paul related many of his painful experiences as an apostle.11:16 Paul apologized again for having to resort to mentioning these experien...
  • "The most uncontroverted matter in the study of Galatians is that the letter was written by Paul, the Christian apostle whose ministry is portrayed in the Acts of the Apostles."1The Apostle Paul directed this epistle to the c...
  • Probably the most distinctive impression one receives from this epistle is its severity. Paul wrote it with strong emotion, but he never let his emotions fog his argument. His dominant concern was for truth and its bearing on...
  • I. Introduction 1:1-10A. Salutation 1:1-5B. Denunciation 1:6-10II. Personal defense of Paul's gospel 1:11-2:21A. Independence from other apostles 1:11-241. The source of Paul's gospel 1:11-172. The events of Paul's early mini...
  • Paul began this epistle with a word of greeting for his readers to introduce himself as the writer and to emphasize the divine source of his apostolic commission.1:1 The nickname (cognomen) "Paul"is from the Latin Paulus, whi...
  • In these opening words Paul rebuked his readers for turning away from the gospel that he had preached to them and for turning toward a different "gospel."He accused them of being religious turncoats. He did so to impress them...
  • The first of the three major sections of the epistle begins here. We could classify them as history (1:11-2:21), theology (chs. 3-4), and ethics (5:1-6:10).". . . Paul was . . . following the logic of the Christian life: Beca...
  • Paul clarified the source of his gospel message in this pericope to convince his readers that the gospel he had preached to them was the true gospel. What the false teachers were presenting was heresy. He began an autobiograp...
  • "In vv. 6-9 Paul set forth a positive argument for justification by faith. In vv. 10-14 he turned the tables and argued negatively against the possibility of justification by works."933:10 Living under the Mosaic Law did not ...
  • Paul appealed next to his past contacts with the Galatians and called on them to remember his visits to Galatia to move them to abandon nomism."If the reader is inclined to think Paul has been impersonal in dealing with the p...
  • The apostle warned his readers not to think that they could satisfy the demands of the Mosaic Law by obeying only a few of its commands. Only complete compliance satisfies its demands.5:1 Paul's readers were in danger of retu...
  • Paul urged his readers to live unbound to the Law of Moses (5:1-12). He also warned them against using their liberty as a license to sin to prevent them from overreacting."The theme of love . . . informs all of Paul's exhorta...
  • 5:24 The Christian has crucified the flesh in the sense that when he or she trusted Christ God broke the domination of his or her sinful nature. While we still have a sinful human nature, it does not control us as it did befo...
  • 6:2 In view of the context probably the burden Paul had in mind was an excessive burden of particular temptation and struggle with the flesh (cf. Rom. 15:1). This could be a burden caused by social, economic, spiritual, or ot...
  • In this section Paul summarized some of his more important points. He also appealed to his readers again to urge them to follow through and to put into practice what he had taught them."Before concluding his letter Paul retur...
  • Allen, Kenneth W. "Justification by Faith."Bibliotheca Sacra135:538 (April-June 1978):109-16.Andrews, Mary E. "Paul and Repentance."Journal of Biblical Literature54:2 (June 1935):125.Barclay, William. The Letters to the Galat...
  • Paul's anticipation of his defense before Nero brought him back to the present in his thinking. His exposition of the mystery of the church to his readers had ended. He had also explained their proper conduct in view of their...
  • The first sub-section (1:27-30) begins with a topic sentence that expresses Paul's desire for the Philippians. Then he proceeded to explain and to illustrate what constitutes a worthy walk (2:1-4:9)."With this section we come...
  • Having revealed what believers have in Christ, Paul next pointed out the errors of the false teachers more specifically to help his readers identify and reject their instruction."Sad to say, there are many Christians who actu...
  • The Thessalonians' response to the gospel and their continuance in the faith caused Paul and his companions to thank God for them continually.13Three characteristics of these Christians stood out to Paul. First, they had turn...
  • Even though the danger his readers faced was great, the writer believed they could avoid it. Consequently he concluded this warning as he did the ones in 2:1-4 and 3:1-4:16 with a word of hope to encourage his audience.6:9 Th...
  • 7:11 The writer's point was that since God promised in Psalm 110:4 that the coming Messiah would be a priest after Melchizedek's order, He intended to terminate the Levitical priesthood because it was inadequate. If the Levit...
  • Whereas verses 19-21 stress the importance of listening to the Word, verses 22-25 emphasize the necessity of putting the Word into practice, applying it.1:22 Doing the Word of God in this context means persevering in God's wi...

Expositions Of Holy Scripture (Maclaren)

  • Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God.'--1 Cor. 7:19.For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision, but faith which worketh by love...
  • In Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but faith which worketh by love.'--Gal. 5:6.IT is a very singular instance of imaginative misreading of plain facts that the primitive Church should...
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