Galatians 5:6 Komentář

In this chapter the apostle comes to make application of his foregoing discourse. He begins it with a general caution, or exhortation (Gal 5:1), which he afterwards enforces by several considerations (Gal 5:2-12). He then presses them to serious practical godliness, which would be the best antidote against the snares of their false teachers; particularly, I. That they should not strive with one another (Gal 5:13-15). II. That they would strive against sin, where he shows, 1. That there is in every one a struggle between flesh and spirit (Gal 5:17). 2. That it is our duty and interest, in this struggle, to side with the better part (Gal 5:16, Gal 5:18). 3. He specifies the works of the flesh, which must be watched against and mortified, and the fruits of the Spirit, which must be brought forth and cherished, and shows of what importance it is that they be so (Gal 5:19-24). And then concludes the chapter with a caution against pride and envy.

INTRODUCTION TO GALATIANS 5 In this chapter the apostle exhorts to stand fast in Christian liberty, and warns against the abuse of it; and directs to shun various vices, and encourages, to the exercise of several graces, and the observance of several duties; and concludes with a caution against vain glory, provocation to wrath, and envy: and whereas, in the latter part of the preceding chapter, he had made it appear that the believers under the Gospel dispensation were free from the bondage of the law, he begins this with an exhortation to continue steadfastly in the liberty of the Gospel; and the rather, since it was what Christ obtained for them, and bestowed on them; and to take care, that they were not again brought under the bondage of the ceremonial law, particularly the yoke of Circumcision, Gal 5:1, and dissuades from submitting to it, by observing, that it tended to make Christ unprofitable to them, Gal 5:2, and that it laid them under an obligation to keep the whole law, Gal 5:3, and that it made Christ wholly useless to them; and that such who sought for justification by obedience to the ceremonial law were apostates from the Gospel of the grace of God, Gal 5:4, as also by showing, that it was contrary to the general faith and expectation of the saints, who were looking for and expecting eternal glory and happiness, not by the works of the law, but by faith in Christ, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, Gal 5:5, nor were circumcision or uncircumcision of any avail, but the true faith in Christ, which shows itself by love to him and to his people, Gal 5:6, and likewise by reminding them how well they set out at their first conversion, and proceeded; nor had they any to hinder them from obeying the truth, and therefore it was shameful in them to go back to the beggarly elements they had first relinquished, Gal 5:7, nor was the present opinion they had imbibed, of God that called them, or what they received when first effectually called by grace, but what had been since taken up, Gal 5:8, and whereas it might be objected, that it was only in a single article concerning the ceremonial law, and which was, embraced only by a few persons, and therefore not to be regarded, the apostle puts them in mind of a proverb, that a little leaven leavens the whole lump, and therefore not to be connived at, Gal 5:9, however, a little to mitigate the sharpness of his reproof, he expresses his good opinion and confidence of them, that upon a mature consideration of things, they would not be otherwise minded than they formerly had been, or he now was; and lays the blame of all upon the false teacher, or teachers, that troubled them, and who should bear their own judgment or condemnation, Gal 5:10, and whereas it was insinuated, that the apostle himself had preached up circumcision as necessary to salvation, he removes this calumny by observing, that were it true, he would not suffer persecution as he did, nor would the Jews be offended at his preaching as they were, Gal 5:11, and then out of zeal for the glory of God, and hearty affection to the Galatians, he wishes those false teachers that troubled them with their pernicious doctrines were cut off either by the Lord, or from the church, Gal 5:12, and next he directs to the right use of Christian liberty, to which they were called; and cautions against the abuse of it; that they should not use it as an occasion to the flesh, but, on the contrary, serve one another in love, Gal 5:13 giving this as a reason, because love is the fulfilling of the law, Gal 5:14, whereas a contrary spirit and conduct are attended with pernicious consequences, even the destruction of each other, Gal 5:15, and therefore advises them to walk in the Spirit, whose fruit is love, and then they would not fulfil the lust of the flesh, Gal 5:16, for these two, flesh and Spirit, are contrary the one to the other, and the Spirit hinders the performance of the lusts of the flesh, Gal 5:17, besides, such who give up themselves to the conduct of the Spirit, and are led thereby, are not under the law, the bondage of it, nor liable to its curse, Gal 5:18, and having made mention both of flesh and Spirit, he takes notice of the works and fruits of the one, and of the other, by which they are known; and as for the works of the flesh he observes, that they are manifest, and gives an enumeration of them in "seventeen" particulars; and to deter from them declares, that whoever lives in the commission of them, shall not inherit the kingdom of God, Gal 5:19, and as for the fruits of the Spirit, these are also well known by spiritual men, "nine" of which are particularly mentioned, and against which there is no law, Gal 5:22, and from the whole concludes, that such as are true believers in Christ, and are led by his Spirit, and have the fruits of it, have the flesh with its affections and lusts crucified, Gal 5:24, and ends the chapter with some exhortations to walk in the Spirit, and not be ambitious of worldly honour, nor provoke one another to wrath, nor envy each other's happiness, Gal 5:25.

For in Christ Jesus,.... The Arabic version reads, "in the religion of Christ"; in the religion of Moses, or of the Jews under the former dispensation, the things after mentioned were of some moment and consideration; but are of no account in the Christian religion, and under the Gospel dispensation: circumcision and uncircumcision make no difference in the church of Christ, or are any bar to communion with it; nor do they make any alteration in the love and favour of Christ, who is all in all to his people, whether Jews or Gentiles; nor have they any influence at all on salvation, Christ being a common Saviour to the circumcised and uncircumcised; nor are they any evidence for or against a person's being in Christ, or having an interest in him: neither circumcision availeth anything; not now as a command and ordinance of God, being abolished by Christ; nor as a type, having its accomplishment in him, and his people; nor as a privilege, giving any preference in any respect to the Jew above the Gentile; nor is it of any weight or consequence, or has any concern in the business of salvation: nor uncircumcision; it is no hinderance to the enjoyment of the Gospel, to entrance into a Gospel church state, or to admission to the ordinances of it; nor to the participation of the blessings of grace, as justification, pardon, adoption, and eternal life: but faith which works by love; faith has a concern in justification and salvation, not by way of causal influence, but as it is that grace which receives the righteousness of Christ, through which we are saved, and kept by the power of God unto salvation; yet not any sort of faith, but that which is operative, is attended with good works; and which works itself by love to God, to Christ, to his people, ways, worship, truths, and ordinances. The Syriac version renders it, "which is perfected by love"; that is, is showed to be right, true, and genuine thereby; see Jam 2:22.

Since circumcision and uncircumcision belonged to the one God, both therefore were annulled in Christ because of the priority given to faith, this being the faith of which it was written “the Gentiles shall believe in his name.”

If, now, he were for excluding circumcision, as the messenger of a new god, why does he say that "in Christ neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision? For it was his duty to prefer the rival principle of that which he was abolishing, if he had a mission from the god who was the enemy of circumcision.

Furthermore, since both circumcision and uncircumcision were attributed to the same Deity, both lost their power in Christ, by reason of the excellency of faith-of that faith concerning which it had been written, "And in His name shall the Gentiles trust? " -of that faith "which," he says "worketh by love." By this saying he also shows that the Creator is the source of that grace.

Observe the great boldness with which he now encounters them; Let him that hath put on Christ, he says, no longer be careful about such matters. Having before said that Circumcision was hurtful, how is it that he now considers it indifferent? It is indifferent as to those who had it previously to the Faith, but not as to those who are circumcised after the Faith was given. Observe too the view in which he places it, by setting it by the side of Uncircumcision; it is Faith that makes the difference. As in the selection of wrestlers, whether they be hook-nosed or flat-nosed, black or white, is of no importance in their trial, it is only necessary to seek that they be strong and skilful; so all these bodily accidents do not injure one who is to be enrolled under the New Covenant, nor does their presence assist him. What is the meaning of "working through love?" Here he gives them a hard blow, by showing that this error had crept in because the love of Christ had not been rooted within them. For to believe is not all that is required, but also to abide in love. It is as if he had said, Had ye loved Christ as ye ought, ye would not have deserted to bondage, nor abandoned Him who redeemed you, nor treated with contumely Him who gave you freedom. Here he also hints at those who have plotted against them, implying that they would not have dared to do so, had they felt affection towards them. He wishes too by these words to correct their course of life.

[Lest Gentiles should say] that uncircumcision, in which “Abraham pleased God and had his faith counted for righteousness” is better than circumcision, which was given as a sign and was of no profit to Israel though it possessed it, we shall see that this arrogant boast has also been excluded with the greatest foresight.

(Ver. 6.) For in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision avails anything, nor uncircumcision, but faith which works by charity. For those who wish to live in Christ Jesus, virtues are to be desired, vices are to be avoided. But the things that are in between virtues and vices, neither to be avoided nor desired, such as circumcision and uncircumcision, and other similar things. Certainly, circumcision is beneficial if you keep the Law. Therefore, it was useful for those who lived under the Law, not because they were circumcised, but because the words of God were entrusted to them, which, when they turned into actions, were not foreign to salvation. And let it not move us that Sephora, taking up a stone, circumcised her son, and the angel prevented her husband from suffocating him (Exodus IV), or as it is otherwise said in Hebrew, because now circumcision is not beneficial at all, as it has testified in Christ Jesus, since the time when the Gospel has spread throughout the whole world, the injury of circumcision is unnecessary. It was valid then, like the rest of the Law, when physical blessings were promised to those who observed the Law; namely, if they fulfilled it, they would be blessed in the city, blessed in the field, have full barns, and many other things contained in the promises (Deuteronomy XXVIII). But we, in Christ Jesus, want to be strong and strengthened, that is, in true circumcision, and not in Jewish circumcision. For neither is he a Jew who is openly a Jew, nor is circumcision openly in the flesh, but he is a Jew who is hidden, and circumcision of the heart in the spirit, not in the letter (Rom. II, 28, 29). Therefore, the circumcision of the flesh is of no avail in Christ, but the circumcision of the heart and of the ears, which removes that reproach of the Jews: Behold, your ears are uncircumcised, and you cannot hear (Exod. VI, 12). The circumcision of the lips is beneficial, as Moses himself testified in Scripture: 'But I myself have foreskin on my lips.' It provides many benefits, and in matters of sexual desire, circumcision is defiled by unchastity. Therefore, in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value, for they are placed in the middle, that is, between vices and virtues; but faith, which works through love, is what matters, just as the faith that was reckoned to Abraham as righteousness is confirmed, and every work of faith is placed in love, based on the whole Law and the Prophets, which depend on love. Indeed, in these two commandments: 'You shall love your God' and 'you shall love your neighbor,' the Savior asserted that the Law and the Prophets consist. And Paul in another place: 'For you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not covet,' and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself' (Rom. XIII, 9). Therefore, if every commandment is summed up in what has been said: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself,' and faith works through love, it is clear that the work of faith through love contains the fullness of all the commandments. However, according to the apostle James, faith without works is dead (James 2:26): likewise, without faith, even if good works are present, they are considered dead. Therefore, those who do not believe in Christ but have good morals, what else do they possess besides the works of virtues? Let that example of faith which operates through charity be attributed to that prostitute from the Gospel, who, when she had washed the feet of the Lord while reclining at the table in the Pharisee's house, with her tears, wiped them with her hair, anointed them with ointment, and when the Pharisee murmured, the Lord presented a parable of a debtor who owed fifty and five hundred denarii, and added: For this reason, I tell you: her many sins are forgiven, for she loved much (Luke 7:47, 50). And turning to the woman, he said: Your faith has saved you, go in peace. For it has been clearly demonstrated in this place that this woman had faith through charity, which was very powerful in Christ. For who can say that circumcision in Christ is of no value, when it was known to have been valuable at one time? Did anyone ever doubt whether circumcision was circumcision? But if we consider the many Christians, that is, those of us who have been grafted onto the root of the good olive tree (Rom. 11), rejoicing against the broken branches of the Jewish people, and saying that the uncircumcised is more valuable, in which Abraham pleased God, and faith was reckoned to him for righteousness, than circumcision, which was given as a sign of faith and did not benefit those who had it, we will also see this usurpation of some now carefully excluded.

This is the faith that separates the righteous from the unclean demons, for they too, as the apostle James says, “believe and tremble,” but their actions are not good. Therefore they do not have that faith by which “the righteous live.”

Everywhere he says that faith in the gospel of Christ accords no value to rank or sex or works done with regard to the body or from the body or for the sake of the body, such as circumcision, works and other things of this kind. None of these, he says, has saving value in Christ. Circumcision is therefore vain, nor by uncircumcision do we gain value in Christ. Because we have conceived faith in him and because we have believed his promises and because through his resurrection we too rise and have suffered all things with him and rise to life with him but also through him, our faith is sure. Through this faith comes works fitting to salvation. This comes about through the love that we have for Christ and God and thus toward every human being. For it is these two relationships above all that set life straight and fulfill the whole sense of the law. They contain all the commands in the Decalogue—if it follows necessarily that he who keeps faith will also keep love, since these two fulfill all the precepts of the law of Christ.

If anyone, holding the faith that works through love, repents of his former sin in such as a way that he from then on turns his back on it, he will be guiltless of the blasphemy that is spoken against the Holy Spirit [namely, impenitence], which is not forgiven to the speaker either in this age or in the one to come.

"neither circumcision benefits anything." Paul says circumcision, not that which is from faith, as if he were saying: Those who are enrolled in the new covenant will not gain anything from foreskin, just as they will not benefit from circumcision. "but faith working by love." For it is not enough merely to believe in Christ; rather this faith must be active and preserved and in a sense rekindled by love toward Christ. It is implied that those who believed but did not love Christ have defected to the law.

Previously he said that circumcision is ruinous, so how does he now consider it indifferent? In our opinion, he is speaking here about circumcision that preceded faith; he is saying, as it were: for those who have entered the New Covenant, there is no benefit if they are circumcised, and no harm if they are not circumcised. For everything consists in faith working through love, that is, in faith which must always be active and alive in love for Christ. By this he also indicates that although they had believed, they had not grown strong in love for Christ and as a result turned back again to the law, or else he is instructing them in love for their neighbor. And at the same time he shows that their deceivers too, if they had love for them, would not have dared to do this. So learn that faith becomes active through love, that is, it is alive, while faith that does not have love is inactive — similar to what is said: "faith without works is dead" (James 2:20).

However, this hope does not come from circumcision or from paganism, because these contribute nothing to it. Hence he says, "For in Christ Jesus", i.e., in those who live in the faith of Christ, "neither circumcision nor uncircumcision availeth anything", i.e., they make no difference; "but faith," not unformed, but the kind "that worketh by charity": "Faith without works is dead" (Jam 2:26). For faith is a knowledge of the word of God—"That Christ may dwell by faith in your hearts" (Eph 3:17)—which word is not perfectly possessed or perfectly known unless the love which it hopes for is possessed. Here a Gloss raises two problems. The first is that he says circumcision and uncircumcision to be indifferent, whereas above he had said, "If you be circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing." I answer that it is from the general nature of the work that they are indifferent, namely, to those who do not put any trust in them; however, they are not indifferent, if you consider the intention of the one acting. For they are deadly to those who put their trust in them. The second problem concerns his saying that those who do not believe are worse than demons, for the demons believe and tremble. I answer that if you consider the nature of the work, they are worse; but not if you consider the will. For the demons are displeased by the fact of their believing; furthermore, there is not as much malice in the will of a man who does not believe as there is in the demon who hates what he believes.

The apostle exhorts the Galatians to stand fast in the liberty of the Gospel, and not by receiving circumcision bring themselves into a yoke of bondage, Gal 5:1-4. Shows the superior excellence of Christianity, Gal 5:5, Gal 5:6. Mentions their former steadiness, and warns them against the bad doctrine which was then preached among them, Gal 5:7-9. Expresses his confidence that they will yet return; and shows that he who perverted them shall bear his own punishment, Gal 5:10-12. States that they are called to liberty, and that love is the fulfilling of the law, Gal 5:13, Gal 5:14. Warns them against dissensions, and enumerates the fruits of the flesh, which exclude those who bear them from the kingdom of God, Gal 5:15-21. Enumerates also the fruits of the Spirit, which characterize the disciples of Christ, Gal 5:22-24. Exhorts them to live in the Spirit, and not provoke each other, Gal 5:25, Gal 5:26.

For in Jesus Christ - By the dispensation of the Gospel all legal observances, as essential to salvation, are done away; and uncircumcision, or the Gentile state, contributes as much to salvation as circumcision or the Jewish state; they are both equally ineffectual; and nothing now avails in the sight of God but that faith δι' αγαπης ενεργουμενη, which is made active, or energetic, by love. God acknowledges no faith, as of the operation of his Spirit, that is not active or obedient; but the principle of all obedience to God, and beneficence to man, is love; therefore faith cannot work unless it be associated with love. Love to God produces obedience to his will: love to man worketh no ill; but, on the contrary, every act of kindness. Faith which does not work by love is either circumcision or uncircumcision, or whatever its possessor may please to call it; it is, however, nothing that will stand him in stead when God comes to take away his soul. It availeth nothing. This humble, holy, operative, obedient Love, is the grand touchstone of all human creeds and confessions of faith. Faith without this has neither soul nor operation; in the language of the Apostle James, it is dead, and can perform no function of the spiritual life, no more than a dead man can perform the duties of animal or civil life.

PERORATION. EXHORTATION TO STAND FAST IN THE GOSPEL LIBERTY, JUST SET FORTH, AND NOT TO BE LED BY JUDAIZERS INTO CIRCUMCISION, OR LAW JUSTIFICATION: YET THOUGH FREE, TO SERVE ONE ANOTHER BY LOVE: TO WALK IN THE SPIRIT, BEARING THE FRUIT THEREOF, NOT IN THE WORKS OF THE FLESH. (Gal. 5:1-26) The oldest manuscripts read, "in liberty (so ALFORD, MOBERLEY, HUMPHRY, and ELLICOTT. But as there is no Greek for 'in,' as there is in translating in Co1 16:13; Phi 1:27; Phi 4:1, I prefer 'It is FOR freedom that') Christ hath made us free (not in, or for, a state of bondage). Stand fast, therefore, and be not entangled again in a yoke of bondage" (namely, the law, Gal 4:24; Act 15:10). On "again," see on Gal 4:9.

For--confirming the truth that it is "by faith" (Gal 5:5). in Jesus Christ--Greek, "in Christ Jesus." In union with Christ (the ANOINTED Saviour), that is, Jesus of Nazareth. nor uncircumcision--This is levelled against those who, being not legalists, or Judaizers, think themselves Christians on this ground alone. faith which worketh by love--Greek, "working by love." This corresponds to "a new creature" (Gal 6:15), as its definition. Thus in Gal 5:5-6, we have the three, "faith," "hope," and "love." The Greek expresses, "Which effectually worketh"; which exhibits its energy by love (so Th1 2:13). Love is not joined with faith in justifying, but is the principle of the works which follow after justification by faith. Let not legalists, upholding circumcision, think that the essence of the law is set at naught by the doctrine of justification by faith only. Nay, "all the law is fulfilled in one word--love," which is the principle on which "faith worketh" (Gal 5:14). Let them, therefore, seek this "faith," which will enable them truly to fulfil the law. Again, let not those who pride themselves on uncircumcision think that, because the law does not justify, they are free to walk after "the flesh" (Gal 5:13). Let them, then, seek that "love" which is inseparable from true faith (Jam 2:8, Jam 2:12-22). Love is utterly opposed to the enmities which prevailed among the Galatians (Gal 5:15, Gal 5:20). The Spirit (Gal 5:5) is a Spirit of "faith" and "love" (compare Rom 14:17; Co1 7:19).