| Back to Home Page | Back to
Book Index |
Galatians
Chapter Five
I.
Content of the Chapter
We should Hold Fast the Freedom of the
Gospel of Grace
I. Freedom from keeping the law and circumcision:
A.
Christ makes us no long in the bondage of the law (v.1).
B. If
we still turn to keep the law
we have fallen from grace:
1. Becoming circumcised is denying grace and Christ
will profit men nothing (v.2).
2. Becoming circumcised is being a debtor to keep
the whole law (v.3).
3. Becoming circumcised is attempting to be
justified by law and therefore men become estranged from Christ (v.4).
4. Grace makes men receive the righteousness by
faith through the Spirit (v.5).
5. The efforts in Christ fully rely on faith in
stead of circumcision (v.6).
C.
Those who preach the circumcision must bear the sin:
1. They make believers not obey the truth (v.7).
2. Their persuasions and teachings are the leaven
which would make the whole lump leavened (v.8).
3. They trouble men and shall bear their judgment
(v.9).
4. They dislike the cross (v.11).
5. Paul could wish that they would even cut
themselves off (v.12).
II. Freedom from the corruption of the flesh and the
lust:
A. The
true meaning of being called to liberty:
1.
2. Freedom delivers one from the letters of the
law
however
he is also led into the law of Christ (Gal. 6:2).
3. The law of Christ is the law of “love”
(v.13b-14).
4. Those who are against the law of “love” shall be
consumed (v.15).
B. The
way to be delivered from the lusts of the flesh is by the Spirit instead of the
law:
1. The flesh lusts and the flesh are against and contrary to the Spirit
(v.16-17).
2. Those who are led by the Spirit are not under the law (v.18).
3. Those who have the works of the flesh will not inherit the
4. Only the manifestation (fruit) of the Spirit accords with the law
(v.22-23).
C.
Believers must cooperate with the Spirit:
1. Those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh
with its passions and desires (v.24).
2. If we live in the Spirit
let us also walk in
the Spirit (v.25).
3. Let us not have the works of the passions of the
flesh (v.26).
II.
Verse by Verse commentary
Gal. 5:1 “Stand fast therefore in
the liberty by which Christ has made us free
and do not be entangled again
with a yoke of bondage.”
YLT: “In the freedom
then
with which Christ did make you free -- stand ye
and be not held fast
again by a yoke of servitude;”
Meaning of Words: “stand fast”:
persevere
refuse to withdraw; “entangle”: obey
bear willingly (it is in the
present tense and it refers to the action that is under way).
The
Background: “yoke” is the wooden
tool which is placed upon the neck of stock so that it cannot walk at will and
it can labor according to the will of the host.
Literal Meaning: the salvation of
Christ has delivered us from the bondage of sins and the law and made us have
the freedom in the Spirit. On account of such blessing condition
we
“therefore” should stand fast in the liberty of Christ
lest we be forced to be
under the yoke again which once labored us for a long time.
“The liberty” “The”
the definite word
shows that such liberty is not the “liberty” of the world but the liberty that
Christ has accomplished by the redemption and only Christians can have such
liberty.
“Stand fast” in this verse indicates that we should not give in or
withdraw for the fear of the enemies to choose an easier way.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Stock does not have liberty at all under the
yoke and men do not have liberty under the law either.
2) The liberty in Christ shall lead us into the
life of freedom. The free status in Christ shall bring in the experiences of
liberty which influence our walkings.
Gal. 5:2 “Indeed I
Paul
say to
you that if you become circumcised
Christ will profit you nothing.”
YLT: “lo
I Paul do say
to you
that if ye be circumcised
Christ shall profit you nothing;”
The
Background: the Jewish babies of
eight days shall be circumcised and it is the token of the covenant that God
had made with His people (Gen. 17:10-14).
Literal Meaning: the Jews’ being
circumcised does not hinder them from being Christians. However
the Gentiles
do not need to be reckoned of Christ through circumcision.
If the Galatians were circumcised in
order to be saved
they indeed forsook the rock of salvation----Christ because
circumcision equally made the death of Christ in vain. They thought that the
circumcision was the addition to Christ concerning their being saved. However
Paul
held that they used circumcision to replace Christ. To Galatians
circumcision
became the sign whether they chose the law or grace. Keeping the law was
another way and therefore “a little error may lead to a large discrepancy”.
Circumcision is little
however
it influences greatly.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Christians shouldn’t receive any regulations as
their requirements for their being saved because any additional requirement
would change our relation with Christ.
2) If Christ is not “all” to a believer
He would
turn to be “nothing” to him.
3) Today in the heresies of Christians
Christ is
not fully denied
however
this and that are added to Christ and the
“additions” make Christ profit them nothing.
4) We could only choose one between keeping the law
and believing in Christ. We cannot both keep the law and believe in Christ.
Gal. 5:3 “And I testify again to
every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law.”
YLT: “and I testify again
to every man circumcised
that he is a debtor to do the whole law;”
Meaning of Words: “testify”: witness
prove; “debtor”: be in debt
should
be bound by duties.
The
Background: Judaizers probably
said to the Galatian believers that the Jews had to keep the whole law
however
it was enough for the Gentiles to keep a part of the law: they should keep the
circumcision and they could keep the customs
ceremonies and etc that are set
by the law at will.
Literal Meaning: Paul wanted to make
them understand that if they could be justified by the works of the law
keeping the circumcision is not enough
they cannot be justified until they
have kept the whole law. However
no body in the world could keep the whole
law.
Enlightenment in the Word: it is difficult to keep the law and it is easy to
break the law because one keeps the law only when he has kept the whole law and
one breaks the law as long as he violates an item of the law.
Gal. 5:4 “You have become estranged
from Christ
you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from
grace.”
YLT: “ye were freed from
the Christ
ye who in law are declared righteous; from the grace ye fell away;”
Meaning of Words: “you”: any
all;
“estranged”: free from
pass away; “fall”: fall away
it is used to refer to
the withered flowers or the loose chains.
Literal Meaning: all those who want
to be justified by the law indeed depart from Christ and turn to be in vain.
“You have fallen from grace” It indicates that they get out of the
realm of grace and fall into the realm of the law and they stop relying on
God’s resources and rely on their own resources.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Being estranged from Christ is falling from
grace
showing that Christ Himself is grace.
2) Men cannot rely on both Christ and the law at
the same time. These two cannot coexist with each other.
3) If men want to be saved by relying on something
except Christ
they equally abandon their reliance upon Christ.
4) Grace is the abundant blessing of God. If men
want to be justified by works
they indeed shut off the door of God’s blessing.
5) The moment men know that we have nothing to rely
on and turn to rely on the Lord’s grace single-mindedly
we will find that both
His grace and power support us.
Gal. 5:5 “For we through the Spirit
eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.”
YLT: “for we by the
Spirit
by faith
a
hope of
righteousness do wait for
”
Literal Meaning: “through the Spirit”
refers to “live in the Spirit” (See v.25); “by faith” refers to justification
by faith (Gal. 3:8).
“Wait for the hope of righteousness” indicates that we believers
“according to
His promise
look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness
dwells” (2Pet. 3:13).
Christ is our righteousness today (1Cor.
1:30) and our hope of righteousness in future------when we see Him in future
we shall receive the whole righteousness (1John. 3:2).
We have the assurance of the hope of
righteousness in the Spirit by faith and therefore we wait patiently here.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The salvation takes effect upon men through the
working of the Spirit and men’s faith
in like manner
the hope shall be
realized through the great power of the Spirit and our persistent faith.
2) There are three differences between a believer
of the New Testament and a Judaizer: a) the former relies on the Spirit and the
latter relies on the flesh; b) the former is by faith and the latter is by
works; c) the former waits for the future and the latter reviews the past.
3) If Christians want to stand fast in truth
we
have to do three things through the Spirit: a) rely on faith; b) hold fast to
hope; c) work through love (See v.6).
Gal. 5:6 “For in Christ Jesus
neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything
but faith working
through love.”
YLT: “for in Christ Jesus
neither circumcision availeth anything
nor uncircumcision
but faith through
love working.”
Meaning of Words: “working”: be
active
do; “avail”: have strength
be able.
Literal Meaning: Neither
“circumcision” nor “uncircumcision” could make a Christian have the hope of
righteousness and only the faith which works through love in Christ Jesus is
able to do so.
The living faith works through love.
Spiritual Meaning: the spiritual
meaning of circumcision is dealing with the flesh (
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) There is one thing that matters and it is faith
in Christ. The true faith is expressed by love (See James. 2:14-19).
2) The one who has love has fulfilled the law
(v.14).
3) It is of no value to serve God merely by the
outer regulations and customs and only keeping the true love and faith has the
spiritual value.
4) The law only gives men the standard and
knowledge of life
however
the true faith gives men the power of life to do
the will of God.
Gal. 5:7 “You ran well. Who
hindered you from obeying the truth?”
YLT: “Ye were running
well; who did hinder you -- not to obey the truth?”
Meaning of Words: “obey”: persuade
convince
it includes “controlling men’s behavior”.
The
Background: there are certain
rules in race and men should not violate.
Even if one ran well
in the beginning and he violates the rule and departs from the designated
runway
all his previous work will be wasted.
Literal Meaning: “ran well” means
that one goes forward according to the normal regulations and does not stop
use finesse or circle round. The Galatians ran well in the life of faith
however
they were disturbed
confused and hindered by Judaizers halfway and
they even chose to let their behavior not be controlled by the truth of the
gospel of grace.
The tense of “hindered” shows that they
had been hindered even though we did not know the final result of the race.
Gal. 5:8 “This persuasion does not
come from Him who calls you.”
YLT: “the obedience [is]
not of him who is calling you!”
Meaning of Words: “persuasion”:
convince
lobby; “call”: the unforced calling.
Literal Meaning: “this persuasion”
refers to the inducement of Judaizers.
“Him who calls you” refers to God.
This verse shows that Judaizers are the
enemies of God.
Gal. 5:9 “A little leaven leavens
the whole lump.”
YLT: “a little leaven the
whole lump doth leaven;”
The
Background: this sentence is a
proverb at that time and it is used to describe a kind of influence or element.
It is insignificant in the beginning
however
it spreads up gradually until it
influences or changes the whole.
Literal Meaning: “leaven” in the
Bible generally refers to the evil heresies (Matt. 16:11-12; 1Cor. 5:6).
This verse indicates that a bit of
heresy would corrupt not only the gospel of grace but also all believers.
Gal. 5:10 “I have confidence in you
in the Lord
that you will have no other mind; but he who troubles you shall
bear his judgment
whoever he is.”
YLT: “I have confidence
in regard to you in the Lord
that ye will be none otherwise minded; and he who
is troubling you shall bear the judgment
whoever he may be.”
Meaning
of Words: “mind”: men’s view
and attitude to an affair in their hearts; “bear”: lift
carry
take up
hold.
Literal Meaning: “I have confidence in the Lord”
shows that Paul firmly believed that “the Lord” was able to help them.
“That you will have no other mind” It means that you shall have the same mind
with me. Paul believed in the Lord that they shall not depart from the view
which made them “run well” at the end. All those who entice men to depart from
the way of grace with the false doctrines will be punished.
Gal. 5:11 “And I
brethren
if I
still preach circumcision
why do I still suffer persecution? Then the offense
of the cross has ceased.”
YLT: “And I
brethren
if
uncircumcision I yet preach
why yet am I persecuted? then hath the
stumbling-block of the cross been done away;”
Meaning of Words: “offense”: stumbling
block
snare
net
trap; “cease”: stop
vanish away.
The
Background: the preaching of the
cross was always the stumbling block to the Jews (1Cor. 1:23).
Literal Meaning: the word “still”
shows that Paul had preached circumcision when he was in Judaism.
“Why do I still suffer persecution?” It means that if he still put circumcision
in the gospel like Judaizers
he would not be persecuted by them.
“The offense of the cross” Paul preached that the cross of Christ is
the only way of God’s salvation and only through the redemption of the cross
will men be justified and accepted by God. It is the stumbling block in the
eyes of Judaizers and they hated it the most.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) All those who are self-righteous and think
themselves wise dislike the cross. However
the true righteousness and wisdom
are from the cross of Christ.
2) The truth is always disliked by men. If God’s
servants pander to the meaning of men because they are afraid of being persecuted
by them
as a result they are faithless to the truth.
3) The cross is a touchstone for the truth of
Christ------all those who dislike the cross are manifested that they have
departed from the truth.
Gal. 5:12 “I could wish that those
who trouble you would even cut themselves off!”
YLT: “O that even they
would cut themselves off who are unsettling you!”
Meaning of Words: “cut off”: cut
amputate
mutilate.
The
Background: “cut off” means
cutting off the function of reproduction. In the past the heretical priests
always cut off themselves in order to show their piety.
Literal Meaning: from the view of
Paul
the way that Judaizers were circumcised was the same with the brutal
behavior of heretics. What they did did not resemble Christianity but resemble
the heretical religion. From these words
the Galatians should know those who
supported circumcision and the heretical priests who cut off themselves were
put on a par.
Gal. 5:13 “For you
brethren
have
been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the
flesh
but through love serve one another.”
YLT: “For ye -- to
freedom ye were called
brethren
only not the freedom for an occasion to the
flesh
but through the love serve ye one another
”
Meaning of Words: “flesh”: body;
“opportunity”: it is a military term and it represents the time to attack;
“serve”: it is in the present tense and it means that it is the continuous
attitude and action.
Literal Meaning: one receives the
liberty from the law and it is not the liberty of sins. Departing from the
bondage of the law is being set free from the power of sins. But if one uses it
“as an opportunity for the flesh”
he will become the salve of sins.
“The flesh” refers to the depraved and
corruptible human nature which is against the Spirit.
“But through love serve one another” “But” means that no matter how other
person deals with us
we should deal with him through love. “Serve one another”
means being servant of one another and it shows that such service of love is
ambilateral.
Christians are called to have liberty in
order to be slaves of love and serve one another through love.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1)
2) If the liberty is not with love
the liberty
shall be misused by men because the lusts of the flesh work there.
3) The liberty
like faith
needs to be practiced
in love.
4) We should not receive others’ service merely and
do not serve others. We should serve one another.
5) If we want to be served by others
we’d better
take the initiative to serve others through love.
6) Serving one another could provoke one another
into love.
Gal. 5:14 “For all the law is
fulfilled in one word
even in this: ‘You shall love your
neighbor as yourself.’”
YLT: “for all the law in
one word is fulfilled -- in this: `Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself;'”
Meaning of Words: “fulfill”:
accomplish
complete
fill up
end; “love”: the unconditional love.
Literal Meaning: “all the law” refers
to the requests of the Ten Commandments and other scriptures of the Old
Testament.
“One word” refers to a principle.
This verse means that if we could do the
word that “love your neighbor as yourself”
we have fulfilled all the law (
Gal. 5:15 “But if you bite and
devour one another
beware lest you be consumed by one another!”
YLT: “and if one another
ye do bite and devour
see -- that ye may not by one another be consumed.”
Meaning of Words: “bite”: bite of a
snake
tear; “devour”: eat down
swallow up.
Literal Meaning: “bite and devour” is the brutal action instead of
the way by which Christians deal with each other. The Galatian believers
persisted in the regulations of the law regardless of the true meaning of the
law and consequently they walked on the way of destruction and shall be
consumed by one another.
Gal. 5:16 “I say then: Walk in the
Spirit
and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.”
YLT: “And I say: In the
Spirit walk ye
and the desire of the flesh ye may not complete;”
Meaning of Words: “the Spirit”: spirit
wind
breath; “walk”: go
act (it
is in the present tense and it refers to the routine official affairs. It is a
continuous action); “fulfill”: accomplish
make an end
help
perform; “the
flesh”: body; “the lust”: a longing
desire
covetousness.
Literal Meaning: if men choose to
live in the Spirit and let the Spirit control their daily behavior
they will
not practice or fulfill the lust of the flesh or continue in the life of sins.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The affirmative way to defeat the lusts of the
flesh is to walk in the Spirit. Withstanding the flesh by our own strength is
like sailing against the current. Walking in the Spirit is like pushing the
boat with the wind.
2) The true liberty of believers is living and
walking in the Spirit.
3) If we mind the flesh and fulfill the desires of
the flesh
we do not walk in the Spirit and as a result
we shall fall into
sins.
Gal. 5:17 “For the flesh lusts
against the Spirit
and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to
one another
so that you do not do the things that you wish.”
YLT: “for the flesh doth
desire contrary to the Spirit
and the Spirit contrary to the flesh
and these
are opposed one to another
that the things that ye may will -- these ye may
not do;”
Meaning of Words: “against”: suppress
down; “contrary”: the situation of opposition.
Literal Meaning: the flesh of
believers is contrary to the indwelling Spirit and they are against each other
in us------when a believer wants to do good
the law of sin which is in his
members makes him do not do it (Rom. 7:18-23); when a believer wants to do
evil
the Spirit rises to oppose it (1Pet. 2:11)------as a result
we “do not do the things that we wish”.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Here it is said that the Spirit is against the
flesh instead of that we are against the flesh. The key of the spiritual
conflict is that we do not take part in and let the Spirit replace us to fight.
2) The reason why we do not love the world is not
that the world is not lovely or the world loses its attraction but that the
Spirit reigns in us so that we cannot love the world any more.
Gal. 5:18 “But if you are led by the
Spirit
you are not under the law.”
YLT: “and if by the
Spirit ye are led
ye are not under law.”
Literal Meaning: “you are led by the Spirit” It indicates that one’s will is subject to
the Spirit so as to follow His guidance.
“You are not under the law” It indicates that one does not need to
please God through the works of the law.
Enlightenment in the Word: Christians are not under the law of letters but
keep the law by the inner love.
Gal. 5:19 “Now the works of the
flesh are evident
which are: adultery
fornication
uncleanness
lewdness
”
YLT: “And manifest also
are the works of the flesh
which are: Adultery
whoredom
uncleanness
lasciviousness
”
The
Background: “adultery
fornication
uncleanness
lewdness” are of sensations.
Such conditions are quite common in the time of Paul and they were a part of
the ceremonies of worshiping idols in the heretical society.
Literal Meaning: “Now the works of the flesh
are evident” The true nature of
“the flesh” could be seen from the expressional behavior.
“Adultery
fornication” refers to illegal sexual intercourse.
“Uncleanness” refers to the uncleanness in the thoughts and
words.
“Lewdness” refers to randomness
indulgence and unruliness of behavior and attitude.
The above-mentioned four items are
against the sixth commandment of the Ten Commandments.
Gal. 5:20 “idolatry
sorcery
hatred
contentions
jealousies
outbursts of wrath
selfish ambitions
dissensions
heresies
”
YLT: “idolatry
witchcraft
hatred
strifes
emulations
wraths
rivalries
dissensions
sects
”
Meaning of Words: “hatred”: hostility
enmity; “contentions”: of uncertain affinity
disharmony; “jealousies”: envy
zeal; “outbursts of wrath”: indignation
short temper; “dissensions”: debate
and dispute with the nature of disunion; “heresies”: faction
party
sect.
Literal Meaning: “idolatry” means
worshiping images and false gods. “Sorcery” refers to the magic
witchcraft
necromancy
amulet
making men lose self-control and becoming absentminded with
medicines. “Idolatry” and “sorcery” are the sin of betraying God and turning to
the heresies.
“Hatred
contentions
jealousies
outbursts of wrath
dissensions
heresies” are sins in the interpersonal relations. “Selfish ambitions” refers to increasing one’s own influence
because of selfishness and ambition.
Enlightenment in the Word: sects (the original meaning of “heresies”) are
listed in the works of the flesh in this verse. Many Christians know that we
could not do the idolatry
sorcery or hatred and etc. However
we do not know that
sects among believers are the works of the flesh condemned by God.
Gal. 5:21 “envy
murders
drunkenness
revelries
and the like; of which I tell you beforehand
just as I
also told you in time past
that those who practice such things will not inherit
the kingdom of God.”
YLT: “envyings
murders
drunkennesses
revellings
and such like
of which I tell you before
as I also
said before
that those doing such things the reign of God shall not inherit.”
Meaning of Words: “practice” does not
refer to the occasional behavior but the habitual.
Literal Meaning: “envy” includes all
the ideas of envy and it refers to the feelings of both coveting what others
possess and letting others not have them; envy is also the social sin.
“Murders” refers to killing another
rashly and it is the high peak of the rupture of interpersonal relationship.
“Drunkenness” indicates that one drinks
the liquor excessively so that he loses senses and control. “Revelries” indicates that many people are drunk
together and clamor together. “Drunkenness and revelries” are the sin of losing
self-control and degrading human dignity.
“And the like” shows there are more than
these works.
If believers get accustomed to walking
according to the flesh
we cannot enjoy the rights and benefits of the coming
Enlightenment in the Word: the common failing of human beings (believers are
included) in the corporate life is to exalt oneself so as to have benefits and
depress others.
Gal. 5:22 “But the fruit of the Spirit
is love
joy
peace
longsuffering
kindness
goodness
faithfulness
”
YLT: “And the fruit of
the Spirit is: Love
joy
peace
long-suffering
kindness
goodness
faith
”
Meaning of Words: “love”: selfless
love
sacred love; “goodness”: gentleness
fineness
purity; “faithfulness”:
faith
dependence
reliance
fidelity.
Literal Meaning: “But the fruit of the Spirit” “fruit” is the outcome of the natural
growth of life. “The fruit of the Spirit” is the natural expression that
believers walk in the Spirit instead of the outer imitation and affectation.
These are not the different virtues that the Spirit gives us but the whole
fruit that the Spirit bears upon us when He is mature in life. The whole fruit
has such features
however
they cannot be divided up. The meaning of the fruit
of the Spirit is that Chris turns to be our own characters and features upon us
because He is digested by us through the works of the Spirit. It is the fruit
of the Spirit.
“Joy” is the deep and lasting sentiment
and it is rooted in the spiritual exultation of the communion with God.
“Peace” is the condition naturally
expressed outwardly because of the inner peace received from the communication
with God.
“Longsuffering” means suffering long and
not raging.
“Kindness” refers to the character of
being kind and amiable to others.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The true good deeds of Christians are not “done”
but “bore”.
2) Every true Christian should always bear the
fruit of the Spirit (John. 15:1-8).
3) The nine features of the fruit of the Spirit
could be divided into three groups: the first group is headed by “love”; the
second “longsuffering” (hope); the third “faithfulness” (faith). And therefore
the essential points of the fruit of the Spirit are faith
hope and love.
4) The first group “love
joy and peace” specially refers
to the inner state of believers; the second group “longsuffering
kindness and goodness” specially refers to state of believers that is
manifested outwardly; the third group “faithfulness
gentleness and
self-control” specially refers to the state of believers to God (faithfulness)
men (gentleness) and selves (self-control) respectively.
5) Love is the bond of perfection (Col. 3:14): joy
is the sentiment of love; peace is the state of love; longsuffering is the
power of love; kindness is the compassion of love; goodness is the motive of
love; faithfulness is the word of love; gentleness is the attitude of love and
self-control is the arm of love.
6) The fruit of the Spirit is bore by the Spirit
and men cannot bear it. It is the natural expression of God’s life: joy is the
exultation of love; peace is the serenity of love; longsuffering is the
tolerance of love; kindness is the refinement of love; goodness is the action
of love; faithfulness is trust of love; gentleness is the humbleness of love
and self-control is the true love to oneself.
7) The fruit of the Spirit is one instead of nine
and it is the expressions of the spiritual life in various aspects: joy is the
delight of love; peace is the reliance of love; longsuffering is the silence of
love; kindness is the consideration of love; goodness is the disposition of
love; faithfulness is the firmness of love; gentleness is the exquisiteness of
love and self-control is the conquest of love.
8) Love
joy and peace are the enjoyments given by
God to us; goodness
longsuffering and kindness are our daily expressions to
men; faithfulness
gentleness and self-control are the lessons to
ourselves.
9) “Love” is the head of the fruit of the Spirit:
the fruit shall be meaningful with love and the fruit shall be nothing without
love (See 1Cor. 13:1-7). It is obvious that love is before all walkings and
love is the general principle of all walkings.
10) Since believers have tasted “the joy of the
salvation” when we were saved (Ps. 51:12)
we should value and pursue “the joy
in the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 14:17).
11) Since believers’ peace is the fruit of the
Spirit and therefore it has nothing to do with the objective circumstances and
we could still have peace in the adverse circumstances (See John. 16:33).
12) Our true peace is from our peace with God. And
therefore if we want to always abide in peace
we have to live in peace with
God.
13) The “sufferance” of men only lasts a short
while and it cannot last long; the sufferance of the Spirit is the endurance to
the end (Matt. 10:22) and the patient of a perfect work (James. 1:4).
14) The world deals with themselves kindly and
deals with others strictly. Believers deal with themselves strictly and deal with
others kindly.
15) No one is good but One
that is
God (Mark.
10:18). And therefore the world always deals with men and walks with the evil
intentions. However
since the Spirit of God dwells in believers
we could be
good and faithful (Matt. 25:21).
16) The hardest sin for the world to forgive is the
faithlessness of Christians.
Gal. 5:23 “gentleness
self-control.
Against such there is no law.”
YLT: “meekness
temperance: against such there is no law;”
Meaning of Words: “gentleness”:
meekness
sereneness
docility
consideration
urbanity; “self-control”:
continence
temperance
self-abnegation.
Literal Meaning: the life and conduct
lived by the Spirit are above the law and are not bond or controlled by the
law. The law only restrains sins more or less
however
it cannot restrain the
works of the Spirit.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The meek ones neither let their hearts be hurt
by others nor hurt others easily.
2) Believers should have self-control in
everything------not only the bad things but also the good things (do not walk
according to our own favor but walk according to the guidance of the Spirit).
Gal. 5:24 “And those who are
Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”
YLT: “and those who are
Christ's
the flesh did crucify with the affections
and the desires;”
Meaning of Words: “passion”: tendency
impulse; “desire”: a longing
lust.
Literal Meaning: the flesh is the
most troublesome and it is hard for us to conquer. However
God has overcome
the flesh for us. Today all those who are of Christ Jesus do not need to
struggle or fight because God has crucified it. This “crucifixion together”
does not refer to the present subjective experience but the finished objective
fact. And therefore we have to put to death the deeds of the body by the Spirit
(Rom. 8:13) and then we can turn this finished fact into our real experience
continuously and constantly.
Gal. 5:25 “If we live in the Spirit
let us also walk in the Spirit.”
YLT: “if we may live in
the Spirit
in the Spirit also we may walk;”
Meaning of Words: “walk”: walk
orderly
stand in a row.
Literal Meaning: Paul exhorted us who
receive the spiritual life from the Spirit stand in a row and walk forth
following the guidance of the Spirit the leader.
“Walking in the Spirit” is walking
according to the features of the fruit of the Spirit.
Gal.
5:26 “Let us not become
conceited
provoking one another
envying one another.”
YLT: “let us not become
vain-glorious -- one another provoking
one another envying!”
Meaning of Words: “conceited”:
vain-glorious
self-conceited
proud.
Literal Meaning: “conceited” is
“coveting the vain glory” (Pill. 2:3).
Enlightenment in the Word: the result of “conceited” is “provoking one
another
envying one another”. It shows that the main cause of the dispute in
the church is the “vain glory”.
III.
Outlines of the Spiritual Lessons
Believers and Being in Bondage
II. No longer being in the bondage of the flesh and
sins (v.13-26).
III. Being in the bondage of love willingly
i.e.
being the slave of Christ (v.13-14).
The Heretical Teachings
I. The cause------it does not come from Him who
calls us (v.8).
II. The harm:
A.
Hindering men from obeying the truth (v.7).
B.
Troubling men (v.10).
C.
Spreading and influencing the whole church (v.9).
III. Those who preach the heresies shall be
punished (v.10).
The Features of Christians
I. They are men of
Christ Jesus (v.24).
II. They are in
Christ Jesus (v.6).
III. They live by
the Spirit (v.25).
IV. They are guided
by the Spirit (v.18).
V. They walk in the
Spirit (v.16
25).
VI. The
above-mentioned features are manifested in their relations with others (v.26).
──
Caleb Huang《Christian Digest Bible
Commentary Series》
Translated by Sharon Ren