Глава V

An exhortation to the preservation of Christian freedom (1–12). Moral section of the message (13–26) Gal.5:1–12. Now the Apostle invites the Galatians to use their Christian freedom; that they have a right to it, he proved above. If, in their attraction to the Law of Moses, they reach the point where they begin to be circumcised, then through this they will be separated from Christ and deprived of His grace. Meanwhile, righteousness is acquired only through faith expressed in works. The Galatians must therefore fear lest false teachers lead them astray from the only right path leading to righteousness. In conclusion, the Apostle once again speaks of the inadmissibility of circumcision on Christians. Gal.5:1. Stand therefore in the freedom that Christ has given us, and do not again be subjected to the yoke of slavery. So Christians are free from the law, like the children of free Sarah. Therefore, they must stand firmly in this freedom given to them by Christ and not submit to the law, which will again make them slaves (cf. Gal. 4:9). Gal.5:2. Behold, I, Paul, say to you: if you are circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing. With full consciousness of his authority (“here am I, Paul, speaking to you”), the Apostle exposes the readers to such a situation that if they begin to accept circumcision (hitherto, apparently, they have not done this yet), then they will be deprived of the benefit that they now have from Christ. They will lose all meaning not only of all the work Paul did in Galatia, but they will also lose what Christ did for them and what he promised to do. Gal.5:3. Again I testify to every man who is circumcised, that he must fulfill the whole law. On the other hand, the Galatians must also take into account the fact that by accepting the seal of circumcision, they thereby assume the obligation to observe the “whole” law. - “I still testify.” Ap., obviously, already spoke about this during his stay in Galatia. This was probably during the Apostle's second stay in Galatia, when he conveyed to the Galatians the decree of the Apostolic Council (Acts 16:4). Gal.5:4. You, who justify yourselves by the law, are left without Christ, you have fallen from grace, Ap., in particular, addresses those readers who sought to find a means of justification in the law. Such people (most readers, of course, took a different direction), one might say, remain without Christ and without grace. Gal.5:5. but we in spirit wait and hope for the righteousness of faith. In contrast to such frivolous people, the Apostle points to himself and to other Galatians who are in grace, as well as to other Christians. “We in our spirit, by virtue of faith, wait for that which is the object of our hope” (ελπίς - in the sense of “waiting for this” good, as in Rom. 8:24; Col. 1:5), which consists in righteousness.” This is a better way to translate this verse. Ap. obviously wants to say that, in contrast to the Judaizers, who here on earth already thought of receiving complete justification for fulfilling the law, Christians are still only “hoping” for this justification. They consider the justification they received here to be far from sufficient. Only at the final judgment will it be possible for them, thanks to their faith, to receive complete justification (cf. 2 Cor. 5:10; Rom. 14:19). Gal.5:6. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has power, but faith working through love. Circumcision itself had a meaning, but this was in the Old Testament, before Christ (Rom. 2:25, 3:1, 9:31). Now, for a Christian, it is useless, and if a person entered the Church circumcised, he has nothing to be proud of before an uncircumcised Christian. Likewise, the uncircumcised cannot be proud of his uncircumcision. For salvation, only faith working through love is needed. The Apostle adds the last expression in order to show that faith itself will not serve to justify a person at the final judgment if it has not revealed itself in corresponding good deeds in this life (cf. Rom. 2:7). Gal.5:7. You walked well: who stopped you from submitting to the truth? Gal.5:8. This conviction is not from the One who calls you. The Apostle's exhortations are clear. It is only necessary to slightly correct the Russian translation of the second half of verse 7, which does not correspond to the Greek text. It is after the words “stopped you” that you need to put a question mark, and thus you get a fragmentary sentence: “who stopped you” (on your good path)? Then the next sentence is also fragmentary: “shall we not submit to the truth” (i.e., the Gospel)? The apostle expresses surprise at how it is possible not to obey what the Galatians accepted as true. Tsang, on the basis of ancient Western codes, considers it possible to add to this expression the words: “do not obey anyone, that is, do not listen to anyone regarding not obeying the truth.” – “Such a conviction...”, i.e., the obedience you demonstrate to the speeches of the Judaizers does not at all come from God, Who calls you. The “calling of God” of believers, which the Galatians heard already during the first sermon of the Gospel (Gal. 1:6, 5:13), according to the Apostle, continues to this day (cf. 1 Thessalonians 5:24; Rom.9:11) and will continue through the preachers of the Gospel (καλοῦντος – present time). Gal.5:9. A little leaven leavens the whole dough. The Galatians, obviously, were inclined to reduce the danger that threatened them from the Judaizers. “What's dangerous here? - they said. “After all, there are so few false teachers among us.” The apostle points out against this that a little leaven is put into the dough, but this leaven raises the whole dough. Likewise, a small number of false teachers can do a lot of harm to the Galatian church. Gal.5:10. I am confident of you in the Lord, that you will not think otherwise; but the one who troubles you, no matter who he is, will bear condemnation. However, Paul has confidence, which God strengthens in him (“in the Lord”), that the Galatians will not think differently than as the Apostle taught them. And since they obviously had a rather lenient attitude toward the Judaizers, the Apostle considers it necessary to say that these false teachers, without exception and without distinction (“whoever he may be”), if they confuse the Galatians, will suffer punishment from God (cf. 2 Pet. 2:3; Rom. 3:8). Gal.5:11. Why are they persecuting me, brothers, if I still preach circumcision? Then the temptation of the cross would cease. What especially arouses anger in the soul of the Apostle is the fact that the Judaizers distort historical facts, and precisely the meaning of the actions of the Apostle Paul. They themselves, of course, preach circumcision, without which it is as if pagan Christians cannot achieve justification and the inheritance promised to Abraham. But in addition, they also say that the Apostle Paul himself preached the same thing from time to time (Instead of: “Why are they persecuting me, brethren,” it is better, in accordance with the arrangement of words in the Greek text, to translate: “But I, oh, brethren ... if I still preach circumcision, then why are they persecuting me? This is how the “temptation of the cross of Christ” is eliminated (or should be eliminated)). The false teachers, apparently, charged Paul with the fact that in his desire to be lenient with the habits of those among whom he had to act, he allowed himself to perform circumcision on Christians. They drew this conclusion from the fact that Paul circumcised Timothy (Acts 16:3) and did not consider circumcision to be inconsistent with the condition of a Christian (1 Cor. 7:18), and also did not protest against the circumcision of the children of Jewish Christians who lived among Gentile Christians (Acts 21:21–24). But if this were really the case, then they would stop attacking him because of his preaching about the cross, that is, about the necessity of the Messiah's death on the cross, which for the Jews seemed extremely tempting (cf. 1 Cor. 1:23). However, the Jews, and also, in their own way, the Judaizers, continue to persecute him and in every possible way interfere with the success of his preaching. Is it not clear from this that they are telling a lie when they claim that the Apostle himself is not averse to recognizing the need for circumcision, which is so expensive for them? Gal.5:12. Oh, that those who disturb you were removed! More correctly: “Oh, if only those who embarrass you would castrate themselves!” (the verb αποκόπτειν in Russian is translated inaccurately: “removed”: it means precisely castration cf. Deut. 23:1; Justin Apol. I27). Since the Judaizers attach too much importance to the removal of the foreskin - a purely external matter - it would be better if they, like the priests of Cybele, completely cut off their male organs: then for Christians they will show themselves in all their error and will not be dangerous as false teachers - Christians will understand them completely... Gal.5:13–26. In the moralizing section of his letter, the Apostle first of all calls the Galatians to fulfill the great commandment to love one's neighbor. Then he inspires them that true Christian freedom, to which he called them, is not at all some kind of unbridled passions. On the contrary, a free person wages a stubborn struggle against passions. At the same time, the Apostle lists the very passions or deeds of the flesh and contrasts them with the fruits of the spiritual life, which he encourages readers to lead. Gal.5:13. You, brethren, are called to freedom, so long as your freedom is not an excuse to please the flesh, but serve one another through love. Gal.5:14. For the whole law is contained in one word: love your neighbor as yourself. Gal.5:15. But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be destroyed by one another. “As long as your freedom is not a pretext” - in Greek. αφορμή, i.e., a fulcrum (cf. Rom. 7:11). - “But through love serve one another.” Only then will freedom not lead to pleasing the flesh when Christians try to do good to each other, guided by true Christian love. - “For the whole law...”. Although the commandment of love fell on the same level with other commandments, in fact it is of exceptional importance, because by fulfilling it, we at the same time fulfill all the commandments of the law (cf. Rom. 13: 8, 10). - “You bite each other...”. Ap. obviously knew that partisanship among the Galatians had reached the point of mutual hatred. Gal.5:16. I say: walk in the Spirit and you will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. Gal.5:17. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the spirit, and the spirit what is contrary to the flesh: they oppose each other, so that you do not do what you would like. In order for love to come to life in the Galatians, the Apostle advises them to “walk in the Spirit,” that is, to surrender to the guidance of the higher side of the human being; then they will not “commit the lusts of the flesh,” that is, they will have the power to limit them in every possible way, therefore a person, of course, cannot completely suppress them. - “For the flesh desires what is contrary to the spirit...”. see last to Rom.7:15, 19 et seq. Gal.5:18. If you are led by the spirit, then you are not under the law. A Christian, imbued with love, guided in his activities by the instructions of the spirit, and not the flesh, does not need instructions from the external prescriptions of the law: he already fulfills it in its entirety, even as if without knowing it. “He who is not angry has nothing to listen to: do not kill” (Chrysostom). Gal.5:19. The works of the flesh are known; they are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Gal.5:20. idolatry, sorcery, enmity, quarrels, envy, anger, strife, discord, (temptations,) heresies, Gal.5:21. hatred, murder, drunkenness, disorderly conduct and the like. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do this will not inherit the Kingdom of God. What the Apostle speaks against is nothing to think about for a long time. It is easy for every Christian to decide for himself what these works of the flesh are, against which the Apostle speaks (φανερά δέ εστιν). The first four sins are in the strict sense of the word sins of the flesh, that is, they relate to unclean sexual life. Then two sins stand side by side: idolatry and the use of magical means (cf. Rev. 21:8; Deut. 18:10). The following five words denote bad moods and wrong attitudes towards others. Where such a mood strengthens, there are “disagreements” (διχοστασίαι cf. Rom. 16:17 and 1 Cor. 11:18) and parties appear fighting among themselves (αιρέσεις – cf. v. 15). At the same time, the Apostle also mentions hatred, murder, drunkenness and disorder, as the most disgusting phenomena of life to him. - “Prefaced” - that is, he spoke as if about the future, which only threatens you if you do such things. – “The Kingdom of God” – see 1 Cor. 6:9 et seq.; Rom.6:17; 1 Thess. 4:1 et seq. Gal.5:22. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, Gal.5:23. meekness, abstinence. There is no law against them. The Apostle considers the virtues opposite to the works of the flesh as a single fruit of the spirit, despite their apparent heterogeneity. By “spirit” we can understand here the human spirit, but at the same time imbued with the Spirit of God. – “Faith” – here in the sense of trust in relation to each other. - “On such people” - that is, for such people there is no law. And the law of Moses will not condemn such people who possess all the virtues and, unless in minor cases, follow the decrees that existed in a certain time and in a limited space (cf. Rom. 8:31-34). Indeed, in the love by which they live, all the essential contents of the law are fulfilled. Gal.5:24. But those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and lusts. Fortunately, Christians (“who are Christ’s”) cannot be carried away by the works of the flesh. They crucified her with all her passions and lusts when, in baptism, they died with Christ. Gal.5:25. If we live by the spirit, then we must act by the spirit. Gal.5:26. Let's not be vain, irritate each other, envy each other. The Galatians, who in their present state are still far from perfect, should also belong to such perfect Christians. After all, they also died with Christ to the works of the flesh and began the life of the spirit. And they must manifest this life in appropriate actions. - “We must act.” The verb here is στοιχουρν = to walk side by side, together, as opposed to walking, which is denoted by the verb περιπατεῖν (Gal. 5:16), which can also mean walking alone. If we take this into account, then we can say that the subsequent exhortations do not refer to the personal spiritual state of an individual Christian, but to the mutual relations of Christians and church-social life. – The first expression of Gal.6:1, “brothers,” can conveniently be attributed to verse 26. There is an appeal there: “you who are spiritual,” and here this word “brothers” perfectly sets off the Apostle’s call to abstain from all vanity, which completely upsets correct, fraternal relations between Christians. “Leave vanity and mutual irritation and envy, you brothers - this is how the meaning of verse 26 can be conveyed. You might be interested in: