Galatians 5:1-4 NIV

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Galatians 5:1

Verse 1 1.Stand fast therefore. After having told them that they are the children of the free woman, he now reminds them that they ought not lightly to despise a freedom so precious. And certainly it is an invaluable blessing, in defense of which it is our duty to fight, even to death; since not only the highest temporal considerations, but our eternal interests also, animate us to the contest. (81) Many persons, having never viewed the subject in this light, charge us with excessive zeal, when... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Galatians 5:2

Verse 2 2.Behold, I Paul. He could not have pronounced a severer threatening than that it would exclude them entirely from the grace of Christ. But what is the meaning of this, that Christ will profit nothing to all who are circumcised? Did Christ profit nothing to Abraham? Nay, it was in order that Christ might profit him that he received circumcision. If we say that it was in force till the coming of Christ, what reply shall we make to the case of Timothy? We must observe, that Paul’s... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Galatians 5:3

Verse 3 3.For I testify again. What he now advances is proved by the contradiction involved in the opposite statement. He who is a debtor to do the whole law (82) will never escape death, but will always continue to be held as guilty; for no man will ever be found who satisfies the law. (83) Such being the obligation, the man must unavoidably be condemned, and Christ can render him no service. We see then the contradictory nature of the two propositions, that we are partakers of the grace of... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Galatians 5:4

Verse 4 4.Christ has become of no effect unto you. “If ye seek any part of righteousness in the works of the law, Christ has no concern with you, and ye are fallen from grace. ” They were not so grossly mistaken as to believe that by the observance of the law alone they were justified, but attempted to mix Christ with the law. In any other point of view, Paul’s threatenings would have utterly failed to produce alarm. “What are you doing? You deprive yourselves of every advantage from Christ,... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Galatians 5:1

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Galatians 5:1

The importance of standing by Christian liberty. "Stand firm, therefore, in the liberty for which Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage." The apostle hopefully assumes that the Galatians had not yet surrendered their liberty. I. JUDIASM WAS A YOKE OF BONDAGE . It might well be described in such terms by the Apostle Peter at an earlier period ( Acts 15:10 ). The bondage consisted in the number, complexity, and variety of its rites... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Galatians 5:1

Christian freedom. St. Paul concludes the arguments and expostulations of the two previous chapters with a vigorous exhortation. This has, of course, its special application to the condition of the Galatian Churches, and the liberty to which it directly applies is deliverance from the bondage of Law. But it admits of wider application to the circumstances of our own day. We have here brought before us a privilege, a danger, and a duty. I. A PRIVILEGE . Christ confers freedom (see ... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Galatians 5:2

Behold, I Paul say unto you ( ἴδε , ἐγὼ παῦλος λώγω ὑμῖν ); lo , I Paul say unto you. The adverbial exclamation ἴδε , found in St. Paul's writings only here (in Romans 2:17 it should be εἰ δὲ ), seems to be more abrupt than ἰδού , pointing to the immense importance and yet possibly unexpected character of what follows. The Galatians might be surprised to hear it; but that which they seemed disposed to take in hand was fraught with utter ruin. "I, Paul:" he thus... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Galatians 5:2

A solemn and emphatic warning. The apostle assumes a severer and a more authoritative tone—"I Paul"—and shows that there is something worse than folly in turning aside to the Law, for it is to take an absolutely destructive course. It is absolutely impossible to reconcile circumcision with Christ. "If ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing." I THIS DOES NOT WARRANT THE CONDEMNATION OF CIRCUMCISION IN ITSELF . For it was a Divine appointment, not only a... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Galatians 5:2-12

Falling from grace. Paul in the present section exposes the legal and ceremonial spirit as a tall from the moral magnificence of grace. It has been well said that "it is harder to abolish forms than to change opinions. Ceremonies stand long after the thought which they express has fled, as a dead king may sit on his throne stiff and stark in his golden mantle, and no one come near enough to see that the light is gone out of his eyes and the will departed from the hand that still clutches... read more

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Galatians 5:1

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Galatians 5:2

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Galatians 5:3

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Galatians 5:4

The Pulpit Commentary - Galatians 5:1

The Pulpit Commentary - Galatians 5:1

The Pulpit Commentary - Galatians 5:1

The Pulpit Commentary - Galatians 5:2

The Pulpit Commentary - Galatians 5:2

The Pulpit Commentary - Galatians 5:2-12

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