Galatians 5:10 - Homiletics

The apostle's sanguine hopes of Galatian recovery.

The swerve toward ritualism was in its mere incipiency. Therefore he assumes a hopeful tone in dealing with the Galatians as a Church. "He fears the worst, but hopes the best."

I. THE GROUND OF HIS HOPEFUL CONFIDENCE . "In the Lord." It is good to be of a hopeful temperament, and good to have good men to think well of our state, as their judgment will be according to truth and charity, The ground of the apostle's confidence was not

(3) "in the Lord" himself, who had power to recover them out of their error. "Paul may plant, and Apollos water; but it is God who giveth the increase' ( 1 Corinthians 3:7 ), It is he, and he only, who can make the Galatians "like-minded" with the apostle, by blessing his reproofs, his arguments, his tender urgencies of appeal.

II. THE UNSETTLING TENDENCY OF FALSE TEACHERS , The Greek word is very expressive—"he who excites tumults among you," or who "disturbs you." Perhaps the apostle had in view a particular teacher who was specially dangerous. Such teachers

III. THERE IS A JUDGMENT FOR RELIGIOUS SEDUCERS . He "shall bear his judgment, whosoever he be."

1 . It will be a just judgment. It will be according to his works. His end will be, as the apostle implies, a sure condemnation.

2 . The judgment will not be averted by the high opinion seducers entertain of themselves, nor by their high position in the Church, nor by the high esteem in which they may be held by man.