Commentary on Galatians (No. F048)

Introduction

Paul founded the church in Galatia (Acts 16:6), and it was soon pounced on by Judaizers that had infiltrated the churches in Galatia Central Asia Minor. Galatia derived its name from the Hittites that had moved into Europe and settled in Gaul and a group of them returned and reconquered the area in Anatolia that was named Galatia (cf. Gaul). They spoke Gaelic or Celtic as they did at Treves according to Jerome (see below). Paul moved there in Galatia, whilst Peter operated from Antioch over Parthia in the South, and Andrew from Thrace and Scythia to the North (cf. Establishment of the Church under the Seventy (No. 122D)).

The Judaisers taught that it was necessary for the Christians to keep the entire Mosaic Law. The Jews refused to understand that Christ was the aim or fulfilment of the Law and that through him the sacrificial law had been brought to completion. They thus did not understand the Distinction in the Law of God (No. 096). The disputation thus played into the hands of the Antinomians who run this argument until this very day in the 21^st century claiming that Paul argued that the entire law was done away. He taught no such thing (cf. Paul: Part I Paul and the Law (No. 271)). This corrupted thinking infests our universities throughout the world and many groups of Antinomians, Trinitarians or not, refer to it as the Magna Carter of Christian Liberty thereby condemning their adherents to the Second Resurrection (No. 143B).

God told the faith through the prophets that Christ was to enforce the Calendar including the Sabbaths and New Moon and the Feasts on pain of death in his government in the millennial system (cf. Isa. 66:23-24 & Zech. 14:16-19; Rev. chapter 20). Christ said that not one jot or tittle will pass from the law until heaven and earth pass away (Mat. 5:18). Paul did not and could not teach that error as doctrine.

The New Oxford Annotated RSV for example states that Paul insists on the contrary, that a man becomes right with God only by faith in Christ and not by the performance of good works, ritual observances, and the like (2:16; 3:24-25; 5;1; 6:12-15).”

We will examine the intent of the message and chapters below.

Paul in fact began his epistle, after the salutation and introduction (Gal. 1:1-5), with a defence of his apostleship (Gal. 1:6 to 2:21). He then proceeds to a defence of the gospel (Gal. 3:1 to 4:31). The ethical implications of the gospel are then examined in Galatians 5:1 to 6:10 and the conclusion is made from Galatians 6:11-18.

The central part of the doctrine of the gospel is held to be justification by faith (3:1-4:31).

The letter was written ca. 55 CE during Paul’s third missionary journey providing many details of his earlier life and missions.

Let us examine the place of the Law in the Faith as taught here in Galatians.

Book Overview - Galatians

by E.W. Bullinger

THE STRUCTURE OF THE BOOK AS A WHOLE.

Galatians 1:1-5. EPISTOLARY AND SALUTATION.
Galatians 1:6 - Galatians 2:14. SOLICITUDE.
Galatians 2:15-4:11. DOCTRINAL CORRECTION.
Galatians 4:12-20. SOLICITUDE.
Galatians 4:21 - Galatians 6:10. DOCTRINAL CORRECTION.
Galatians 6:11-14. SOLICITUDE.
Galatians 6:15. DOCTRINAL CORRECTION.
Galatians 6:16-18. EPISTOLARY AND BENEDICTION.

INTRODUCTORY NOTES.

1. As with the Second Epistle to the Corinthians, a large part of this letter is taken up with proofs of the apostle’s Divine authority. The major portion, however, is devoted to refuting the teaching of such as would lead back the Galatians to bondage, for many of them desired to be under the Law. And Paul declared to them that this was a removing unto a different gospel altogether, although, there being in reality no other gospel, it was a perverting of the gospel of Christ.

2. The likeness to Romans is noticeable, and although this Epistle was written before that to the Romans, Paul had taught the Galatians the same truth as he records in the later Epistle. Galatians has been happily likened to a sketch for the finished picture, Romans. In both is maintained the fundamental truth that there is no difference between Jew and Gentile before God. There would be many Jews among the churches of Galatia, for Paul ever went to the Jew first; yet the majority would be Gentiles, apparently too ready to yield to the persuasions of judaizers who taught the necessity of circumcision. Of profound interest to all believers is the record of the apostle’s reception of the gospel which was preached by him. For he received it not from man, nor was he taught it, but it came to him through revelation of Jesus Christ.

3. There is no difference of opinion as to where the churches of Galatia were situated. The province was a central one in Asia Minor, occupied in the northern parts by a mixed race in which the Keltic predominated; and some think that there were no churches at all in that portion of the province, but only in the southern parts, and that they probably included Antioch of Pisidia, Iconium, Derbe, and Lystra. It may be added that in Galatia proper, the people spoke the Keltic language until at least the time of Jerome, who records hearing the same tongue there as he heard in Treves.

4. DATE. Galatians was most probably written from Macedonia in the winter of A.D. 57, or the spring of A.D. 58. See Appendix-180.”

End quote

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The epistle was written before the Epistle to the Romans and thus being similar shows the extensive nature of the Antinomian Gnostic heresies not only to Colossae, Ephesus and Laodicea, but throughout the whole empire. Cf. Heresy in the Apolostic Church (No. 089)

Galatians

Tertullian claims from Galatians and elsewhere quite wrongly that God despised the Sabbaths and feasts arguing:

'Ye observe days and months, and times, and years' [Gal. 4:10] - the Sabbaths, I suppose, and 'the preparations' [ANF translating 'Coenas puras': as 'probably the B"D"F6,L"4 paraskeuai or preparation] of John xix. 31'; see the section 'Passover' for an exposition of this matter] and the fasts, and the 'high days' [John 19:31 also?]. For the cessation of even these, no less than of circumcision, was appointed by the Creator's decrees, who had said by Isaiah, 'Your new moons, and your sabbaths, and your high days I cannot bear; your fasting, and feasts, and ceremonies my soul hateth' [Isa. 1:13,14]; also by Amos, 'I hate, I despise your feast days, and I will not smell in your solemn assemblies' [Amos 5:21]; and again by Hosea, 'I will cause to cease all her mirth, and her feast days, and her sabbaths, and her new moons, and all her solemn assemblies' [Hosea 2:11]. The institutions which He set up Himself you ask did He then destroy? Yes, rather than any other. Or if another destroyed them, he only helped on the purpose of the Creator, by removing what even He had condemned. But this is not the place to discuss the question why the Creator abolished his own laws. It is enough for us to prove that He intended such an abolition, that so it may be affirmed that the apostle determined nothing to the prejudice of the Creator, since the abolition itself proceeds from the Creator (Tertullian Against Marcion, Bk. V, Ch. IV, ANF, Vol. III, p. 436).

Tertullian shows that Marcion can be first known as a heretic by his separation of the gospel and the law (Against Marcion, ibid., Ch. XXI, p.286). Curiously, it is this aspect of the Marcionite heresy that is most prevalent today in Christian justification for removing the requirements of the law both from worship and the feasts, particularly the Sabbath issue. The notion is philosophically unsound for the reasons developed elsewhere. More particularly, the objections raised by Lord Russell as to the issue of divine laws (namely, that they could not have been issued simply by fiat, but must have another sounder basis) would appear to preclude the sort of reasoning employed by Tertullian. It becomes obvious from reading him that he does not comprehend the real issues behind the statements in Isaiah, Amos and Hosea where the festivals employed by both Israel and Judah were polluted and that it was the lack of justice and righteousness (Amos 5:24) that was the problem as is evident by an even cursory reading of the texts. Christ was similarly disgusted with the mode of Sabbath observance by the hypocritical Pharisees.

The law must proceed from a basis within the nature of God rather than from a simple statement as Russell so rightly pointed out. Unfortunately the hierarchical relationship deemed necessary by Russell and attributed to Gnosticism is in fact correct. However, Russell did not adequately examine the true cosmology other than to show (Why I Am Not A Christian) that the issue of divine laws within Trinitarianism is logically absurd. The Sabbath question is often removed from the law so that there are nine and not ten commandments and those are indeed suggestions – as the law is done away. The argument shows a Protestant misapprehension of the nature of the law. The Protestant acceptance of Sunday worship, which is of itself based upon the councils of the Athanasian church, is logically absurd. If the church had the authority to alter the law, then it had authority over all aspects of the law and the church and Protestantism is an unauthorised rebellion. However, the Reformation was fatally flawed in its analysis in that the Reformation only went as far back as Augustine for its theology and that theology was biblically incorrect. Augustine’s work is based upon philosophy and is not correctly supported by the Bible.

Paul is quoted in support of antinomian activity, namely the argument that the law is done away, from assumptions. Much of the problem of Galatians stems from a simplification of Paul’s position. He was attacked both by legalists on the one hand and by Antinomians on the other. The Galatian problem was not simple Judaic legalism. The cultic regulations are directed, as we will see, at fallen angelic powers that are deemed not to be theoi (or true loyal elohim) because of their nature.

The problems of the Galatian Church can be seen to be properly a dichotomy between these two positions. The arguments that the law is done away from a reading of Galatians and Colossians is correctly an Antinomian argument which is soundly dismissed by Paul (and also James and John), as is the legalism of Pharisaic Judaism also dismissed (see the papers The Acts 15 Conference (No. 069); The Relationship between Salvation by Grace and the Law (No. 082); Faith and Works (No. 086) and The Works of the Law Text - or MMT (No. 104)). The absence of the thanksgiving and felicitations of the other epistles is construed by the Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible (Vol. 2, art. ‘Galatians’, pp. 338-343) as reflecting the shock of the news of the error and the impulse to fight back.

There is no doubt that the Church had turned to a different gospel, which is not a gospel at all.

Paul visited Jerusalem and saw Peter and James (on his word). Fourteen years later he visited Jerusalem again to lay before those there (including James, Peter and John) the gospel which modern theology (Interp. Dict., p. 341) construes as freedom from the law.

From Paul’s visit it was clear that he was to work among the Gentiles and they among the Jews. Peter was apostle to the Jews (and Israelites) as Galatians shows. The conservative element in the Church, Peter, James and others, appear to have limited the participation of the Gentiles in the Church from Galatians 2:11-14. Peter (Cephas) is mentioned here. (see below)

This shows the understanding of the Church. The release of the Church was from the traditions of the Pharisees and their system, as it was penetrating Judah. Peter had abandoned the traditions. The Jerusalem party was taking the traditional line. Being in Jerusalem, it was easier to go along with the traditions than oppose them. The Gentiles on the other hand would have to make an issue to keep traditions, which were not part of the system of the law. Moreover, the handling regulations also stemmed in part from the sacrificial system, which had been eliminated with Christ.

The argument that the law is done away from the concept that the law was fulfilled in Christ is a misunderstanding of the meaning of the term fulfil.

To fulfil means (Oxford Universal Dictionary)

1. trans. To fill up, make full ...

2. To satisfy the appetite or desire - 1601.

3. To make complete; to supply what is lacking in. Also to supply the place of (something); to compensate for ...

4. To carry out (a prophecy, promise etc.); to satisfy (a desire, prayer). Orig. a Hebraism. M.E.

5. To perform, execute, do; to obey or follow M.E.; to answer (a purpose), comply with (conditions).

6. to bring to an end, complete M.E.

It can thus be seen that to do away with is not and cannot be the meaning of the term within any of its variant meanings in English. Further, the term is a Hebraism. Thus the words of Christ from the gospels must be definitive in interpreting the term. Matthew 5:17 has Christ’s statement:

Matthew 5:17-20 "Think not that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfil them. ¹⁸For truly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. ¹⁹Whoever then relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but he who does them and teaches them shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. ²⁰For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. (RSV)

Christ did not come to abolish the law or the prophets. He said so. He came to fulfil (plerõsai) them. Thus Paul’s comment in Galatians must have meaning within this context. If it does not and contradicts Christ, Paul must by definition be contradicting Christ and, hence, Galatians would be uninspired. Paul cannot win a debate against Christ. Moreover, the Bible does not contradict itself on doctrine.

The commandments are thus not only to be kept but also they cannot be relaxed. The meaning of fulfil also can be seen from the various terms translated thus in the Old Testament. The first term is mala (SHD 4390) to fill or be full of, to accomplish confirm, to consecrate or be at an end the concept of being fenced and also to be gathered together or have wholly. The contextual meaning does not mean to set aside but rather to be the terminus and to contain in conformity with the object, and here, the law. The texts where the term is used are Genesis 29:27, Exodus 23:26, 1Kings 2:27, 2Chronicles 36:21 and Psalm 20:4,5.

The second term is kalah (SHD 3615) to end in the sense intrans. to cease, finish, or perish and trans. to complete, prepare or consume; hence here it can mean consume or destroy. This word is used in Exodus 5:13 in the sense of completing daily tasks or works. This is not a destructive or eliminative sense. It cannot have the meaning of cessation, from Christ’s own comments. The third term is found in 1Chronicles 22:13: Take heed to fulfil the statutes. That word is ’asah (SHD 6213) to do or make in the widest sense. Hence the term means to comply with the statutes in this context.

The term used to translate what Christ said in Matthew 5:17 is a form of the word plerõ which means to make replete, literally to cram (as a net), level up (a hollow) or to imbue by furnishing, influencing, satisfying or executing an office. Thus Christ was clearly understood to be adding to the law not detracting from it or removing any aspect of the law in any sense. To assert that Christ was doing so is a perversion of the understanding of the words in all of the languages used: Greek, Hebrew, the Aramaic in which Christ would have spoken, or the English in which the word was finally translated. He perfected the law by the utilisation of the Holy Spirit in its execution. That is the true meaning of the arguments of Paul and all of the apostles and prophets.

The key to Galatians is in Galatians 3:1-5 below.

The context is that the Spirit is conveyed not by doing the law but by faith. The receipt of eternal life is thus removed from the individual’s grasp except by conformity to the will of God exercised in faith.

The context is then extended to Abraham as the father of the faithful (Gal. 3:6-9). Thus Abraham "believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness."

The curse is extended to those who rely upon works to be justified rather than the sacrifice of Jesus Christ (Gal. 3:10-14For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, "Cursed be every one who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law, and do them." ¹¹Now it is evident that no man is justified before God by the law; for "He who through faith is righteous shall live"; ¹²but the law does not rest on faith, for "He who does them shall live by them." ¹³Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us -- for it is written, "Cursed be every one who hangs on a tree" – ¹⁴that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. (RSV)

Thus the receipt of the promise is through faith. The retention of the promise is through obedience. The retention of the Holy Spirit is predicated upon obedience to the law and the keeping of the commandments (Mat. 19:17); see also the papers The Holy Spirit (No. 117) and Eternal Life (No. 133).

The Jews were attempting to obtain salvation by works and were perverting the intent of the law and impugning the nature of God. This error began to penetrate the elect (Gal. 3:15-18).

It can be seen that the promise was vested in Christ and that no man can come to God save through Christ. The Jews held that they could circumvent the requirements of the faith by adherence to works. The intent is thus that there was a form of purification entering the Galatian Church, which was found among the Gnostics and of a similar type, but not the same, as that found at Colossae.

Paul explains the intent and purpose of the law at

Galatians 3:19-20.

The law was given until Christ came because men were not capable of living according to the nature of God from whom the law proceeds. Christ only could do that and those to whom the Spirit was given through faith. Now the Spirit had been given to the prophets and they are to inherit the promise, but the main thrust of the work would not occur until Christ and the elect. The oneness of God stems from the possession of the Holy Spirit by the angels through the intermediary, which enables us to be one with God as Christ is one with God.

The law is not against the promises but rather to make it obvious for the requirements of faith in Christ (Gal. 3:21-22).

The law acted as a confinement until Christ because we could not live according to the nature of God until we were given the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was not given on request until Christ. Only the prophets and those chosen by God to understand the plan of salvation could share in the Spirit, whereas from Christ it was open to a larger group of people (Gal. 3:23-29).

The propitiation of God by rules and regulations was only a shadow of the true relationship that the elect would have with God through Christ. We share in the nature of God and do by our own volition those things, which previously we had to do by external coercion. The commandments of God proceed now from the elect through the Holy Spirit. The elect are now the offspring of Abraham as Christ is the offspring of Abraham and heir to the promise. In that way we will ascend to the state of Son of God in power through the Holy Spirit from our resurrection from the dead as did Christ (Rom. 1:4).

Paul proceeds in Galatians 4 to deal with another concept in which he mentions elemental spirits. From above, this line is not without significance (Gal. 4:1-7).

The elect were slaves to the elemental spirits of the universe until Christ. Thus the demons were being referred to as the elemental spirits. Hence the concepts involved pagan thought processes which were common among both Greeks and Romans. As such we are faced with a form of Hellenising syncretism which is not pure Judaism but, at best, can only be a precursor to Mysticism (B7).

He is definitely referring to the fallen Host from Galatians 4:8ff. The context is clear where Paul says that formerly when we did not know God we were in bondage to those who by nature were not Theoi. Thus the state of being Theoi stems from their nature. The text is rendered as:

Galatians 4:8 Formerly, when you did not know God, you were in bondage to beings that by nature are no gods; (RSV)

The text is rendered by Marshall’s Interlinear main text as:

But then indeed not knowing God ye served as slaves the by nature not being gods.

It is clear that service to the fallen Host is involved and that he refers to them as elemental spirits. Galatia was apparently trying to propitiate, by ritual observance, the elemental spirits, not being aware that they were of the fallen Host or demons. They had incorporated into the Church the purification rites that were endemic to Pythagoreanism and which had penetrated Italy and the Romans long before. Thus the Gentile converts did not comprehend the nature of the law and its place in the faith. We see the point from verses 9-11 below.

The observance mentioned can be plainly seen from what has transpired in the mainstream church for some two thousand years. This text does not eliminate the Sabbath or the feasts.

The text of the slave and the free refers to the use of the law in Jerusalem (Gal. 4:12-31).

We do not keep the law because we are slaves to the law propitiating the law according to the flesh, which is the realm of the demons and the god of this world. We serve God and are part of the New Jerusalem. The statement of Paul to them to become as he is, shows that he is not talking about the keeping of the feast because he kept the feasts and the Sabbath (as we know from Acts and his epistles) as did all the apostles. If he is saying that the feasts are done away then he makes Christ a liar who spoke by the prophets and stated that the Sabbaths and New Moons (Isa. 66:23) will be introduced together with the feasts (Zech. 14:16-19). If the elect could dispense with the Holy Days and the Sabbath, it would be an act of utmost capriciousness for God to punish the nations for not keeping them under the millennial system. God is not a respecter of persons and therefore demands uniform standards of people.

The elect have a harder job in the execution, having to walk by faith. If anyone says the law is done away, they are quite simply ignorant of Scripture, which cannot be broken, and of the nature of God. More particularly, they are ignorant of the real issues in dispute in Galatia and at Colossae. The forms of error in those churches began to assert themselves within Gnosticism at an early stage. The thought processes are also extant in Liberation Theology and, particularly, Buddhism. The concepts are evident in modern Process Theology. The Gnostics struck at the very existence of God (the paper The Works of the Law Text - or MMT (No. 104) examines this issue).

In the discussion in Works of the Law or MMT (No. 104) we see a discussion about what Paul said in Romans and Galatians can be defended and explained through the increased understanding. The explanation is that he was talking about the Works of the Law - the Miqsat ma’ase ha-torah or MMT, which is specifically a writing of the Qumran sects, which entered sectarian Judaism in the first century, and disappeared from the second, third and fourth centuries.

After the dispersal, after the fall of Jerusalem, and ultimately the fall of the Massada, the MMT was lost. It remained in a cave in Qumran. The understanding of what Paul was saying was locked up, so people who wanted to do away with God’s laws used New Testament texts to strike down the law through what Paul was saying. The New Testament letters were also used to attack Paul’s attitudes, and then because of it, the Jews themselves felt under threat because of what Paul was saying. It introduced what appeared to be an apparent contradiction into the Bible texts.

Galatians 2:13 gives a feel of what is happening.

They got to Barnabas in other words, so the elect were not immune from this reasoning.

From 2:14-16 the term works of the law has generally been taken to have meaning from the two words as, the workings of the law, but in fact it is, as we see, a title, Works of the Law, which translate the Hebrew title Miqsat ma’ase ha-torah. From now on, we can identify this as a title of a Judaic work of the first century, which tries to convey some justification by works. Galatians 3:1-14 gives further explanation.

Paul refers to Abraham in the text in Galatians, because Abraham was reckoned righteous, from the texts in Genesis. The whole composition of the righteousness of Abraham was from Genesis 22:16 where Abraham was willing to sacrifice his son Isaac at God’s command. And Abegg raises this as a point (ibid). He thinks that there is one possibility, and it is a very strong possibility, otherwise Paul would not have used the reference in relation to this text. He would not have spoken about the works of the law, and used the example of Abraham, unless that example was specific to action and reckoning to righteousness. The fact was that he was reckoned righteous by what he had done. Abegg makes a very good point, and it appears correct, that the basis of the works of the law conferring righteousness was perhaps also taken from Psalm 106:30-31.

Psalm 106:30-31Then Phin'ehas stood up and interposed, and the plague was stayed. ³¹And that has been reckoned to him as righteousness from generation to generation for ever. (RSV)

What contemporary Judaism, and then the Church, had done is taken this concept where Phinehas stood up, and through his action, by what he did, was counted righteous for all generations. So the Qumran sect and the MMT, and the groups who thought that the law could confer righteousness by works, took this text and applied it as being the justification for righteousness being conferred through the actions of individuals. The Sons of Zadok was the title the Qumran sect used. That Zadok, high priest under David and Solomon, was the direct descendant of Phinehas supports this view. Paul said that no man is justified before God by the law. He who through faith is righteous shall live.

Thus righteousness is obedience to the commandments through faith. Adherence to the law without faith in a higher system is nothing. That is the concept being attacked. This physical view of righteousness was held despite the fact that there are many biblical texts in Isaiah, particularly Isaiah 9:1-6, talking about Messiah, and Isaiah 53, talking about his suffering and the taking away of sin. All of those texts pointed towards the expiatory sacrifice of the Messiah to remove sin. Yet these people thought that through works they could achieve righteousness. As Paul said “Oh foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you? Did you receive the spirit by works of the law, or by hearing with faith?” And then he dealt with Abraham. Paul saw that their position derived from the two texts, although he didn’t mention Phinehas. However it seems certain that the text of Abraham being justified by his obedience and his works in the sacrifice of Isaac was the basis of their thinking. It may actually have even played a part in their Monastic celibacy in some areas. Perhaps from the sacrifice of children, by not having any, you confer celibacy with righteousness. So you are counted righteous by simply denying your offspring. It is a bizarre sort of reasoning. But one suspects that it may actually be that simple. There are other ritual purifications, which make that a logical extension, because you cannot be ritually pure all the time under the law given all of the limitations within human life. Abegg seems to make a good case for the origin of the name. He points out that MMT is couched in the exact language of what Paul was rebutting in his letter to Galatians (Gal. 2:16) (Abegg op. cit. p. 55).

We will now look at Fruits of the Spirit. It is important to study the reference text from which these concepts are derived. Fruit of the Holy Spirit (No. 146)

Fruits of the Spirit from Galatians

Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³gentleness, self-control; against such there is no law. (RSV)

Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, ²³Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. (KJV)

From love proceeds the next series of the fruits of the Holy Spirit.

Joy

Joy is derived from the attainment of an aspect of the Plan of God, experienced by the individual, either by communion with God, or through the achievement of an individual in communion with God. Only through love can true joy be experienced. The joy that comes from self-gratification is transitory, being physical.

Peace

Peace comes from the perfect relationship that flows from the love of God and the hope and faith that is predicated to Him. From the love of God we experience the love of our neighbour, which is the Second Great Commandment.

Great peace have they that love the Lord. God is a God of Peace (Rom. 16:20; Phil. 4:9). God calls us to peace (1Cor. 7:15). He bruises Satan; we do not need to do that. To be spiritually minded is life and peace (Rom. 8:6). Peace comes from God our Father (Rom. 1:7; 1Cor. 1:3; Gal. 1:3; Col. 1:2; 1Thes. 1:1; 2Thes. 1:2; Tit. 1:4; Philem. 3). Thus those that do not obey God are unable to have peace. Peace is predicated upon obedience. There is no peace, says my God, for the wicked (Isa. 57:21). That is why peace not based upon the word of God will fail. They declare peace, and disaster will descend upon them unexpectedly. The text of Isaiah 57:19-21 is related to the whole question of the Blessings and Curses of Deuteronomy 28 (see the paper The Blessings and the Curses (No. 075)).

Patience

Patience is essential to the bearing of the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Christ addressed this problem in the Parable of the Sower in Luke 8:15-18.

The hearing of the word is preliminary to keeping the word. Thus the word is the Commandments of God and the Testimony of Christ. From an understanding of the word and its adherence the fruit of the Holy Spirit is made manifest. Those who do not act on the word of God have what little understanding that they do possess removed over time.

We learn patience from tribulation, or from suffering we attain endurance (RSV). This process is developed through the justification by faith through Christ and God’s love that has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit as we see from Romans 5:1-5.

Kindness or Gentleness

The word for kindness in the Hebrew is חֶסֶד chesed. By implication it means piety when directed towards God. Rarely it means (by opposition) reproof or (subject) beauty. Hence it has the complicated sense of favour, good deed, (-liness, -ness), kindly, (loving-) kindness, merciful (kindness), mercy, pity, reproach, or wicked thing. The next sense from SHD 2619 is also favour, as a Hebrew name Hesed.

The word used in Galatians 5:22-23, translated gentleness in the KJV and kindness in the RSV, is the Greek word chrestotes (SGD 5544) which is derived from chrestos (SGD 5543) meaning usefulness, that is, moral excellence in character or demeanour and hence gentleness, good(ness), kindness. The sense is thus a piety and gentleness of nature, which is hence able to be useful to the work of God. It has an intrinsic goodness of character.

Goodness

The sense here of goodness is simple. It is derived from the Greek word agathosune (SGD 19) meaning goodness as virtue.

Faithfulness or Faith

The word here is pistis (SGD 4102) being derived from persuasion (SGD 3982), i.e. credence. Morally it means conviction of religious truth or the truthfulness of God or a religious teacher.

It has the special meaning of reliance on Christ for salvation. Abstractly it means constancy in such profession. By extension it means reliance on the system of religious truth itself. Hence it has the meaning of assurance, belief, to believe, hence faith and fidelity.

The denigration of the inspiration of the biblical texts is thus indicative of a problem with the Holy Spirit in the individual.

Gentleness or Meekness

The word for gentleness is praotes (SGD 4236) and is derived from praos (gentle, SGD 4235). By implication it means humility and hence meekness.

Self-control or Temperance

The word egkrateia (SGD 1466) [pronounced engkratiah] is derived from egkrates (SGD 1468) [pr. engkratace] which means to be strong in a thing or masterful, hence self- controlled in appetite and hence temperate. The meaning of this derivative is self-control and especially continence, which is concerned with self-restraint in the matter of sexual appetite (see Oxford Universal Dictionary).

We saw the three pillars are love, faith and hope, but love is the greatest. Then from love we develop the other fruit.

The fruit of the Holy Spirit is the real power of our faith and the centre of that love is based upon truth. If we haven’t got love we have nothing. That is the key fruit, but truth is the central objective and our God is a God of truth. All of this is tied together in truth, but certainly the fruit of the Holy Spirit is primarily a function of love.

Further reading:

· The Elect as Elohim (No. 001)

· The God We Worship (No. 002)

· The Angel of YHVH (No. 024)

· Repentance and Baptism (No. 052)

· The Mysteries of God (No. 131)

· Truth (No. 168)

Galatians

Chapter 1

¹Paul an apostle--not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead-- ²and all the brethren who are with me, To the churches of Galatia: ³Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, ⁴who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father; ⁵to whom be the glory for ever and ever. Amen. ⁶I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and turning to a different gospel-- ⁷not that there is another gospel, but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. ⁸But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to that which we preached to you, let him be accursed. ⁹As we have said before, so now I say again, If any one is preaching to you a gospel contrary to that which you received, let him be accursed. ¹⁰Am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still pleasing men, I should not be a servant of Christ. ¹¹For I would have you know, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not man's gospel. ¹²For I did not receive it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through a revelation of Jesus Christ. ¹³For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it; ¹⁴and I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers. ¹⁵But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and had called me through his grace, ¹⁶was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not confer with flesh and blood, ¹⁷nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia; and again I returned to Damascus. ¹⁸Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas, and remained with him fifteen days. ¹⁹But I saw none of the other apostles except James the Lord's brother. ²⁰(In what I am writing to you, before God, I do not lie!) ²¹Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cili'cia. ²²And I was still not known by sight to the churches of Christ in Judea; ²³they only heard it said, "He who once persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy." ²⁴And they glorified God because of me. (RSV)

Chapter 2

¹Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along with me. ²I went up by revelation; and I laid before them (but privately before those who were of repute) the gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, lest somehow I should be running or had run in vain. ³But even Titus, who was with me, was not compelled to be circumcised, though he was a Greek. ⁴But because of false brethren secretly brought in, who slipped in to spy out our freedom which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage-- ⁵to them we did not yield submission even for a moment, that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you. ⁶And from those who were reputed to be something (what they were makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality) --those, I say, who were of repute added nothing to me; ⁷but on the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted with the gospel to the circumcised ⁸(for he who worked through Peter for the mission to the circumcised worked through me also for the Gentiles), ⁹and when they perceived the grace that was given to me, James and Cephas and John, who were reputed to be pillars, gave to me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised; ¹⁰only they would have us remember the poor, which very thing I was eager to do. ¹¹But when Cephas came to Antioch I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. ¹²For before certain men came from James, he ate with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party. ¹³And with him the rest of the Jews acted insincerely, so that even Barnabas was carried away by their insincerity. ¹⁴But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, "If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?" ¹⁵We ourselves, who are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners, ¹⁶yet who know that a man is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ, and not by works of the law, because by works of the law shall no one be justified. ¹⁷But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we ourselves were found to be sinners, is Christ then an agent of sin? Certainly not! ¹⁸But if I build up again those things which I tore down, then I prove myself transgressor. ¹⁹For I through the law died to the law, that I might live to God. ²⁰I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. ²¹I do not nullify the grace of God; for if justification were through the law, then Christ died to no purpose. (RSV)

Chapter 3

¹O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified? ²Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law, or by hearing with faith? ³Are you so foolish? Having begun with the Spirit, are you now ending with the flesh? ⁴Did you experience so many things in vain? --if it really is in vain. ⁵Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith? ⁶Thus Abraham "believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness." ⁷So you see that it is men of faith who are the sons of Abraham. ⁸And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, "In you shall all the nations be blessed." ⁹So then, those who are men of faith are blessed with Abraham who had faith. ¹⁰For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, "Cursed be every one who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law, and do them." ¹¹Now it is evident that no man is justified before God by the law; for "He who through faith is righteous shall live"; ¹²but the law does not rest on faith, for "He who does them shall live by them." ¹³Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us--for it is written, "Cursed be every one who hangs on a tree" -- ¹⁴that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. ¹⁵To give a human example, brethren: no one annuls even a man's will, or adds to it, once it has been ratified. ¹⁶Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, "And to offsprings," referring to many; but, referring to one, "And to your offspring," which is Christ. ¹⁷This is what I mean: the law, which came four hundred and thirty years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to make the promise void. ¹⁸For if the inheritance is by the law, it is no longer by promise; but God gave it to Abraham by a promise. ¹⁹Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made; and it was ordained by angels through an intermediary. ²⁰Now an intermediary implies more than one; but God is one. ²¹Is the law then against the promises of God? Certainly not; for if a law had been given which could make alive, then righteousness would indeed be by the law. ²²But the scripture consigned all things to sin, that what was promised to faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. ²³Now before faith came, we were confined under the law, kept under restraint until faith should be revealed. ²⁴So that the law was our custodian until Christ came, that we might be justified by faith. ²⁵But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a custodian; ²⁶for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. ²⁷For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. ²⁸There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. ²⁹And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise. (RSV)

Chapter 4

¹I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no better than a slave, though he is the owner of all the estate; ²but he is under guardians and trustees until the date set by the father. ³So with us; when we were children, we were slaves to the elemental spirits of the universe. ⁴But when the time had fully come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, ⁵to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. ⁶And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" ⁷So through God you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son then an heir. ⁸Formerly, when you did not know God, you were in bondage to beings that by nature are no gods; ⁹but now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and beggarly elemental spirits, whose slaves you want to be once more? ¹⁰You observe days, and months, and seasons, and years! ¹¹I am afraid I have labored over you in vain. ¹²Brethren, I beseech you, become as I am, for I also have become as you are. You did me no wrong; ¹³you know it was because of a bodily ailment that I preached the gospel to you at first; ¹⁴and though my condition was a trial to you, you did not scorn or despise me, but received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus. ¹⁵What has become of the satisfaction you felt? For I bear you witness that, if possible, you would have plucked out your eyes and given them to me. ¹⁶Have I then become your enemy by telling you the truth? ¹⁷They make much of you, but for no good purpose; they want to shut you out, that you may make much of them. ¹⁸For a good purpose it is always good to be made much of, and not only when I am present with you. ¹⁹My little children, with whom I am again in travail until Christ be formed in you! ²⁰I could wish to be present with you now and to change my tone, for I am perplexed about you. ²¹Tell me, you who desire to be under law, do you not hear the law? ²²For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave and one by a free woman. ²³But the son of the slave was born according to the flesh, the son of the free woman through promise. ²⁴Now this is an allegory: these women are two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery; she is Hagar. ²⁵Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia; she corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. ²⁶But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother. ²⁷For it is written, "Rejoice, O barren one who does not bear; break forth and shout, you who are not in travail; for the children of the desolate one are many more than the children of her that is married." ²⁸Now we, brethren, like Isaac, are children of promise. ²⁹But as at that time he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so it is now. ³⁰But what does the scripture say? "Cast out the slave and her son; for the son of the slave shall not inherit with the son of the free woman." ³¹So, brethren, we are not children of the slave but of the free woman. (RSV)

Chapter 5

¹For freedom Christ has set us free; stand fast therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. ²Now I, Paul, say to you that if you receive circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. ³I testify again to every man who receives circumcision that he is bound to keep the whole law. ⁴You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace. ⁵For through the Spirit, by faith, we wait for the hope of righteousness. ⁶For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is of any avail, but faith working through love. ⁷You were running well; who hindered you from obeying the truth? ⁸This persuasion is not from him who calls you. ⁹A little leaven leavens the whole lump. ¹⁰I have confidence in the Lord that you will take no other view than mine; and he who is troubling you will bear his judgment, whoever he is. ¹¹But if I, brethren, still preach circumcision, why am I still persecuted? In that case the stumbling block of the cross has been removed. ¹²I wish those who unsettle you would mutilate themselves! ¹³For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love be servants of one another. ¹⁴For the whole law is fulfilled in one word, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." ¹⁵But if you bite and devour one another take heed that you are not consumed by one another. ¹⁶But I say, walk by the Spirit, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh. ¹⁷For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you would. ¹⁸But if you are led by the Spirit you are not under the law. ¹⁹Now the works of the flesh are plain: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, ²⁰idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, selfishness, dissension, party spirit, ²¹envy, drunkenness, carousing, and the like. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. ²²But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³gentleness, self-control; against such there is no law. ²⁴And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. ²⁵If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. ²⁶Let us have no self-conceit, no provoking of one another, no envy of one another. (RSV)

Chapter 6

¹Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Look to yourself, lest you too be tempted. ²Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. ³For if any one thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. ⁴But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor. ⁵For each man will have to bear his own load. ⁶Let him who is taught the word share all good things with him who teaches. ⁷Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. ⁸For he who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption; but he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. ⁹And let us not grow weary in well-doing, for in due season we shall reap, if we do not lose heart. ¹⁰So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all men, and especially to those who are of the household of faith. ¹¹See with what large letters I am writing to you with my own hand. ¹²It is those who want to make a good showing in the flesh that would compel you to be circumcised, and only in order that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ. ¹³For even those who receive circumcision do not themselves keep the law, but they desire to have you circumcised that they may glory in your flesh. ¹⁴But far be it from me to glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. ¹⁵For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. ¹⁶Peace and mercy be upon all who walk by this rule, upon the Israel of God. ¹⁷Henceforth let no man trouble me; for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus. ¹⁸The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brethren. Amen. (RSV)

Bullinger’s Notes on Galatians (for KJV)

Chapter 1

Verse 1

apostle. App-189.

not, Greek. ou. App-105.

of. Greek. ape. App-104.

men. Greek. anthropos. App-123.

neither = nor yet. Gk. oude. Compare verses: Galatians 1:11, Galatians 1:12.

by. Greek. dia. App-104. Galatians 1:1.

Jesus Christ. App-98,

God. App-98.

Father. App-98.

raised. Greek. egeiro. App-178.

from. Greek. ek. App-104.

the dead. App-139.

Verse 2

all. Probably including Timothy,

with. Greek. sun. App-104.

unto = to.

churches. App-186. The only Epistle addressed to a group of churches. Compare 1 Corinthians 16:1.

Galatia. See Introduction Notes. In all his other epistles Paul adds some commendatory words, "Beloved of God", Romans 1:7 "of God", 1 Corinthians 1:2; "saints", &c, Ephesians 1:1; Philippians 1:1, Philippians 1:1; Colossians 1:2 "in God", 1 Thessalonians 1:1. The omission shows how great was their apostasy.

Verse 3

Grace. Greek. charis. App-184.

from. Greek. apo. App-104.

Lord, App-98. Compare Romans 1:7.

Verse 4

for. Greek. huper, but the texts read peri. App-104.

sins. Greek. hamartia. App-128.

that = so that.

deliver. Greek. exaireo. See Acts 7:10.

this = the.

evil. Greek. poneros. App-128.

world. Greek. aion. App-129. Compare Romans 12:2. 2 Corinthians 4:4. 1 John 5:19 (kosmos).

according to. Greek. kata, App-104.

will. Greek. thelema. App-102.

of God, &c. = of our God and Father.

Verse 5

for ever, &c. App-151.

Verse 6

removed. Read "removing". Greek. metatithemi. The Mid. and Pass. with apo, mean "to desert". Him. i.e. God. Compare Romans 8:30. 1 Thessalonians 2:12. 2 Thessalonians 2:14.

into. Greek. en. App-104.

Christ. App-98.

unto. Greek. eis. App-104.

another. Greek. heteros. App-124.

gospel. See App-140.

Verse 7

another. Greek. allos. App-124.

but. Greek. ei me.

some. Greek. tines, App-. Compare Galatians 2:12. 1 Corinthians 4:18. 2 Corinthians 3:1, 2 Corinthians 10:2.

trouble = are troubling. Compare Galatians 5:10. Acts 15:24.

and would = wishing to. Greek. thelo. App-102.

pervert. Greek. metastrepho. See Acts 2:20.

Verse 8

though = even if (Greek. ean. App-118. b).

heaven. See Matthew 6:9, Matthew 6:10,

preach, &c. = preach a gospel (Greek. evangelizo. App-121.)

beside (Greek. para. App-104.), or than, that.

have. Omit.

accursed. Greek. anathema. See Acts 23:14 and Compare Galatians 3:10, Galatians 3:13.

Verse 9

before. i.e. at his second visit (Acts 18:23).

so = and.

If. Greek. ei. App-118.2. a.

any man. = any one. App-123.

preach, &c. Same expression as Galatians 1:8.

Verse 10

do I, &c. = am I persuading. Greek., peitho. App-150.

do I seek = am I seeking.

pleased = were pleasing.

servant. Greek. doulos. App-190.

Verse 11

certify = make known or declare to, as 1 Corinthians 15:1. Greek. gnorizo.

or Greek. hupo. App-104.

after. Same as "according to", Galatians 1:4.

Verse 12

neither. Greek. oude.

of = from. Greek. para. App-104.

revelation. Greek. apokalupsis. App-106. Compare Acts 9:15; Acts 26:16-18,

Verse 13

conversation = manner of life. Greek. anastrophe. Occurs thirteen times, always translated conversation.

in time past. Literally at one time. Greek. pote.

in. Greek. en. App-1.

the Jews" religion, Greek. Ioudaismos. Only here and Galatians 1:14. Compare Galatians 2:14. As the worship of the Father (Jehovah) at the time of Christ had degenerated into "the Jews" religion", so now the worship of Christ has become the religion "of Christendom.

beyond measure according to (Greek. kata) excess (Greek. hyperbole). See Romans 7:13.

persecuted = was persecuting.

wasted = was wasting. Greek. portheo. See Acts 9:21.

Verse 14

profited. Greek. prokopto. See Romans 13:12.

above. Greek. huper. App-104.

equals = of my own age. Greek. sunelikiotes. Only here.

nation. Literally race.

being. Greek. huparcho. See Luke 9:48.

zealous. Greek. zelotes. See Acts 21:10.

of my fathers. Greek. patrikos. Only here.

Verse 15

separated. Greek. aphorizo. Compare Romans 1:1.

womb. Compare Isaiah 49:1, Isaiah 49:5. Jeremiah 1:5. Note the steps:

Verse 16

reveal. Greek. apokalupto. App-106,

Son. Greek. huios. App-108.

that = in order that. Greek. hina.

among. Greek. en. App-104.

heathen = Gentiles. Greek. ethnos.

conferred. Greek. prosanatithemi. Only here and Galatians 2:6.

flesh and blood. See on Matthew 16:17.

Verse 17

to. Greek. eis. App-104.

to, Greek. pros. App-109.

before. Gr pro. App-104.

into. Greek. eis. App-104.

Arabia. See App-180and App-181.

Damascus. Whence he escaped as recorded in Acts 9:25. 2 Corinthians 11:33.

Verse 18

after. Greek. meta, App-104. This was three years from his conversion, viz. A D. 37. See App-180.

see. Greek. historeo. App-133.

Peter. The texts read Kephas, also in Galatians 2:11, Galatians 2:14. See John 1:42.

abode. Greek. epimeno. See Acts 10:48.

with. Greek. pros. App-104. This first visit was cut short by the murder plot of Acts 9:29, and the command in the trance of Acts 22:17-21.

Verse 19

other. Greek. heteros, as in Galatians 1:6.

saw. Greek. eidon. App-133.

none. Greek. ou.

save = except. Greek. ei me.

the Lord"s brother. See App-182.

Verse 20

behold. Greek. idou. App-193.:

Verse 21

Afterwards = Then, as Galatians 1:18.

regions. Greek. klima . See Romans 15:23.

Syria and Cilicia. The only references to this journey and sojourn are found in Acts 9:30; Acts 11:25.

Verse 22

was unknown = continued unknown Compare 2 Corinthians 6:9.

Verse 23

had heard = were hearing: i.e. kept hearing. These are strong Imperfects.

the faith. Greek. pistis App-150.

destroyed. Same as "wasted", Galatians 1:13.

Verse 24

glorified, &c. = were glorifying (Greek. doxazo, See p. 1511) God in me, i.e. finding in Paul cause for glorifying God,

Chapter 2

Verse 1

after. Greek. dia. App-104. Galatians 2:1. i.e. after his conversion. See App-180. Compare Acts 15:1, &c.

to. Greek. cis. App-104.

with. Greek. meta. App-104.

took . . . with. Greek. sumparalambano. See Acts 12:25.

also. Read after Titus. Titus was one of the "certain other" of Acts 15:2. This was the third visit, the second being that of Acts 11:29, Acts 11:30; Acts 12:25.

Verse 2

by according to. Greek. kata. App-104.

revelation. Greek. apokalupsis. App-106. The decision of Acts 15:2 was Divinely guided

communicated Greek. anatithemi. See Acts 25:14 (declared),

unto = to.

that = the.

gospel, See App-140.

preach. Greek. kerueso. App-121.

among, Greek. en. App-104.

privately. See Acts 23:19.

which were, &c. Literally who seemed. Greek. dokio. See verses: Galatians 2:6-8.

lest . . . means. Greek. me pos.

in vain = for (Greek. eis) no effect. Compare 2 Corinthians 6:1.

Verse 3

neither nut even. Gr oude.

with. Greek. sun. App-104.

being = (though) being.

Verse 4

because of. Greek. dia. App-104. Galatians 2:2.

false brethren. Greek. pseudadelphos. See 2 Corinthians 11:26.

unawares, &c. = brought in stealthily. Greek. pareiskatos. Only here.

came in privily. Greek. pareiserchomai, See Romans 5:20.

spy out. Greek. kutaskopeo. Only here.

in. Greek. ein. App-101,

Christ Jesus. App-98.

that = in order that. Greek. hina.

bring, &c. Greek. katadouloo. See 2 Corinthians 11:20. Compare App-190.

Verse 5

gave place = yielded. Greek. eiko. Only here.

subjection. Greek. hupotage. See 2 Corinthians 9:13.

no, not = not even. Greek. oude. See Galatians 2:3. This emphatic statement is the Figure of speech Negotio. App-6.

for. Greek. pros. App-104.

the truth, &r. Compare Galatians 2:14. Colossians 1:5, Colossians 1:6

continue. Greek. diameno. Elsewhere, Luke 1:22; Luke 22:28, Hebrews 1:11. 2 Peter 3:4.

with. Greek. pros, as above.

Verse 6

of = from. Greek. apo. App-1.

seemed. Greek. dokeo, as in Galatians 2:2.

somewhat. Greek. ti, neut. of tis. App-123.

were = once were.

maketh, &c. = matters (Greek. diaphero)

nothing (Greek. ouden). Compare Galatians 4:1. See Acts 27:27.

God. App-98.

no. Greek. ou. App-105.

man"s. Greek. anthropos. App-123. Here is the Figure of speech Anacoluthon, App-6. He breaks off at "somewhat", and resumes with "for", changing the construction.

for = but.

in conference added. Same as "conferred", Galatians 1:16.

nothing. Greek. ouden, as above.

to me. This is emph. and in the Greek comes at the beginning of the sentence.

Verse 7

saw. Greek. eidon. App-133.

was committed, &c. = I have been entrusted with. Greek. pisteuo. App-150.

a, &c. = even as Peter (with that) of the circumcision.

Verse 8

wrought, &c. Greek. energeo. See Romans 7:5, and compare App-172.

in = by. No prep, Dat, case.

was mighty. Greek. energeo, as above.

me = me also.

toward. Greek. eis. App-104.

Verse 9

James. See Galatians 1:19.

Cephas. Compare Galatians 1:18.

John. The only mention of him in Paul"s epistles,

seemed. Compare verses: Galatians 2:2, Galatians 2:6.

pillars. Greek. stulos. Elsewhere, 1 Timothy 3:15. Revelation 3:12; Revelation 10:1. Applied by the Jews to teachers of the Law.

perceived. Greek. ginosko. App-132.

grace. Greek. charis. App-184.

unto. Greek. eis, App-104.

heathen. Compare Galatians 1:16.

Verse 10

poor. Greek. ptochos. App-127. The Lord"s poor. See John 12:8.

also, &c. = was forward also.

was forward = was zealous. Greek. spoudazo. Elsewhere, Ephesians 4:3. 1 Thessalonians 2:17. 2 Timothy 2:15; 2 Timothy 4:9, 2 Timothy 4:21. Titus 3:12. Hebrews 4:11. 2 Peter 1:10, 2 Peter 1:15; 2 Peter 3:14

Verse 11

Peter. The texts read Kephas, as in Galatians 1:18,

was come = came. This must have followed the council of Act 15, and preceded the dispute of Galatians 15:36-40.

withstood. Greek. anthistemi. Occurs fourteen times, five times withstand", nine times "resist".

to = against. Greek. kata. App-104.

blamed = condemned. Greek. kataginosko Elsewhere, 1 John 3:20, 1 John 3:21.

Verse 12

before. Greek. pro. App-104.

certain. Greek. tines App-124.

from. Greek. apo. App-104.

eat with. Greek. sunesthio. See Acts 10:41.

withdrew = began to withdraw, Greek. hupostello, See Acts 20:20.

of. Greek. ek. App-104.

Verse 13

the other = the rest of. Greek. loipos. App-124.

dissembled. with. Greek. sunupokrinomai. Only here. Compare App-122.

likewise = also.

carried away. Greek. sunapagomai. See Romans 12:16.

with = by.

dissimulation. Greek. hupokrisis.

Verse 14

walked . . . uprightly. Greek. orthopodeu. Only here.

not. Greek. ou. App-105.

according to. Gr, pros. App-104.

If. Greek. ei. App-118.

being. Greek. huparcho. See Luke 9:48.

livest. Greek. zao. See App-170.

The meaning here is = if thou, a Jew, having become free from the Law, in Christ, See Galatians 5:1, how unreasonable to compel Gentiles to judaize (adopt the rites and customs of the Jews)?

after the manner, &c. Gr, ethnikos. Only here. Compare the adjective in Matthew 6:7; Matthew 18:17

as do the Jews. Greek. Ioudaikos. Only here. Compare the adjective in Titus 1:14.

live, &c. Gr, Ioudaiz:. Only here. Compare the noun in Galatians 1:13, Galatians 1:14.

Verse 15

sinners. Greek. hamartools. Compare App-128 and Matthew 9:10.

Verse 16

Knowing. Greek. oida. App-132.

justified. Greek. dikaioo App-191.

by. Greek. ek. App-104.

the. Omit.

but by = except (Greek. ean me)

by (Greek. dia App-104).

faith. Greek. pistis. App-150.

Jesus Christ. App-98.

even we = we also.

have. Omit.

believed. Greek. pisteuo App-150.

Christ. App-98.

no flesh. Literally not (Greek. ou) all flesh. A Hebraism.

Verse 17

by = in. Greek. en. App-104.

minister. Greek. diakonos. App-190.

sin. Greek. hamartia. App-128.

God forbid. See Luke 20:16. Romans 3:4.

Verse 18

make = prove.

transgressor. Greek. parabates. App-128. There is an ellipsis here. Read "to have been a transgressor", i.e. in destroying.

Verse 19

through. Greek. dia. App-104.

am dead = died.

Verse 20

am = have been.

crucified with. Greek. sustauroo See John 19:32 and Romans 6:6.

not = no longer.

life . . . flesh. Compare 1 Corinthians 15:45.

Son of God. App-98.

loved. Greek. agapao. App-135.

gave = gave up, as John 19:30.

for. Greek. huper. App-104.

Verse 21

frustrate. Greek. atheteo See Galatians 3:15 and John 12:48.

righteousness. Greek. dikaiosune. App-191.

by = through, as Galatians 2:19.

is dead = died.

in vain. i.e. uselessly. Greek. dorean. See John 15:25,

Chapter 3

Verse 1

foolish = senseless. Greek. anotetos. See Romans 1:14.

hath. Omit.

bewitched. Greek. baskaino. Only here in N.T. In Septuagint of Deuteronomy 28:54, Deuteronomy 28:56. The noun baskanos in Proverbs 23:8; Proverbs 28:22.

that . . . truth. The texts omit.

not. Greek. me. App-105.

obey. Greek. peitho. App-160.

before. Greek. kata. App-104.

Jesus Christ. App-98.

hath been = was,

evidently set forth, Greek. prographo. See Romans 15:4.

crucified = as having been crucified.

among you. The texts omit.

Verse 2

would. Greek. thelo. App-102.

of. Greek. apo. App-104.

Spirit. App-101.

by. Greek. ek. App-104.

the. Omit.

faith. Greek. pistil. App-160., Compare Romans 10:16, Romans 10:17.

Verse 3

begun. Greek. enarchomai. Here and Philippians 1:1, Philippians 1:6.

made perfect = being perfected. Greek. epiteleo. App-125. See 2 Corinthians 7:1.

by = in.

Verse 4

in vain. See Romans 13:4.

if. Greek. ei. App-118.

Verse 5

ministereth, Greek. epichoregeo. See 2 Corinthians 9:10.

worketh. See Galatians 2:6.

miracles. Greek. dunamis. App-172 and App-176.

among. Greek. en. App-104.

Verse 6

believed. Greek. pisteud. App-150.

God. App-98.

accounted. Greek. logizomai, See Romans 4:3.

for. Greek. eis. App-104.

righteousness. Greek. dikaiosune, App-191. Quoted from Genesis 15:6.

Verse 7

Know. Greek. ginosko. App-132.

of. Greek. ek. App-104.

the same = these.

children. Greek. huios. App-108.

Verse 8

foreseeing. Greek. proeidon. Only here and Acts 2:31,

would justify = justifieth. Greek. dikaioo App-191.

heathen = nations. Some as Gentiles, Galatians 3:14.

through. Greek. ek, as Galatians 3:7; i.e. on the ground of, as Romans 1:17, Romans 4:16 &c.

preached before the gospel. Greek. proeuangelizo. Only here. Compare App-121.

unto = to.

In. Greek. en, App-104.

be blessed. Greek. eneulogeomai. Only here and Acts 3:25. See Genesis 12:3

Verse 9

with. Greek. sun. App-104.

faithful = the faithful. Greek. pistos. App-150.

Verse 10

under. Greek. hupo. App-104.

curse. Greek. katara. Elsewhere, Galatians 3:13. Hebrews 6:8. James 3:10. 2 Peter 2:14.

Cursed. Greek. epikataratos. See John 7:49.

continueth. Greek. emmeno. See Acts 14:22.

not. Greek. au. App-105. Quoted from Deuteronomy 27:26.

Verse 11

no man = no one. Greek. oudeis,

by. Greek. en. App-104.

in the sight of = before, Greek. para. App-104.

just, Greek. dikaios. App-191. Quoted from Habakkuk 2:4. Compare Romans 1:17. Hebrews 10:38.

live, Compare App-170.

Verse 12

The man. App-, but the texts read "He". This quotation is from Leviticus 18:5.

Verse 13

Christ. App-98.

redeemed. Greek. exagorazo. Elsewhere, Galatians 4:5. Ephesians 5:16, Colossians 4:5.

from. Greek. ek. App-104.

being made = becoming. (Emph.)

for. Greek. huper. App-104.

on. Greek. epi. App-104. Quoted from Deuteronomy 21:23.

Verse 14

That = In order that. Greek. hina.

on. Greek. eis. App-104.

through. Greek. en. App-104.

promise. See Luke 24:49.

Spirit. App-101.:3.

through. Greek. dia. App-104. Galatians 3:1.

faith = the faith. App-150.

Verse 15

after the manner of. Greek. kata. App-104.

covenant. Greek. diatheke, See Matthew 26:28.

if it be = when.

confirmed, Greek. kuroo. See 2 Corinthians 2:8.

disannulleth. Same as "frustrate", Galatians 2:21.

addeth thereto. Greek. epidiataesomai. Only here.

Verse 16

made = spoken, See Genesis 21:12,

of. Greek. epi. App-104.

Verse 17

confirmed before. Greek. prokuroo Only here.

of = by. Greek. hupo. App-104.

in Christ. The texts omit.

was. Literally came to be.

four hundred, &c. See Exodus 12:40. App-50.

after. Greek. meta. App-104.

cannot disannul = doth not Greek. ou) disannul (Greek. akurov, Only here, Matthew 15:6. Mark 7:13),

that it should = to. Greek, eis.

make . . . of none effect. Greek. katargeo. See Luke 13:7

Verse 18

no more. Gr ouketi, no longer.

gave = has granted. Greek. charizomai. App-184.

by. Greek. dia. App-104. Galatians 3:1.

Verse 19

transgressions. Greek. parabasis. See Romans 4:15. Compare App-128. 1,

the . . . made. Literally it has been promised.

angels. Compare Lout. Galatians 33:2. Acts 7:53, Hebrews 2:2,

mediator. Greek. mesites. Here, Galatians 3:20; 1 Timothy 2:5 . Hebrews 8:6; Hebrews 9:15; Hebrews 12:24,

Verse 21

against. Greek. kata. App-104.

God forbid. See Galatians 2:17.

given life. Greek. zoopoieo. See John 6:63.

Verse 22

concluded. See Romans 11:32.

sin. Greek. hamartia. App-128. Compare Romans 3:10-18.

believe. App-150.

Verse 23

before. Greek. pro. App-104.

kept = kept in custody.

shut up. Some as "concluded" above.

unto. Greek. eis. App-104.

should afterwards = was about to be.

revealed. Greek. apokalupto. App-106.

Verse 24

was = has become.

schoolmaster. Greek. paidagogos. This was a trust-worthy slave who had the guardianship of the boys of it family. See Cor. Galatians 4:15.

Verse 25

no longer. See Galatians 3:18.

Verse 26

Christ Jesus. App-98.

Verse 27

have been = were.

baptized. App-115.

into. Greek. eis. App-104.

have. Omit.

Verse 28

neither = not. App-105.

nor. Greek. oude.

Greek. See Romans 1:14.

bond = bond slave. Greek. doulos. App-190.

male. Greek. arsen. App-123.

nor = and.

Verse 29

heirs. See Romans 4:13.

according to. Greek. kata, as verses: Galatians 3:1, Galatians 3:15.

Chapter 4

Verse 1

as long = for (Greek. epi. App-104.) such time. child. Greek. nepios. App-108.

nothing. Greek. oudeis.

servant. Greek. doulos. App-190.

lord = owner. Greek. kurios. App-98.

Verse 2

under. Greek. hupo. App-104.

tutors. Greek. epitropos. Elsewhere, Matthew 20:8. Luke 8:3 (steward).

governors. Greek. oikonomos. See Luke 16:1 (steward).

time appointed. Greek. prothesmios. Only here. An adjective in feminine agreeing with "day" (understood).

Verse 3

Even so we = So we also.

in bondage = enslaved. Greek. douloo App-190.

elements = elementary rules. Greek. stoicheion. Here, Galatians 4:9. Colossians 2:8, Colossians 2:20. Hebrews 5:12. 2 Peter 3:10, 2 Peter 3:12. Compare Romans 2:14, Romans 2:15.

world. Greek. kosmos. App-129.

Verse 4

fulness. Greek. pleroma. " First occurance: Matthew 9:16.

was come = came.

God. App-98.

sent forth. Greek. exapostello App-174.

Son. Greek. huios App-108.

made. See John 1:14

of. Greek. ek. App-104.

the. Omit.

Verse 5

To = In order that (Greek. hina) He might.

redeem. Greek. exagorazo See Galatians 3:13.

that. Greek. hina., as above.

receive = receive in full. Greek. apolambano. See Romans 1:27.

adoption of sons = sonship. Greek. huiothesia. See Romans 8:15.

Verse 6

sons. App-108. By begetting from above. Compare James 1:18.

hath. Omit,

Spirit. App-101.

into. Greek. eis. App-104.

your. The texts read "our".

Abba. See App-94.:1.

Father. App-98.

Verse 7

no more = no longer. Greek. ouketi,

if. App-118.

then an heir = an heir also.

of God through Christ. The texts read "through God".

through. Greek. dia App-104. Galatians 4:1.

Verse 8

knew. Greek. oida, App-132.

not. Greek. ou. App-105.

did service. Greek. douleuo. App-190. Compare Galatians 4:3.

unto = to.

no = not. Greek. me. App-105.

gods. App-98,

Verse 9

after, &c. = having come to know.

known. Greek. ginosko App-132.

of. Greek. hupo. App-104.

to. Greek. epi. App-104.

beggarly, Greek. ptochoe. App-127.

whereunto = to which.

desire. Greek. thelo. App-102.

again. Greek. palin anothen. This is emph. For anothen see Luke 1:3. The Revised Version reads "over again".

be in bondage. Greek. donleuo, as Galatians 4:8.

Verse 10

observe. Greek. paratereo. See Acts 9:24. Compare Colossians 2:16.

Verse 11

lost = lest by any means. Greek. me pos.

bestowed, &c, Compare Romans 16:6.

upon. Greek. eis, App-104.

in vain. See Galatians 3:4,

Verse 12

beseech. Greek. deomai. App-134.

be = become.

for I, &c. Read, for I (was) as ye (are).

have. Omit.

not . . . at all = (in) nothing Greek. oudeis

injured = wronged. Greek. adikeo. See Acts 7:24.

Verse 13

through = on account of. Greek. dia App-104. Galatians 4:2.

preached, &c. Greek. evangelizo. App-121.

at the first = before. Compare 2 Corinthians 12:7.

Verse 14

my. The texts read "your". The malady (2 Corinthians 12:7) which led to his presence among them was a teat to them, a temptation to reject him and his message.

in. Greek. en. App-104.

despised. Greek. exoutheneo. See Acts 4:11.

nor. Greek. oude.

rejected. Literally spat out. Greek. ekptuo. Only here

Christ Jesus. App-98.

Verse 15

the blessedness, &c. = your blessedness. Greek. makarismos. See Romans 4:6.

plucked out. Literally dug out. Greek. exorusso Here and Mark 2:4,

Verse 16

because, &c. = dealing truly with. Greek. aletheuv, Here and Ephesians 4:15. Compare App-175.

Verse 17

zealously affect. Greek. zelov, to be zealous, either for good or for bad.

would = wish to. App-102.,

exclude. Greek. ekkleiv, See Romans 3:27.

affect. Greek. zelov, as above.

Verse 18

not. Gr, me App-105.

when . . . present, Literally in (Gr, en) my being present.

with. Gr, pros. App-104.

Verse 19

little children. Greek. teknion. App-108. Only occurance: by Paul. Compare 1 John 2:1, &c.

travail, &c. Greek. Odino. Here, Galatians 4:27. Revelation 12:2,

Christ. App-98.

formed. Greek. morphoomai. Only here.

Verse 20

change, Greek. allassv. See Acts 6:14.

voice = tone,

for = because.

stand in doubt. Greek. aporeomai. See Acts 25:20.

of. Greek. en. App-104.

Verse 22

by. Greek. ek. Same as "of", Galatians 4:4.

bondmaid. Greek. paidiske, as verses: Galatians 4:23, Galatians 4:30, Galatians 4:31, Elsewhere translated "maid "or damsel",

the other = and one.

Verse 23

born = begotten. Greek. gennao

after = according to. Greek. kata. App-104.

by. Greek. dia. App-104. Galatians 4:1.

promise. See Luke 24:49,

Verse 24

an allegory. Literally allegorized. Greek. allegereo. Only here. Compare: 1 Corinthians 10:11

these. Supply the Ellipsis by "two women are, i.e. represent. Figure of speech Metaphor, App-6. Compare John 6:35; John 10:9.

covenants. Greek. diatheke. Seo Matthew 26:28.

the one = one indeed.

from. Greek. apo. App-104.

Sinai. See Exodus 16:1.

gendereth = heareth children. Greek. gennao, as Galatians 4:23.

to. Greek. eis, as: Galatians 4:6, Galatians 4:11.

bondage. Greek. douleia, App-190.

Agar = Hagar. In Arabic, Hagar (a stone) is a name for Mt. Sinai.

Verse 25

is. i.e. represents.

answereth to = stands in same rank with. Greek. sustoicheo. Only here. Compare Galatians 5:25.

is in bondage = serves. Greek. douleuo. App-190.

with. Greek. meta. App-104,

children. Greek. teknon. App-108.

Verse 26

above. Greek. ano See John 8:23.

all. The texts omit.

Verse 27

the desolate, &c. = many are the children of the desolate rather than of her that hath the husband. Quoted from Isaiah 54:1.

husband. Greek. aner, App-123.

Verse 28

as Isaac was = according to (Greek. kata, as Galatians 4:23)

Isaac, i.e. after the type of Isaac. Compare Romans 4:19,

Verse 29

even so it is now = so it is now also.

Verse 30

Cast out. Greek. ekballo. App-174.

not = by no means. Greek. ou me. App-105.

be heir = inherit. Greek. kleronomeo. See 1 Corinthians 6:9, Quoted from Genesis 21:10.

Verse 31

So then. Tho texts read, "Wherefore. "

Chapter 5

Verse 1

Stand fast. See 1 Corinthians 16:13.

liberty, See Galatians 2:4.

Christ. App-98.

hath. Omit.

not. Greek. me. App-105.

entangled. Greek. enecho.

Here,, Mark 6:19 (quarrel against). Luke 11:53 (urge).

bondage. See Galatians 4:24,

Verse 2

Behold. Greek. ide. App-133.

unto = to.

if. Greek. ean. App-118.

be circumcised = undergo circumcision.

shall = will.

nothing. Greek. oudeis.

Verse 3

testify. Greek. marturomai. See Acts 20:26,

man. Greek. anthropos. App-123.

Verse 4

Christ is, &c. Literally Ye were severed (Greek. katargeo See Ltke Galatians 13:7) from (Greek. apo) Christ (Galatians 5:1).

justified. Greek. dikaioo. App-191.

by = in. Greek. en. App-104.

the = Omit.

fallen = fallen off.

grace. Greek. charis, App-184.,

Verse 5

Spirit. App-101.

wait for. Greek. apekdechomai. Compare Romans 8:19, Romans 8:23, Romans 8:25; 1 Corinthians 1:7. Philippians 1:3, Philippians 1:20. Hebrews 9:28.

righteousness. Greek. dikaiosune. App-191.

by. Greek. ek. App-104.

faith. Greek. pistis. App-150.

Verse 6

in. Greek, App-101.

Jesus Christ = Christ Jesus. App-98.

neither, nor. Greek. oute.

availeth. Greek. ischuo. See Acts 6:10. Compare App-172.

which worketh = working.

Greek. energeo See Galatians 2:8.

by = through. Greek. dia. App-104.

love, Greek. agape. App-135.

Verse 7

did run = were running.

did hinder = impeded. Greek. anakopto. Only here. But the texts read enkopto. See Acts 24:4,

obey. Greek. peitho. App-150.

the truth. i.e. Christ (John 14:6).

Verse 8

This = The.

persuasion = obedience. Greek. peisomone. Only here.

not. Greek. ou. App-105.

of. Gk. ek. App-104,

Him. God. See Galatians 1:6, Galatians 1:15.

Verse 9

A little, &c. This proverb is quoted 1 Corinthians 5:6.

lump. Greek. phurama. See Romans 9:21.

Verse 10

have confidence. Greek. peitho, as above.

in = in regard to. Greek. eis. App-104.

through. Greek. en. App-104.

Lord. App-98.

none = nothing. Greek., oudeis.

otherwise. Greek. allos. App-124.

minded. Greek. phroneb. See Romans 8:5.

troubleth. Greek. tarasso, as in Galatians 1:7.

judgment. Greek. krima. App-177.

Verse 11

if Greek. ei. App-118.

preach. Greek. kerusso. App-121.

do I, &c. = am I still persecuted.

offence. Greek. skandalon. See 1 Corinthians 1:23.

ceased. Greek. katargeo. See Galatians 5:4.

Verse 12

were, &c. = even dismembered themselves. Reference to the rite practised by the Phrygians in the worship of Cybele. Compare Mark 9:43, (Revised Version would even cut themselves off)

trouble. Greek. anastatoo. See Acts 17:6.

Verse 13

unto = upon. Greek. epi. App-104. Liberty is the foundation.

for. Greek. eis. App-104.

occasion. Greek. aphorme. See Romans 7:8.

serve. he, douleuo. App-190.

Verse 14

fulfilled. Greek. pieroo. App-125.

word. Greek. logos. App-121.

love. Greek. agapao. App-135. Quoted from Leviticus 19:18.

Verse 15

bite. Greek. dakno. Only here.

devour. Greek. katesthio. See 2 Corinthians 11:20.

take heed. Greek. blepo. App-133.

that . . . not = lest. Greek. me. App-105.

consumed. Greek. analisko, Only here, Luke 9:54. 2 Thessalonians 2:8.

of. = by. Greek. hupo. App-104.

Verse 16

in the Spirit = by spirit. App-101.

not. Greek. ou me. App-105.

fulfil. Greek. teleo. Compare App-125.

flesh. See Romans 6:12, Romans 6:19, Romans 13:14.

Verse 17

against. Greek. kata. App-104.

and. The texts read "for".

are contrary. Greek. antikeimai. See 2 Corinthians 16:9.

so that = in order that, Greek. hina.

cannot = may not (Greek. me).

would. Gr thelo. App-102.

Verse 18

of = by. No preposition.

under. Greek. hupo. App-104.

Verse 19

works. Contrast "fruit", Galatians 5:22.

manifest. Greek. phaneros. App-106.

which = such as.

Adultery. The texts omit.

uncleanness. Greek. akatharsia. See Romans 1:24.

lasciviousness. Greek. aselgeia, See Romans 13:13.

Verse 20

witchcraft = sorcery. Greek. pharmakeia. Here and Revelation 9:21; Revelation 18:23. See also Revelation 21:8; Revelation 22:15. It means magical incantation by means of drugs (Greek. pharmakon),

hatred. Greek. echthra. See Romans 8:7.

variance. Greek. eris. See Romans 1:29,

emulations = jealousies. See Romans 13:13 (envying).

strife = factiousuess. Greek. eritheia. See Romans 2:8.

seditious = divisions. Greek. dichoetasia. See Romans 16:17.

heresies. See Acts 5:17.

Verse 21

Envyings. See Romans 1:29.

drunkenness. See Luke 21:34.

revellings. Literally Comus banquets. Greek. komas (Chemosh of O.T.) See Romans 13:13, In this list two sins, idolatry and witchcraft, involve traffic with the powers of evil.

have, &c. = told you before also,

do = practise,

inherit. Greek. kleronomeo. Compare 1 Corinthians 6:9,

kingdom. See App-114.

God. App-98.

Verse 22

spirit. App-101.

gentleness. Greek. chrestotes. App-184.

goodness. Greek. agathosune. See Romans 15:14.

faith = fidelity, App-150. Compare Titus 2:10.

Verse 23

Meekness. Greek. praotes. See 1 Corinthians 4:21.

temperance = self-control. Greek. enkrateia. See Acts 24:25.

no. Greek. ou. App-105.

Verse 24

Christ"s. Most texts add "Jesus".

with. Greek. sun, App-104.

affections = passions. See Romans 7:5.

Verse 25

live. Compare App-170.

in. No preposition. Dative case.

let us, &c. Read "we should walk also".

walk. Greek. stoicheo. Compare Galatians 4:3, and see Acts 21:24. Not the same word as in Galatians 5:16, which is peripateo.

Verse 26

desirous of vain glory. Greek. kenodoxos. Only here. Compare Philippians 2:3.

provoking. Greek. prokaleomai. Only here.

envying. Greek. phthoneo. Only here.

Chapter 6

Verse 1

if. Greek. ean . App-118 .

man . Greek. anthropos . App-123 .

overtaken = found out or detected. Greek. prolambano . Only here, Mar 14:8 . 1 Corinthians 11:21 . Compare 2 Corinthians 2:6-8 .

in, Greek. en . App-104 .

a = some.

fault . Greek. paraptoma . App-128 .

spiritual . Greek. pneumatikos . See 1 Corinthians 12:1 . Compare Galatians 5:16 .

restore, Greek. katartizo . App-125 .

spirit . App-101 .

meekness . See Galatians 5:23 .

considering . Greek. skope . See Luke 11:35 .

lest . Greek. me . App-105 . Compare 1 Corinthians 7:5 .

Verse 2

burdens . Greek. baros . Compare Galatians 6:5 . Baros is the burden we can bear by help and sympathy.

fulfil . Greek. anapleroo . See 1 Corinthians 14:16 .

law . Cf. John 13:34 ; John 15:12 .

Christ . App-98 .

Verse 3

if . Greek. ei . App-118 .

a man. Greek. tis . App-123 .,

something . Greek. neut. of tis .

when he is = being.

nothing . Greek. neut. of medeis .

deceiveth . Greek. phrenapatao . Only here. Compare Titus 1:10 .

Verse 4

every man = each one.

prove = test. See 1 Thessalonians 2:4 (allowed. Revised Version approved).

rejoicing. Greek. kauchema . See Romans 4:2 .

in . Greek. eis . App-104 .

not . Greek. ou . App-105 .

another = the other. Greek. heteros. App-124 .

Verse 5

burden . Greek. phortion . Only here and Matthew 11:30 ; Matthew 23:4 , Luke 11:46 (Compare Galatians 6:2 ). This is the burden that cannot be shared.

Verse 6

taught . Greek. katecheo . See Luke 1:4 .

in . Omit.

word . Greek. logos . App-121 .

communicate = share with. Greek. koinoneo . Romans 12:13 (distributing).

unto = to.

Verse 7

not . Greek. me . App-105 .

deceived . Greek. planao , App-128 .

God . App-98 .

mocked . Greek. mukterizomai . Only here, It means to turn up the nose at. Compare Luke 10:14 with Luke 23:35 , where the intensive form ekmukterizo occurs.

also reap = reap also.

Verse 8

to . Greek. eis . App-104 ,

his = his own.

of . Greek. ek App-104 .

corruption . Greek. phthora . See Romans 8:21 ,

Spirit . App-101 .

life . Greek. zoe . App-170 .

everlasting. App-151 .

Verse 9

weary . Greek. ekkakeo . See Luke 18:1 . Compare 2 Thessalonians 3:13 .

due = its own, or proper. Compare Ecclesiastes 3:1 . Compare 1Ti 2:6 ; 1 Timothy 6:15 .Titus 1:3 .

faint . Greek. ekluo . Here, Matthew 9:36 ; Matthew 15:32 .Mark 8:3 , Hebrews 12:3 , Hebrews 12:5 . Compare App-174 .

Verse 10

As . therefore = So than in proportion as.

opportunity . The same as season, Galatians 6:9 .

unto . Greek. pros . App-104

of the household . Greek. oikeios . Only here, Ephesians 2:19 . 1 Timothy 5:8 , It is used of the family. Compare Acts 10:7 .

faith = the faith. Greek. pistis . App-150 .

Verse 11

see. Greek. eidon . App-133 .

how large , &c. = with how large letters. This refers to his handwriting.

have written = write. Epistolary aorist, as Phm. Galatians 1:19 . 1 Peter 5:12 .

Verse 12

desire, Greek. thelo . App-102 .

make a fair show . Greek. euprosopeo . Only here; but the word is found in an Egyptian letter about 114 B.C. in the same sense.

constrain = are compelling. Compare Galatians 2:3 , Gal 2:26 .

lest, &c. in order (Greek. hima) they might not (Greek. me) suffer persecution.

Verse 13

neither . Greek. oude .

keep. Compare Romans 2:26 .

to have you = that you should be.

that . Greek. hina , as in Galatians 6:12 .

glory. Greek. kauchaomai . See Romans 2:17 .

Verse 14

The Greek begins with "For me", making it emph.

God forbid . See Romans 3:4 . The fifteenth and last occurance of this expression.

save = except. Greek. ei me .

Lord . App-98 .

Jesus Christ . App-98 .

by. Greek. dia . App-104 .Galatians 6:1 .

Whom , Greek.which.

world. Greek. kosmos . App-129 .

is = has been.

Verse 15

Christ Jesus . App-98 .

neither, nor . Greek. oute .

availeth. See Galatians 5:8 , but the texts read "is". Compare 1 Corinthians 7:19 ,

new. Greek. kainos . See Matthew 9:17 .

creature = creation. Compare John 3:3 , John 3:5 , Joh 3:6 . 2 Corinthians 4:16 ; 2 Corinthians 5:17 . Ephesians 2:10 ; Ephesians 4:24 .Colossians 3:10 .

Verse 16

walk = shall walk. Greek. stoicheo . See Galatians 5:25 .

according to = by. No preposition. Dative case.

rule. Greek. kanon . See 2 Corinthians 10:13 ,

on . Greek. epi . App-104 .

upon. Same as "on".

Israel of God. The antithesis of Israel after the flesh (1 Corinthians 10:18 ). Compare Romans 9:6 . Philippians 1:3 , Philippians 1:3 .

Verse 17

no man = no one. Greek. medeis .

marks . Greek. stigma . Only here. Slaves were branded. So Paul, as the slave of the Lord, bore His marks. The initials of Mithra were branded, as Hindus mark themselves with the trident of Vishnu today. Compare Note on 2 Chronicles 36:8 .

Lord. The texts omit.

Jesus . App-98 .

Verse 18

grace , Greek. charis . App-184 .

with . Greek. meta . App-104 .

spirit . App-101 .

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