Gal. 5:7-12, Lying Troublemakers!

Continuing seven consequences if I try to grow in Christ by law-keeping.

5.    5:7-9: you have been hindered … from obeying the truth.  Vine explains that the term “hindered” means to cut into or break up someone’s journey.  Satan hindered Paul’s desire to journey to see the Thessalonians (1 Th. 2:18).  So here, the Galatian believers were on the path of truth but someone has come in, and broken up the path, obscuring the truth, so that they no longer obey the truth.  They would say they are obeying; but they are obeying something that is not true.  That is a dangerous place to be.  A person who is working hard at what they have been told is the thing to do is hard to convince that they need to stop the effort.  This is why, of course, being renewed in our minds is essential to being conformed to the image of Christ.  We have to think God’s thoughts in order to obediently walk the path of truth.  We must test the spirits whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world (1 Jn. 4:1).  We must test all things and hold fast what is good (1 Th. 5:21).  If they did this the Galatians would know this persuasion does not come from Him who calls you (v8).  The reference to “leaven” (v9) fits this idea.  The lie of self-effort (law-keeping) must be stopped at the beginning.  Otherwise it spreads and ruins the entire body of believer.

6.    5:10,12: you are being troubled by someone deserving of judgment.  Paul expresses confidence in you, in the Lord, an attitude he often expresses in his letters (e.g. Phil. 1:6; 2 Cor. 7:16; 8:22).  The confidence here is that, with the Lord’s help, they will return to the truth of walking by faith, growing through the grace of God.  This attitude is contrasted with Paul’s loathing of those who are causing all the trouble.  The extent of Paul’s loathing is expressed in v12: he wishes that these people who demand circumcision would slip with the knife and cut themselves.  Everett Harrison (Expositors Bible Commentary) put it this way: As an emasculated man has lost the power of propagation, so should these agitators be reduced to impotence in spreading their false doctrine.  Such is the fervent wish to which the Apostle Paul gives expression here. 

Perhaps you are a little surprised to hear the Apostle speak in such strong terms.  But the surprise is probably from our own willingness to tolerate the lies of false teachers rather than stir up trouble.  But as Paul says, they are the ones stirring up the trouble.  When any form of “self-effort” works its way into our theology we are doomed to failure in following Christ.  Were you not led to Christ by the frustration of sin and guilt and the desire for a right relationship with God?  Of the sinner, Scripture says there is none that does good, no not one (Ps. 14:1; 53:1; Rom. 3:12).  Apart from Christ, that will always be the case.  As Christians we will sense the same frustration and failure if it is not Christ living in us (Gal. 2:20)!