In Galatians 1:10, Paul hints that those departing from the teachings of Christ are following after men. They have become worldly-minded.<\/p>\n
Paul returns to the complaint he introduced in Galatians 3:1-5, this time using the visual of a foot race. They had been running the Christian race well, but now they are being hindered. The word means to be cut off, checked, or held back by another runner. This hindrance is certainly not coming from Paul. The hindrance is coming from the persuasive talk of the false teachers and not from God. Instead, God is calling for the Galatians to complete the race.<\/p>\n
There is a wordplay in these two verses involving the phrase “to obey.” In Galatians 5:7 is the word peithesthai<\/em>. It refers to being persuaded that something is true, and so you follow it. The same word was used in Galatians 3:1. “Persuasion” in Galatians 5:8 is peismone<\/em>, which starts with a similar sound, meaning to influence through advice.<\/p>\n Paul switches to baking bread and notes that a small amount of yeast leavens the entire batch of dough. The warning is that you can’t just pick up a little bit of false teaching and not have it spread. If they started practicing circumcision, it would not stop there (Galatians 5:2-3). Just a few false teachers can corrupt a large number of Christians and their practices (Matthew 16:12; Ecclesiastes 9:18).<\/p>\n Despite the dire warnings, Paul is confident that the Galatians will not continue following the false teacher. They will adopt no other view than the one Paul originally laid before them (Galatians 1:6-9).<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the false teacher will face judgment for the erroneous teachings he was promoting. Paul doesn’t know who is behind the false teachings. He is merely expressing his confidence that the false teacher will be held accountable for his actions. By using the singular, instead of the plural as in Galatians 1:7, Paul is indicating that each false teacher will face personal judgment for his actions. They will be judged individually and not as a group.<\/p>\n There was a time when Paul had advocated circumcision, but that was before he became a Christian. Yet, it appears that the false teachers are claiming that Paul promoted circumcision after becoming a Christian. They might have appealed to the fact that Paul had Timothy circumcised (Acts 16:3).<\/p>\n However, Paul points out that there is evidence that he doesn’t advocate circumcision, and that evidence is found in the fact that these same Judaizing teachers are persecuting the very person they claim supports their position. If Paul preached the Old Law, then sacrifice on the cross would not be needed to save people. And the cross has been a stumbling block to many, especially the Jews (I Corinthians 1:23). The cross meant that they had killed the Messiah (Acts 5:27-28; 7:52-53).<\/p>\n Various translations render Galatians 5:12 as extremely harsh and overlook the wordplay present in the Greek text. The word under consideration is apokopsontai<\/em>. It is the third-person, indicative, future tense, middle voice form of the word apokopto<\/em>. While this form of the word is only used in Galatians 5:12, other forms are used in Mark 9:43 (to cut off a hand), Mark 9:45 (to cut off a foot), John 18:10 (to cut off an ear), John 18:26 (to cut off an ear), and Acts 27:32 (to cut off ropes holding a boat). Thus, we can see that the word means to cut off, and what is being cut off depends on the context in which it is used.<\/p>\n The difficulty arises because what is being cut off is not in the Greek text. Experts in Koine Greek believe that when apokopto<\/em> is used without an object, it means to emasculate a man. This is also how many early Christian writers, such as Jerome, Ambrose, Augustine, and Chrysostom, understood this passage.<\/p>\n Back in Galatians 5:4, Paul stated that those who are circumcised for religious reasons have been severed (katergethete<\/em>: abolish, do away with, destroy) from Christ. In Galatians 5:7, Paul asked who had cut off the Galatians (anekopsen<\/em>: hindered, checked, or held back ). Now Paul says in Galatians 5:12 that he wishes the false teachers would cut themselves off. The context indicates that Paul is referring to relationships. In particular, Paul wishes the advocates of circumcision would cut off their fellowship with Christians.<\/p>\n I suspect that both emasculation and separation are meant. Under the Old Law, an emasculated man could not be a part of the assembly (Deuteronomy 23:1). Paul states that the Judaizing teachers are causing problems by insisting on the continued practice of circumcision. It is such an annoyance that Paul could almost wish that instead of just circumcising themselves, they emasculated themselves, which, by the Law that they wish to enforce, would mean they could not be a part of the assembly. Thus, he would be done with the problems they are causing. Thus, cutting themselves off (emasculating themselves) becomes a play on words for cutting themselves off (separating themselves from God’s people).<\/p>\n It would be better for the translators to leave the vagueness of the term in the translation, as done in the New King James Version, than to make an assumption. Fixing it at emasculation loses the double meaning in English. Even if you want to argue that Paul meant emasculation only, the use of “I would wish” (ophelon<\/em>: an unattainable desire) as the lead-in indicates that Paul is not wishing for actual harm; he is indicating that he is talking figuratively. Thus, we still end up with a figurative separation from the body (the church) and not a desire for physical mutilation.<\/p>\n The use of terms from other walks of life adds interest and provides a context that enhances understanding. Paul frequently uses terms from racing in his writings (I Corinthians 9:24-27; Philippians 3:14; II Timothy 4:17) and has done so before in Galatians 2:2.<\/p>\n The process of baking bread is another illustrative example that Paul uses (I Corinthians 5:6). A small amount of yeast spreads quickly and silently throughout the bread dough, and similarly, false ideas spread silently within the church.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPrior Lesson\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGalatians\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNext Lesson\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Obey the Truth: Don’t Be Led Astray Galatians 5:7-12 It is not from God (Galatians 5:7-8) In Galatians 1:10, Paul hints that those departing from the teachings of Christ are following after men. They have become worldly-minded. Paul returns to the complaint he introduced in Galatians 3:1-5, this time using the visual of a foot…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":36370,"menu_order":15,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-38828","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":36370,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-studies\/liberty-a-study-of-galatians\/","url_meta":{"origin":38828,"position":0},"title":"Liberty! A Study of Galatians","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 5, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Liberty! A Study of Galatians by Jeffrey W. Hamilton July 2021 How to Study The Background of the Book of Galatians Introduction to Galatians (Galatians 1:1-5) A Defense of Paul and His Teachings The Gospel Does Not Change (Galatians 1:6-10) How Paul Came by the Gospel (Galatians 1:11-24) Those in\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Liberty.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Liberty.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Liberty.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Liberty.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Liberty.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Liberty.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":36705,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-studies\/liberty-a-study-of-galatians\/introduction-to-galatians\/","url_meta":{"origin":38828,"position":1},"title":"Introduction to Galatians","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 14, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Introduction to Galatians Review Which verse in Galatians do you think best summarizes what the book is all about? Where do you see the various topics starting and stopping? For each key phrase, write briefly what you have learned about the phrase from Galatians. Example: Do \"promise\" and \"faith\" in\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":37410,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-studies\/liberty-a-study-of-galatians\/how-was-the-spirit-received\/","url_meta":{"origin":38828,"position":2},"title":"How Was the Spirit Received?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 25, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"How Was the Spirit Received? Galatians 3:1-5 Who Has Bewitched You? (Galatians 3:1) It is the Galatian brethren who have changed, not Paul. Paul calls them \"foolish.\" The Greek word anoetoi does not refer to an unintelligent person but to someone who doesn't think ahead to the consequences of his\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":22713,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-studies\/survey-of-the-bible\/survey-of-the-bible-galatians\/","url_meta":{"origin":38828,"position":3},"title":"Survey of the Bible – Galatians","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 21, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Survey of the Bible - Galatians Text: Galatians 5:1-4 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0This book places emphasis on liberty \u2013 liberty both from the Old Law and from the world of sin \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Galatia as a cultural area refers to the central part of Asia Minor. When Rome conquered the region, it set up\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":38076,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-studies\/liberty-a-study-of-galatians\/the-galatians-relationship-with-paul\/","url_meta":{"origin":38828,"position":4},"title":"The Galatians\u2019 Relationship with Paul","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 22, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"The Galatians' Relationship with Paul Galatians 4:12-20 There was a time that they admired Paul (Galatians 4:12-15) Paul wants the Galatians to become a follower of Christ, just as he is a follower (I Corinthians 11:1). He has left Judaism and its rights and in doing so, Paul has become\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":37997,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-studies\/liberty-a-study-of-galatians\/what-it-means-to-become-a-child-of-god\/","url_meta":{"origin":38828,"position":5},"title":"What It Means to Become a Child of God","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 16, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"What It Means to Become a Child of God Galatians 4:1-11 We were in bondage (Galatians 4:1-3) A child is typically considered to be a minor until he reaches a certain age. The word \"child\" in Galatians 4:1,3 refers to someone prior to puberty who is lacking in strength and\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/38828","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38828"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/38828\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/36370"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38828"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}A little error grows (Galatians 5:9)<\/h2>\n
The false teacher will face judgment (Galatians 5:10)<\/h2>\n
If Paul changed as claimed, why is he being attacked? (Galatians 5:11)<\/h2>\n
Those troubling the Galatians should cut themselves off (Galatians 5:12)<\/h2>\n
Literary Style<\/h3>\n