COMMENTARY ON GALATIANS
LESSON NUMBER 46
Gal 5:2 “Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. 3 For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law. 4 Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(Gal 5:2-4)
THE PENALTY FOR SEEKING TO BE JUSTIFIED BY LAW
INTRODUCTION
The reality of being justified by faith, together with its implications, is opened most fully by Paul. He alone spends time expounding this theme, while, in the New Covenant writings, only James refers to being “justified” while Paul refers to being justified twenty-seven times (justify, justifies, justified, justification, justifying, Justifier). He alone refers to “justification,” doing so three times (Rom 4:25; 5:16,18). It is evident that Paul was given special insight into this critical subject, which is foundational teaching. Further, as confirmed in the book of James (James 2:21,24,25), there was widespread corruption of this subject early in the history of the church. In our day, the matter has become even more confusing by the near-total absence of any reference to justification. Now the theme of much preaching and teaching is nothing more than the resolution of human faults and inconveniences. There is an underlying supposition that a trouble-free life is really a God-blessed one. And even then, the blessing is often associated with some form of human regimen, or manner of personal discipline or routine. The truth of the matter is that a small percentage of professing Christians actually associate life with an effective identity with the Living God. Many of those who do think of this, are confused about the provisions of salvation, and thus are driven into a state of hopelessness, interpreting their failures as confirmation of Divine rejection. In order to offset these misconceptions, men have devised plans that accent personal discipline, teaching that this approach will alter the character of the individual, making him acceptable to God. With these various forms of flawed thinking, the sea of theology has become a raging foam that tends to shipwreck souls instead of saving them. Calls are going forth that equate to saying, “Lo, here is Christ; or, lo, He is there” (Mark 13:21). Some may very well say, “I am Christ; and the time draweth near.” Jesus replies, “go ye not therefore after them” ” (Luke 21:8). The gravity of the situation is seen in Paul’s instruction to the Galatians. He leaves no question about the results of embracing an erroneous view of justification, or what makes a person acceptable to God. This teaching involves a remarkable degree of preciseness, and a glaring absence of generalization.
WHEN CHRIST PROFITS NOTHING
Gal 5:2 “Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing.”
Paul is speaking of the freedom, or liberty, that is realized in justification by faith. He is going to make clear that he is not speaking of alternatives, or simply a better way of approaching to the Lord. The ministry of Christ is not to be taken for granted. His salvation is only realized within a certain context Whatever a person may think of the love of God and the compassion of Jesus, what Paul now states cannot be put to the side, or given an inferior position.
I PAUL SAY UNTO YOU. Other versions read, “Indeed, I Paul, say unto you,” NKJV “Mark my words! I Paul, tell you,” NIV “Listen! I, Paul, am telling you,” NRSV “Take note!” CSB “Look!” ESV “ I, Paul, can guarantee,” GWN “Listen to me!” LIVING “Here is what I am saying to you,” WILLIAMS and “Notice, it is I, Paul, who tells you.” AMPLIFIED
Paul here speaks in the capacity of “an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead)” (Gal 1:1). He is not speaking as a mere observer, but as one Jesus Christ and God the Father has sent. He speaks as one whose Gospel was revealed to him. It was not “after man” (Gal 1:11), but he was taught it “by the revelation of Jesus Christ” (Gal 1:12). If the Galatians have doubts about this Gospel, they are to know that the twelve apostles recognized its truth, and fully sanctioned what Paul was preaching (Gal 2:7-9). To reject him and his message, therefore, was also to reject Jesus Christ and God the Father – just as Jesus had said (Lk 10:18; Matt 10:40; Mk 9:37; John 13:20).
IF YE BE CIRCUMCISED. Other versions read, “if you receive circumcision,” NASB “if you let yourselves be circumcised,” NIV “undergo circumcision,” BBE “if you accept circumcision,” ESV “allow yourselves to be circumcised,” GWN and “If you are counting on circumcision.” NLT
This is not circumcision as taught by Moses, for that circumcision was performed eight days after a male baby was born (Lev 12:3; Lk 1:59). It was also required of a person who embraced the Law, becoming identified with the Jews (Ex 12:44.48). Joshua had a mass circumcision of the male children who were born during the forty-year trek through the wilderness (Josh 5:5-7).
The circumcision among the Galatians, however, occurred after they were baptized into Christ, after they were made accepted in the Beloved, after they were justified from all things, and after they were joined unto the Lord. It was an attempt to identify them with the Jews. Actually, their identity with the Jews was by means of their faith (Gal 3:7), and no other identity with the Jews was required. They were “children of God by faith in Christ Jesus” (Gal 3:26).
But all of this had been ignored by those who taught them they ought to be circumcised to be accepted of God. They had already been accepted, already been justified, and were already circumcised with the real circumcision, which is of the heart (Rom 2:29). Thus, “If ye be circumcised” refers to relying upon circumcision for further identity with God, and a fuller sense of acceptance.
It should not surprise us that men are still teaching methods and ways that will give people more ready access to the grace of God, spiritual growth, and victory over sin and the world. These methods are even beneath the binding of circumcision upon men. At least that was once the means of identifying with the Old Covenant, which had nothing to do with eternal life, an eternal inheritance, or dwelling forever with the Lord.
CHRIST SHALL PROFIT YOU NOTHING. Other versions read, “Christ will be of no benefit to you,” NASB “Christ will be of no value to you at all,” NIV “Christ will be of no advantage to you,” RSV and “Christ will be of no profit (advantage, avail) to you [for if you distrust Him, you can gain nothing from Him].” AMPLIFIED
We are either “complete” in Christ (Col 2:10), or He is of no value to us at all! If there is one grain of grace that can possibly come from any other means than Jesus Christ Himself, there is no need for Him at all! If the salvation that He brings can in any way be improved by some other means or source, then we get nothing – absolutely nothing – from Jesus! In the case of the Galatians, if there was really some advantage to being circumcised, then there was no advantage at all in Christ Jesus. Jesus will not allow anything to be added to Himself. The fulness of the Godhead dwells in Him alone. That fulness has not been located anywhere else.
God is very particular in this matter. If men can really gain any legitimate advantage by following thirteen steps, or going through an exercise for forty days, the door to Jesus is slammed shut, and He will profit us “nothing.” If there are really domestic and social experts that have something additional that will make life “more abundant,” then Jesus will not bring a single resource to those who rely on those methodologies. When it comes to the requirements of Law and the salivation of God, you cannot have circumcision and Jesus at the same time. You cannot observe Jewish feast days and imagine that Jesus will bless you in the doing of it! Getting even more personal, you cannot live primarily by the book of proverbs and retain the benefits that come from Jesus alone. If a person wants profit from Jesus, He must be their only Source.
WHEN ONE BECOMES A DEBTOR TO THE WHOLE LAW
5:3 “ For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law.”
The gravity of seeking to be justified by Law is so serious that Paul labors to dispel such an imagination. Men of God will not allow erroneous thinking to go unchallenged, particularly when it has to do with how men are made acceptable to God, and victorious in the good fight of faith.
I TESTIFY AGAIN. Other versions read, “Again I declare,” NIV “Once again I testify,” NRSV “Yes, I give witness again,” BBE “Again, I insist,” GWN “I give my assurance once again,” NJB and “I once more protest and testify.” AMPLIFIED
Paul will not simply repeat what he has said before. That is not the manner of insightful teaching, and mere repetition is not the mother of all learning, as some affirm. Rather than resorting to verbal reiteration, Paul states the same thought in a different way. It is as though he turned this nugget of truth to display another of its facets. This kind of communication requires an understanding of the truth, as well as a knowledge of the purpose of God and the whole of Scripture. I do not think it is possible to speak in this way apart from those circumstances.
TO EVERY MAN THAT IS CIRCUMCISED. This not speaking of a man who was circumcised eight days after his birth, but of the person who was circumcised AFTER he was baptized into Christ. Such people, already in Christ, were told what earlier Judaizers taught: “And certain men which came down from Judaea taught the brethren, and said, Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved” (Acts 15:1). Such men had tried to compel Titus, a laborer in the kingdom of Christ, to be circumcised, as though he was still in a state of alienation, even though he had been “joined unto the Lord” (1 Cor 6:17).
Now, this word is delivered to “every man” who has yielded to the pressure to be circumcised in order to be saved, accepted and pleasing to God. It makes no difference if the deed was done out of a supposedly “good conscience.” The fact that a man’s conscience does not condemn him, by no means makes his actions right. That is confirmed in Saul of Tarsus, whose conscience did not condemn him while he was persecuting the church (Acts 26:9).,
HE IS DEBTOR TO DO THE WHOLE LAW. Other versions read, “debtor to keep the whole law,” NKJV “under obligation to keep the whole law,” NASB “obligated to obey the whole law,” NIV “obliged to obey the entire law,” NRSV and “under obligation and bound to practice the whole of the Law and its ordinances.” AMPLIFIED
The “whole Law” included flawlessly keeping the Ten Commandments, all of the various ceremonies and feasts, honoring its agricultural and food distinctions, and the Tabernacle and Temple procedures as well. All of that was required in order to “live” before God. If a person wants to be saved, accepted, and favorable in the sight of God by what he does, then he is obliged to do everything that the Law required.
No person can choose to maintain circumcision, while ignoring the rest of the Law. It is not possible to focus on keeping the Sabbath day, while ignoring the other requirements of the Law. It is not possible to be made morally or spiritually better by part of the Law. It is all or nothing! A person cannot choose what he perceives as necessary for Divine acceptance, while relegating other commandments of the Law to obsolescence.
In Christ, there is not a blending of the Old and New Covenants, as Catholicism, teaches. With the inauguration of the New Covenant, the Old was ready “to vanish away” (Heb 8:13). Believing had no place under the Law, yet is preeminent in the New Covenant. The Law did not command faith, for it had nothing to do with faith (Gal 3:12).
The New Covenant hangs everything upon faith! Faith is not something you do, but is something you possess, and it is obtained, not wrought by men (2 Pet 1:1). Justification is by faith (Rom 5:1). Hearts are purified by faith (Acts 15:9). Faith sanctifies (Acts 26:18), obtains righteousness (Rom 3:22), gives access to God (Rom 5:2), and enables a person to stand (2 Cor 1:25). Christ dwells in our hearts by faith (Eph 3:17), enables one to receive the Spirit (Gal 3:14), brings understanding (Heb 11:3), and enables one to overcome the world (1 John 5:4-5). No part of the Law, and certainly not the whole of it, could produce such effects.
Circumcision cannot purify a heart, take hold of grace, or cause one to be victorious. It cannot write the law of God upon the heart, enable one to confidently come into the presence of God, or bring a person to the point where they can resist the devil and reject ungodliness. Further, to imagine that circumcision brings Divine acceptance binds upon men the obligation to do every jot and tittle of the Law without any deviation whatsoever.
Today the professed church is being draw back to, what is called, their “Jewish roots.” The three primary feasts of the Old Covenant – Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles – have not only been restored, but are being bound upon the church. Sabbatarians have been around for a long time. There are also still those who promote the Jewish distinction of foods. However, none of them accentuate the necessity of keeping the whole Law if you do only a part of it. Paul does.
WHEN ONE IS FALLEN FROM GRACE
5:4 "Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.”
It is imperative that we remember the former status of the Galatians. They had been with Him who had called them into the grace of Christ (Gal 1:6). They had received the Holy Spirit (Gal 3:2). They had begun in the Spirit (Gal 3:3). They had suffered many things for Christ (Gal 3:4). They were baptized into Christ (Gal 3:27), They had run well (Gal 5:7). Yet, even though they had participated in such grace, it was all negated by their acceptance of erroneous teaching. Jesus taught that false teachers shut up the kingdom of God, did not allow men to enter it (Matt 23:13), and took away “the key of knowledge” (Lk 11:52). That certainly was the case at Galatia
CHRIST IS BECOME OF NOT EFFECT. Any person who imagines that he is justified because of what he has done, particularly in keeping the Law, has produced an intolerable situation. Even if circumcision is the one thing on which they have focused, this statement is addressed to them. “Christ is become of none effect to you!” Other versions read, “You have become estranged from Christ,” NKJV “You have been severed from Christ,” NASB “you have been alienated from Christ,” NIV “you have cut yourselves off from Christ,” NRSV “ye are deprived of all profit from the Christ as separated from him,” DARBY “You are made void of Christ,” DOUAY “Ye are abolished from Christ,” GENEVA “Ye have renounced the Messiah,” MRD “Christ is become but vain to you,” PNT and “ye were freed from the Christ.” YLT
I hardly see how anything could be stated with greater clarity and pungency! For Christ to be without effect to the individual means that all benefits administered by Christ are forfeited. His grace, enabling power, keeping power, intercession, and instruction are not longer toward such a person. His empathy in the hour of temptation is forfeited. His gentleness and forbearance is waived. You cannot have the blessings Jesus brings if you do not have Him – and you cannot have Him, and attempt to be accepted by God, and serve Him, through a system of Law.
Christ becoming of “none effect” is the same circumstance in which we found ourselves prior to being joined unto the Lord. We were “at that time . . . without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world” (Eph 2:12). No wonder Peter said that falling away brought one into a state that “is worse with them than the beginning” (2 Pet 2:20).
All of this accentuates the absolute essentiality of believing “the record that God gave of His Son” (1 John 5:10). That record, which is summarized in the Gospel, does not present Jesus as an auxiliary or supplementary aspect of life. Rather, we are “complete in Him” (Col 2:10), and His grace “is sufficient” (2 Cor 12:9). It is serious beyond comprehension to present to men laws and procedures that guarantee what Christ alone can give. God will not tolerate such a compromise and misrepresentation. Should men choose to take the route of Law to glory, they forfeit Christ. WHOSOEVER YOU ARE. This applies to every single person who attempts to be justified by Law, NKJV is “seeking to be justified by Law,” NASB or “is trying to be justified by Law.” NIV That is, they are seeking a means of obtaining Divine approval that is based upon what they have done, rather than what Jesus has accomplished. They are endeavoring to lay another foundation, which simply is not possible. Being earnest in their efforts, and thinking they are right does not mitigate their situation. The following statement applies to every single person seeking to be justified by Law. This applies to any Law, the Law of Moses is the acme of moral law.
FALLEN FROM GRACE. Other versions read, “fallen away from grace,” NIV “are turned away from grace,” BBE “have fallen out of God's favor,” GWN “apostatized from grace,” MRD “lost from God’s grace,” LIVING “missed God’s way of favor,” WILLIAMS and “are outside God’s grace.” GNB
God’s grace is not accessible to such a person. It will not save them (Eph 2:5,8). It will not strengthen them for Kingdom labors (1 Cor 15:10). It will not justify the individual (Rom 3:24). It will not grant the person access to the means of standing (Rom 5:2). It will not out-abound sin (Rom 5:20). Grace will not enable the person to avoid sin, or deliver them from the condemning law (Rom 6:14-15). It will not impart spiritual aptitudes (Rom 12:6; Eph 4:7). Grace will not be with such a person (2 Cor 1:2). Any grace they did have is now vain (2 Cor 6:1). Redemption and the forgiveness of sins is no longer possessed (Eph 1:7). Everlasting consolation and good hope are forfeited (2 Thess 2:16). Spiritual strength is no longer given (2 Tim 2:1). All effective teaching is withdrawn (Tit 2:11-12). The person who has fallen from grace can no longer “stand” (1 Pet 5:12).
The person who falls from grace can no longer enjoy the benefits grace brings – and all of the aforementioned things are realized through grace. It is no wonder, therefore, that Paul endeavors to open the eyes of those who have had blinders put over them by teachers who did not understand what they said, or what they affirmed (1 Tim 1:7). When the Galatians had believed the teaching to which they were subjected, they left God, caused Jesus to be ineffective toward them, and lost their access to the grace of God. It is difficult to conceive of a situation being any worse – and it was all brought on by thinking that spiritual improvement was being realized.