5 1 Having declared that we came of the free woman, he showeth the price of that freedom, 13 and how we should use the same, 16 that we may obey the Spirit, 19 and resist the flesh.
1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
2 (A)[a]Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be [b]circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing.
3 For I testify again to every man, which is circumcised, that he is bound to keep the whole Law.
4 Ye are (B)[c]abolished from Christ: whosoever are [d]justified by the Law, ye are fallen from grace.
5 [e]For we through the [f]Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness through faith.
6 [g]For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth anything, neither [h]uncircumcision, [i]but [j]faith which worketh by love.
7 [k]Ye did run well: who did let you, that ye did not obey the truth?
8 [l]It is not the persuasion of [m]him that calleth you.
9 (C)[n]A little leaven doth leaven the whole lump.
10 [o]I have trust in you through the Lord, that ye will be none otherwise minded: but he that troubleth you, shall bear his condemnation, whosoever he be.
11 [p]And brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution? Then is the slander of the cross abolished.
12 [q]Would to God they were even cut off which do [r]disquiet you.
13 For brethren, ye have been called unto liberty: [s]only use not your liberty as an occasion unto the flesh, but by love serve one another.
14 [t]For [u]all the Law is fulfilled in one word, which is this, (D)Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.
15 [v]If ye bite and devour one another, take heed lest ye be consumed one of another.
16 [w]Then I say, (E)Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.
17 For the [x]flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary one to another, so that ye cannot do the same things that ye would.
18 And if ye be led by the Spirit, ye are not under the Law.
19 [y]Moreover the works of the flesh are manifest, which are adultery, fornication, uncleanness, wantonness,
20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, debate, emulations, wrath, contentions, seditions, heresies,
21 Envy, murders, drunkenness, gluttony, and such like, whereof I tell you before, as I also have told you before, that they which do such things, shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 But the [z]fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23 Meekness, temperancy: [aa]against such there is no law.
24 For they that are Christ’s, have crucified the flesh with the affections and the lusts.
25 If we [ab]live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
26 [ac]Let us not be desirous of vainglory, provoking one another, envying one another.
Footnotes
- Galatians 5:2 Another obtestation wherein he plainly witnesseth that justification of works, and justification of faith cannot stand together, because no man can be justified by the Law, but he that doth fully and perfectly fulfill it. And he taketh the example of circumcision, because it was the ground of all the service of the Law, and was chiefly urged of the false Apostles.
- Galatians 5:2 Circumcision is in other places called the seal of righteousness, but here we must have consideration of the circumstance of the Baptism come in place of circumcision. And moreover Paul reasoneth according to the opinion that his enemies had of it, which made circumcision a piece of their salvation.
- Galatians 5:4 That is, as he himself expoundeth it afterwards, ye are fallen from grace.
- Galatians 5:4 That is, seek to be justified by the Law, for in deed no man is justified by the Law.
- Galatians 5:5 He privily compareth the new people with the old: for it is certain that they also did ground all their hope of justification and life in faith and not in circumcision, but so, that their faith was wrapped in the external and ceremonial worship: but our faith is bare and content with spiritual worship.
- Galatians 5:5 Through the Spirit, which engendereth faith.
- Galatians 5:6 He addeth a reason for that now circumcision is abolished, seeing that Christ is exhibited unto us with full plenty of spiritual circumcision.
- Galatians 5:6 He maketh mention also of uncircumcision, lest the Gentiles should please themselves in it, as the Jews do in circumcision.
- Galatians 5:6 The taking away of an objection: If all that worship of the Law be taken away, wherein then shall we exercise ourselves? In charity, saith Paul: for faith, whereof we speak, cannot be idle, nay it bringeth forth daily fruits of charity.
- Galatians 5:6 So is true faith distinguished from counterfeit faith: for charity is not joined to faith as a fellow cause, to help forward our justification with faith.
- Galatians 5:7 Again he chideth the Galatians, but with an admiration, and therewithall a praise of their former race, to the end that he may make them more ashamed.
- Galatians 5:8 He playeth the part of an Apostle with them, and useth his authority, denying that that doctrine can come from God which is contrary to his.
- Galatians 5:8 Of God.
- Galatians 5:9 He addeth this, that he may not seem to contend upon a trifle, warning them diligently (by a similitude which he borroweth of leaven, as Christ himself also did) not to suffer the purity of the Apostolical doctrine, to be infected with the least corruption that may be.
- Galatians 5:10 He mitigateth the former reprehension, casting the fault upon the false Apostles, against whom he denounceth the horrible judgment of God.
- Galatians 5:11 He willeth them to consider how that he seeketh not his own profit in this matter, seeing that he could eschew the hatred of men, if he would join Judaism with Christianity.
- Galatians 5:12 An example of a true Pastor inflamed with the zeal of God’s glory and love of his flock.
- Galatians 5:12 For they that preach the Law, cause men’s consciences always to tremble.
- Galatians 5:13 The third part of this Epistle, showing that the right use of Christian liberty consisteth in this, that being delivered from the slavery of sin and the flesh, and being obedient to the Spirit, we should serve unto one another’s salvation through love.
- Galatians 5:14 He propoundeth the love of our neighbor, as a mark whereunto all Christians ought to refer all their actions, and thereunto he citeth the testimony of the Law.
- Galatians 5:14 This particle (All) must be restrained to the second table.
- Galatians 5:15 An exhortation to the duties of charity, by the profit that ensueth thereof, because that no men provide worse for themselves, than they that hate one another.
- Galatians 5:16 He acknowledgeth the great weakness of the godly, for that they are but in part regenerate: but he willeth them to remember that they are endued with the Spirit of God, which hath delivered them from the slavery of sin, and so of the Law so far forth as it is the virtue of sin, that they should not give themselves to lusts.
- Galatians 5:17 For the flesh dwelleth even in the regenerate man, but the Spirit reigneth although not without great strife, as is largely set forth, Rom. 7.
- Galatians 5:19 He setteth out that particularly, which he spake generally, reckoning up some chief effects of the flesh, and opposing them to the fruits of the Spirit, that no man may pretend ignorance.
- Galatians 5:22 Therefore, they are not the fruits of free will, but so far forth as our will is made free by grace.
- Galatians 5:23 Lest that any man should object, that Paul played the Sophister, as one who urging the Spirit, urgeth nothing but that which the Law commandeth, he showeth that he requireth not that liberal and outward obedience, but spiritual, which proceedeth not from the Law, but from the Spirit of Christ, which doth beget us again, and must and ought to be the ruler and guider of life.
- Galatians 5:25 If we be indeed endued with the quickening Spirit, which causeth us to die to sin, and live to God, let us show it in our deeds, that is, by holiness of life.
- Galatians 5:26 He addeth peculiar exhortations according as he knew the Galatians subject to divers vices: and first of all he warneth them to take heed of ambition, which vice hath two fellows, backbiting and envy, out of which two it cannot be but many contentions must needs arise.