Galatians
Chapter 5
Christ freed us to make us really free. So remain firm and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery.
Christian Freedom
I, Paul, say this to you: if you undergo circumcision, Christ will no longer be able to help you.
Once again, I remind everyone who is circumcised: you are required to keep the entire law.
All of you who attempt to become righteous by following the law have separated yourselves from Christ and fallen from grace.
As for us, through the Spirit, by faith, we eagerly await the hope of righteousness.
In Christ Jesus, it doesn’t matter whether you are circumcised or not; what matters is faith expressing itself through love.
You started your race well—who then slowed you down? Why did you stop obeying the truth?
This was not done in obedience to God, who calls you.
In fact, a small amount of leaven influences the entire lump.
I am confident that you will not be misled, but the person causing the confusion—whoever he may be—will face punishment.
As for me, brothers, why I am still being persecuted if I am still preaching circumcision? In that case, the stumbling block of the cross has been removed.
I wish those confusing you would castrate themselves!
Led by the Spirit
You, brothers and sisters, were called to enjoy freedom; I am not talking about the freedom that allows reckless desires of the flesh, but about the freedom that makes you slaves to each other through love.
For the entire law is summed up in this one command: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
But if you bite and tear each other apart, be careful lest you all perish.
Therefore, I tell you: walk by the Spirit and don’t indulge the desires of the flesh!
For the desires of the flesh oppose the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit oppose the flesh. They are in conflict with each other so that you can’t do everything you want.
But when you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
You know what comes from the flesh: fornication, impurity, shamelessness,
idol worship, sorcery, hatred, jealousy, violence, anger, ambition, division, factions,
and envy—along with drunkenness, orgies, and similar behaviors. I repeat what I have already said: those who do these things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, understanding others, kindness,
faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. For such qualities, there is no law or punishment.
Those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its vices and desires.
If we live by the Spirit, let us conduct ourselves spiritually.
Let us not be prideful; refrain from rivalry or envy of each other.
Commentaries
Hagar and Sarah.
Paul strives to leave no doubt that Christ alone offers us freedom. He uses an allegorical interpretation of Abraham’s story (cf. Gn 16:15; 21:2), emphasizing contrasts and relationships. Paul compares two mothers: one a slave, Hagar, and the other free, Sarah; two births: one through human effort, Ishmael, and the other through God’s promise and power, Isaac; and two descendants: one of slaves and the other of free people. He sees all this as symbolized by two covenants: the one of Abraham and the one of Sinai, representing freedom and slavery, respectively. The “earthly” Jerusalem is a city of slaves, while the “heavenly” Jerusalem, which Paul calls “our mother” (4:26), is that of the free. In conclusion, the apostle shares a key message of the Gospel (cf. Jn 8:32.36): “Christ has set us free so that we may be free” (5:1).
Christian Freedom.
The Galatians must choose: either a return to circumcision and all the burdens of keeping the Law, or faith in Christ and the gift of the Spirit. Probably the radical Jewish Christians who had infiltrated the Galatians were not proposing a strict return to the Law but rather a compromise between Judaism and Christianity, perhaps seeking a “modus vivendi” for a mixed community. But Paul is radical; he does not accept compromises or half measures. They are like two irreconcilable systems. And so he applies the saying to them: “A little leaven leavens the whole lump” (9); if they allow a little leaven in, they may be corrupted altogether.
Led by the Spirit.
Paul begins his final exhortations with a new call to freedom: “You, brothers and sisters, have been called to freedom” (13). The Gospel and freedom are connected. What kind of liberation is he talking about? The same one he already mentioned to the Corinthians: “The Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” (2 Cor 3:17). “If we live by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit” (26). This is the daily commitment of the Christian.