Galatians 5:1-6
Chapter 5
1
Christ freed us to make us really free. So remain firm and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery.
2
Christian Freedom
I, Paul, say this to you: if you undergo circumcision, Christ will no longer be able to help you.
3
Once again, I remind everyone who is circumcised: you are required to keep the entire law.
4
All of you who attempt to become righteous by following the law have separated yourselves from Christ and fallen from grace.
5
As for us, through the Spirit, by faith, we eagerly await the hope of righteousness.
6
In Christ Jesus, it doesn’t matter whether you are circumcised or not; what matters is faith expressing itself through love.
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.