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Do Not Be Enslaved Again

  Do Not Be Enslaved Again Galatians 5:1-2 "Christ has set us free (te eleutheria) to be free. Therefore stand firm (stekete) and do not be enslaved again. Behold, I, Paul, say to you, if you are circumcised, Christ will be of no benefit to you." Te ellyuderia means "for that freedom." Ellyuderosen is an imperfect verb, signifying that freedom was granted momentarily, and that state continues. Although expressed as freedom, it does not mean living as I please, but merely that I have cast off the yoke of slavery from the law. "Stekete" does not contain the expression "firmly," but simply means to stand. In other words, it means not to leave that place. Paul says this because the Galatian believers, despite having been set free, were trying to put on the yoke of slavery again through legalism. This is because, at that time, some Jewish Christians within the church were inciting Greek Christians to undergo circumcision. Circumcision is an act of mak...

(4) Ordinances concerning the Covenant and Holiness

  (4) Ordinances concerning the Covenant and Holiness Leviticus chapters 21 and 22 are about the holy lives of the priests and are composed of six sections, distinguished by the phrase, “ I am the LORD who sanctifies them. ” The phrase, “ I am the LORD who sanctifies you, ” is repeated in the concluding section of the six sections. Additionally, the passage from Leviticus 22:31 to 33 corresponds to the overall concluding section of Leviticus chapters 21 and 22. Chapter 22 consists of three parts. The first part is Leviticus 22:1 through 9. Here, it warns that if priests become unclean through various means, they must never eat the food that priests are permitted to eat. Priests become unclean by coming into contact with a person suffering from a skin disease or with a deceased person. Verse 9 strongly states that for unclean priests to eat the priestly food is a sin against God and could result in death. The second part is found in Leviticus 22:10 – 16 and concerns the foo...