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...