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 making a wound on the body, but it carries the meaning of waiting for the promise of the seed.

However, since Jesus Christ has come into the world, waiting for that promise is tantamount to not believing in the coming of Jesus Christ. Therefore, one who undergoes circumcision becomes one who has no connection with Christ.

Galatians 5:3-4: "I testify again to every one who is circumcised that he is obligated to keep the whole law. But you who are trying to be justified by the law are cut off (katergedete) from Christ and have fallen away from grace."

Because the act of circumcision represents legalism, those who are circumcised are obligated to observe all 613 laws. They are not to violate even a single one of the entire laws. No matter how hard humans try, no one can keep them perfectly. This is because the sin of greed committed in the heart is also included. Therefore, they all become sinners.

Here, "within the law" refers to legalism. It represents those who are bound by the regulations of the law rather than the Gospel. Those who claim to be Christians yet proceed toward legalism are those who have no relationship with Jesus Christ. This is because, although Christ has come into the world, they are those who wait for Christ (Hebrew: Messiah) rather than Jesus; thus, they are like the Pharisees and priests who crucified Jesus.

Katergedete means to be severed. It means that although they believe in Jesus Christ, they are cut off from Jesus Christ because they say they are waiting for another Christ. It implies that they have been cut off from the beginning. In fact, these are not those who have been born again of water and the Spirit.

The meaning of dying in water is dying with Jesus on the cross. It is the faith to resurrect with Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit afterward. However, those who wait for a different Christ not only fail to understand the meaning of being born again of water and the Spirit, but are also those who have not died with Jesus Christ. This means they are those who were cut off from the very beginning. Those who have fallen into legalism today also become like this.

Galatians 5:5-6: "We wait for the hope of righteousness by faith (ek pisteos) in the Spirit. In Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision matters (isquiei) but faith working through love."
Salvation is not legalism, but being born again by the Holy Spirit. Legalistic faith is one that has nothing to do with the Holy Spirit. Most churches today do not speak of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. They stop at water baptism. The reason is that they are based on legalism.

Because they regard the failure to keep the commandments as a sin, they constantly look to the commandments and struggle to avoid sinning; if they break the commandments, they focus only on being forgiven by the blood of Jesus Christ. Consequently, they do not realize that they must die with Jesus Christ regarding sin. Therefore, they do not know the meaning of being born again, and because they are not born again, they do not know the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

Ek pisteos (ἐκ πίστεως) means "coming out of faith." The Holy Spirit and faith are not separate entities; rather, the Holy Spirit comes out of faith. In other words, faith is the faith of dying with Jesus Christ and resurrecting together with Him through the Holy Spirit. It means the Holy Spirit that comes out of this faith.

Ischkei (ἰσχύει) means having no power. It means having no power to receive the righteousness of the Kingdom of God. It implies that the debate over whether circumcision is right or wrong is meaningless. What is important is not the argument over whether one must observe every single regulation of the law or if it is acceptable not to, but rather realizing the meaning God has embedded in the law, engraving it in one's heart, and acting according to the Holy Spirit.

The will of God contained in the Law (the Ten Commandments) is love. It means to love God and love your neighbor. In other words, all humans fell away from God because of their greed to become like Him; however, the Law signifies that we must now realize that greed, die to sin (the greed to be like God) with Jesus, and return to God. Thus, the dead spirit comes to life. That is what it means to love God. Likewise, conveying this to our neighbors and reviving their dead spirits is the act of loving our neighbors.

Christianity emphasizes faith, hope, and love. Faith is the faith of dying and resurrecting with Jesus. When one is born again by the Holy Spirit through this faith, one comes to hope for the righteousness of the Kingdom of God. And when the spirit comes alive and the Logos dwells within the heart of the saint, that is love.
Galatians 5:7-8: "But who hindered you from obeying the truth (te aletheia) when you were running well? For the exhortation (peidestai) was not from him who called you."

In Te Aletheia [τῇ ] ἀληθείᾳ, the [ ] markings on the Te part indicate that some manuscripts have Te while others do not, so the reader is to read and judge for themselves. However, if Te is present, it signifies Jesus Christ as Te Aletheia, but if Te is absent, it becomes a general truth.

In context, it means a general truth without [ ]. In other words, through legalism, one cannot achieve the righteousness of the Kingdom of God and becomes one who cannot obey God.
Pēidestai (πείθεσθαι) means to prevent obedience to the truth, and pēismone (πεισμονὴ) means persuasion or exhortation; thus, legalism did not come from Christ, but is the result of people persuading others of wrongdoings.