Galatians Part 31 - Galatians 5:7-12

vs. 7-12. 1. Paul here addresses unnamed troublers. GAL 5:7, 10, 12. A. When church troublers are identified, they should be marked, named. ROM 16:17; 2TH 3:14; 2TI 2:16-18. (1) The only named “problem children” in this epistle were Peter and Barnabas who needed a friendly reproof in another situation. GAL 2:11-14. (2) Even in that case, the underlying problem was the influential portion of “the circumcision” (GAL 2:12), the same class of opposers who were troubling the Galatians. GAL 6:13. (3) Here then was a general class of men that opposed Paul’s gospel and there was no shortage of bad actors from that class. TIT 1:10. (4) Scribes and Pharisees were also general classes to be wary of. MAT 23:2-3. (5) Whereas there may be exceptions to the general rule of a class of antichrists like Galatians 1-1-17 Page 55  Nicodemus (JOH 3:1-2; 7:50-52; 19:39), the antichrist class or system bears general characteristics worthy of warning. B. Certainly there are nice people who are Jews, JW’s or Mormons, etc. but niceness doesn’t justify the blatant unbiblical tenets of the systems. (1) As noted throughout this series of studies, good feelings, words and fair speeches are not the determinants of truth. (2) Love your fellow man but not his fallible system. ROM 12:18. 2. “Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth? This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you” (vs. 7-8). A. Recall that they had “...soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel” (GAL 1:6). (1) This is indicative of a heart problem. ISA 29:13; PRO 17:3-4. (2) This underscores the zealous affection which played to their emotions. GAL 4:17. B. hinder: trans. To do harm to; to injure, impair, damage. 2b. Const. to hinder a person from or in doing something; also (obs. or rare) c. of, for, to do a thing, that, that not, but that he should do a thing. (1) Recall the hinderers of the good work in Nehemiah’s day. NEH 4:7-9. (2) The unbelieving Jewish leaders in Paul’s day similarly struggled against what they perceived to be a threat to their power. LUK 11:52; ACT 4:16-18. (3) Unbelief is the chief hindrance to obeying the gospel. ACT 8:36-37. C. They had ceased from obeying the truth, not all truth, but the foundational truth of salvation by grace alone: the Spirit’s N.T. message. GAL 3:3. D. This persuasion certainly didn’t come from Christ or Paul. c/w ACT 13:43. 3. “A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump” (v. 9). A. Departure from basic faith is the opening of a door to seducing spirits which mess with the mind, conscience and liberty. 1TI 4:1-3. B. As Paul had noted in v. 3, the introduction of even one form of sinner’s works for justification logically binds one to all the rest. C. Further, such departure from the truth invests the church with class warfare, pitting one minister against others and the “Judaized class” against the “Grace class.” D. Little word fires don’t stay little. JAM 3:5-6. E. Moral infections left intact will likewise corrupt the whole church. 1CO 5:6. F. “Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners” (1CO 15:33). Bad doctrine lends itself to bad conduct. ROM 1:22-24. 4. Paul still held a confident expectation of them in spite of their swerving from the faith. v. 10 c/w 2TH 3:4. A. He held hope for their recovery from bad persuasions, and ministers must not assume that straying sheep are always goats. 2TI 2:18-19, 24-26. B. God is able to reach His own when men’s efforts have not. 2CH 33:10-13. C. Paul knew the real problem was the minority of troublers whom God would deal with in His own special way. c/w 2TH 1:6. D. Paul hoped they would awaken to the need to sever company from such. TIT 3:10-11. 5. The troublers who were poisoning the minds of the Galatians about Paul had insinuated that he was still a promoter of circumcision where profitable but their arguments were self-refuting. v. 11 c/w GAL 1:10. 6. “I would they were even cut off which trouble you” (v. 12). A. He elsewhere contemptuously called this crowd “...the concision” (PHIL 3:2), mutilators. B. They were as useless to the church as a discarded foreskin. Galatians 1-1-17 Page 56