Morning Moments

D. The Persuasion 5:8
This influence did not come from God that hindered you in your race and sidetracked your obedience of the truth. The motivation from God is always toward obedience of the truth and freedom in Christ, never contrary to those things. The subjection to the Mosaic law is contrary to the subjection to the will of God who has freed us from that law.

E. The Principle 5:9
The principle of leaven or yeast which was used for fermenting grain is used here. It doesn't take much leaven or yeast to make the whole lump rise. Metaphorically, it only takes a little false teaching to corrupt the whole body of believers that at Galatia. This is why we need strong doctrinal preaching from the pulpit and from Sunday School teachers. I don't care what your denominational preference is, you better lay that silliness aside and preach and teach basic, sound, fundamentals of the faith.

There is ONE body, ONE spirit, ONE hope of our calling, ONE Lord, ONE faith, ONE baptism, ONE God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and IN us all (who believe). This did not happen by circumcise, water baptism, or any other thing but FAITH in Jesus Christ.

The apostle expresses great confidence that upon his rebuke God will bring these precious believer back to the knowledge of the truth to such an extent that they will withdraw themselves from those who might seek to lead them astray with their false teaching.

Then he goes on to say to them that if what he is saying were not true why would the Jews be persecuting him. In other words, if he, having been a most devout Jew, were preaching that justification could come by keeping the law or through circumcision, the Jews would be embracing him rather than persecuting him. They will get what they deserve.

Some of them may have used the example of the circumcision of Timothy's circumcision and the lack of the circumcision of Titus to show some kind of hypocrisy in Paul, but there was none for Timothy's mother was Jewish and it was expedient in their ministry to the Jews, but Titus was as the Galatians, Gentile for Paul's ministry had turned to the Gentiles. Remember he said, "And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law as under the law, that I might them that are under the law; To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak; I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some" (1 Cor 9:21-22)