Galatians 5:11
Galatians 5:11 (KJV)
11 And I, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution? then is the offence of the cross ceased.
Galatians 5:11 (Literal)
11 My brothers, if I still preach circumcision, then why am I persecuted? Then the cross has ceased to be a stumbling block [to the Judeans].
CONTEXT- Doctrinal error stated
Galatians 3:1-5:26
Ch 3 1 O senseless Galatians! Who has cast a spell on you? Before your eyes the crucifixion of Jesus Christ was graphically declared and posted. 2 Let me ask you this one question. How did you receive the gift of the spirit in manifestation? By the deeds of the law or by
believing what you heard? 3 Are you so foolish as to believe that, having previously begun by the spirit, you are now made perfect by religious deeds of the flesh? 4 You put up with so many things without a cause. I wish that it really were without a cause. 5 Now then, He Who supplies the spirit and energizes miracles among you, does He do it by your doing the deeds of the law or by your believing what you hear? 6 As Abraham “believed God and it was laid to his account for righteousness,” 7 so you know that those who are [justified] by believing are the sons of Abraham. 8 Since God foreknew that He would justify the Gentiles by believing, He declared the good news beforehand to Abraham, as the scripture says, “All Gentiles shall be blessed in you.” 9 Therefore, believers [justified by believing] are blessed with believing Abraham. 10 For those who are [justified] by the deeds of the law are under the curse [of the law]. For it is
written, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do all that has been written in the book of the law.” 11 Now it is evident that no one
is justified by the law before God, because it is written, “The justified ones shall live by believing.” 12 However, the law is not based
on believing, but “whoever makes a practice of the things written in it [the law] shall live by those things.” 13 Christ redeemed us from the
curse of the law by becoming a curse on our behalf (for it is written, “Everyone who hangs on a tree is cursed”), 14 so that the blessing of
Abraham might come to the Gentiles by Jesus Christ and so that we might receive in manifestation the promise, that is, the spirit, by
believing. 15 My brethren, I speak using an illustration from everyday custom. No one ever annuls or adds [clauses and conditions] to a
covenant of men which has been ratified and validated. 16 (Now the promise was declared to Abraham and his Seed. It does not say “and to seeds,” that is, many people, but “and to your Seed,” that is, one person, who is Christ.) 17 Now my point is this: The law, which began 430 years after the declared promise which was validated by God as a covenant, does not invalidate and annul the declared promise.18 For if the inheritance came from [observing] the law, then it was not the result of the declared promise. But God gave by grace the inheritance to Abraham through the declared promise. 19 Then what was the purpose for the law? It was added to make sin a legal transgression until the Seed should come as it was promised. It [the law] was ordained by angels, that is, by a mediator. 20 Now a mediator does not represent one of the two parties [God or Israel], and God is one of the parties. 21 Then is the law contrary to the promise declared by God? Absolutely not! Let me elaborate. If a law had been given which could impart life, then righteousness would have come from the law. 22 But the Scriptures show that everyone is imprisoned by sin, with the result that the promise declared [to Abraham] might be given by the faith of Jesus Christ to those who believe. 23 But before the faith [of Jesus Christ] came, we were kept under guard by the law, imprisoned until the imminent faith [of Jesus Christ] was revealed. 24 Consequently, the law has been our pedagogue until Christ, so that we might be justified by believing. 25 But after the faith [of Jesus Christ] is available, we are no longer under a pedagogue, 26 for all of you are sons of God by the faith of Jesus Christ. 27 As many of you as have been baptized into Christ [in the name of Jesus Christ, by the new birth, and by your identification with Christ] have been clothed with Christ. 28 There is neither Judean nor Greek-Gentile; there is neither slave nor freeman; there is neither male nor female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 If you are of [identified with and are clothed with] Christ, then, in conclusion, you are the seed of Abraham and you are heirs according to the declared promise. Ch 4 1 Now my point is this: The heir, who is lord of all, does not differ from a slave as long as he is a young child.
2 But he is subject to the supervision and training of tutors and the financial discretion of stewards until the time prearranged by his father. 3 So when we were children, we, too, were slaves subject to the elementary principles of the universe [walking by the five senses]. 4 But when the appointed time was completely fulfilled, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born subject to the law, 5 that he might redeem those who were subject to the law and that we might receive our full rights as sons by irrevocable adoption. 6 In that you are sons [by irrevocable adoption], God sent His spirit [seed, by the new birth] into your hearts crying, “Father, our Father !” 7 In conclusion, you are no longer slaves, but sons. And if you are sons, then you are heirs through Jesus Christ. 8 Nevertheless, formerly, when you did not know God, you served those things which are not gods by their very nature. 9 Yet, after experientially knowing God, and moreover being experientially known by God, you now return to the elementary fivesenses principles of weakness and poverty to which you crave to be slaves again. 10 You ritualistically observe days and months and seasons and years. 11 I am greatly concerned that I
may have labored to the point of exhaustion for you in vain. 12 My brothers, I pray for you to become like me [free from the law], for I became like you. 13 You did not treat me unjustly, even though, as you know, announced the good news to you at first while I was hindered by Satan’s attacks. 14 You did not treat me with disrespect or contempt, nor did you insult me because of the vulnerability of my human nature, but you welcomed me as a messenger of God, even as Jesus Christ himself. 15 So where is your joyful enthusiasm? I am a witness of your past actions. If necessary, you would have torn out your eyes and given them to me. 16 So now have I become your
enemy because I proclaimed the truth to you? 17 They [who pervert the gospel] are zealous for your allegiance, but not in a good sense. No, they desire to isolate and control you so that you are zealous for their beliefs only. 18 It is right to be zealous for the right thing all the time, not just when I am present with you. 19 My dear children, for whom I am laboring in childbirth until Christ is fashioned in your minds, 20 I want to be present with you now and to change my tone, but right now I just do not know what to do for you. 21 Tell me, you who desire to be subject to the law, don’t you hear and understand what the law says? 22 (It is written [in the law] that Abraham had two sons, one by a maidservant and one by a freewoman. 23 The one from the maidservant was born according to sense knowledge
standards, but the one from the freewoman came by the promise declared [to Abraham]. 24 Now this speaks allegorically, for these [women] are two covenants. The one [covenant] is from Mount Sinai, which gave birth to slavery. This is Hagar. 25 Hagar, which is Mount Sinai in Arabia, corresponds to the present Jerusalem [Judaism], for she and her children are in slavery. 26 But the exalted Jerusalem [future Judaism] is the freewoman which is our mother city. 27 It is written, “Rejoice, barren women who bear no children.
Burst forth with rejoicing, you who have never been in labor with child. Remember that the desolate woman shall have many more
children than the favored wife.”) 28 My brothers, we are the children of the promise declared [to Abraham], as Isaac was. 29 And as he [Ishmael] who was born according to sense-knowledge standards persecuted him [Isaac] who was born according to the standards of the Spirit [God] at that time, so it is today. 30 But, what does the Scripture say? “Throw out the maidservant and her son, for the son of the
maidservant shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.” 31 So then, my brothers, we are not sons of the maidservant, but [as the son] of the freewoman [by resemblance]. Ch 5 1 Therefore, stand firm in the freedom with which Christ has set us free, and do not be strapped in again with the yoke of slavery [the law]. 2 (Now look, what I, Paul, am saying to you is this: If you become circumcised [out of legal constraint], Christ shall be of no profit to you at all. 3 I testify again to every man who gets circumcised. He is under obligation to fulfill the whole law. 4 Your association with Christ is rendered inoperative when you seek to be justified by the law. You have fallen away from divine favor.) 5 For we [standing firm in freedom] whose spirit is energized by the Spirit [the power of God, not the flesh] and which we exercise by believing [not the law] patiently wait for the hope of righteousness. 6 In Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision can do anything. The real strength is believing, energized by the love of God in the renewed mind in manifestation. 7 You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and caused you not to obey the truth? 8 This persuasion did not come from Him Who called you. 9 A little leaven leavens the whole lump. 10 I have confidence in the Lord toward you that you will take no other view. Whoever is agitating among you shall bear judgment, no matter who he is. 11 My brothers, if I still preach circumcision, then why am I persecuted? Then the cross has ceased to be a stumbling block [to the Judeans]. 12 I wish those seditious agitators who want to circumcise you would emasculate themselves. 13 My brothers, you were called to freedom. Only do not let freedom become a base of operations for the works of the flesh [old man nature]. But serve one another in the love of God in the renewed mind in manifestation. 14 The whole law has been fulfilled in one word [love], even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 But if you bite and devour one another, watch out. Do not be destroyed by one another. 16 Now my point is: Walk by the spirit [the new man] and you shall absolutely not gratify the lusts of
the flesh [the old man]. 17 The flesh desires that which is repugnant to the spirit, and the spirit desires that which is repugnant to the flesh, for these are antagonistic to each other to the end that you do not do what you really want to do. 18 But if you are led by the
spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident. They are: fornication, moral impurity [sexual perversion],
unbridled lust, 20 idolatry, sorcery [drugs and magic], hateful hostilities [with God], discord, uncurbed rivalry, turbulent and lasting anger, in subordination , divisions , sectarianism, 21 deprecative envy, drunkenness, destructive boisterousness, and all such things. I foretell as I have foretold that those who make a practice of these things will not inherit the Kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the spirit
is: love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, believing, 23 meekness, self-control. There is no law against these things. 24 Those who are in Christ have crucified the flesh [the old man nature] with its passionate cravings. 25 Since we live by the spirit [born in us], let us also perfect [align, polish, and advance] our walk by the spirit [in manifestation]. 26 Let us not glory in empty, meaningless matters, provoking and envying each other.
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The Structure of Galatians
A. Gal. 1:1-5 Salutations with Paul’s credentials.
B. Gal. 1:6-10 Statement of Doctrinal Problems.
C. Gal. 1:11-2:21 Paul’s credentials in handling Doctrinal issues.
D. Gal. 3:1 – 5:26 Doctrinal Error stated.
C. Gal. 6:1-10 Believers credentials in handling the Doctrinal error.
B. Gal. 6:11-16 Resolution of the Doctrinal Problem.
A. Gal. 6:17-18 Salutation with Paul’s credentials.
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