Galatians 5:10 Commentary and Bible Study

Paul makes a number of statements about the state of the Galatians: ‘I am afraid for you, lest I have bestowed upon you labor in vain’ (2:11); ‘I desire to be present with you now, and to change my voice; but I stand in doubt of you’ (2:20); ‘whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace’ (5:4). But though earlier statements are gloomy and seem to indicate a pessimistic attitude in Paul, this verse shows that his overall outlook concerning them was hopeful. His hope was not based on what he saw of their current hold on the truth, for they had been wounded by their enemies, and were weak and ready to be carried away by false teaching. If Paul had only taken account of what he could see of their response he would surely have despaired of their recovery. He says, ‘I have confidence in you’, but adds the words, ‘through the Lord.’ As ever, he turned to the Lord for consolation, the one who gives certainty to all that we do, the Lord Jesus Christ. He reasoned that if God had called them in the first place – and he was sure that this was the case for at least some of them – then God would bring them safely to their journey’s end; all of Paul’s theology argued for such an outcome. Therefore, though things looked bad, he now wishes to state his confidence in God that they will obey the truth again and return from their wanderings. He says this to encourage their faith with his own faith, for it was right for him to set an example of trust in God which they could follow. This was not a matter of just saying something positive whether it was true or not – Paul was a man of integrity and never spoke like that. He had good grounds for believing God would lead them to recover. However, interestingly, he does not say, ‘I have confidence in the Lord’, but ‘I have confidence in you, through the Lord’, for though he did have confidence in the Lord, there was something for the Galatians to do. They could not do it in their own strength, but it must nevertheless be done. This optimism was also necessary for the Galatians, for the hopeful outcome that faith could plant in their hearts was going to contribute to their recovery as they climbed out of the pit into which they had fallen. Unless they had believed that God would help them to regain the riches of Christ which they had lost hold of, they would not make the effort to let go of their false confidence in circumcision and exercise faith again. They must strive, they must struggle, they must overcome, but after they have done all, they must acknowledge that all has been achieved through the unseen power of the Lord at work in them. ‘But he that troubleth you’ – the Galatians have foolishly and unnecessarily been taken in, but it is the false teachers themselves that bear the greatest guilt. The Judaizers intimidated the ordinary people in Galatia for they claimed learning and authority as those who had come from the centres of Jewish learning. The Galatians naturally asked, ‘How could these men be mistaken or in error?’ As Calvin says ‘The highest sounding language of the false apostles had terrified the ignorant multitude. It became necessary for Paul to defend his doctrine with corresponding warmth and energy, and not to spare anyone who dared to raise his voice against it, however eminent or however distinguished’.