Reading for June 1st

Read Galatians 5.2-15
In verses 2-12 why circumcision should be refused.
Here Paul gets tot he central issue that is dividing the community.
the opposing teachers thought God required the gentile Christians of Galatia to be circumcised.
In verse 3 Circumcision indicated willingness to live by the Torah (Gen17.9-14).
The emphasis here is entire law (3.10).
In verse 4 cut yourselves off can be rendered, You were estranged.
To choose the law is to abandon Christ the symbol of God's grace (1.6), 15; 2.20-21; Rom 5.15).
In verse 5 Rom 8.18-25.
In verse 6 Christ redefines the meaning of ethnic identity (6.15; 1 Cor 7.19).
Faith working through love is generally taken as faith made effective through loving acts (5.13-14).
It could be faith that becomes effective by responding to Christ's love. (2.20).
In verses 7-8 the call to follow the law does not come from God.
In verse 9 1 Cor 5.6.
In verse 10 the curse of 1.6-9 will take effect.
In verse 11 to convince the Galatians, the opposing teachers apparently argued that Paul approved of circumcision.
In verse 12 Nor only would circumcision hurt physically, it would also banish them under the law (Duet 23.1).
In verses 13-26 living in freedom.
Having just discussed what returning to slavery would mean (2-12) Paul now expounds on freedom (v.1).
In verse 13 self-indulgence captures the sense of the flesh (sarx).
Now the the slave imagery is used positively: love requires a new form of submission (Rom 6.15-19).
In verse 14 Lev 19.18; Rom 13.8-10.
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