Galatians 5:1-12, Don’t Submit to Circumcision

“Paul has already reached two important goals in his appeal to the Galatians. He has defended his apostleship, including a defense of his right to preach the Gospel with or without the support of other human authorities (1:11-2:21), and he has defended the Gospel itself, showing that it is by grace alone, apart from human works, and that the Christian is freed from the curse of the law and brought into a right relationship with God (3:1-4:31). But Paul must make one more point before he concludes his letter: that the liberty into which believers are called is not a liberty that leads to license, as his opponents charged, but rather a liberty that leads to mature responsibility and holiness before God through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. This theme dominates his last two chapters.” (Expositor’s Bible Commentary)

5:1 It is for freedom that Christ set us free! Stand firm, then, and do not submit yourselves to a yoke of bondage.
2 See, I Paul am telling you, that if you submit to circumcision, Christ has no benefit for you. 3 Again, I’m bearing witness to everyone who submits to circumcision, that you are the obligated to perform all the Law. 4 Whoever seeks justification by the Law is alienated from Christ, has fallen away from grace. 5 For we, by the Spirit, through faith are eagerly awaiting the hope of righteousness. 6 Because in Christ Jesus neither circumcision is anything nor uncircumcision, but faith at work through love. 7 You were running so well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? 8 This persuasion does not come from the One who called you. 9 A little leaven leavens the whole lump. 10 I am confident about you in the Lord that no one will take another viewpoint. The one disturbing you, whoever it may be, will be taken up in judgment. 11 As for me, brothers and sisters, if I am still preaching circumcision, why am I being persecuted? Then the offense of the cross has been abolished. 12 Would that those causing you trouble would emasculate themselves. (Galatians 5:1-12)

Here, in the most positive way, is what Paul has been wanting to say. Don’t fall into the slavery the false teachers are preaching, but stay with Jesus and the freedom he offers, the free salvation that frees us. It’s not too late.

And in that regard, then, don’t submit to circumcision. Though circumcision in itself is nothing (nor is uncircumcision) that has any affect on salvation normally, your submitting to circumcision means you are submitting to works righteousness and abandoning Christ and righteousness by faith. If you do that, if you choose works, Christ is of no benefit to you. You have abandoned the grace way of salvation.

Paul is not speaking to the issue here of whether someone genuinely saved can lose their salvation. I believe he and the other authors of the New Testament would deny that. Rather, Paul is challenging his readers to act as saved people and put away this false teaching. He, like the writer of Hebrews, even expresses confidence that they will in fact make choices commensurate with salvation (Hebrews 6:9). The false teachers have taught a little leaven or yeast, that tends to work its way through the whole dough. It is time to purge themselves of this leaven, like they did at the Exodus (Exodus 12).

As for the false teachers, Paul is confident that they will experience condemnation in the final judgment. And if they are saying he is actually preaching circumcision, like they do, then why is he still being persecuted, something that doesn’t happen to those who preach that gospel. Why not? Because it removes the offense of the cross.

…the cross proclaims our complete ruin in sin, so that nothing we do or can do can save us, and thus it also proclaims our radical need for God’s grace. The natural self does not understand such teaching (1Co 2:14) and, in fact, hates it, because it strips away any pretense of spiritual achievement. (Expositor’s Bible Commentary)

The preachers of circumcision preach salvation by one’s own merits, something that does not require Christ’s death as sacrifice. Paul wishes that the circumcision party would just go all the way an emasculate themselves so as not to reproduce any more false teachers. Does that seem too harsh? The gospel is at stake!

Once again,

Sacral castration was known to citizens of the ancient pagan world. But for Paul to compare the ancient Jewish rite of circumcision to pagan practices even in this way is startling. Not only does it put the efforts of the Judaizers to have the Gentiles circumcised on the same level as abhorred pagan practices, but it actually links this desire to that which in Judaism disbarred one from the congregation of the Lord (Dt 23:1). (Expositor’s Bible Commentary)

For further study:

• https://thimblefulloftheology.com/what-is-the-unpardonable-sin/
• https://thimblefulloftheology.com/daily-thoughts-from-mark-is-there-unpardonable-sin-19/
• https://thimblefulloftheology.com/daily-thoughts-from-1-john-sin-that-leads-to-death/