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Tuesday, November 26th, 2024
the Week of Christ the King / Proper 29 / Ordinary 34
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Read the Bible

THE MESSAGE

Galatians 5:1

Christ has set us free to live a free life. So take your stand! Never again let anyone put a harness of slavery on you.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Commandments;   Decision;   Perseverance;   Thompson Chain Reference - Ceremonialism;   False;   Liberator, Christ as;   Religion;   Religion, True-False;   Steadfastness;   Steadfastness-Instability;   The Topic Concordance - Freedom/liberty;   Legalism;   Waiting;   Yoke;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Liberty, Christian;   Steadfastness;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Yoke;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Call;   Ethics;   Freedom;   Holy spirit;   Law;   Paul;   Sin;   Slave;   World;   Yoke;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Faith;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Liberty;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Adoption;   Yoke;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Hebrews, the Epistle to the;   Isaac;   Law;   Tribute;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Holy Spirit;   Reconcilation;   Slave/servant;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Law;   Liberty;   Sarah;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Abstinence;   Arts;   Boyhood of Jesus;   Brotherly Love;   Debt, Debtor;   Derbe ;   Faithfulness;   Galatians Epistle to the;   Good;   Liberty (2);   Mediation Mediator;   Metaphor;   Pharisees (2);   Philemon Epistle to;   Tithes ;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Liberty;   Sina, Sinai ;   Yoke;   Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types - Bondage;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - War;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Adoption;   Bondage;   Entangle;   Galatians, Epistle to the;  

Devotionals:

- Daily Light on the Daily Path - Devotion for December 18;   Every Day Light - Devotion for November 8;   Today's Word from Skip Moen - Devotion for March 15;   My Utmost for His Highest - Devotion for May 6;  

Parallel Translations

Easy-to-Read Version
We have freedom now, because Christ made us free. So stand strong in that freedom. Don't go back into slavery again.
Revised Standard Version
For freedom Christ has set us free; stand fast therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
Stond fast therfore in ye libertie wher with Christ hath made vs fre and wrappe not youre selves agayne in ye yoke of bondage.
Hebrew Names Version
Stand firm therefore in the liberty by which Messiah has made us free, and don't be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.
New American Standard Bible
It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.
New Century Version
We have freedom now, because Christ made us free. So stand strong. Do not change and go back into the slavery of the law.
Update Bible Version
For freedom Christ set us free: stand fast therefore, and don't be entangled again in a yoke of slavery.
Webster's Bible Translation
Stand fast therefore in the liberty with which Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
English Standard Version
For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
World English Bible
Stand firm therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and don't be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made you free, and be not intangled again with the yoke of bondage.
Weymouth's New Testament
Christ having made us gloriously free--stand fast and do not again be hampered with the yoke of slavery.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Stonde ye therfor, and nyl ye eftsoones be holdun in the yok of seruage.
English Revised Version
With freedom did Christ set us free: stand fast therefore, and be not entangled again in a yoke of bondage.
Berean Standard Bible
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not be encumbered once more by a yoke of slavery.
Contemporary English Version
Christ has set us free! This means we are really free. Now hold on to your freedom and don't ever become slaves of the Law again.
Amplified Bible
It was for this freedom that Christ set us free [completely liberating us]; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery [which you once removed].
American Standard Version
For freedom did Christ set us free: stand fast therefore, and be not entangled again in a yoke of bondage.
Bible in Basic English
Christ has truly made us free: then keep your free condition and let no man put a yoke on you again.
Complete Jewish Bible
What the Messiah has freed us for is freedom! Therefore, stand firm, and don't let yourselves be tied up again to a yoke of slavery.
Darby Translation
Christ has set us free in freedom; stand fast therefore, and be not held again in a yoke of bondage.
International Standard Version
Christ has set us free so that we may enjoy the benefits of freedom.has set us free for freedom">[fn] So keep on standing firm in it, and stop attaching yourselves to the yoke of slavery again.John 8:32; Acts 15:10; Romans 6:18; Galatians 2:4; 4:9; 1 Peter 2:16;">[xr]
Etheridge Translation
Stand therefore in that liberty with which the Meshiha hath freed you, and be not enthralled with the yoke of bondage.
Murdock Translation
Stand fast, therefore, in the liberty with which the Messiah hath made us free; and be not subjected again to the yoke of bondage.
King James Version (1611)
Stand fast therefore in the libertie wherewith Christ hath made vs free, and bee not intangled againe with the yoke of bondage.
New Living Translation
So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don't get tied up again in slavery to the law.
New Life Bible
Christ made us free. Stay that way. Do not get chained all over again in the Law and its kind of religious worship.
New Revised Standard
For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Stand fast therefore in the libertie wherewith Christ hath made vs free, and be not intangled againe with the yoke of bondage.
George Lamsa Translation
STAND firm therefore in the liberty with which Christ has made us free, and be not harnessed again under the yoke of servitude.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
With her freedom, Christ hath made you, free. Stand fast, therefore, and do not, again, with a yoke of servitude, be held fast!
Douay-Rheims Bible
Stand fast and be not held again under the yoke of bondage.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Stande fast therfore in the libertie wherwith Christe hath made vs free, and be not intangled agayne with ye yoke of bondage.
Good News Translation
Freedom is what we have—Christ has set us free! Stand, then, as free people, and do not allow yourselves to become slaves again.
Christian Standard Bible®
For freedom, Christ set us free. Stand firm then and don’t submit again to a yoke of slavery.
King James Version
Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
Lexham English Bible
For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.
Literal Translation
Then stand firm in the freedom with which Christ made us free and do not be held again with a yoke of slavery.
Young's Literal Translation
In the freedom, then, with which Christ did make you free -- stand ye, and be not held fast again by a yoke of servitude;
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Stonde fast therfore in the libertye wherwith Christ hath made vs fre, and be not wrapped agayne in the yocke off bondage.
Mace New Testament (1729)
Stand fast therefore, and be not hampered again with the yoke of bondage.
New English Translation
For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not be subject again to the yoke of slavery.
New King James Version
Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, [fn] and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.
Simplified Cowboy Version
Jesus has taken the hobbles off us! You are free and no longer hobbled to the Law.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.
Legacy Standard Bible
It was for freedom that Christ set us free. Therefore, stand firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.

Contextual Overview

1 Christ has set us free to live a free life. So take your stand! Never again let anyone put a harness of slavery on you. 2I am emphatic about this. The moment any one of you submits to circumcision or any other rule-keeping system, at that same moment Christ's hard-won gift of freedom is squandered. I repeat my warning: The person who accepts the ways of circumcision trades all the advantages of the free life in Christ for the obligations of the slave life of the law. 4I suspect you would never intend this, but this is what happens. When you attempt to live by your own religious plans and projects, you are cut off from Christ, you fall out of grace. Meanwhile we expectantly wait for a satisfying relationship with the Spirit. For in Christ, neither our most conscientious religion nor disregard of religion amounts to anything. What matters is something far more interior: faith expressed in love. 7You were running superbly! Who cut in on you, deflecting you from the true course of obedience? This detour doesn't come from the One who called you into the race in the first place. And please don't toss this off as insignificant. It only takes a minute amount of yeast, you know, to permeate an entire loaf of bread. Deep down, the Master has given me confidence that you will not defect. But the one who is upsetting you, whoever he is, will bear the divine judgment. 11As for the rumor that I continue to preach the ways of circumcision (as I did in those pre-Damascus Road days), that is absurd. Why would I still be persecuted, then? If I were preaching that old message, no one would be offended if I mentioned the Cross now and then—it would be so watered-down it wouldn't matter one way or the other. Why don't these agitators, obsessive as they are about circumcision, go all the way and castrate themselves!

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Stand: Proverbs 23:23, 1 Corinthians 15:58, 1 Corinthians 16:13, Ephesians 6:14, Philippians 1:27, 1 Thessalonians 3:8, 2 Thessalonians 2:15, Hebrews 3:6, Hebrews 3:14, Hebrews 4:14, Hebrews 10:23, Hebrews 10:35-39, Jude 1:3, Jude 1:20, Jude 1:21, Revelation 2:25, Revelation 3:3

the liberty: Galatians 5:13, Galatians 2:4, Galatians 3:25, Galatians 4:26, Galatians 4:31, Psalms 51:12, Isaiah 61:1, Matthew 11:28-30, John 8:32-36, Romans 6:14, Romans 6:18, Romans 7:3, Romans 7:6, Romans 8:2, 1 Corinthians 7:22, 2 Corinthians 3:17, 1 Peter 2:16, 2 Peter 2:19

entangled: Galatians 2:4, Galatians 4:9, Matthew 23:4, Acts 15:10, Colossians 2:16-22, Hebrews 9:8-11

Reciprocal: Genesis 24:6 - General Leviticus 25:10 - proclaim Matthew 11:30 - my yoke Luke 5:38 - General John 8:36 - General Acts 13:43 - persuaded Acts 15:5 - That it Acts 15:31 - they rejoiced Acts 16:3 - and took Acts 16:5 - so Acts 21:21 - that thou 1 Corinthians 7:18 - being 1 Corinthians 9:1 - am I not free 1 Corinthians 9:19 - I be 2 Corinthians 11:20 - if a man bring Galatians 4:7 - thou Galatians 4:24 - which Philippians 3:2 - the Philippians 4:1 - so 1 Timothy 6:1 - servants Titus 1:10 - specially James 1:25 - liberty

Cross-References

Genesis 6:9
This is the story of Noah: Noah was a good man, a man of integrity in his community. Noah walked with God. Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
Genesis 10:1
This is the family tree of the sons of Noah: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. After the flood, they themselves had sons.
1 Chronicles 1:1
Adam Seth Enosh Kenan Mahalalel Jared Enoch Methuselah Lamech Noah Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
Ecclesiastes 12:1
Honor and enjoy your Creator while you're still young, Before the years take their toll and your vigor wanes, Before your vision dims and the world blurs And the winter years keep you close to the fire.
Matthew 1:1
The family tree of Jesus Christ, David's son, Abraham's son:

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Stand fast therefore in the liberty,.... There is the liberty of grace, and the liberty of glory; the former of these is here meant, and lies in a freedom from sin; not from the indwelling of it, but from the dominion, guilt, and damning power of it; from the captivity and tyranny of Satan, though not from his temptations and insults; from the law, the ceremonial law, as an handwriting of ordinances, a rigid severe schoolmaster, and a middle wall of partition, and from all its burdensome rites and institutions; from the moral law as a covenant of works, and as administered by Moses; and from the curse and condemnation of it, its bondage and rigorous exaction, and from all expectation of life and righteousness by the deeds of it; but not from obedience to it, as held forth by Christ, and as a rule of walk and conversation; and from the judicial law, or those laws which concerned the Jews as Jews: moreover, this liberty lies in the free use of things indifferent, as eating any sort of food without distinction, so that it be done in faith, with thankfulness to God, in moderation, and with temperance, and so as that the peace and edification of fellow Christians are not hurt; also in the free use of Gospel ordinances, which they that are fellow citizens with the saints have a right unto, but not to lay aside or neglect at pleasure; which is not to use, but to abuse their liberty: again, another branch of it is access to God, with freedom and boldness at the throne of grace, through the Mediator, under the influences of the divine Spirit; to which may be added, a deliverance from the fears of death corporeal, who is a king of terrors to Christless sinners, and which kept Old Testament saints, all their lifetime subject to bondage and eternal, or the second death, by which Christ's freemen are assured they shall not be hurt: now, in this liberty, the children of the free woman, believers under the Gospel dispensation, are very pertinently exhorted to stand fast, in consequence and consideration of their character; that is, they should highly prize and esteem it, as men do their civil liberty; and maintain it and defend it, at all hazards; abide by the doctrine of it without wavering, and with intrepidity; not giving up anyone part of it, however, and by whomsoever, it may be opposed, maligned, and reproached; and keep up the practice of it, by obeying from the heart the doctrine of it, by becoming the servants of righteousness, by frequent attendance at the throne of grace, and continual observance of the ordinances of Christ; and then should take heed of everything that tends to break in upon it, as any doctrine or commandment of men; particularly the doctrine of justification by works, and all sorts of superstition and will worship: and the rather, because of the concern Christ has in this liberty, it is that

wherewith Christ hath made us free; we are not free born, but on the contrary homeborn slaves, as Ephraim was; nor could this liberty in any of its branches be obtained by us, by any merit, righteousness, act, or acts of ours, but is wholly of Christ's procuring for us, both by price and power; whereby he has ransomed and delivered us out of the hands of all our spiritual enemies, sin, Satan, the law, and death; and it is of his proclaiming in the Gospel, and of his applying by his Spirit, whom he sends down into our hearts as a free Spirit, to acquaint us with it, and lead us into it, who works faith in us to lay hold upon, and receive this blessing of grace as others:

and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. The metaphor is taken from oxen put under a yoke, and implicated with it, from which they cannot disengage themselves: some of the members of this church had been Jews, who had formerly been under the yoke of the law, and seemed desirous to return to their former state of bondage, from which the apostle dissuades, and therefore uses the word again: or else he may refer to the bondage of corruption and idolatry, which they as Gentiles were in, before their conversion; and intimates, that to give into the observance of; Jewish rites and ceremonies would be involving themselves in a state of bondage again; for by "the yoke of bandage" he means the law, which the Jews frequently call עול מצות "the yoke of the commandments" l; particularly the ceremonial law, as circumcision; which Peter, Acts 15:10 represents as a yoke intolerable; the observation of days, months, times, and years; the multitude of sacrifices, and which could not take away sin; but proclaimed their guilt and obligation to punishment, and were an handwriting of ordinances against them, and thereby they were held and kept in bondage, and such a yoke is the moral law as delivered by Moses, requiring perfect obedience, but giving no strength to perform, nor pointing where any is to be had; showing a man his sin and misery, and so working wrath in his conscience, but giving not the least intimation of a Saviour, or of life and righteousness by another; accusing, pronouncing guilty, cursing, and condemning; hence such as seek for righteousness by it are in a miserable subjection to it, and are sadly implicated and entangled with the yoke of it: every doctrine and ordinance of men is a yoke of bondage which should not be submitted to; nay, any action whatever, performed in a religious way and in order for a man's acceptance with God, and to obtain his favour, and according to his observance of which he judges of his state, and speaks peace and comfort to himself, or the reverse, is a yoke of bondage: as, for instance prayer at such and so many times a day, reading such a number of chapters in the Bible every day, fasting so many times in the week, and the like; so that what are branches of Christian liberty, such as frequent prayer to God, reading the sacred writings for instruction and comfort, and the free use of the creatures, are turned into a yoke of bondage, which should be guarded against.

l Misn. Beracot, c. 2. sect. 2. T. Hieros. Beracot, fol. 4. 2.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Stand fast, therefore - Be firm and unwavering. This verse properly belongs to the previous chapter, and should not have been separated from it. The sense is, that they were to be firm and unyielding in maintaining the great principles of Christian liberty. They had been freed from the bondage of rites and ceremonies; and they should by no means, and in no form, yield to them again.

In the liberty ... - Compare John 8:32, John 8:36; Romans 6:18; Notes, Galatians 4:3-5.

And be not entangled again - Tyndale renders this, “And wrap not yourselves again.” The sense is, do not again allow such a yoke to be put on you; do not again become slaves to any rites, and customs, and habits.

The yoke of bondage - Of servitude to the Jewish laws; see the note at Acts 15:10.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

CHAPTER V.

The apostle exhorts the Galatians to stand fast in the liberty

of the Gospel, and not by receiving circumcision bring

themselves into a yoke of bondage, 1-4.

Shows the superior excellence of Christianity, 5, 6.

Mentions their former steadiness, and warns them against the

bad doctrine which was then preached among them, 7-9.

Expresses his confidence that they will yet return; and shows

that he who perverted them shall bear his own punishment,

10-12.

States that they are called to liberty, and that love is the

fulfilling of the law, 13, 14.

Warns them against dissensions, and enumerates the fruits of the

flesh, which exclude those who bear them from the kingdom of

God, 15-21.

Enumerates also the fruits of the Spirit, which characterize the

disciples of Christ, 22-24.

Exhorts them to live in the Spirit, and not provoke each other,

25, 26.

NOTES ON CHAP. V.

Verse Galatians 5:1. Stand fast therefore in the liberty — This is intimately connected with the preceding chapter: the apostle having said, just before, So then, brethren, we are not children of the bond woman, but of the free, immediately adds, Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free. Hold fast your Christian profession; it brings spiritual liberty: on the contrary, Judaism brings spiritual bondage. Among the Jews, the Messiah's reign was to be a reign of liberty, and hence the Targum, on Lamentations 2:22, says: "Liberty shall be publicly proclaimed to thy people of the house of Israel, על יד משיחא al yad Mashicha, by the hand of the Messiah, such as was granted to them by Moses and Aaron at the time of the passover."

The liberty mentioned by the apostle is freedom from Jewish rites and ceremonies, called properly here the yoke of bondage; and also liberty from the power and guilt of sin, which nothing but the grace of Christ can take away.


 
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