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Occasion of the Epistle:
APOSTASY OF THE GALATIANS FROM THE GOSPEL, WHICH PAUL HAD PREACHED TO THEM, TO THE FALSE DOCTRINE OF CERTAIN SEDUCERS, AGAINST WHOM HE THEREFORE UTTERS THE ANATHEMA
Gal_1:6. I marvel that ye are so soon changing over.—He finds it strange, since he has expected, and had reason to expect, something different. “So soon” refers rather to the entrance of the apostasy than to its course, as having so rapidly developed itself from its commencement. The latter view suits the connection the less, inasmuch as ìåôáôßèåóèå designates the apostasy as yet in process of development; ïὕôù ôá÷Ýùò , is therefore, we may say, equivalent to—so soon after the last visit of the Apostle. [“So soon” either 1) after conversion, or 2) after his visit, or 3) after the false teachers came; all three may be included, and are true; which is the primary reference cannot be certainly determined. In any case in view of the middle force of ìåôáôßèåóèå (“turning renegades,” Lightfoot), it is a charge that the change was sudden and one for which they were to blame. Schaff: “The Greek implies first that the apostasy was voluntary, hence their own guilt; secondly, that it was not yet completed, and hence might be averted. The passive rendering would transfer the guilt to the false teachers.”—R.]
From him that called you: most probably from God, who called you on the ground of the grace of Christ, which He has shown in His surrender of Himself to death; not=from Christ, who out of grace has called you. It is true that with the first explanation ἐí ÷Üñ . ×ñ . is difficult to render, but in any case it is not to be understood of the state of grace, as if=called you to the possession and enjoyment of grace.—[By the grace of Christ.—The E. V. renders ἐí ÷Ü - ñéôé , “into the grace,” following the Vulgate, but ἐí is here used in its instrumental sense. Alford: “Christ’s grace is the elementary medium of our ‘calling of God;’ the sum of all that He has suffered and done for us to bring us to God;—whereby we come to the Father,—in which, as its element, the Father’s calling of us has place.” Ellicott: “The dogmatical consideration that the grace of Christ, in the sense it here appears used by St. Paul, denotes an active and energizing influence rather than a passive element, seems distinctly to suggest the instrumental sense.” Comp. his notes in loco.—R.] But it is God Himself who “calls.” The reference of êáëÝóáíôïò ; to the Apostle has some support in the fact that he afterwards opposes so expressly his own preaching to that of others, yet must be rejected, as êáëåῖí too constantly expresses an activity of God for this interpretation. The apostasy is described, doubtless not undesignedly, as an apostasy from a person, not from a doctrine, that it may appear as ingratitude.—To a different gospel.—More exactly: to another kind of gospel = åὐáãã . ðáñ ’ ï ͂ ðáñåë . (Gal_1:9). A gospel, either because the Galatians naturally took the doctrine which the false teachers brought them for the Gospel, or primarily in the general sense of Doctrine of Salvation, which the legal doctrine also claimed to be.
Gal_1:7. Yet Paul as it were at once corrects himself, and respecting that which he has just named “gospel,” denies again that this predicate in fact belongs to it, this false teaching is no gospel, but a subversion of the gospel. This is at all events the sense, if ï ͂—the most obvious construction—is referred to the immediately preceding åὐáãã . = “which other sort of gospel is no other, by the side of that preached by me, except that there are,” etc. [The more correct reference is to ἕôåñïí åὐáããÝëéïí . So Meyer, Alford, Ellicott, Lightfoot, and Schmoller himself. See Alford’s notes in loco for a full discussion and objections to the reference below.—R.] The reference however to the whole sentence is possible=which is nothing else (that is, this turning to another gospel) than that you have let yourselves be seduced by such as wish to subvert the gospel.
There be some that trouble you.—“Paul is fond of calling his opposers: ôéíÝò i.e., certain well known people, whom one for any reason whatever, in this case out of disparagement, will not designate more nearly.” Wieseler.—[Wordsworth suggests and defends an ironical meaning: “unless they who are troubling you, are somebody,” but this seems forced. Lightfoot paraphrases well: “only in this sense is it another gospel, in that it is an attempt to pervert the one true gospel.”—R. ]— Ôáñáóóåῖí = to disturb the conscience and thereby the feelings by exciting doubts whether the gospel preached to them were the true teaching or not.—Wish to pervert = to have the will, to labor for; as the sequel plainly shows, it has not yet come to an actual perversion; ìåôáóôñÝöåéí = äָëַּêְ , funditus evertere.—The gospel of Christ, probably=gospel respecting Christ, inasmuch as in the first place the gospel treats of Christ generally; especially, however, because the merit of Christ is the chief theme of the true gospel in distinction from the legal teaching. The gospel, of course, could not, in itself, be destroyed, but the evangelical preaching among the Galatians might be, if they received another teaching.
Gal_1:8. But though we—let him be anathema.—Certain persons wish to destroy the gospel of Christ among you, and bring you another, but ( ἀëëÜ ) rather let every one who does that be ἀíÜèåìá , instead of passing for an evangelist.— Ἡìåῖò : first and chiefly the Apostle himself, then, however, also the “brethren who are with me,” in whose name he likewise writes.—Angel from heaven, to be taken together=angel descended from heaven. “If Paul repudiates his own and even angelic authority in the case assumed, as accursed, then every one, without exception (comp. ὅóôéò ἄí ἦ , Gal_5:10), is subject to the same curse in the same case.” Meyer.— Ðáñ ’ ï ͂ åὐçãã . ὑìῖí =literally: beyond that, etc., maybe equivalent to praterquam, or to contra. “Formerly dogmatic interest came here into play, the Lutherans, in opposition to tradition, contending for praterquam, and the Catholics in defence of it, for contra. Contra, or more exactly the sense of specific difference, is according to the context the right sense. (See Gal_1:6. ἕôåñïí .)” Meyer. [This sense of ðáñÜ , “contrary to,” is now generally conceded by Protestant commentators. Wordsworth and Lightfoot give it the sense of “besides;” the latter arguing from the context that Paul means, his gospel will brook no rival, will suffer no foreign admixture, but, as Ellicott remarks: “the Apostle implies throughout the Epistle that the Judaical gospel was in the strict sense of the words an ἕôåñïí åὐáãã ., and in its very essence opposed to the true gospel.” Both ideas may properly be included (Alford, Schaff).—R.]— ÅὐçããåëéóÜìåèá ὑìῖí : namely, I and my companions at the time of your conversion. Comp. ðáñåëÜâ . Gal_1:9.
Let him be anathema.—A translation of çֵøֶí = Dedicated to God without ransom=given over to annihilation, to death, in the Old Testament to bodily, in the New Testament to èÜíáôïò in opposition to æùÞ , to eternal death. See in Wieseler a detailed elucidation and refutation of the explanation, “excommunicated.” [ ἈíÜ - èåìá is the common Hellenistic form of the classical and Attic word ἀíÜèçìá , which in both forms originally meant “devoted to God.” When the two forms were desynonymized, the Hellenistic word naturally took a meaning from the Hebrew (through the LXX.) in malam partem, while the Attic form was used in a good sense. Comp. Luk_21:5, where only it is found in N. T. This distinction was general, but not universal. Afterwards the common patristic sense of our word undoubtedly was “excommunicated,” though sometimes accompanied with distinct execration. It cannot have this meaning here, for “an angel from heaven” is not open to excommunication, nor does N. T. usage favor such a signification. Comp. Rom_9:3; 1Co_12:3. See also Trench, Syn. N. T. § 5, Meyer, Ellicott, Lightfoot.—This passage affords no warrant for ecclesiastical anathemas. Such a practice presupposes the milder meaning, which is incorrect, and as milder, in itself forbids such anathematizing. It is obviously unfair to find in St. Paul’s language first, a reason for ecclesiastical “excommunication,” and then a warrant for “anathematizing.”—R.]
Gal_1:9. As we said before.—Referring probably to his last visit, not to Gal_1:8.—The Apostle repeats the curse, which he has pronounced Gal_1:8, in order to show that he “speaks deliberately.” Bengel.—[Notice that in Gal_1:8 the Apostle uses ἐÜí with the subjunctive: “though we, or an angel, should preach,” in Gal_1:9, åἰ with the indicative: “if any man preach,” appending the anathema in both cases. “In the former, a pure hypothesis is put forward, in itself highly improbable; in the latter a fact which had actually occurred and was occurring” (Lightfoot). There is additional force in the change of subject: even Paul or an angel from heaven-did they do so—would be anathema, much more—any man, neither Apostle nor angel—is anathema, having done so.—R.]
Gal_1:10. For am I now conciliating men?—Explanation ( ãÜñ ) of the severity with which he demeans himself towards the false teachers by this repeated ἀíÜèåìá . He does it, because he is concerned only for the favor of God, not that of men. It would be natural to understand “now” like Gal_1:9 of the time of the composition of the epistle. Yet on the other hand this limitation is not quite congruous to the general contents of the verse, it is therefore better to understand it more generally of the time of the Apostle’s conversion. [It seems more natural to regard “now” as an emphatic taking up of “now” in Gal_1:9—“now in what I have said.” Paul had not been a man-pleaser before conversion. If he had been charged with it among the Galatians, he was not so sow in what he had been writing.—R.]— Ðåßèåéí =to win over, to draw to one’s side by persuasion, whether directly by words or otherwise; here, in view of the reference to God=to gain for one’s self, to win for one’s self as a friend.— ἈñÝóêåéí : sometimes to please, sometimes to be disposed to please, to live according to the pleasure of; the latter here. “Yet” goes back to the same time with “now.” [“Yet,” i.e., after my call to the apostleship, and all that has happened to me (Schaff). “It is equivalent to ‘at tins stage, at this late date’ ” (Lightfoot).—R.]—I should not be a servant of Christ=could make no claim to this title. As a true servant of Christ, who dares not act to please men, I must, even though it should not please men, judge with all sharpness and severity respecting those who subvert the gospel. “Servant of Christ” is here doubtless to be taken in its official sense=could make no claim to the name of a teacher. With how much right Paul could say so of himself is shown, e.g., by 2Co_11:23 sq.
2. The false teachers. Deflections from evangelical truth, however, are not on this account to be taken lightly; but on the contrary, very gravely, as the language of the Apostle in this passage shows. Paul had full justification in uttering a curse against the false teachers, and thus giving them over to everlasting destruction, in the wickedness they committed with their false teaching; which was a double one—1) against persons: they perplexed their consciences and brought them in danger of losing the salvation of their souls; 2) against the cause: they went about to subvert the gospel of Christ. They made an attack on the sacred rights of believers, and their conduct was therefore worthy of a curse. That this curse does not flow from personal mortification, because they had rejected his teaching, Paul shows plainly by placing himself under the curse, in case he should teach differently. Besides, the anathema is, of course, aimed at this conduct of the false teachers in itself, and this sharp opposition by no means excluded the wish that they might themselves see the error of their way, and themselves come to the knowledge of the evangelical truth. But this was not the place for saying this. He expresses himself with thorough earnestness against the false teachers, only to open the eyes of the Galatians, and to release them from the snares in which they had allowed themselves to be taken. Although in this earnestness he comes in conflict with men, he must do what beseems a servant of Christ: be zealous for Christ and the salvation of His people.
3. Pleasing men. What Paul says, Gal_1:10, appears to be opposite to 1Co_10:33; but in 1 Cor. Paul speaks of things indifferent, in which a man may yield somewhat without wounding his conscience (comp. Rom_15:2). Here, however, he means sinful complaisance, where one fashions his doctrine and preaching according to the sense of men, in order thus to gain their favor. He only then is a servant of Christ, who subordinates unconditionally the favor of men to the favor of God, who in His official activity does not seek to make Himself pleasing to men, does not make this his object. When, however, from time to time—for uninterrupted it can never be—the favor of men falls to his lot, he is to receive it from God’s hand with thankfulness and humility, as a kind indulgence, which in his manifold conflicts may be of value. That the servant of Christ must be on his guard, not to draw upon himself deservedly the ill-will of the world through pride and self-will; that he is not in carnal temper to fly in the face of men, and hence that he must always examine well whether his zeal is a spiritual one, or is not becoming a carnal one, if it were not such from the beginning, is indeed self-evident, but cannot be carefully enough considered; as in general the theory of the relation of human and divine favor is tolerably simple, but the practice is very difficult.
[4. Wordsworth:—Not to please men, be they never so many or great, out of flatness of spirit, so as, for the pleasing of them, either
1) To neglect any part of our duty towards God and Christ; or,
2) To go against our own consciences, by doing any dishonest or unlawful thing; or,
3) To do them harm whom we would please, by confirming them in their errors, flattering them in their sins, humoring them in their peevishness, or but even cherishing their weakness; for weakness, though it may be borne with, yet it must not be cherished.
But then, by yielding to their infirmities for a time, in hope to win them, by patiently expecting their conversion or strengthening, by restoring them with the spirit of meekness, with meekness instructing them that oppose themselves, should we seek to please all men.—R.]
Würt. Summ.:—We are here reminded of our human weakness. We should endeavor to be so assured of divine truth in our own heart, as to be able to persevere therein, though even an angel would persuade us of something else, and the whole world would believe otherwise. Such perseverance is not in our power, however, but must be obtained from God through prayer and through diligent use of the divine word, which alone can make our walk steadfast.
“From him that called you by the grace of Christ unto another gospel.”—Rieger:—A tender description of the good work begun in them. A feeling contrast with the yoke which some would now lay upon their necks.—Spener:—Whosoever will no longer be saved simply through the grace of God in Christ falls away from the Father and the grace of Christ to another gospel, even though he holds the other articles of faith. For so soon as merit is mixed therewith, it is no more grace.
Apostasy from the truth: 1. how far not to be wondered at; 2. how far to be wondered at.—So soon alienated! 1. a word of grief, true of so many; 2. a warning word, in relation to all.—An apostatizing tendency, or inconstancy a radical fault of the human heart: 1. sluggish and immovable, where it is of moment that it should move and apply itself; 2. so movable and unsteady where it should abide firm.—To turn ourselves from Him who hath called us: 1. so lightly done; 2. weighs yet so heavily.—Another Gospel! is the world’s cry; no other! must forever remain our answering testimony.
Gal_1:7. Spener.:—The gospel of Christ will not let itself be mixed with the doctrine of works, as if these were necessary to salvation; but as soon as this is done, the gospel is perverted.—Hedinger:—More taught than God has thought, is to the gospel quite athwart. The false teachers will have Christ’s grace, to be sure, but something of their own works therewith. Gross error! Adding more destroys the store.—Starke:—Where Satan cannot persuade men to open sins, he seeks to perplex their consciences, and pervert the gospel, which is the only means of salvation; in this too he very easily succeeds, because the doctrine of works appears quite agreeable to the reason.
Gal_1:8. Luther:—It is not in vain that St. Paul sets himself first, and will, first of all, be accursed, if he shows himself herein worthy of it. For all excellent workmen are wont also thus to do, namely, to reprehend their own faults first, for then can they so much the more freely chide and censure the faults of others.—Spener:—No creature has authority to change anything in the gospel, or to add thereto, of however eminent rank, office, enlightenment, holiness, and miraculous power he may be. Not even the whole Church, nor her teachers, nor her councils and the like. If the change is made, no inquiry is needed; but it is to be reprobated, because it is new and another.—Lange:—As the blessing coming out of the gospel is the most weighty and noble of all, so is the curse which rests upon the hindering of the blessing through falsifying the gospel, the greatest of all, one which remains forever upon soul and body.
Gal_1:10. Luther:—We cannot more hotly and bitterly anger the world than by attacking and condemning her wisdom, righteousness, ability, and powers. If we now reject and condemn these highest gifts of the world, that is truly not to behave feigningly to the world, but to strive after hate and ill luck, and, moreover, to get both our hands full of the same. For if we condemn men with all their doings, it can never fail but that we must soon take our chance and bring upon ourselves such scorn and envy that we shall be persecuted, hunted, banished, condemned, and, very likely, even murdered.—Spener:—The sincerity of a teacher, when men see that his concern is alone to please God, and not men, is a strong ground for believing that his teaching is sound and pure.—Hedinger:—Just so! Whoever in the church, in the state, in the family, serves men, fears and cowers before men, and, for their sake, bends the right, flatters and fawns, has trifled away his best title—Christ’s servant and disciple. A thunderstroke! Whose ears tingle not, when he hears it?—Rieger:—O God! preserve all thy servants, that no one, through pride and self-will, may draw persecution upon himself, and fly in the faces of men; but grant also that we may not count persecution, mocking, and contempt as tokens of our having betrayed the truth, but may view them and bear them as the marks in the foreheads of thine approved servants!
The earnestness with which Paul opposes the false teachers: 1. well founded, 2. very significant for us: should (a) withhold us from the reception of any unevangelical doctrine; (b) strengthen us in the certainty that the gospel, which we have, is the true one.—A curse upon him who preaches a false doctrine! 1. A fearfully earnest utterance; 2. yet pressingly needful; 3. instructive for all that are wavering.—Let not every man undertake to be a teacher, but whoever is, let him take heed what he teaches.—The curse which Paul pronounces upon himself, if he should preach another gospel, is a token: 1. how high the gospel stands in his view; 2. how humbly he thinks of himself (viewing himself only as a mere instrument, as a servant, who has to accomplish what his Master has commanded him).—Not the Church above the word, but the word above the Church!—Two earnest questions: 1. Which seekest thou most, man’s favor or God’s favor? 2. Which is weightier, man’s favor or God’s favor?—Man’s favor or God’s favor? Choose: there is no third.—The right union of unsparingness and forbearance in our intercourse with men: an art of difficult attainment.—To be entirely unsparing, and entirely forbearing, each in the right way, is the Christian’s duty in dealing with men.—Man’s disfavor, compared with God’s favor, as insignificant as wholesome, perfects us in humility, and impels us the more to assure ourselves of the favor of God.
On the whole section.—Lisco:—The curse of the Apostle against the false apostles: I. Whom it strikes: 1. Necessarily every one, without exception, who changes the blessing of the gospel into mischief, and so out of good prepares for himself death; 2. those also who have deep insight, or other high qualities for serving the kingdom of God, and yet do not preach it purely; 3. even an angel himself, if he could preach another gospel. II. Why must it be uttered? 1. He who preaches the gospel must have a will thereby to serve, not men, but God; 2. through a false gospel men may, indeed, be attracted, but God views it as blasphemy; 3. therefore, he is placed under the curse, who will serve the gospel, and yet doing so as a man-pleaser, is found an unfruitful servant of Christ.
The apostasy of believers: 1. is, alas, sometimes a fact; 2. from what does it proceed? 3. how is it to be remedied?—The Apostle’s demeanor: 1. towards the misled: he makes a complaint and charge; but through it all the full tones of compassion and love are heard; 2. towards the misleaders: unsparingly stern even to denouncing a curse.—To fall away from the gospel is bad, but to subvert the gospel is worse.
Footnotes:
Gal_1:6.—[ Ìåôáôßèåóèå , middle, not passive, see exeg. notes.—R.]
Gal_1:6.—[ Ἐí cannot mean “into,” especially after êáëÝù .—R.]
Gal_1:6.—[The many variations, such as the omission of ×ñ ., the insertion of Ἰçóïῦ , the substitution of èåïῦ , all probably sprang from mistaken exegesis, joining ×ñ . with êáëÝóáíôïò . The reading ×ñéóôïῦ is very well supported and now universally retained.—R.]
Gal_1:6.—[ Ἐôåñïí , “different in kind,” not “another of the same kind” ( ἄëëï , Gal_1:7). So Alford, Ellicott, Wordsworth, Lightfoot.—R.]
Gal_1:8.—[The periphrasis of the E. V. is necessary to bring out the force of åὐáããåëßæçôáé , in its reference to åὐáããÝëéïí , Gal_1:6-7; but the subjunctive must not be overlooked, as marking the different conditional propositions of Gal_1:8-9.—R.]
Gal_1:8.— à . omits ὑìῖí , à 3. first adds it.
Gal_1:8.—[On the meaning of ðáñÜ , here and Gal_1:9. See Exeg. Notes.—R.]
Gal_1:9.— à 1.: ðñïåßñçêá .
Gal_1:10.—[“Persuade” is obviously inapplicable to God. Ðåßèù here means “to conciliate,” “to make friends of.” So modern English commentators. The form: “am I,” etc., is required by the emphatic ἄñôé (Ellicott).—R.]
Gal_1:10.—Rec. åἰ ãὰñ ἔôé ; but ãÜñ is best omitted. [Rejected on preponderant MSS. authority by all modern editors.—R.]