Galatians 5:7–15 – Running Well, Loving Well
📖 Passage
Galatians 5:7–15
Read Galatians 5:7–15 (NKJV)
🧠 Context & Background
Paul has warned that to accept circumcision as a ground of justification is to be severed from Christ (Gal 5:4). He now turns from the individual danger to the communal fallout of false teaching.
- Hindrance in the race (vv.7–8): The Galatians had begun to “run well” in the race of faith (1 Cor 9:24; Heb 12:1). False persuasion is like a competitor cutting in, obstructing progress. Paul underscores that this persuasion is not “from Him who calls you.”
- Contamination like leaven (v.9): Error is not neutral—it spreads. “A little leaven leavens the whole lump” (1 Cor 5:6). Tolerating false teaching endangers the whole community, not just individuals.
- Attack on the cross (v.11): If Paul were preaching circumcision as necessary, the stumbling block (σκάνδαλον) of the cross would be removed. The cross offends because it proclaims salvation by Christ alone, not human merit. To add circumcision is to neutralize that offense.
- Misuse of freedom (vv.13–14): Freedom in Christ is not license to indulge the flesh but the call to serve one another through love. In this way the Law is “fulfilled” in the command, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Lev 19:18; Rom 13:8–10).
- Warning against mutual destruction (v.15): Where love fails, the community turns cannibalistic: “bite and devour one another.” The imagery is brutal—legalism doesn’t just enslave; it tears churches apart.
Pastoral thrust: The Galatians must discern that false teaching hinders faith, infects the body, and undercuts the cross. The only antidote is to use freedom rightly: not for self-indulgence but for Spirit-empowered love, which alone fulfills God’s law.
🌿 Key Themes
- Hindrance in the Race — False persuasion diverts steady progress in grace (v.7–8).
- Contagion of Error — “A little leaven” spreads quickly if unaddressed (v.9).
- Judgment for Troublers — False teachers won’t escape accountability (v.10).
- Offense of the Cross — Legalism hates a cross that ends boasting (v.11–12).
- Freedom for Love — Liberty aims at serving one another through love (v.13–14).
- Church Self-Harm — Biting and devouring destroys community (v.15).
📖 Verse-by-Verse Commentary
Galatians 5:9 — Leaven's Spread
“A little leaven leavens the whole lump.”
- Pastoral urgency: False doctrine is like yeast—it works silently, but it eventually permeates the whole church.
- Guard the gospel: To tolerate a “little error” is to invite total distortion.
Galatians 5:10 — Confidence & Judgment
“He who troubles you shall bear his judgment…”
- Two assurances: Paul expresses confidence that God will keep the true flock in the gospel.
- Judgment certain: The one who distorts the gospel will face God’s judgment (cf. Jas 3:1).
Galatians 5:11–12 — Scandal of the Cross
“If I still preach circumcision… the offense of the cross has ceased.”
- Cross vs. badge: The cross proclaims human helplessness; circumcision-as-basis offers human boasting.
- Sharp wish (v.12): Paul’s cutting words expose the deadly seriousness of this error—better the agitators disqualify themselves entirely than lead others astray.
Galatians 5:13 — Freedom for Service
“Do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.”
- Not license: Freedom is not indulgence but Spirit-given capacity to love.
- Servant pattern: Christian liberty finds expression in humble service, modeled after Christ (John 13:14).
Galatians 5:14 — Law Fulfilled in Love
“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
- Moral summary: Love is the fulfilling form of God’s moral law (Rom 13:8–10).
- Spirit-powered: This is not self-generated but Spirit-empowered love that flows from faith (Gal 5:22).
Galatians 5:15 — Warning Against Devouring
“If you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another!”
- Church health: Loveless disputes are like spiritual cannibalism—they destroy community from the inside.
- Pastoral caution: Legalism and pride inevitably lead to division and destruction unless countered by love.
🧩 Review Questions
- Paul says the Galatians were “**running well**” (v.7). What does this image teach us about the Christian life, and what kinds of influences can **hinder** the race today?
- Why is Paul so urgent about **“a little leaven”** (v.9)? How does this illustrate the danger of tolerating even small distortions of the gospel?
- What is the **offense of the cross** (v.11), and why does legalism try to remove its scandal?
- How does Christian **freedom** differ from both legalism and license (v.13)? What does it look like for freedom to express itself in **service**?
- Paul warns of churches **biting and devouring one another** (v.15). What modern examples come to mind, and how can Spirit-led **love** prevent such destruction? 💬 **Want to go deeper? Ask the study bot these questions (or your own) to explore further insights!** ---
🔍 Trusted Insight (R.C. Sproul)
“We are justified by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone.” — R.C. Sproul, Faith Alone: The Evangelical Doctrine of Justification
Fit: Paul contrasts legalism (circumcision as ground) and license (using freedom for the flesh) with the gospel’s third way: faith alone in Christ. But such faith is never barren—it is active in love, fulfilling the law through the Spirit (vv.1
🔍 Definitions
- Leaven — Small influence that permeates the whole; metaphor for spreading error (v.9).
- Offense (σκάνδαλον) of the cross — The cross scandalizes human pride, removing grounds for boasting (v.11).
- Opportunity for the flesh (ἀφορμή) — A base of operations for sinful self-use of freedom (v.13).
- Fulfill the law — Love of neighbor as Spirit-produced conformity to God’s moral will (v.14).
- Bite/Devour — Predatory speech/behavior that destroys fellowship (v.15).
🙋 Application Questions
- Where has a “little leaven” begun to shape your thinking or community practices? What decisive step will remove it?
- How does the offense of the cross confront your tendencies to boast (performance, tribe, appearance)?
- What concrete act of servant-love will you practice this week for someone difficult to love?
- In a conflict, how can you pursue truth and avoid “biting and devouring”?
🔤 Greek Keywords
- enekopsen (ἐνέκοψεν) — Hindered / cut in on (v.7). Picture someone cutting into your running lane, blocking progress.
- peithō (πείθω) — Persuasion / convincing (v.8). Refers to the kind of influence that sways people—Paul says this persuasion is not from God.
- zymē (ζύμη) — Leaven / yeast (v.9). A small amount spreads through the whole dough—a metaphor for how false teaching quickly affects the whole community.
- skandalon (σκάνδαλον) — Offense / stumbling block (v.11). Literally something that makes you trip or stumble—used for the scandal of the cross that offends human pride.
- aphormē (ἀφορμή) — Base of operations / opportunity (v.13). Like a military base, here it means using freedom as a “launch point” for the flesh.
- agapaō (ἀγαπάω) — To love / self-giving love (v.14). The deep, sacrificial love that fulfills the Law.
📚 Cross References
- 1 Corinthians 5:6–7 — Leaven imagery and church holiness.
- Romans 13:8–10 — Love fulfills the law.
- 1 Peter 2:24 — The cross ends boasting; we live to righteousness.
- Philippians 2:1–8 — Christlike servant-love.
- Galatians 6:2 — Bear burdens; fulfill the law of Christ.
- Hebrews 12:1–2 — Run the race with endurance, looking to Jesus.
- James 4:1–2 — Quarrels and devouring desires that consume the body.
📦 Next Study
Next Study → Galatians 5:16–26 – Walk by the Spirit