Thus, Paul's thought in Gal. logically proceeds to another cornerstone of the New Testament concept – freedom, that heavy gift which is the brightest seal of man's sonship with God.

1 Stand therefore, therefore, in the liberty which Christ has given us, and be not again subjected to the yoke of bondage. 2 Behold, I, Paul, say unto you, If ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. 3 Again I testify to every man who is circumcised, that he must fulfill the whole law. 4 You who justify yourselves by the law have been left without Christ, you have fallen from grace, 5 but we in the Spirit wait and hope for righteousness from faith. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has power, but faith working through love (Gal. 5:1-6).

"Faith working through love" (v. 6) is an extraordinarily accurate expression, meaning by faith not some truncated, internal, intellectual act of acknowledging Christ, but a full-fledged way of life that cannot but manifest itself outwardly. In this way, the question of the opposition of salvation by faith and works is removed. Salvation is not earned by good works, but on the contrary, faith is the cause of good works. The contrast with the famous "faith without works is dead" (James 2:20, 26; see § 49:7) is also removed, since "faith working by love" is essentially the same ("active", e)nergoume/nh, and "works", e)/rga are words of the same root).

"It would be a wrong interpretation of the Apostle's thought to see in 'faith' only its speculative content: to understand 'faith' as a 'symbol of faith'. Faith also presupposes a "symbol of faith," but Paul's understanding of faith is much broader. For Ap. Paul's faith is the fullness of spiritual life. Faith is expressed in the desire of the one who believes for perfect union with the One in whom he believes" [430].

7 Ye have walked well: who has stopped you, that ye should not obey the truth? 8 Such a conviction is not from Him who calls you. 9 A little leaven leavens the whole dough. 10 I am confident of you in the Lord, that you will not think otherwise; but he who troubles you, whoever he may be, will bear condemnation. 11 Why then do they persecute me, brethren, if even now I preach circumcision? Then the temptation of the cross would cease. 12 Oh, that those who troubled you would be removed [Oh, that those who troubled you would cut themselves off]! (Galatians 5:7-12)

"Literally, 'if they had been cut off.' Since a)poko/yontai can mean the cutting off of the members of the body (a rite practiced in Galatia by the worshippers of the goddess Cybele), many commentators suggest that in Paul's mouth this sarcastic expression means: "Let those who trouble you mutilate themselves (cf. Phil. 3:2)."

We are talking about castration. "Paul is ready to equate circumcision with castration. With greater force, Ap. Paul could not express his opposition to circumcision... The eunuchs were denied access to the society of the Lord (Deuteronomy 23:1)"[432].

Freedom or permissiveness?

You have been called to freedom, brethren, so that your freedom may not be an occasion to please the flesh, but serve one another with love (Gal. 5:13).

Freedom does not mean permissiveness. Its true realization is the work of enabling the Holy Spirit to act. Spirit.

For the whole Law is contained in one word: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself (Gal. 5:14).

Again the Law! Up. Pavel seems to be ready to do everything to close this topic once and for all, and in the end he recalls a number of additional arguments, including such a well-known one as the golden rule of ethics. It was also known in Judaism itself (see Hillel § 5:1), and it is repeated many times in the New Testament (see Matt. 7:12; 22:39 and pars.; Acts 15:29).

15 But if you bite one another and eat one another, take heed that you are not destroyed by one another. 16 I say, walk in the Spirit, and you will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh, 17 for the flesh desires that which is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit that which is contrary to the flesh. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. 19 The works of the flesh are known; they are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, envy, anger, strife, dissension, [temptations,] heresies, 21 hatred, murder, drunkenness, riotousness, and the like. I forewarn you, as I did before, that those who do such things will not inherit the Kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faith, 23 meekness, self-control. Against such there is no law (Gal. 5:15-23).

"The Opposition of the Works of the Flesh to the Fruit of the Spirit. It is noteworthy that Paul speaks of the works of the flesh in the plural (v. 19), and of the fruit of the Spirit in the singular (v. 22). He clearly opposes the bad multiplicity of sin to the unity of spiritual life" [433].