6 I wonder that ye are so quickly removed from Him who did call you in the grace of Christ to another good news;
for if, indeed, he who is coming doth preach another Jesus whom we did not preach, or another Spirit ye receive which ye did not receive, or other good news which ye did not accept -- well were ye bearing `it',
Ye were running well; who did hinder you -- not to obey the truth? the obedience `is' not of him who is calling you!
And the Lord saith: Because drawn near hath this people, with its mouth, And with its lips they have honoured Me, And its heart it hath put far off from Me, And their fear of Me is -- A precept of men is taught!
ye were freed from the Christ, ye who in law are declared righteous; from the grace ye fell away;
for not knowing the righteousness of God, and their own righteousness seeking to establish, to the righteousness of God they did not submit.
The man answered and said to them, `Why, in this is a wonderful thing, that ye have not known whence he is, and he opened my eyes!
As all things to us His divine power (the things pertaining unto life and piety) hath given, through the acknowledgement of him who did call us through glory and worthiness,
but according as He who did call you `is' holy, ye also, become holy in all behaviour,
and exceedingly abound did the grace of our Lord, with faith and love that `is' in Christ Jesus:
according as I did exhort thee to remain in Ephesus -- I going on to Macedonia -- that thou mightest charge certain not to teach any other thing,
and now, having known God -- and rather being known by God -- how turn ye again unto the weak and poor elements to which anew ye desire to be in servitude? days ye observe, and months, and times, and years! I am afraid of you, lest in vain I did labour toward you. Become as I `am' -- because I also `am' as ye brethren, I beseech you; to me ye did no hurt, and ye have known that through infirmity of the flesh I did proclaim good news to you at the first, and my trial that `is' in my flesh ye did not despise nor reject, but as a messenger of God ye did receive me -- as Christ Jesus; what then was your happiness? for I testify to you, that if possible, your eyes having plucked out, ye would have given to me;
O thoughtless Galatians, who did bewitch you, not to obey the truth -- before whose eyes Jesus Christ was described before among you crucified? this only do I wish to learn from you -- by works of law the Spirit did ye receive, or by the hearing of faith? so thoughtless are ye! having begun in the Spirit, now in the flesh do ye end? so many things did ye suffer in vain! if, indeed, even in vain. He, therefore, who is supplying to you the Spirit, and working mighty acts among you -- by works of law or by the hearing of faith `is it'?
but, through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, we believe to be saved, even as also they.'
and he wondered because of their unbelief. And he was going round the villages, in a circle, teaching,
Be astonished, ye heavens, at this, Yea, be frightened, be greatly wasted, An affirmation of Jehovah. For two evils hath My people done, Me they have forsaken, a fountain of living waters, To hew out for themselves wells -- broken wells, That contain not the waters.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Galatians 1
Commentary on Galatians 1 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 1
In this chapter, after the preface or introduction (v. 1-5), the apostle severely reproves these churches for their defection from the faith (v. 6-9), and then proves his own apostleship, which his enemies had brought them to question,
Gal 1:1-5
In these verses we have the preface or introduction to the epistle, where observe,
The apostle, having thus taken notice of the great love wherewith Christ hath loved us, concludes this preface with a solemn ascription of praise and glory to him (v. 5): To whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. Intimating that on this account he is justly entitled to our highest esteem and regard. Or this doxology may be considered as referring both to God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom he had just before been wishing grace and peace. They are both the proper objects of our worship and adoration, and all honour and glory are perpetually due to them, both on account of their own infinite excellences, and also on account of the blessings we receive from them.
Gal 1:6-9
Here the apostle comes to the body of the epistle; and he begins it with a more general reproof of these churches for their unsteadiness in the faith, which he afterwards, in some following parts of it, enlarges more upon. Here we may observe,
Gal 1:10-24
What Paul had said more generally, in the preface of this epistle, he now proceeds more particularly to enlarge upon. There he had declared himself to be an apostle of Christ; and here he comes more directly to support his claim to that character and office. There were some in the churches of Galatia who were prevailed with to call this in question; for those who preached up the ceremonial law did all they could to lessen Paul's reputation, who preached the pure gospel of Christ to the Gentiles: and therefore he here sets himself to prove the divinity both of his mission and doctrine, that thereby he might wipe off the aspersions which his enemies had cast upon him, and recover these Christians into a better opinion of the gospel he had preached to them. This he gives sufficient evidence of,