Galatians 5:7-15 • Running Strong

Review & Overview

1. Previous Study’s Review

Remember there are 3 sections: Preservation, Explanation, Application

In Ch. 1 & 2 we looked at The Preservation of the Gospel.

In that section we looked at several ways how Paul preserved the Gospel of Grace or how he defended the Gospel of Grace.

Chs. 3 & 4 deals with The Explanation of the Gospel of Grace

In Ch. 3 was saw Paul offer 4 arguments regarding the Gospel of Grace.

In Ch. 4 Paul uses Logic & Emotion to explain the Gospel of Grace.

Ch 5

Holding the Freedom of Christ

Hindering the Freedom of Christ

Harnessing the Freedom of Christ

2. Current Study’s Overview

And that brings us to Vs. 7-15 where Paul continues to talk about the Freedom of Christ and the application of the Gospel of Grace.

This where Paul get’s practical and shows us how to apply the gospel of grace to our lives. Read…

The Title of Today’s Message Is: Running Strong.

Because as you saw in our quick reading of today’s scripture: we’re going to talk about the race we’re called to run as believers, and the challenges that can throw us off course.

Paul uses the powerful image of running a race to describe the Christian life, reminding us that it’s not just about starting strong but about finishing well.

Along the way, we face distractions, temptations, and even deceptions that try to pull us away from the truth of the gospel.

If your taking notes we want to look at 4 “P’s” Regarding the Freedom of Christ.

1 Progress Interrupted Vs. 7-9

2 Pardon Expected Vs. 10

3 Persecution & Purging Vs. 11-12

4 Purpose of Freedom Vs. 13-15

1. Progress Interrupted Vs. 7-9

1.1 Vs. 7

Here, Paul uses the image of running a race to describe the Christian life—a picture he often paints in his writings (1 Cor 9:24–27; Phil 3:14; 2 Tim 4:7).

1 Corinthians 9:24 NKJV

24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it.

2 Timothy 4:7 NKJV

7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

When Paul says, "You were running a good race," he's pointing back to the great start the believers in Galatia had when Paul and Barnabas first shared the gospel with them.

ILLUSTRATION: It's like watching an Olympic runner take off from the starting line full of energy, maybe even outpacing everyone for a while, but then someone sneaks onto the track and trips them up.

When Paul asks, "Who hindered you?" it's similar to when he asks in

Galatians 3:1 NKJV

1 O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified?

I don’t think he's not literally asking for names, but addressing the deeper spiritual problem.

Paul recognizes that while people may be involved, the real enemy at work here is the devil.

Ephesians 6:12 NKJV

12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

His people the Galatians are under attack by a supernatural force that only the Holy Spirit can overcome.

Because of this hinderance, the Galatians were no longer obeying the truth of the gospel.

Paul had earlier summed up his message as the "truth of the gospel" (Gal 2:5, 14),

Galatians 2:5 NKJV

5 to whom we did not yield submission even for an hour, that the truth of the gospel might continue with you.

Galatians 2:14 NKJV

14 But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter before them all, “If you, being a Jew, live in the manner of Gentiles and not as the Jews, why do you compel Gentiles to live as Jews?

and now the Galatians have turned away from it, influenced by the false teachings around them.

So Paul is urgently trying to pull them back from this spiritual cliff.

There are three key lessons we can learn from this verse:

1. The Christian life is a marathon, not a sprint - You see, Paul wanted the Galatians, who started strong, to also finish strong.

And it’s the job of pastors and leaders to help new believers stay on track, especially when others try to derail them.

2. Even when people stray from the faith, Paul didn’t give up on them - Some Galatians had switched their loyalty to the false teachers and seemed lost, but Paul still had hope that they could return.

From God’s perspective, no truly saved person will ultimately lose their salvation (John 10:28; Eph 1:4–6; Rom 8:29),

but from our limited view, it can seem like some do fall away (1 John 2:19; Rom 11:22–23).

Paul believed the Galatians could come back, and he worked tirelessly to bring them back.

APPLICATION: Christians today need the same determination with people who may be tempted to give up on their faith.

3. The gospel isn’t just something to believe in, it’s something to obey - Once the Galatians abandoned the sound teachings Paul had given them, they quickly fell into all sorts of sinful behaviors.

By leading them away from the truth, Satan tricked them into immoral living.

APPLICATION: This shows us how closely our beliefs and our spiritual health are connected. Sound doctrine matters for a vibrant Christian life.

1.2 Persuasion Vs. 8-9

Paul noticed that the false teachers promoting circumcision had a strong influence on the Galatians.

They had "bewitched" them, causing them to stumble in their spiritual race.

But how did these false teachers succeed? Paul uses a unique word to describe it…

He uses the word persuasion, which is a unique and rare Greek word: peismonē.

This word appears only here and nowhere else in the bible, or even in earlier Greek literature.

It is derived from the verb peithō, meaning "to persuade" or "to convince," but here it carries a much deeper, more dangerous connotation.

Peismonē doesn’t just refer to ordinary persuasion; it represents a misleading, deceptive force that had bewitched the Galatians, pulling them away from the truth of the gospel.

Paul’s use of this rare word is deliberate. He doesn’t just want to say that the Galatians were swayed by clever arguments—no, this was something more sinister.

The false teachers didn’t just convince the Galatians with logic or theology; they manipulated them, just like Satan manipulated Eve in the Garden.

They preyed on the spiritual innocence of these new believers, taking advantage of their vulnerability and leading them into a false theology of works-based salvation.

This word peismonē emphasizes that their influence wasn’t simply a rational debate—it was a harmful, coercive persuasion that twisted the truth and enslaved the Galatians back into legalism.

The word persuasion indicates that these false teachers were very convincing, probably physically attractive, smooth talkers, and able to put on a good show.

As a result, many of the new Christians in Galatia were persuaded to abandon the gospel of grace for a theology of hard work and human achievement.

But Paul’s approach was completely different. Unlike these flashy teachers, Paul didn’t rely on "wise and persuasive words" or try to impress people with his speaking skills.

Instead, he preached the gospel in weakness, fear, and trembling (1 Cor 2:1–5).

1 Corinthians 1:1–5 NKJV

1 Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, 2 To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours: 3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 4 I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus, 5 that you were enriched in everything by Him in all utterance and all knowledge,

Paul refused to use manipulation or flattery to win people over.

That way, when people responded to his message, he was sure it was the Holy Spirit at work, not just a clever persuasion.

So in verse 8, Paul addressed the methods of the false teachers, they were persuasive.

Then, in verse 9, he turned to the consequences of their persuasiveness.

He quoted a proverb and a saying from baking: A little leaven leavens the whole lump."

In other words: A little yeast makes the whole batch of dough rise,"

Which is similar to the saying, "One bad apple spoils the bunch."

Or in our modern day vernacular: One bad vibe messes up the whole squad

Paul’s point was that even though the false teachers were only making a small change—adding circumcision to the gospel—that small change could lead to total ruin.

Just like a little bitty drop of poison in a full glass of water can destroy a whole body, a small compromise on a key issue like salvation can corrupt the entire faith community.

APPLICATION: This serves as a powerful warning: even a small compromise in our faith can have a massive impact.

We might think allowing a tiny bit of false teaching, sin, or worldly thinking into our lives or church won't matter much, but just like yeast spreads through dough, those little compromises can influence our entire walk with Christ.

So the application here is clear: guard your heart and your mind against even the smallest distortions of the gospel.

This is why we need to know the WORD! To rejecting anything that might corrupt the purity of our faith in Jesus.

2. Pardon Expected Vs. 10

Paul ended verse 9 with a warning using the image of yeast in dough—a small bit of yeast can spread and affect the entire batch.

This was a serious analogy for this situation, showing how false teachings, even if they seem minor, can have a huge impact on the entire community.

But in verse 10, there’s a sudden shift in tone.

Paul expresses confidence that the Galatians would not ultimately fall for the false teachings being pushed on them.

Even though it looked like they were heading in the wrong direction, Paul believed they repent and come back to the truth of the Gospel.

So here the Question: How could Paul be so sure?

Paul was sure because His confidence wasn’t based on his own ability to change their minds but was rooted "in the Lord."

This phrase, which Paul uses frequently, points to his belief that God’s love and Christ’s faithfulness would keep the Galatians on the right path.

Paul believed that God had truly saved the Galatians when he and Barnabas preached the gospel to them.

They had repented, believed, and received the Holy Spirit. This was sealed by their baptism of the Spirit and the formation of local churches.

Paul had seen God’s work in their lives and believed that the God who started that work would see it through to the end, just as he said about the Philippians in

Philippians 1:6 NKJV

6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;

APPLICATION: Even when we see others drifting away from the truth or struggling in their faith, we shouldn’t lose hope.

Like Paul, our confidence should rest in the Lord’s ability to complete the work He began in them, not in our own ability to bring them back.

God's love and Christ’s faithfulness are powerful enough to guide us and others back to the truth.

So when we encounter moments of doubt or see loved ones straying, we must trust that God, who started the good work, will be faithful to finish it in His perfect timing.

3. Persecution & Purging Vs. 11-12

31. Vs. 11

So, apparently, part of the confusion among the Galatians came from a false rumor that Paul's opponents spread about him.

They claimed that Paul was secretly promoting circumcision and the law to Gentile believers.

These false teachers probably said something like, "Hey, didn't you know Paul also supports circumcision when he's with the leaders in Jerusalem?"

The idea was that Paul was changing his message depending on who he was with—being one way with the Jewish believers and another way with the Gentiles.

Paul clearly thought it was a malicious lie. But was there anything that could have made this lie seem believable to the Galatians?

I think so, Paul wasn’t on some anti-circumcision crusade. He wasn’t against the law. He taught that people should generally stick with their situation when they became believers.

For example, if someone was already circumcised, there was no need to undo it.

And if someone wasn’t circumcised, they didn’t need to get circumcised.

To Paul, circumcision didn’t matter one way or the other when it came to salvation. What did matter was faith in Christ.

Now back in…

Acts 16:1–3 NKJV

1 Then he came to Derbe and Lystra. And behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a certain Jewish woman who believed, but his father was Greek. 2 He was well spoken of by the brethren who were at Lystra and Iconium. 3 Paul wanted to have him go on with him. And he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in that region, for they all knew that his father was Greek.

Some scholars think this accusation against Paul may have also been related to the time when Paul had Timothy circumcised so that he could reach more Jewish people on their mission (Acts 16:3).

Timothy’s mother was Jewish, so Paul probably did this out of consideration for the Jewish communities they were trying to reach.

So Paul probably felt a sting from this accusation because he responded so strongly to it here in Vs. 11.

He asked, "If I’m still preaching circumcision, why am I still being persecuted?"

Before Paul became a Christian, he actively promoted circumcision and even persecuted Christians.

He likely led campaigns to get Gentile converts and non-practicing Jews to follow Jewish customs.

So, in the past, he was indeed all about circumcision, but that was before he met Jesus on the road to Damascus. His encounter with Christ changed everything.

Paul’s opponents were trying to use his past against him, suggesting that he was still preaching circumcision.

But Paul points out the obvious—if that were true, why would he still be facing so much persecution?

You see, Preaching circumcision could have made his life easier, but Paul refused to take that route.

Instead, he stuck to preaching the cross, which was deeply offensive to many Jews at the time.

You couldn’t preach both circumcision and the cross because the two represented different paths—one based on works and the law, the other based on faith in Christ alone.

APPLICATION: This is a reminder that standing firm in the truth, even when it’s unpopular or offensive, is worth it because it’s through the cross that God brings redemption.

3.2 Vs. 12

So here, Paul uses some of the strongest language we see from him anywhere in the bible.

He essentially is saying, that he wishes the false teachers who are so insistent on circumcision would just go ahead and castrate themselves!

And look this statement might sound crude, but Paul was making a powerful point.

The word for "cut off" in Greek, *apokoptein*, literally means to cut something off.

So some translations even suggest that Paul is saying, "I hope the knife slips." So it’s clear he’s not holding back his frustration.

Why would Paul say something like this?

His reference to castration likely alludes to pagan priests in the region who practiced self-castration as part of their worship to false gods, like the goddess Cybele.

These priests mutilated themselves in extreme religious devotion, but it had nothing to do with true spiritual life.

Maybe Paul is drawing a parallel here: these false teachers, who are pushing circumcision, are no better guides to spiritual life than the pagan priests who castrated themselves in service to idols.

By promoting circumcision as necessary for salvation, these teachers were taking the Galatians back into spiritual bondage, not toward the freedom of the gospel.

Some might find Paul’s language offensive or over the top, but he wasn’t wishing actual harm on these teachers.

He knew that vengeance belonged to God. He himself actually wrote…

Romans 12:19 NKJV

19 Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.

Paul was standing up for the truth of the gospel, defending it from being twisted and corrupted.

His strong words weren’t personal attacks but were aimed at protecting the church from a false gospel that could lead people away from Christ.

APPLICATION: In the end, Paul’s passionate defense of the gospel shows us that there are times when standing up for the truth means being bold and even blunt.

But it’s important to remember that Paul’s heart was always centered on Christ and his message of salvation, not on anger or revenge.

His confidence was in God’s ultimate judgment, not in his own words or actions.

4. Purpose of Freedom Vs. 13-15

4.1 Vs. 13

Paul warns us to not misuse the freedom we have in Christ. Just because we're free doesn't mean we can do whatever we want.

If we're not careful, we can use that freedom as an excuse to indulge our sinful desires, which would completely distort what freedom in Christ is supposed to be about.

Instead of being truly free, we would end up falling into another kind of bondage—this time, to our own selfish desires.

Paul uses the word "flesh" here to refer to our fallen human nature—our pride, self-centeredness, and desire to live life on our own terms, apart from God.

Living according to the flesh means putting ourselves and our desires at the center instead of God.

But Paul reminds us that Christian freedom isn't a free pass to live for ourselves.

True freedom comes when we use that freedom to love and serve others, not to satisfy our own wants.

This idea of serving others might seem strange because we usually think of freedom and slavery as opposites.

But Paul says that real freedom in Christ is about willingly serving one another in love.

Just as Jesus gave up everything, even his life, out of love for us, we're called to follow his example by serving others.

The paradox of the Christian life is that we’re truly free when we become “slaves” to love—loving others as Christ loved us.

So, the freedom we have in Christ isn't just about being free from the law or free from sin;

it's about being free FOR something—free to love, free to serve, free to live out the kind of selfless life Jesus showed us.

True freedom isn't found in doing whatever we want, but in following the example of Christ, who used His freedom to serve others in love.

4.2 Vs. 14-15

Up until now in this letter, Paul had been pretty negative about the law.

He said that everyone is under the curse of the law, deserving punishment, but that believers are free from the law’s control because of what Christ has done.

Paul explains that those who are saved by faith are no longer bound to the law, but are instead free in Christ.

He uses the story of Sarah and Hagar to make this point, saying that Christians are like Sarah’s children—free—while those who live by the law are like Hagar’s children—enslaved.

Christ set us free from this “yoke of slavery,” and Paul is urging the Galatians not to let themselves be burdened by the law again through circumcision.

But then, surprisingly, Paul speaks of the law in a positive way.

He says that Christians are called to fulfill the "law of Christ," which at first might seem like a contradiction.

If Paul is against using the law to achieve salvation, why does he now say we should fulfill it?

I read that some scholars have suggested that Paul might be inconsistent or contradicting himself, but Paul’s message is deeper than that.

He believes that while we are no longer under the law as a means of salvation, the moral law of God still serves as a guide for how Christians should live.

What Paul is essentially saying, is that we fulfill the law, not by following rules, but by living in love.

When Paul talks about loving your neighbor as yourself, he’s following Jesus’ teaching, which summed up the entire law.

Paul’s point is that love is the heart of the law. It’s not about legalism or following rules to be saved—it’s about living out the kind of love that reflects God’s character.

This love isn’t just about doing good deeds. It’s proof of our relationship with God.

Paul teaches that when we love others, it shows that we truly love God, because God’s love flows through us to others.

Loving our neighbors sums up the whole law because it’s a reflection of our love for God.

It’s not about following rules out of obligation, but about living in the freedom that Christ gives, which naturally leads us to love others in the way God loves us.

By living this way, we fulfill the true purpose of the law, which is to reflect God’s love and character in the world.

So, Paul isn’t contradicting himself. He’s showing us that, through Christ, we are empowered by the Holy Spirit to live out the law in a new way—not out of fear or obligation, but out of love and freedom.

APPLICATION: So, instead of focusing on checking off boxes or following rules out of fear, let’s live in the freedom Christ has given us—a freedom that naturally expresses itself in love.

This love not only reflects God's character but also demonstrates our faith in action, fulfilling the law in a way that honors God and blesses others.

ENDING….