NOTES for Gal 5:1-12
Do you know what happens to someone who falls into a bog? They slowly sink into the liquid mud, and the more vigorously they try to get out, the faster the mire sucks them in. This closely resembles the existence of a sinful person: a slow death, a complete inability to cope with the situation, and an utter lack of freedom. For the apostle Paul, it is obvious that humanity is enslaved to sin and needs the liberation that only God can give and that Christ brings into this world. He has already brought it and has already given it to those who believe in Him! A new life has begun, no longer in the bog; movement is no longer impeded and no longer brings us closer to destruction. And then Paul sees with grief how people begin once more to bind themselves hand and foot, lest they make one movement too many, “in case something goes wrong” and they later have to answer for it. Once again, people pile commandment upon commandment; once again, they place the traditions of the elders above the Word of God. O foolish Galatians! Do you remember the film called “That Sweet Word: Freedom”? Sweet? Perhaps... Difficult—yes, but anything else is unworthy of a human being created in the image and likeness of God.