Tomorrow we will continue our discussion on the interpretative challenges within Galatians.
This week we will discuss Gal 5:4.
Verse 4
The words "Christ is become of no effect unto you," must be understood in their context to refer, not to their justification but to their spiritual lives as Christians. The apostle is not here speaking of their standing but of their experience. The words "become of no effect," are from katergeo which means "to make ineffectual," and which used with the word apo (from) as it is here, means "to be without effect from, to be unaffected by, to be without effective relation to." The word is applied to any destruction of growth or life, physical or spiritual. Joined with apo (from), it speaks of the loss of some essential element of life by the severance of previous intimate relations. The subject of the verb here is the Galatian Christians. One could translate "You have become unaffected by Christ," or, "You have become without effective relation to Christ." The idea is that the Galatian Christians, by putting themselves under law, have put themselves in a place where they have ceased to be in that relation to Christ where they could derive the spiritual benefits from Him which would enable them to live a life pleasing to Him, namely, through the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Thus, Christ has no more effect upon them in the living of their Christian lives.
In depriving themselves of the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the living of a Christian life, they have fallen from grace. The words "fallen from" are from ekpipto which means "to fail of, to lose one's hold of." The Galatian Christians had lost their hold upon the grace for daily living which heretofore had been ministered to them by the Holy Spirit. God's grace manifests itself in three ways, in justification, sanctification, and glorification. The context rules. All through chapter five, Paul is talking about the Holy Spirit's ministry to the believer. Therefore grace here must be interpreted as the daily grace for living of which the Galatian Christians were depriving themselves.
But because they had lost their hold upon sanctifying grace, does not mean that God's grace had lost its hold upon them in the sphere of justification. Because they had refused to accept God's grace in sanctification is no reason why God should withdraw His grace for justification. They had received the latter when they accepted the Lord Jesus. That transaction was closed and permanent at the moment they believed. Justification is a judicial act of God done once for all. Sanctification is a process which goes on all through the Christian's life. Just because the process of sanctification is temporarily retarded in a believer's life, does not say that his justification is taken away. If that were the case, then the retention of salvation would depend upon the believer's works, and then salvation would not depend upon grace anymore. And we find ourselves in the camp of the Judaizers, ancient and modern.
- Translation: You are without effect from Christ, such of you as in the sphere of the law are seeking your justification. You have lost your hold upon grace. Kenneth S. Wuest [1]
Can you lose your salvation? This was a topic in the blog post located here
Scroll down to the same question
What does the following verse say? 5 For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.
How would you interpret the verse?
See the version above at the bullet point for the translation of verse Gal 5:4
What is the context?
See the version of Galatians 5: below to get the context
Look up the meaning of severed and justified.
4
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You
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are
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severed
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from
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Christ
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,
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you
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who
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would
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be
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justified
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katērgēthēte
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apo
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Christou
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hoitines
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dikaiousthe
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αργος
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απο
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Χριστος
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ος τις
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δικη
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argos
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apo
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Christos
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os tis
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dikē
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VAPI2P
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P
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NGSM
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RR-NPM
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VPPI2P
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2673
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575
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5547
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3748
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1344
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by
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the
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law
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;
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you
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have
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fallen
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away
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from
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grace
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.
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en
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nomō
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exepesate
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tēs charitos
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εν
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νομος
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πιπτω
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ο χαιρω
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en
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nomos
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piptō
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o chairō
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P
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NDSM
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VAAI2P
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DGSF NGSF
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1722
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3551
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1601
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3588 5485
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ABOLISH
katargeo (καταργέω, 2673), lit., "to reduce to inactivity" (kata, "down," argos, "inactive"), is translated "abolish" in Eph. 2:15 and 2 Tim. 1:10, in the RV only in 1 Cor. 15:24, 26. It is rendered "is abolished" in the KJV of 2 Cor. 3:13, the RV corrects to "was passing away" (marg., "was being done away"). In this and similar words not loss of being is implied, but loss of well being.Vine, W. E. [3]
dikaioo (δικαιόω, 1344) primarily "to deem to be right," signifies, in the NT, (a) "to show to be right or righteous"; in the passive voice, to be justified, Matt. 11:19; Luke 7:35; Rom. 3:4; 1 Tim. 3:16; (b) "to declare to be righteous, to pronounce righteous," (1) by man, concerning God, Luke 7:29 (see Rom. 3:4, above); concerning himself, Luke 10:29; 16:15; (2) by God concerning men, who are declared to be righteous before Him on certain conditions laid down by Him. Vine, W. E. [4]
Why are we severed, how are we justified?
We are severed only in the sense of having a "loss of well being" see Vine above.
We are justified in the sense that we are hoping to be by being circumcised, see Wuest above. "But because they had lost their hold upon sanctifying grace, does not mean that God's grace had lost its hold upon them in the sphere of justification."
Gal 5:4 You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.
Here are some verses to review and ponder….how do they align?
Verse 2
- Translation: Behold, I, Paul, am saying to you that if you go on (persist in) being circumcised, Christ will be advantageous to you in not even one thing. Kenneth S. Wuest [5]
Gal_2:21 ESV I do not nullify the grace of God, for xif righteousness3 were through the law, ythen Christ died for no purpose.[6 ]https://biblia.com/books/fsb/Ga2.21
Verse 21
Frustrate is from atheteo which means "to do away with something laid down, presented, or established, to act towards anything as though it were annulled, to thwart the efficacy of anything, to nullify, to make void." All these meanings could be applied here to the act of adding law-works to faith as the ground of a sinner's justification. One may preach that Christ died for our sins, but if he adds works to faith as the means of the acceptance of the salvation Christ procured for lost sinners at the Cross, he has thwarted the efficacy of grace, for the fundamental meaning of grace is that salvation is given free, without money and without price. There is no salvation for the sinner who depends in the least upon good works as a means of acceptance with God.If righteousness is imputed on the basis of obedience to law, then, Paul says, Christ is dead in vain. The words in vain are from dorean which means literally, without a cause. That is, if a person could be saved by keeping the law, then there would be no need for the death of Christ. He would have died without a cause, needlessly.
- Translation: I do not thwart the efficacy of the grace of God. For if through law comes righteousness, then Christ died without a cause.Kenneth S. Wuest [7]
21
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I
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do
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not
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nullify
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the
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grace
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of
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God
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;
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for
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if
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justification
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ouk
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athetō
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tēn
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charin
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tou theou
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gar
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ei
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dikaiosynē
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ου
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τιθημι
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ο
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χαιρω
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ο θεος
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γαρ
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ει
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δικη
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ou
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tithēmi
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o
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chairō
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o theos
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gar
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ei
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dikē
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BN TN
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VPAI1S
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DASF
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NASF
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DGSM NGSM
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CAZ
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CAC
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NNSF
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3756
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114
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3588
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5485
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3588 2316
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1063
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1487
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1343
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were
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through
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the
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law
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,
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then
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Christ
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died
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to
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no
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purpose
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.
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dia
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nomou
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ara
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Christos
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apethanen
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dōrean
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δια
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νομος
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αρα
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Χριστος
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θνησκω
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διδωμι
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dia
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nomos
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ara
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Christos
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thnēskō
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didōmi
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P
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NGSM
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CLI B
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NNSM
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VAAI3S
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B
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1223
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3551
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686
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5547
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599
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1432
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Here are some verses to review and ponder….how do they align?
All the following verses are from the ESV
31 but that Israel uwho pursued a law that would lead to righteousness4 vdid not succeed in reaching that law.
32 Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the wstumbling stone, https://biblia.com/books/fsb/Ro9.32
Rom 10:3-5
3 For, being ignorant of dthe righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness. https://biblia.com/books/fsb/Ro10.3-5
5 For fMoses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that gthe person who does the commandments shall live by them.
https://biblia.com/books/fsb/Ga2.16
Rom_3:20,
20 For yby works of the law no human being3 will be justified in his sight, since zthrough the law comes knowledge of sin. https://biblia.com/books/fsb/Ro3.20
Rom_4:4-5 4 Now wto the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. 5 And to the one who does not work but xbelieves in2 him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness,
https://biblia.com/books/fsb/Ro4.5
Gal_1:6-9; No Other Gospel
6 I am astonished that you are lso quickly deserting mhim who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to na different gospel— 7 onot that there is another one, but pthere are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or qan angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, rlet him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, rlet him be accursed.
https://biblia.com/books/fsb/Ga1.6-8
Rom_11:6; 6 oBut if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.
https://biblia.com/books/fsb/Ro11.6
Heb_6:4-6, 4 For it is impossible, in the case of those qwho have once been enlightened, who have tasted rthe heavenly gift, and shave shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 and thave tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6 and uthen have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since vthey are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt.
https://biblia.com/books/fsb/Heb6.4-6
Heb_10:38-39, 38 dbut my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him."
https://biblia.com/books/fsb/Heb12.15
2Pe_2:20-22, 20 For if, aafter they have escaped the defilements of the world bthrough the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, cthe last state has become worse for them than the first. 21 For dit would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from ethe holy commandment delivered to them. 22 What the true proverb says has happened to them: "The fdog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire."
https://biblia.com/books/fsb/2Pe2.20-22
2Pe_3:17-18; 17 You therefore, beloved, qknowing this beforehand, rtake care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. 18 But sgrow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. tTo him be the glory both now and to the day of ueternity. Amen.
https://biblia.com/books/fsb/Re2.5
Luk 8:14-15 14 And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but ias they go on their way they are choked by the jcares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. 15 As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and kbear fruit lwith patience.
https://biblia.com/books/fsb/Lk8.14-15
1 Jn 2:19 19 eThey went out from us, but they were not of us; for fif they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, gthat it might become plain that they all are not of us.
https://biblia.com/books/fsb/1Jn2.19
[9]
We'll finish Galatians this week
See you guys tomorrow night…..
Nathan
Appendix / Bibliography
[1] Kenneth S. Wuest, Wuest's Word Studies from the Greek New Testament
– Volume 1, (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1973), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, 139-141.
[2]The Revised Standard Version. (1971). (Ga 5:4). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
[3] Vine, W. E., Unger, M. F., & White, W., Jr. (1996). Vine's Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words (Vol. 2, p. 3). Nashville, TN: T. Nelson.
[4] Vine, W. E., Unger, M. F., & White, W., Jr. (1996). Vine's Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words (Vol. 2, p. 339). Nashville, TN: T. Nelson.
[5] Kenneth S. Wuest, Wuest's Word Studies from the Greek New Testament
– Volume 1, (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1973), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, 137-138.
– Volume 1, (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1973), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, 137-138.
[6]Published by Good News Publishers
Wheaton, Illinois 60187, U.S.A.
www.GoodNewsPublishers.org
www.GoodNewsPublishers.org
[7] Kenneth S. Wuest, Wuest's Word Studies from the Greek New Testament
– Volume 1, (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1973), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, 82-83.
[9]ESV (English Standard Version)
Published by Good News Publishers
Wheaton, Illinois 60187, U.S.A.
www.GoodNewsPublishers.org
www.GoodNewsPublishers.org
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