2 Behold I, Paul, say to you that if you receive circumcision, Christ will be of no benefit to you. 3 And I testify again to every man who receives circumcision, that he is under obligation to keep the whole Law. 4 You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. 5 For we through the Spirit, by faith, are waiting for the hope of righteousness. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but faith working through love.

Introduction: There are many things in life that we are told to compare one item to another in order that we will get the best deal or buy. When we are shopping for a job, we should look beyond just what the wages are to see what other benefits are being offered. Just because a company may pay more than another company doesn't always mean that they are the best company to work for. There are many other things to consider, like health insurance, retirement accounts, traveling, work hours, etc. . . When we sit down and compare the overall benefits of one job to another, it becomes obvious that not all jobs that pay the best are the best jobs to have. Likewise, Christians today are overwhelmed with organizations seeking financial support, TV and Radio ministries who are "proclaiming" all kinds of teaching, and we even have a smorgasbord of  churches available in our communities to choose from. So how are we to discern which ministries or churches that we should be involved in? Besides doing the obvious thing like praying for the Lord's direction, we need to also take the time to compare what they are offering or teaching with what God's Word says. This is what Paul does in our Scripture passage today, he now takes the time to compare the benefits of legalism and grace to show the Galatians what they are really getting when they depart from the gospel of grace to follow after the false teaching of a works based system of religion.

Now before we look at this passage I need to briefly speak about how we are to study God's Word and how we go about keeping the Scriptures in the context in which they were written. This is important because our passage this morning is one which some groups claim that it points to the fact that a Christian can lose their salvation. The main reason why people come to this conclusion is because they practice poor or no "Hermeneutics." Hermeneutics, is the science and art of interpreting the Bible. Another way to define hermeneutics is this: It is the science (principles) and art (task) by which the meanings of the biblical text is determined. When we apply the principles of hermeneutics, then we end up with a constant and consistent interpretation of the Scriptures. When we don't apply these principles, then we end up with all kinds of inconsistencies and contradictions in our interpretation of the Scriptures. John Wycliffe (1324-1384) sets forth the basics of good hermeneutics in his little poem:

We can apply John Wycliffe's rules by following Four Basic Steps For Effective Bible Study:

STEP 1: OBSERVATION. (What does the passage say ---- what is the context).

- The context of a passage determines the word usage and interpretation.

a. Take it at its Literal (normal or natural) meaning unless it doesn't make sense that way.

b. Study its Historical Setting (the who, what, when, where, and why).

c. Apply the Rules of Grammar.

STEP 4: APPLICATION. (How does this get worked into and out through the way I live?).

NOTE: The important issue here is not what we think or what is our opinion about a passage of Scripture, but to know what God meant by saying it.

Next make sure that you DON'T do the following ten things because they can cause you to misinterpret Scripture,
1. Make the Bible say what you want it to say.
2. Spiritualize the text.
3. Decide on a doctrine without looking at all relevant texts.
4. Isolate texts from their contexts.
5. Apply promises made to Israel to other nations.
6. Replace Israel with the Church.
7. Pour current thinking into the Bible.
8. Use the supernatural experience of Bible men as normative for today.
9. Dismiss a text as cultural because you are uncomfortable with it.
10. Over personalize the Bible.

You can find more information on hermeneutics on our web site (http://web.ecomplanet.com/WILL1020/) on the Bible Study page. Now, lets look at our passage of Scripture this morning and keep it in the context in which it was written. . .

I. What Legalism Offers The Believer (vv.2-4).
1. It provides no spiritual benefit to the believer (v.2).

A. Paul calls for the Galatians to pay attention to what he is about to tell them about legalistic practices of the Judaizers.

1) The Judaizers insisted on the necessity of Gentile believers being circumcised for salvation (BBC).

A) The insistence on circumcision was a central feature of the false gospel that the Judaizers were promoting (SL).

- Circumcision was a sign of subjection to the Jewish "yoke" (Vincent).

B) It was the practice around which the whole controversy swirled (SL).

(1) Acts 15:1, "And some men came down from Judea and began teaching the brethren, 'Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.'"

(2) Acts 15:5, "But certain ones of the sect of the Pharisees who had believed, stood up, saying, 'It is necessary to circumcise them, and to direct them to observe the Law of Moses.'"

2) As a result of their teaching, the Galatian believers were considering submitting themselves to circumcision (ENG).

- The "if" implies that they had not yielded yet to the demands of the legalists (LBC).

B. Paul now tells the Galatians what spiritual benefit that circumcision would have for the believer.

1) ". . .Christ will be of no benefit to you."

A) "will be of no," ("oudeis" {oo-dice': adj, pron, card, acc, neut, sg}); no one, nothing, not even one, in no way, in nothing at all.

B) "benefit," ("opheleo" {o-fel-eh'-o: v, ind, fut, act, 3per, SG}); to assist, to be useful or advantageous, help, benefit, of use.

2) So what benefit would circumcision have upon the Galatian believers?

A) Would it make them more spiritual?

B) Would it give them more understanding of the Scriptures?

C) Would it help them to have a closer fellowship with God?

3) The answer is a big NO!

A) Circumcision cannot add one thing to God's grace.

B) Circumcision cannot add one thing to help a believer to be a better Christian.

4) The heart of the matter is if circumcision was of that great of importance for the believer's salvation or walk, then Christ would have never needed to die for our sins.

A) If we can earn our salvation through our works, then Christ would be of no benefit to any of us.

B) Circumcision is an external mark of obedience to the law, which was not capable of saving anyone but only served to expose man's sinfulness.

(1) Galatians 3:23-24, "But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, being shut up to the faith which was later to be revealed. Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, that we may be justified by faith."

(2) Galatians 3:11, "Now that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident; for, 'The righteous man shall live by faith.'"

(3) Romans 8:3-4, "For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit."

2. It enslaves the believer under the yoke of the whole law (v.3).

A. Paul repeats a theme introduced in chapter 3, and verse 10 (ENG).

1) If the Galatians choose to ignore God's grace and live under the law, they are obligated to keep all of the laws, and not only those which they find convenient.

2) God presented the Mosaic Law as a unified system, and those living under it were legally obligated to keep all of its commandments (GGG).

A) Failure to do so put people under its curse.

B) James 2:10, "For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all."

B. If the Galatians were to be circumcised they would be enslaving themselves to a whole system of legalism that would do nothing for them.

1) "under obligation," ("opheiletes" {of-i-let'-ace: n, nom, m, sg}); debtor, one owing money or goods, used here of one who is obliged or has duties to someone or something.

A) Common word meaning to owe for one who has assumed an obligation (Robertson).

B) This refers to one who is under obligation, one who is bound to do a certain thing, one who binds himself to something (Wuest).

2) When it comes to trying to keep the law, its all or nothing - you either put the whole yoke on your neck, or none of it.

3. It hinders the believer's blessings and fellowship with God (v.4).

A. When a believer gets their eyes off of Christ and becomes legalistic it has a direct impact upon their walk with the Lord.

1) "you have been severed," ("katargeo apo" {kat-arg-eh'-o apo': v, ind, aor, pass, 2per, pl & prep, gen}); katargeo = cause to be idle, useless, inactive, render ineffective, to be cut off from: apo = separation, departing, fleeing, distance from a point (used of motion away from).

2) The word is applied to any destruction of growth or life, physical or spiritual (Wuest).

A) Joined with apo (from), it speaks of the loss of some essential element of life by the severance of previous intimate relations.

B) The subject of the verb here is the Galatian Christians.

(1) One could translate "You have become unaffected by Christ," or, "You have become without effective relation to Christ."

(2) 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.

3) The context here is the believer's walk with the Lord in the here and now, and not about their position before God (i.e., salvation).

B. Paul further strengthens his warning by adding the next phrase: "you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace." - this is the only place in the Bible where this phrase appears.

1) "are seeking to be justified," ("dikaioo" {dik-ah-yo'-o: v, ind, pres, pass, 2per, pl}); make right or just, justified, as behaving in a way expected.

- Present passive conative indicative, "ye who are trying to be justified in the law" (Robertson).

2) "you have fallen," ("ekpipto" {ek-pip'-to: v, ind, aor, act, 2per, pl}); to fall out of or down from, of the loss of favor or grace, no longer experience, to drop away, to be driven out of one's course, to become inefficient, to take none effect.

- Comes from two Greek words, ek = from or out of, and pipto = to fall, fail or to lose one's hold of.

3) "grace," ("charis" {khar'-ece: n, gen, f, sg}); grace, kindness, favor, blessings, the divine influence upon the heart and its reflection in the life.

So what does the Bible teach about the security of a believer? First lets see what else Paul wrote on this subject: Romans 8:31-39, "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? Who will bring a charge against God's elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, 'For Thy sake we are being put to death all day long; We were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.' But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Paul makes it clear that nothing can separate the believer from God, because Jesus Christ paid the price for our sins, He justified us before the Father. Second Paul tells us that when we accept God's gift, we are sealed with the Holy Spirit as a pledge or a promise of our salvation; Ephesians 1:13, "In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation-- having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise." and again in Ephesians 4:30, "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption." And 2 Corinthians 1:22, "who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge." Paul also gives us assurance of our salvation in 2 Timothy 2:11-13, "It is a trustworthy statement: For if we died with Him, we shall also live with Him; If we endure, we shall also reign with Him; If we deny Him, He also will deny us; If we are faithless, He remains faithful; for He cannot deny Himself."

The next step is to see what the rest of the Bible teaches about this; The writer of Hebrews (possibly Paul) states that our salvation is secure in the hands of Jesus in Hebrews 7:25, "Hence, also, He is able to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them." The Apostle Peter tells us that our salvation is securely kept in heaven; 1 Peter 1:3-5, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time."  Jude writes verse 24, "Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy." And the Lord Jesus Christ Himself stated in John 10:27-30, "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish; and no one shall snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. I and the Father are one."

All this brings us back to the main subject of this epistle, if we can do anything to earn our salvation then Christ died for nothing. Salvation is either totally by God's grace or it is totally by man's efforts. And we know that it can't be by man's efforts because God's Word is also very clear about this also; Ephesians 2:8-9, "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast."  Galatians 2:16, "nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we may be justified by faith in Christ, and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law shall no flesh be justified."  Titus 3:5, "He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit."

The promise of salvation by works is an empty promise, because we are not capable to saving anyone, let alone ourselves.

II. What Grace Offers The Believer (vv.5-6).
1. It provides the believer with a real hope of righteousness (v.5).

A. The apostle Paul now shows that the hope of the true believer is far different from that of the legalist (BBC).

1) Believers are justified (declared "not guilty") before God the moment they trust in Christ as their Savior (ENG).

A) We receive the imputed righteousness of Christ by faith when we believe in Him.

B) 2 Corinthians 5:21, "He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."

2) Those living under the law had no assurance that God would declare them righteous (GGG).

B. Paul tells us that we don't have to hope in our own abilities, because the Holy Spirit begins the transformation of the new believer into the likeness of Jesus Christ, which will be complete when Christ returns for His own (ENG).

1) Philippians 1:6, "For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus."

2) In contrast with legalists, true believers by faith (not works) eagerly await the consummation of their salvation when the righteousness for which we hope will be fully realized (BKC).

A) "are waiting," ("apekdechomai" {ap-ek-dekh'-om-ahee: v, ind, pres, mid/pass, dep, 1per, pl}); expect, eagerly await, look for, assiduously and patiently waiting for, await expectantly.

(1) The word speaks of an attitude of intense yearning and an eager waiting for something (Wuest).

(2) Here it refers to the believer's intense desire for and eager expectation of a practical righteousness which will be constantly produced in his life by the Holy Spirit as he yields himself to Him (Wuest).

B) Believers already possess the imputed righteousness of justification, but the yet-incomplete righteousness of total sanctification and glorification still awaits them (MacArthur).

C) At the coming of Christ believers will be completely conformed to all the requirements of God's will (MacArthur).

2. It manifests itself in the believer's life (v.6).

A. Paul simply points out that circumcision conveys no spiritual blessing in return for its binding promises (LBC).

1) Circumcision has nothing to do with a person's relationship with God (ENG).

A) "means," ("ischuo" {is-khoo'-o: v, ind, pres, act, 3per, sg}); able, to be a force, wield power, to have strength to overcome, prevail.

B) "anything," ("tis" {tis: adj, pron, indef, acc, neut, sg}); anything, something, nothing.

2) All that matters is whether a person has trusted in Christ for their salvation (ENG).

B. When a person puts their faith in Christ, such faith will always manifest itself in one's behavior (ENG).

1) A living faith expresses itself in love (LBC).

A) "but faith working through love."

(1) "working," ("energeo" {en-erg-eh'-o: v, part, pres, mid, nom, f, sg}); be at work, be active, work, produce, effect, aid one, to be operative.

(2) "through," ("dia" {dee-ah': prep, gen}); through, by way of, because of, for the sake of.

(3) "love," ("agape" {ag-ah'-pay: n, gen, f, sg}); love, goodwill, a deep deep love, an unconditional love, dear love.

B) Love does not add anything to faith, but simply gives it a place to operate.

2) Faith works through love, because it is prompted by love and not by law (BBC).

- 1 John 4:19, "We love him, because he first loved us" (KJV).

Truths To Ponder:
1. Legalism is based solely upon the empty promises of man, who are powerless to fulfill them.

A. With all its promises of spirituality, it provides no spiritual benefit to the believer.

B. Instead of liberating the believer from the bonds of sin, it enslaves the believer under the yoke of the whole law which they are not able to keep.

C. Instead of drawing the believer closer to God, it hinders the believer's blessings and fellowship with God by leading him further away from God.

D. A legalistic system of works can only motive people by fear of not doing enough to please God.

A. It removes the fear of not knowing if you are saved, because God has done everything that was necessary, through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

B. It empowers believers to live a life that is pleasing to God, through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, which is also a pledge/sign of our salvation.

C. It motives the believer in response to the love that Christ showed them.

Verse Two.
- "behold," ("ide" {id'-eh: particle sent}); behold, pay attention, take note.

-- Vincent: Imperative singular, appealing to each individual reader.

-- Robertson: I Paul. Asserts all his personal and apostolic authority. For both words see also 1Th 2:16; 2Co 10:1; Col 1:23; Eph 3:1.
-- Vincent: Asserting his personal authority. 2 Cor.10:1; Eph 3:1; Col. 1:23.

-- Robertson: Condition of third class and present passive subjunctive, a supposable case, but with terrible consequences, for they will make circumcision a condition of salvation. In that case Christ will help them not at all.
-- Vincent: Better, receive circumcision. The verb does not mean that they have already been circumcised. It states the case as supposable, implying that they were in danger of allowing themselves to be circumcised.
-- Wuest: The words, "if ye be circumcised," present an hypothetical case. The Galatians had not yet submitted to that rite, but were on the verge of doing so.

-- Vincent: Circumcision is the sign of subjection to the Jewish "yoke" -- the economy of the law. The question with the Galatians was circumcision as a condition of salvation. It was a choice between salvation by law and salvation by Christ. The choice of the law involved the relinquishment of Christ. Comp. chapter 2:21. Chrysostom says: "He who is circumcised is circumcised as fearing the law: but he who fears the law distrusts the power of grace: and he who distrusts gains nothing from that which he distrusts."
-- Wuest: The words "Christ shall profit you nothing," must be interpreted in their context. Paul is not speaking here of their standing in grace as justified believers. He is speaking of the method of a Christian life and of growth in that life. Thus, if the Galatians submit to circumcision, they are putting themselves under law and are depriving themselves of the ministry of the Holy Spirit which Christ made possible through His death and resurrection, and which ministry was not provided for under law. In the Old Testament dispensation, the Spirit came upon or in believers in order that they might perform a certain service for God, and then left them when that service was accomplished. He did not indwell them for the purposes of sanctification. The great apostle had taught the Galatians that God's grace guaranteed their everlasting retention of salvation, and so they understood that he was speaking of their Christian experience, not their Christian standing.

Verse Three.
- "and," ("de" {deh: conj, coord}); but, moreover, and. (KJV = for)
- "I testify," ("marturomai" {mar-too'-rom-ahee: v, ind, pres, mid/pass, dep, 1per, sg}); to cite a witness, bring
    forward a witness, seriously declare, testify, assert.

-- Wuest: "to affirm, to protest." It is a strong asseveration, not merely a simple testimony.

-- Vincent: Probably with reference to what he had said at his last visit.

-- Wuest: The words "every man who is circumcised," do not refer to the fact that the Galatians had accepted circumcision. That would call for the perfect tense. The present is used here.  The idea is "everyone who receives circumcision." The warning is addressed, not to the man who has been circumcised, but to the one contemplating doing so.

-- Robertson: Common word meaning to owe for one who has assumed an obligation. See on Mt 6:12. See Ga 3:10. He takes the curse on himself.
-- Vincent: In N.T. mostly of one under moral obligation. So in the sense of sinner, Matthew 6:12; Luke 13:4. Comp. Romans 1:14; 8:12. Similarly the verb opheilein to owe, as Luke 11:4; 17:10; Romans 15:1, etc., though it is frequent in the literal sense.
-- Wuest: This refers to one who is under obligation, one who is bound to do a certain thing, here in effect, to one who binds himself to something.

-- Vincent: to observe the law, the tradition, the commandment.

-- Vincent: Comp. Jas. 2:10. Submission to circumcision commits one to the whole law. It makes him a party to the covenant of the law, and the law requires of every one thus committed a perfect fulfillment, Galatians 3:10.

Verse Four.
- "you have been severed," ("katargeo apo" {kat-arg-eh'-o apo': v, ind, aor, pass, 2per, pl & prep, gen});
    katargeo = cause to be idle, useless, inactive, render ineffective, to be cut off from: apo = separation,
    departing, fleeing, distance from a point (used of motion away from). (KJV = is become of no effect unto you)

-- Robertson: to make null and void as in Ro 7:2,6.
-- Wuest: This must be understood in the context to refer, not to their justification but to their spiritual lives as Christians. The apostle is not speaking of their standing but of their experience. The words, "become of no effect" (KJV), 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.

-- Robertson: Present passive conative indicative, "ye who are trying to be justified in the law."

-- Comes from two Greek words, ek = from or out of, and pipto = to fall or fail.
-- Robertson: "ye left the sphere of grace in Christ and took your stand in the sphere of law" as your hope of salvation. Paul does not mince words and carries the logic to the end of the course. He is not, of course, speaking of occasional sins, but he has in mind a far more serious matter, that of substituting law for Christ as the agent in salvation.
-- Vincent: Having put yourselves under the economy of salvation by law, you have fallen out of the economy of salvation by the grace of Christ. Paul's declarations are aimed at the Judaisers, who taught that the Christian economy was to be joined with the legal. His point is that the two are mutually exclusive. Comp. Romans 4:4, 5, 14, 16. The verb ekpiptein, to fall out, in the literal sense, Acts 12:7; Jas. 1:11. In Class. of seamen thrown ashore, banishment, deprivation of an office, degeneration, of actors being hissed off the stage.
-- Wuest: 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.

Verse Five.
- "for," ("gar" {gar: conj, subord}); for, because, indeed.
- "we," ("hemeis" {hay-mice': n, pron, nom, 1per, pl}); we, us, we ourselves.

-- Robertson: We Christians as opposed to the legalists.
-- Vincent: for introduces a proof of the preceding statement, by declaring the contrary attitude of those who continue under the economy of grace. Ye who seek to be justified by the law are fallen from grace; for we, not relying on the law, by faith wait for the hope of righteousness.

-- Vincent: The agency of the Holy Spirit, in contrast with the flesh (comp. Romans 7:6; 8:4, 15, 16; Ephesians 1:13; 2:22), and faith in contrast with the works of the law (comp. chapter 3:3, and see chapter 2:16; 3:3; Romans 1:17; 3:22; 9:30; 10:6).

-- Robertson: By the Spirit (Holy Spirit) out of faith (not law). Clear-cut repetition to make it plain.

-- Wuest: The word wait is from apodechomai. The same word is used in Philippians 3:20, and there translated look. The word speaks of an attitude of intense yearning and an eager waiting for something. Here it refers to the believer's intense desire for and eager expectation of a practical righteousness which will be constantly produced in his life by the Holy Spirit as he yields himself to Him.

-- Vincent: The phrase means that good which righteousness causes us to hope for. Comp. hope of the calling Ephesians 1:18; 4:4): hope of the gospel (Colossians 1:23).
-- Wuest: The righteousness spoken of here is not justifying righteousness. God the Father justifies a believing sinner on the basis of the work of the Son on the Cross. The context here is dealing with the Christian's experience, not his standing, with the method of living a Christian life, not the relation of that person to the laws of God. Paul says that it is through the agency of the Spirit that we can hope for the presence of an experimental righteousness in the life, not by self effort. The Judaizers attempted to live a righteous life by self effort rather than by dependence upon th Holy Spirit. It is that righteousness which is the object of hope.

Verse Six.
- "for," ("gar" {gar: conj, subord}); for, because, indeed.
- "in," ("en" {en: prep, dat}); in, by, with.
- "Jesus," ("Iesous" {ee-ay-sooce': n, dat, m, sg}); Joshua or Jesus = "Jehovah is salvation," or "the Lord
    {Jehovah} saves.
- "Christ," ("Christos" {khris-tos': n, dat, m, sg}); Christ = "anointed", the Messiah, the Son of God.
- "neither," ("oute" {oo'-teh: conj, coord}); neither, nor, no not, and not.
- "circumcision," ("peritome" {per-it-om-ay': n, nom, f, sg}); circumcised, the act or rite of circumcision.
- "nor," ("oute" {oo'-teh: conj, coord}); neither, nor, no not, and not.
- "uncircumcision," ("akrobustia" {ak-rob-oos-tee'-ah: n, nom, f, sg}); having a foreskin, uncircumcised, a
    Gentile (i.e., non-Jewish people).
- "means," ("ischuo" {is-khoo'-o: v, ind, pres, act, 3per, sg}); able, to be a force, wield power, to have
   strength to overcome, prevail. (KJV = availeth)

-- Vincent: Has any significance or practical power.
-- Wuest: "To have power, to exert or wield power." The fact that a Christian is circumcised or is not circumcised, has no power for anything in his life.

-- Vincent: Not that justification is through love; but the faith of the justified, which is their subjective principle of life, exhibits its living energy through love in which the whole law is fulfilled (verse 14). See 1 Timothy 1:5; 1 Thessalonians 1:3; 1 Corinthians 13.
-- Wuest: The thing that is of power to effect a transformation in the life is faith, the faith of the justified person which issues in love in his life, a love produced by the Holy Spirit.

BBC - William MacDonald, Believer's Bible Commentary.
BKC - John Walvoord & Roy Zuck, The Bible Knowledge Commentary (New Testament ed).
EBCNT - Zondervan's, Expositor's Bible Commentary, New Testament.
ENG - SBC Winter Bible Study Material, Expository Notes on the book of Galatians, 1995.
GGG - David M. Levy, Guarding the Gospel of Grace.
LBC - Liberty Bible Commentary on the New Testament.
MacArthur - John MacArthur's New Testament Commentary: Galatians.
McGee - J. Vernon McGee, Commentary on Galatians, vol 46.
SL - Expository notes on Galatians, by Dr. Thomas Constable, (http://soniclight.com/).

. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, by Walter Bauer, augmented by William F. Arndt & F. Wilbur
   Gingrich, 2^nd Ed., University of Chicago Press, Chicago IL, 1979
. The Analytical Greek Lexicon of the New Testament, by Wigram, Associated Publishers & Authors Inc (APGA),
   Lafayette IN, 1980.
. Bible Works 4.0 for Windows, Hermeneutika Bible Research Software, Big Fork MO., 2^nd edition.
. The Complete Word Study Bible & Reference CD, by Dr. Spiros Zodhiates, AMG Publishers, 1997.
. Do It Yourself Hebrew And Greek, by Edward W. Goodrick, Multnomah Press, Portland OR., 1980.
. Essentials Of New Testament Greek, by Ray Summers, Broadman Press, Nashville TN., 1950.
. Greek Enchiridion, A Concise Handbook of Grammar for Translation and Exegesis, by William G. MacDonald,
   Hendrickson Publishers, Peabody MA., 1998.
. The Interlinear Greek-English New Testament (The Nestle Greek Text), by Rev. Alfred Marshall, D.Litt, Zondervan
   Publishing House, Grand Rapids MI, 1958.
. The New Analytical Greek Lexicon, Wesley J. Perschbacher, Editor, Hendrickson Publishers, 1996.
. New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology, by Colin Brown, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand
   Rapids MI, 2001.
. The New Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon, by J. H. Thayer, APGA Lafayette IN, 1981.
. Quick Verse 7.0 for Windows, Parsons Technology Inc, 2000.
. Syntax Of The Moods And Tenses In New Testament Greek, by Ernest De Witt Burton, Kregel Publications, Grand
   Rapids MI., 1978.
. Theological Dictionary of The New Testament (Abridged), by Geoffrey W. Bromiley, Gerhard Kittel & Gerhard
   Friedrich Editors, Willaim B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids MI, 1992.
. Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, by W. E Vine, M.A., Mac Donald Publishing Company,
   McLean Virginia.
. Vincent's Word Studies in the New Testament, vol. 1 the Epistles of James, Peter, and Jude, by Marvin Vincent,
  AGE'S Software, Albany OR., ver.2.0, 1997.
. Word Studies in the Greek New Testament, by Kenneth S. Wuest, Willaim B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand
   Rapids MI, 1988.
. Word Pictures in the New Testament, by Archibald Thomas Robertson, Broadman Press, Nashville TN, 1930.