In what way is this verse connected with the words of verse 12? How can Paul say

that he wished the troublers cut themselves off `For ye have been called unto liberty'?

However we strain the meaning of `for', the connection remains artificial. If, however,

we will take a wider survey, and not let the peculiarity of the wish of verse 12 blur our

vision, we shall see that the Apostle has closed a parenthesis and picked up the earlier

reference to `liberty'. It may be visualized as follows:

A |  To the liberty wherewith Christ has made you free, stand fast.

B |

Paul testifies to the extreme danger into which the Galatians

being lured by the `troubler' and wishes he were

completely removed from their path.

A |  Resuming the subject of liberty, then, he now goes on to warn

concerning its abuse.

The word translated `occasion' is aphorme and is found in Rom. 7: 8, 11 and is a

compound of apo `from' and horme `an impetus' ("assault" Acts 14: 5), and means

"the solid ground from which an impetus is derived; such as the place from which a

spring is taken, hence generally a basis of operation. Make not your liberty a position to

be taken advantage of by the flesh" (Glynne).

Instead of thus abusing your liberty, rather by love serve one another, and the reason

that Paul gives is the remarkable one, in the circumstance, namely that it fulfils the law!

The superficial believer would take exception to this; he would object that if Paul had

occupied four whole chapters in repudiating the law, he would scarcely stultify his

argument by speaking now of `fulfilling' that very law. Such an objection however

makes it manifest how little the Apostle's teaching has been appreciated. True, the law

has been entirely set aside as a means of justification, but it does not mean that the

ensuing liberty of the believer is to be a state of lawless licence. Far from it. We have

been partly prepared for this by the statement that "Faith worketh by love".

No epistle compares with Galatians in its repudiation of the law, like the epistle to the

Romans, and a combined set of quotations concerning the inadequacy of the law as a

means of justification provides an overwhelming and unanswerable evidence, both to the

Apostle's doctrine, and to this parallel, yet in no other epistles does Paul place the law, as

a code of morals, on a higher plane than in these two letters.

The parallel between Rom. 13: 8-10 and Gal. 5: 14 is evident and enables the

reader to comprehend the meaning. One well intentioned expositor felt that the Apostle

does not refer to the Mosaic law in Gal. 5: 14, but rather refers to `the law of Christ'

referred to in Gal. 6: 2. It is here that the remote context of Rom. 13: is valuable, for

the citation of the commandments dealing with adultery, killing, stealing, false witness

and coveting provide positive evidence that when Paul said "He that loveth another hath

fulfilled the law . . . . . therefore love is the fulfilling of the law", he was referring to the

law of Moses. Beside we have the testimony of Christ Himself, Who said concerning

love to God and neighbour that `on these two commandments hang all the law and the

prophets' (Matt. 22: 36-40).