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"For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. For in Jesus
Christ neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision; but faith which
worketh by love" (Gal. 5: 5, 6).
Reverting to the references to `flesh' and `spirit' we just draw attention to the
necessity to distinguish between the various usages of these words. For example: "The
life I now live in the flesh" (Gal. 2: 20) cannot mean that Paul lived `after the flesh' for
he says he so lived `by the faith of the Son of God'. Again when he spoke of the
`infirmity' and the `temptation' which was in his flesh when he first visited the Galatians
(Gal. 4: 13, 14), we must not think of some dreadful moral lapse on the part of the
Apostle, for the Galatians at that very time had received him as `an angel of God' (4: 14)
and through this infirmity in his flesh, he had actually `preached the gospel' at the first.
Again, when he declares that he `conferred not with flesh and blood', he does not mean
`flesh' in its moral sense, but he explains by amplifying his words `Neither went I up to
Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me' (1: 16, 17). Similarly with the word
`spirit', after the question in chapter 3: 1-3 `received ye the spirit?' we have in verse 5
the ministering of the spirit in connection with `working miracles', which also may be
partly in mind in Gal. 3: 14.
"That we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith."
This miraculous element, however, is foreign to the references we have just
considered, for the fruit of the Spirit, namely, `love, joy, peace', has no connection with
spiritual `gifts' as such. We cannot pursue this matter here, but we felt just a hint was
necessary for the guidance of those who use these articles as steps to the fuller and
personal study of the epistles themselves.
No.5. A Study in Galatians.
"Servants versus Sons."
pp. 146 - 150
We have now arrived at the fourth of Paul's Galatian antonyms, namely "Servants
versus Sons". There are several words which are translated `servant' in the N.T. and each
has its own special significance. Let us begin our study with a tabulation of these
different aspects of service.
(1)
Doulos. "A slave", one `bound' to serve, from deo `to bind'. "When used
of ordinary service it indicates the lowest scale of servitude, but
when transferred to Christian service, it expresses the highest
devotion of one who is bound by love" (Dr. Bullinger).
(2)
Pais. This word first of all means a child, either boy or girl, then a servant,
very much in the same way that the French word garcon which
means a boy, is used for a waiter or a porter etc.