As for those agitators, I wish they would go the whole way and emasculate themselves!
Summary: Paul’s arguments against the teaching of the “agitators” reaches a crescendo with this verse. Both his reasoning and his emotions are climaxing in a masterful visual summary that cuts to the heart of the situation.
It is obvious from this verse that Paul is more than frustrated with the situation in Galatia. He is not able to be with his church family in person. If he were, you can be certain Paul would be putting himself between the church in Galatia and any interlopers who might want to lead the Galatians astray. Instead, Paul is limited to writing a letter.
If you have ever heard the phrase “A strongly worded letter,” this is it! Paul has reached out in love, spoken with authority, cajoled and reasoned, and now he is venting his frustration on the “agitators.”
As I look at this verse, I have to ask myself the question, “Why did God put this here?”
You see, when I look at the Bible, I don’t see individual books written by Paul, Luke, or even Moses. Instead, I see God writing through all the people who took the time to write down the words God gave them.
I have to believe that…
If I don’t, then I fall off the plateau of faith I live on and end up in what the movie “Princess Bride” refers to as the “Pit of Despair.” In my case, the Pit of Despair is a place of always questioning the Bible. I used to live there years ago, and because of the way my mind is constructed, I questioned everything. Once a person begins to doubt, there is no end in sight. If God can’t even get a book published the way he wants it to be, what else can’t he do?
Fortunately, he can.
As it turns out, my need to trust God’s Word is similar to the Galatians’ need to trust what Paul has told them about Jesus. Even the slightest doubt opens the door to faith in all sorts of unbelief.
Perhaps that is why this verse is in the Bible.
Paul doesn’t wish that the “agitators” are dead. He doesn’t proclaim that they should be in hell. He is carefully avoiding spiritual judgments that belong to God alone. Instead, he uses a rather crude argument against what they are teaching the Galatians. In a sense, he is saying to the agitators, “If you really believe that circumcision is necessary for salvation, go all the way and cut off the source of sexual sin.”
Logically, what Paul says here is true. If someone truly believes that circumcision saves, then not going the “whole way” makes them a hypocrite. Ouch!
Application: Faith in Jesus frees us from our need to trust our own ability to please God.
Food for Thought: How do we as Christians avoid becoming “agitators”?
As belivers today, we have the Bible. We can show others what the Word of Gods says, but we must do so in love, patience, and we ourselves must take the time to know what the Word of God says and means. When we start to “speak for God” instead of speaking His Word, we fall into the trap of adding to it. When we take a portion of the Word and don’t take the Word for its entirety, we run the danger of making the Word a part of our agenda. When we speak to others in condemnation, we fall into the trap of people trying to please another believer instead of trying to please God.
Its all very agitating.
2 Timothy 2:24-26
And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.
2 Timothy 4:2
preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.
Galatians 6:1
If someone is caught in a transgression, you who are spiritual should restore them gently. You should also watch yourself so you don’t get tempted.
Chris,
Thank you! Excellent verses and summary. Plus you get bonus points for the use of the word “agitating”! 🙂
How do we as Christians avoid becoming “agitators”?
By making Christ in us our priority and allowing Him to be seen as He speaks and acts through us.
Galatians 1:15-16, “But when it pleased God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb and called by His grace, to reveal His Son IN me.”
Galatians 2:20, “I am crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself up for me.”
When we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Salvation, He comes into our hearts, becomes the life in each believer. From that point we have the power and the calling to dedicate our lives, to surrendering our will to Him. In varying degrees we begin to understand and live knowing He is the source of life in us, the source of all good in us, and we find our true joy becomes allowing Jesus to rule, minister others as He reveals Himself to all who He calls into our lives.
We discover true life comes as we get out of the way, become servants of God, allowing Christ to minister to others through us,
Thank you, Ron!
Surrendering to Jesus, or more specifically (as you point out) surrendering our will to Jesus, is a transforming experience.
Thank you for highlighting this!
According to my Bible hub app, the Greek word anastatoo that is used here, means “to stir up, unsettle, turn upside down, upset.” It results in confusion and is disorderly. It is sometimes used as a political metaphor.
If we do not want to be agitators, then we should not seek to bring confusion or upset the church body by misleading words or actions. To me, the opposite would be to speak the truth in love seeking to build up and edify the church as opposed to leading people astray or calling the truth into question.
Ephesians 4: 14 – 16: Then we will no longer be infants, tossed about by the waves and carried around by every wind of teaching and by the clever cunning of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Christ Himself, who is the head. From Him the whole body, fitted and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love through the work of each individual part.
Ephesians 4: 29: Let no unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building up the one in need and bringing grace to those who listen.
Rich,
I agree completely! So why is it so hard to do in real life?!
All the comments today dovetail on this point. We need to speak truth in love, meaning with patience, gentleness, kindness, etc. Oftentimes it means doing a lot of listening, first! (Another thing I sometimes find hard to do!)
Thank you!!