2 Corinthians 6

17 Finally, let no one cause me trouble, writes Paul. Paul bears on his body the marks of Jesus, that is, the scars from the whippings and beatings he has received for Christ’s sake (2 Corinthians 11:23-28). Anyone who troubles Paul also troubles Christ. Therefore, let the Galatians stop opposing Paul. Let them turn from the false teachers, and follow once again the true Gospel.

18  Even though Paul has severely rebuked the Galatians in this letter, in this last verse Paul calls them brothers. They are like sheep who have gone astray. They have followed after false shepherds. But Paul loves them still. And he prays that they may receive the highest blessing of all—the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

¹ The Holy Spirit always agrees with the Bible, because the Bible was written through the Holy Spirit’s inspiration in the first place. For further discussion, see General Article: How We Got Our Bible

² Judaism is the religion and way of life of the Jewish people. About two thousand years before Christ, God called Abraham to be the father of the Jewish people. God chose the Jews to be His own special people. He gave th on His law—th e Jewish law—to obey. The Scriptures of the Jewish people are contained in the Old Testament. The Old Testament describes the history of the Jews; and it contains the Jewish law, as well as the writings of the Jewish prophets (see General Article: Summary of Old Testament).

³ In place of the words in me, some translations of the Bible say “to me.” However, in the Greek language, the words mean in me. This is what Paul actually wrote.

⁴ Damascus is the capital of the Middle Eastern country of Syria.

⁵ Jerusalem was the capital of the province of Judea, the southern province of Israel. Jerusalem was the chief city of the Jews; it was their holy city, the center of their religious life And it remains so for the Jews up to this present day. Today Jerusalem is an important city in the modern nation of Israel.

⁶ In place of the name Peter, some translations of the Bible say “Cephalics.” Cephalics is the Greek word for Peter.

⁷ Cilicia was a Roman province north of Syria (now southern Turkey).

⁸ Some Bible scholars, however, do not agree with thi sopinion. They say that the journey mentioned in this verse is the same as the one described in Acts 11:29-30.

⁹ ircumcision is a minor surgical procedure in which the excess skin at the aid of the penis is cut away. All Jewish males are required to be circumcised on the eighth day of life (Genesis 17:9-14). In Paul’s time, circumcision was the chief outward sign of being a Jew. For further discussion, see Word List: Circumcision.

¹⁰ The Greeks were the inhabitants of the southern European country of Greece. In New Testament times, Greece was part of the Roman Empire. ‘The Greeks were Gentiles—that is, non-Jews. The Greeks were a highly cultured people. In Paul’s time, most of the educated people throughout the Middle East spoke Greek. The New Testament was original}‘ written in the Greek language.

¹¹ In place of the word Jews, some translations of the Bible say “circumcised,” which is the actual word used in the original Greek text The meaning, of course, is the same.

¹² Here also, instead of Gentiles, the actual word in the Greek text is “uncircumcised.” The meaning Is the same.

¹³ The shaking of one another’s right hand is a sign of fellowship among many people of the world. It was also so in Paul’s day.

¹⁴ Antioch is an important city in northern Syria. The establishment of the church at Antioch is described in Acts 11:19-26.

¹⁵ In place of the word body, some translations of the Bible say “flesh.” Here the meaning is the physical body. In other verses in the New Testament, the word “flesh” is used to mean man’s sinful nature (Romans 8:3-13; Galatians 5:16-19); but th at is not the meaning here. For further discussion, see Word List: Flesh.

¹⁶ In place of the words trying to attain your goal by human effort, some versions of the Bible say, “ending in the flesh,” which is the literal translation of the Greek text. The meaning is the same In this verse, the Greek word for flesh” means our sinful nature. For further discussion, see footnote to comment on Galatians 2:20; Word List: Flesh.

¹⁷ In the time of the Roman Empire (that is, Christ’s time), criminals were executed by hanging them on a cross.

¹⁸ Moses was one of the greatest leaders of the Jews. He was horn about four hundred years after Abraham’s time. He received the law from God on top of Mount Sinai, and passed it on to the Jewish people. It was through Moses, Thai, that the Jews received the law. This is why Moses is called a mediator.

¹⁹ In 1 Timothy 2:5, Paul writes: For there is … one mediator between God and men, the man Jesus Christ But remember, Jesus Christ was not only a man; He is also God Himself. Therefore, God Himself is the “mediator‘’ of the promise of salvation given to men. No other mediator is necessary.

²⁰ Abba was an informal Aramaic expression meaning “my father.” Aramaic was the language spoken by most of the common people in the Middle East during New Testament times; it was the language spoken by Jesus and His disciples (see Mark 14:36).

²¹ This is a common saying in countries of the Middle East. It means that one would do anything for another person.

²² The first five books of the Old Testament are often called the Law, or the Law of Moses.

²³ Abraham took Hagar to be his second “wife” when Sarah had no children (Genesis l6:l-4). Therefore. Sarah became like one “without a husband,” while ho- slave Hagar became like one who has a husband.

²⁴ In most cases, when a person becomes a follower of Christ, he must completely turn from his old religion. However, there is an exception to this rule. Jews who become Christians do not have to “turn from” Judaism. Paul and the other apostles all remained “Jews.” Christ Himself was a Jew. The thing a believing Jew must turn from is his reliance on the works of the law as a means of salvation; he must put his entire trust in Christ.

There is a second possible exception: Islam. Some Christians believe that a Muslim does not haw to give up all Islamic practices when he becomes a follower of Christ. But the Muslim (like the Jew) must change his belief about Christ. To be a true Christian one must believe that Jesus is God incarnate, the one and only Savior of mankind.

²⁵ In place of the words sin fill nature, some versions of the Bible say “flesh,” which is the literal translation of the original Greek text 1he meaning is the same. In this chapter, the Greek word for “flesh” is translated sinful nature, as it is also in Romans Chapt a- 8. For further discussion, see Word List: Flesh.

²⁶ However, it’s true that when we are dishonored, Christ is dishonored also. Therefore, for Christ’s sake (not ours) we should try to avoid bringing dishonor upon ourselves.

²⁷ The Spirit’s work is to make us humble. Our work is to humble ourselves (1 Peter 5:5-6).

²⁸ The New Testament speaks of two kinds of crucifixion for the believer: active and passive In Romans 6:6 and Galatians 2:20, our old self is crucified through faith in Christ: this is our “passive crucifixion.” But in addition, according to Mark 8:34, Romans 8:13, and here in Galatians 5:24, there is also an “active crucifixion” of our sinful nature, which we ourselves must carry out daily.

²⁹ Israel is the name of the Jewish nation. But now, believers in Christ are called the “true Israel,” because it is they who are truly the people of God.