Galatians 5:3

3 Once more I warn any man who allows himself to be circumcised that he is obliged to obey the whole Law.

Galatians 5:3 Meaning and Commentary

Galatians 5:3

For I testify again to every man
This is the form of an oath, a calling God to witness, swearing by the living God, and declaring as in his presence to every man, whether Jew or Gentile, whoever he be:

that is circumcised;
in order to obtain salvation, and as necessary to it:

that he is a debtor to do the whole law;
and this it is that made circumcision an insupportable yoke, for that itself might be bore, and was bore by children of eight days old; but the fulfilling of the whole law cannot be done by any man; and yet everyone that is circumcised, in order to procure righteousness and life, is bound to keep the whole law; because the law is only his righteousness, when he observes all that is required in it, and as the Lord has commanded; if he does not, he is pronounced accursed: and this proves what was before said, that Christ is of no profit to such persons; because they reject him and his righteousness, and, as much as in them lie, make void his obedience, sufferings, and death: hence the same thing is repeated, though not in the same words, in the next verse.

Galatians 5:3 In-Context

1 Freedom is what we have - Christ has set us free! Stand, then, as free people, and do not allow yourselves to become slaves again.

2 Listen! I, Paul, tell you that if you allow yourselves to be circumcised, it means that Christ is of no use to you at all.

3 Once more I warn any man who allows himself to be circumcised that he is obliged to obey the whole Law.

4 Those of you who try to be put right with God by obeying the Law have cut yourselves off from Christ. You are outside God's grace.

5 As for us, our hope is that God will put us right with him; and this is what we wait for by the power of God's Spirit working through our faith.