Galatians 5:7,8 – You raced ideally

You raced ideally! Who hinders you not to be persuaded by the truth? This persuasion is not of Him Who is calling you

It is a well-known image in Paul’s letters: the racecourse. The Galatians had once made a good start. Their run in the racetrack was now off for one reason: they were hindered from being persuaded by the truth. The question “who hindered you” is just as rhetorical here as the question in 3:1: “who bewitches you…?”. It is the preachers who wanted to Judaize them.

The first “persuasion” came from Him who had called them through Paul’s preaching. The preaching of the truth of God’s grace (1:6, 15). The second “persuasion” came from those who now hindered them in the racecourse.

Not being persuaded by the truth is never optional or theoretical. It has direct practical consequences. To stay in Paul’s metaphor: performing in the racetrack is only possible when one is focused on the one, big goal. Only when we keep an eye on the grace of God in Christ and what He is able to do in our lives will we reach the finish line unhindered. To this we are called; that’s the truth.

Delen: