Galatians 5:10 – No adding water to wine

I have confidence in you in the Lord that in nothing you will be disposed otherwis. Now he who is disturbing you shall be bearing his judgement whosoever he may be.

Paul is very concerned about the developments in the ecclesia in Galatia. Just in the previous verse he had indicated that the leaven of false doctrine threatened to leaven the whole dough. However, he does not view the situation in Galatia as hopeless. In any case, he has the confidence (“convinced … in the Lord”) that his letter is so convincing that “in nothing” his readers “will be disposed otherwise”.

In a sense, the Galatian believers are victims of people who came to ‘disturb’ them (1:6) and pervert the Evangel. In the above verse, by the way, Paul uses a singular (“he”), but in verse 12 it is plural again. Was there perhaps one leader among the ’triggers’ who is referred to here?

“The judgment” that Paul pronounced on these false teachers was not kind. They showed zeal, but of the worst kind (4:17). They had “bewitched” the Galatians (3:1) and deceived them with an “evangel” that is not an Evangel. Twice the apostle had spoken his “anathema” about it (1:8,9). The Good News is great, but woe to him who adds water to this wine!

Delen: