Galatians 5

Stand firm therefore in the liberty for which AL-MASIH1 has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. 

2Behold, I, Paul, tell you that if you receive circumcision, AL-MASIH will profit you nothing. 3Yes, I testify again to every man who receives circumcision, that he is obligated to observe the entire Taurat2. 4You are alienated from AL-MASIH, you who desire to be justified by the Taurat. You have fallen away from grace. 5For we, through the Spirit3, by faith wait for the hope of righteousness. 6For in AL-MASIH ‘ISA4 neither circumcision amounts to anything, nor the lack of it, but faith working through love. 

7You were running well! Who interfered with you that you should not obey the truth? 8This persuasion is not from him who called you. 9A little yeast grows through the whole lump. 10I have confidence about you in the Lord5 that you will think in no other way. But he who troubles you will bear his judgment, whoever he is.

11But brothers, if I still preach the need to be circumcised, why am I still persecuted? Then the stumbling-block of the cross has been removed. 12I wish that those who disturb you would cut themselves off. 

13For you, brothers, were called for freedom. Only do not use your freedom for gain to the flesh, but through love be servants of one another. 14For the whole Taurat is fulfilled in this one statement: 

“You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” 6 

15But if you bite and devour one another, be careful that you do not consume each another. 

16So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to each other, that you may not do the things that you desire. 18But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Taurat. 19Now the works of the flesh are obvious, which are: adultery, sexual immorality, uncleanness, lustfulness, 20idolatry, sorcery, hatred, strife, jealousies, outbursts of anger, rivalries, divisions, heresies, 21envyings, murders, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these; of which I forewarn you, even as I also forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the Kingdom of God7.

22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness, and self-control. The Taurat is not against such things there. 24Those who belong to AL-MASIH have crucified the flesh with its passions and lusts. 

25If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. 26Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, and envying one another.

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  1. 5:1 AL-MASIH – an Arabic title equivalent to the Messiah (Hebrew) or Christ (Greek), all of which mean the Anointed One, that is, God’s Chosen One. In ancient times, divinely-appointed kings, priests and prophets were anointed with oil to signify their appointment to office. All of them point ahead to God’s ultimate Anointed One, the Messiah, AL-MASIH.  Al-Kitab unanimously points to ‘ISA Ibn Maryam as the only person worthy to bear the title AL-MASIH. He is the one whom God sent into this world to save people from sin, and to usher in God’s Kingdom at his Second Coming. ↩︎
  2. 5:3 Taurat, an Arabic word derived from Torah (Hebrew) meaning “instruction” or “teaching.” The Greek text of the Injil says nomos (meaning, “law”) and is usually rendered Taurat. Depending on context, Taurat can refer to, 
    1. The whole Hebrew Bible contained here under the title Taurat, equivalent to what Jews today call Tanakh, and what Christians call the Old Testament.
    2. The revelation given to Prophet Musa, that is, the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, sometimes called the Pentateuch. Pentateuch is a Greek word meaning “five books” and includes Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. These five books are attributed to Prophet Musa himself. This is the traditional and most common meaning given to Taurat or Torah.
    3. The Law of Musa found within the Pentateuch, with its hundreds of rules and regulations covering many aspects of daily life for the people of Israel. The most famous of these laws are the Ten Commandments, found in Exodus 20.
    4. Taurat can also refer to divine instruction and teaching in general without reference to a particular book of the Hebrew Bible. ↩︎
  3. 5:5 Spirit, or Holy Spirit, or Spirit of God; not an angel, created being, nor an impersonal force, but the uncreated, eternal Spirit of God himself. The Spirit was present and active at the creation of heaven and earth (see Genesis 1:2), and today lives inside of every follower of ‘ISA AL-MASIH, empowering them to live in a way pleasing to God. ↩︎
  4. 5:6 ‘ISA – The names ‘ISA (Arabic), ISHO (Syriac) and JESUS (Greek, IESOUS) are all derived from the Hebrew name YEHOSHUA, which means “YAHWEH saves.” (YAHWEH is God’s personal name revealed to Prophet Musa in the Taurat, Exodus 3:15 – God said moreover to Musa, “You shall tell Bani-Israel this, ‘YAHWEH, the God of your fathers, the God of Ibrahim, the God of Ishaq, and the God of Yaqub, has sent me to you.’ This is my Name forever, and this is how I am to be remembered to all generations.”) ↩︎
  5. 5:10 Lord, translated from the Greek kurios. Depending on context, it can refer to: 1. God, 2. ’ISA AL-MASIH, 3. men in authority, such as kings, landlords, etc., 4. a respectful salutation meaning, “sir.” ↩︎
  6. 5:14 Quoting the Taurat, Leviticus 19:18 which says: “You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people; but you shall love your neighbour as yourself. I am YAHWEH.” ↩︎
  7. 5:21 God, English translation of theos. It is the Greek equivalent of elohim and eloah (Hebrew) which are related to allah (Arabic) and alaha (Syriac), all of which translate as “God,” and refer to the one true God. ↩︎