Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Galatians 5:2

"Behold, I Paul say unto you, that, if ye receive circumcision, Christ will profit you nothing." — Galatians 5:2 (ASV)

Paul wants the Galatians to take careful note that if they allow themselves to be circumcised (the verb tense used here implies that they had not yet taken this step but were considering it), then Jesus Christ will profit them absolutely nothing. Circumcision was, of course, the particular form of legalism that was a problem in Paul’s day; the choice was between Christ and no circumcision at all, or circumcision and no Christ at all.

This explains why Paul is so categorical in condemning the practice of circumcision for the Galatians. It is not that circumcision in itself is so important. In fact, Paul himself had once circumcised Timothy (Acts 16:3), and he would soon declare that “neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value” (v.6). Rather, what Paul condemns is the theology of circumcision, which makes works necessary for salvation and seeks to establish conformity to some external standards of behavior as a mark of spirituality.

Ones’s motivation is the important thing. Paul was in no sense condemning those Jewish Christians who had been circumcised. His advice to such people is given in 1 Corinthians 7:17–20: circumcised Christians should remain circumcised; uncircumcised Christians should remain uncircumcised. Particular forms of legalism are not themselves the important issues; the critical issue is works versus grace, or, as we will soon see, spirit versus flesh. Paul’s concern was that nothing should cloud perception of this central Christian doctrine.