Galatians 5:13

Galatians 5:13 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.
• New International Version (NIV)You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.
• English Standard Version (ESV)For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.
• New King James Version (NKJV)For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.

Context of Galatians 5:13

11My Christian friends, do you think that I still teach that someone must circumcise believers? If I really taught that, then I would not still receive trouble from people. What I teach about Christ's death on the cross would not cause anyone to become angry. 12Those people who are causing trouble and want to circumcise you should cut their own bodies! Yes, that is what they should do! My Christian friends, God has chosen you to serve him as free people. But you are still weak and human. So you are not free to do anything that you might want to do. Instead, you must serve one another, because you love each other. 14One rule brings together all the rules in God's Law. That one rule says: ‘Love other people as much as you love yourself.’ 15So you must not live like wild animals. Wild animals fight and they eat each other. If you live like that, be very careful! You may destroy one another completely.

Galatians 5:13 word by word

ὑμεῖς γὰρ ἐπ᾽ ἐλευθερίᾳ ἐκλήθητε, ἀδελφοί· μόνον μὴ τὴν ἐλευθερίαν εἰς ἀφορμὴν τῇ σαρκί, ἀλλὰ διὰ τῆς ἀγάπης δουλεύετε ἀλλήλοις.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Forγάρgar · forG1063
• brethrenἀδελφόςadelphos · brotherG80
• yeσύsu · youG4771
• have been calledκαλέωkaleō · to call: callG2564
• untoἐπίepi · upon/to/againstG1909
• libertyἐλευθερίαeleutheria · freedomG1657
• onlyμόνονmonon · onlyG3440
• notμήmē · notG3361
• libertyὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• forεἰςeis · towardG1519
• an occasionἀφορμήaphormē · opportunityG874
• to the fleshσάρξsarx · fleshG4561
• butἀλλάalla · butG235
• byδιάdia · through/because ofG1223
• loveἀγάπηagapē · loveG26
• serveδουλεύωdouleuō · be a slaveG1398
• one anotherἀλλήλωνallēlōn · one anotherG240

Cross-references for Galatians 5:13

• Galatians 5:1Christ has made us free so that we can be really free! So be strong and do not turn back. Do not let yourselves become slaves to the Jewish rules again.
• Galatians 4:5In that way, he made us free from the authority of the Law. Before that, we were like slaves under the Law. But God's Son paid our debt, so that God would accept us as his true children.
• Isaiah 61:1The Spirit of the Almighty Lord is on me, because he has chosen me to serve him. He has sent me to tell good news to poor people. He has sent me to comfort people who are very upset. He has sent me to tell prisoners that they are now free. They can go out of their prisons!
• Luke 4:18‘The Spirit of the Lord God is on me. He has chosen me to tell good news to poor people. He has sent me to tell people who are in prison, “You can go free!” I must say to people that cannot see, “See again!” I must cause people that are like slaves to become free.
• John 8:32Then you will know what is true. And that will make you free.’
• Romans 6:18As a result, God has made you free from the power of sin. You are now like slaves who serve everything that is right and good.
• 1 Corinthians 8:9You are free to eat any kind of food. You understand that. But other Christians do not understand so well. So you must be careful. Do not cause them to do something that they think is wrong.
• 1 Peter 2:16You are free people. But you are servants of God. So do not think, ‘Because I am free, I can do any bad thing that I want to do.’
• 2 Peter 2:19The false teachers tell these believers to do whatever they want to do. They promise that this will make them really free. But the false teachers themselves are not free. Instead, they are like slaves. They cannot stop doing the bad things that will destroy them. We know that if something has power over a person, then that person is its slave.
• Jude 1:4I say this because certain bad people have secretly come among you. They have turned away from God. They are trying to change God's true message. They teach that we can do any evil things that we want to do. They say that God will be kind and he will forgive us for all those things. They do not accept the authority of Jesus Christ, who is our only Master and our Lord. God will certainly punish those wicked people. A long time ago God said that he would punish people like them.
• Galatians 5:14One rule brings together all the rules in God's Law. That one rule says: ‘Love other people as much as you love yourself.’
• Galatians 6:2When anyone among you has troubles, you must help each other. If you do that, you will be obeying Christ's rule.
• Mark 10:43But you should not be like that. Instead, the person who wants to be great among you must become like your servant.
• John 13:14I am your Teacher and your Lord, but I have washed your feet. So you also should wash each other's feet.
• Acts 20:35In this way I have shown you how you should live. You should work well so that you may help sick or weak people. You should remember what Jesus himself said: “It may make you happy when you receive things. But it makes you more happy when you give things to someone.” ’
• Romans 15:1Some of us trust God with strong faith. We must help those believers whose faith is weaker. We must be patient with them. We should not just do things that will make us happy ourselves.

Commentaries on Galatians 5:13

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 13Ye have been called unto liberty - A total freedom from all the burthensome rites and ceremonies of the Mosaic law. Only use not that liberty for an occasion to the flesh. By flesh, here, we may understand all the unrenewed desires and propensities of the mind; whatsoever is not under the influence and guidance of the Holy Spirit of God. Your liberty is from that which would oppress the spirit; not from that which would lay restraints on the flesh. The…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 13For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty - Freedom from Jewish rites and ceremonies; see the notes at Galatians 3:28; Galatians 4:9, note, Galatians 4:21-31, note. The meaning here is, that Paul wished the false teachers removed because true Christians had been called unto liberty, and they were abridging and destroying that liberty. They were not in subjection to the Law of Moses, or to anything else that savored of bondage. They were free; free…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 13-15Verses 13-15 The gospel is a doctrine according to godliness, 1Ti 6:3, and is so far from giving the least countenance to sin, that it lays us under the strongest obligation to avoid and subdue it. The apostle urges that all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. If Christians, who should help one another, and rejoice one another, quarrel, what can be expected but that the God of love should deny his…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 13-26Paul explains that justification (being in right relationship with God) comes by faith alone. He then asks, "If we do not follow the law, what guides our behavior?" He answers that the Holy Spirit provides righteousness. The Judaizers (Jewish Christians who believed in following traditional Jewish laws) likely warned that Paul's message of freedom could lead believers to moral failure (5:1). Paul argues that freedom is not an excuse to sin because love…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1313. The "ye" is emphatical, from its position in the Greek, "Ye brethren"; as opposed to those legalists "who trouble you." unto liberty--The Greek expresses, "on a footing of liberty." The state or condition in which ye have been called to salvation, is one of liberty. Gospel liberty consists in three things, freedom from the Mosaic yoke, from sin, and from slavish fear. only, &c.--Translate, "Only turn not your liberty into an occasion for the flesh."…Read the comment

Topics related to Galatians 5:13

• Anarchy
• Love
• Servant

In the dictionaries

• Affection
• Bite
• Contrary
• Cross
• Crucify
• Debtor
• Flesh
• Gentleness
• Goodness
• Meekness

Commentaries on Galatians 5

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings