Hello, I'm Michael Barber. I'm a professor here at the Augustine Institute Graduate School.

And with me is my dear friend, Dr. Jim Prothro, who's also a professor here at the Augustin Institute

Graduate School.

Surprise.

And if you're watching this, you probably know that this is part of our ongoing Bible study

on the epistle of Paul to the Galatians.

And Dr. Prothar and I are passionate about learning from St. Paul and teaching St. Paul.

And so we've been enjoying this tremendously.

Now we're going to pick up in Galatians chapter five, since there are only

six chapters. We are nearing the end. So we are going to now pick up in five verse one. I got distracted

by you raising your eyebrows. That was distracting. All right. For freedom, Christ has set us free.

Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. What is this slavery that he's talking about? Look, I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. So the yoke of slavery for Paul is a reference to going back and embracing circumcision.

He says, I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. You are severed from Christ.

You who would be justified by the law, you have fallen away from grace. For through the spirit

by faith, we ourselves eagerly await for the hope of righteousness.

All right. Let's talk about these first few verses here, Dr. Prothrow. Here we're looking at Paul

explaining why the Galatians shouldn't go back to circumcision. And why don't you unpack a little bit of what we've just read?

Yeah, so he's, especially in chapter four, and now he's continuing on in a five, right,

he's setting up the issue of living in the spirit of Christ as freedom, right?

We've been redeemed and set free from the curse of the law,

from being bound, from the Sinai covenant, the law, right, as it was set for ancient Israel,

for their sort of life together and life with God, as a kind of guardian, right, who was

...