King James Version
Galatians 2
21 verses with commentary
Paul Accepted by the Apostles
Then fourteen years after I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, and took Titus with me also.
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<strong>Then fourteen years after I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, and took Titus with me also.</strong> The phrase <em>dia dekatessarōn etōn</em> (διὰ δεκατεσσάρων ἐτῶν) marks a significant chronological gap—fourteen years after Paul's conversion or perhaps after his first Jerusalem visit. This timeline establishes Paul's independence from the Jerusalem apostles; his gospel came by rev...
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II.
(1-10) The argument proceeds, still taking the shape of vivid personal retrospect:—The next visit at which I had any communication with the elder Apostles was after an interval of fourteen years. That, too, only served to bring out at once the independence and the soundness of my teaching. I spoke on the subject freely to the whole Church, and besides I had private conferences with the leaders...
Read full commentary →And I went up by revelation, and communicated unto them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to them which were of reputation, lest by any means I should run, or had run, in vain. privately: or, severally
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<strong>And I went up by revelation, and communicated unto them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles.</strong> The phrase <em>kata apokalypsin</em> (κατὰ ἀποκάλυψιν, "according to revelation") establishes divine initiative—Paul didn't go to Jerusalem seeking approval but in obedience to God's direct guidance. The verb <em>anethemēn</em> (ἀνεθέμην, "I laid before") means to set forth for e...
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(2) **By** **revelation.**—Revelations seem to have been vouchsafed to the Apostle in various ways—most frequently in dreams or nocturnal visions (Acts 16:9; Acts 18:9; Acts 23:11; Acts 27:23), but also in a state of trance (Acts 22:17), and through other undefined modes of intimation (Acts 16:6-7; Acts 20:22-23). By what particular form of revelation he was guided in this instance does not appear...
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CHAPTER 7
2Co 7:1-16. Self-Purification Their Duty Resulting from the Foregoing. His Love to Them, and Joy at the Good Effects on Them of His Former Epistle, as Reported by Titus.
**1. cleanse ourselves--**This is the conclusion of the exhortation (2Co 6:1, 14; 1Jo 3:3; Re 22:11).
**filthiness--**"the unclean thing" (2Co 6:17).
**of the flesh--**for instance, fornication, prevalent at Cori...
Read full commentary →But neither Titus, who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised:
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<strong>But neither Titus, who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised.</strong> The emphatic <em>oude</em> (οὐδέ, "not even") introduces Paul's test case: Titus, a <em>Hellēn</em> (Ἕλλην, pure Gentile), faced no <em>anagkē</em> (ἀνάγκη, "compulsion") to undergo <em>peritemno</em> (περιτέμνω, circumcision). This outcome was revolutionary—the Jerusalem apostles recognized that G...
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(3) **But neither Titus . . .**—This and the two following verses are parenthetical. The result of the private conference with the Judaic Apostles is not given till Galatians 2:7; but without waiting for this, the Apostle turns aside to give one emphatic piece of evidence that his practice in regard to the Gentile converts was not interfered with. The question of principle was raised in the case o...
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**2. Receive us--**with enlarged hearts (2Co 6:13).
**we have wronged ... corrupter ... defrauded no man--**(compare 2Co 7:9). This is the ground on which he asks their reception of (making room for) him in their hearts. We wronged none by an undue exercise of apostolic authority; 2Co 7:13 gives an instance in point. We have corrupted none, namely, by beguilements and flatteries, while preaching...
Read full commentary →And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage:
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<strong>And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage.</strong> The compound term <em>pseudadelphous</em> (ψευδαδέλφους, "false brothers") is devastatingly blunt—these weren't mere theological opponents but infiltrators pretending brotherhood while undermining truth. The verb <...
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(4) **And that because of . . .**—The sense is here, in any case, broken and imperfect. It seems, on the whole, best to supply the missing clause thus: “But (or, *though*) on account of false brethren . . . [I was urged to have him circumcised].” The leaders of the Church at Jerusalem took the ground, not of insisting upon circumcision as a necessity, but rather advising it as a matter of policy, ...
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3. In excusing myself, I do not accuse you, as though you suspected me of such things [Menochius], or as though you were guilty of such things; for I speak only of the false apostles [Estius and Greek commentators]. Rather, "as though you were ungrateful and treacherous" [Beza].
**I have said before--**in 2Co 6:11, 12; compare Php 1:7.
**die and live with you--**the height of friendship. I am ...
Read full commentary →To whom we gave place by subjection, no, not for an hour; that the truth of the gospel might continue with you.
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<strong>To whom we gave place by subjection, no, not for an hour; that the truth of the gospel might continue with you.</strong> The emphatic double negative <em>oude pros hōran</em> (οὐδὲ πρὸς ὥραν, "not even for an hour") shows Paul's unyielding stance—he refused <em>hypotagē</em> (ὑποταγῇ, "subjection/submission") to the false brothers' demands even momentarily. This wasn't personal stubbornnes...
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(5) **To whom**—*i.e.,* to the Jewish agitators, though probably not so much in their own persons as through the Apostles who advocated concession to their views.
**We gave place.**—St. Paul himself, with Barnabas and Titus.
**By subjection.**—By yielding to them the submission which they claimed of us.
**No, not for an hour.**—It is strange that the negative here and the relative at the beginning...
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**4. boldness of speech--**(compare 2Co 6:11).
**glorying of you--**Not only do I speak with unreserved openness to you, but I glory (boast) greatly to others in your behalf, in speaking of you.
**filled with comfort--**at the report of Titus (2Co 7:6, 7, 9, 13; 2Co 1:4).
**exceeding joyful--**Greek, I overabound with joy (2Co 7:7, 9, 16).
**our tribulation--**described in 2Co 7:5; also in...
Read full commentary →But of these who seemed to be somewhat, (whatsoever they were, it maketh no matter to me: God accepteth no man's person:) for they who seemed to be somewhat in conference added nothing to me:
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<strong>But of these who seemed to be somewhat, (whatsoever they were, it maketh no matter to me: God accepteth no man's person:) for they who seemed to be somewhat in conference added nothing to me.</strong> The repeated phrase <em>hoi dokountes einai ti</em> (οἱ δοκοῦντες εἶναί τι, "those reputed to be something") refers to the Jerusalem apostles—Peter, James, and John. Paul's parenthetical <em>...
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(6) The Apostle returns from his digression on the case of Titus to give the result of his experience with the elder Apostles, in continuation of Galatians 2:3. “I did indeed hold conference with them privately; but with all their advantages, real or assumed, I learnt nothing from them that I did not already know, and they ended by recognising the independence and validity of my mission.”
**But of...
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5. Greek, "For also" (for "even"). This verse is thus connected with 2Co 2:12, 13, "When I came to Troas, I had no rest in my spirit"; so "also" now, when I came to Macedonia, my "flesh" had no rest (he, by the term "flesh," excepts his spiritual consolations) from "fightings" with adversaries "without" (1Co 5:12), and from fears for the Corinthian believers "within" the Church, owing to "false br...
Read full commentary →But contrariwise, when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision was committed unto me, as the gospel of the circumcision was unto Peter;
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<strong>But contrariwise, when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision was committed unto me, as the gospel of the circumcision was unto Peter.</strong> The adversative <em>tounantion</em> (τοὐναντίον, "on the contrary") introduces the Jerusalem apostles' recognition of Paul's distinct calling. The perfect passive verb <em>pepisteumai</em> (πεπίστευμαι, "I have been entrusted") appears twic...
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(7-9) So far from contributing anything *new* to my stock of doctrine, they were content to confirm and ratify what I taught already.
(7) **Gospel of the uncircumcision**—*i.e.,* a gospel for the uncircumcised. The elder Apostles recognised St. Paul because they saw that his teaching was fundamentally the same as their own. At the same time, the success of St. Paul among the Gentiles proved that h...
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6. Translate in the order required by the Greek, "But he that comforteth those that are cast down, even God." Those that are of an high spirit are not susceptible of such comfort.
(For he that wrought effectually in Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision, the same was mighty in me toward the Gentiles:)
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<strong>For he that wrought effectually in Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision, the same was mighty in me toward the Gentiles.</strong> The participial phrase <em>ho gar energēsas Petrō</em> (ὁ γὰρ ἐνεργήσας Πέτρῳ, "for the one having worked in Peter") identifies God as the active agent. The verb <em>energeō</em> (ἐνεργέω) means to work powerfully or effectively—divine energy producing re...
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(8) **He that wrought effectually in Peter . . . the same was mighty in me.**—This is an instance of that capriciousness in our translators which was due to their free poetic handling and superabundant command of words. “Wrought effectually” and “was mighty” are the same word in the Greek, and there does not seem to be any sufficient reason why the translation should be altered. “In Peter” and “in...
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**7. when he told us--**Greek, "telling us." We shared in the comfort which Titus felt in recording your desire (2Co 7:13). He rejoiced in telling the news; we in hearing them [Alford].
**earnest desire--**Greek, "longing desire," namely, to see me [Grotius]; or, in general, towards me, to please me.
**mourning--**over your own remissness in not having immediately punished the sin (1Co 5:1, &a...
Read full commentary →And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision.
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<strong>And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship.</strong> The triumvirate—<em>Iakōbos kai Kēphas kai Iōannēs</em> (Ἰάκωβος καὶ Κηφᾶς καὶ Ἰωάννης)—represents the Jerusalem church leadership. The appositional phrase <em>hoi dokountes styloi einai</em> (οἱ δοκοῦντες στῦλοι εἶναι,...
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(9) **James, Cephas, and John.**—In some few MSS. and patristic quotations the reading is *Peter and James and John.* This doubtless arose from the tendency to exalt St. Peter, though the reading (which is found in Tertullian and Origen, and therefore must run up into the second century) is too early to be directly connected with the pretensions of the Papacy. The way in which St. Paul speaks resp...
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**8. with a letter--**Greek, "in the letter" namely, the first Epistle to the Corinthians.
**I do not repent, though I did repent--**Translate, "I do not regret it, though I did regret it." The Greek words for regret and repent are distinct. Paul was almost regretting, through parental tenderness, his having used rebukes calculated to grieve the Corinthians; but now that he has learned from Titu...
Read full commentary →Only they would that we should remember the poor; the same which I also was forward to do.
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<strong>Only they would that we should remember the poor; the same which I also was forward to do.</strong> The qualifying adverb <em>monon</em> (μόνον, "only") introduces the single request from the Jerusalem leaders: <em>hina tōn ptōchōn mnēmoneuōmen</em> (ἵνα τῶν πτωχῶν μνημονεύωμεν, "that we should remember the poor"). The verb <em>mnēmoneuō</em> (μνημονεύω) means more than mental recollection...
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(10) **The poor**—*i.e.,* at Jerusalem and in Judaea. St. Paul had already been the means of bringing contributions from the wealthier churches of Antioch to Jerusalem (Acts 11:29-30). This seems to have been gracefully received, not only as an act of charity, but as a recognition of the claims of the mother Church. The Apostles expressed a hope that the same good feeling might continue, to which ...
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**9. Now I rejoice--**Whereas "I did repent" or regret having made you sorry by my letter, I rejoice NOW, not that ye were caused sorrow, but that your sorrow resulted in your repentance.
**ye sorrowed--**rather, as before, "ye were made sorry."
**after a godly manner--**literally, "according to God," that is, your sorrow having regard to God, and rendering your mind conformable to God (Ro 14:...
Read full commentary →Paul Opposes Peter
But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed.
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<strong>But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed.</strong> The adversative <em>hote de</em> (ὅτε δέ, "but when") shifts to conflict. Peter's arrival <em>eis Antiocheian</em> (εἰς Ἀντιόχειαν, "to Antioch") becomes the stage for dramatic confrontation. The verb <em>antestēn autō kata prosōpon</em> (ἀντέστην αὐτῷ κατὰ πρόσωπον, "I opposed him to his...
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(11-14) The next phase in this question was at Antioch. On his coming thither Peter was guilty of a great inconsistency. He began by eating freely with the Gentile converts, but the arrival of a party of the stricter Jews from Jerusalem was enough to make him alter his practice. He gradually withdrew and held aloof, and a number of others, including even Barnabas, followed his example. This conduc...
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**10. worketh ... worketh--**In the best Greek reading the translation is, "worketh (simply) ... worketh out." "Sorrow" is not repentance, but, where it is "godly," "worketh" it; that is, contributes or tends to it (the same Greek word is in Ro 13:10). The "sorrow of the world" (that is, such as is felt by the worldly) "worketh out," as its result at last, (eternal) death (the same Greek verb is i...
Read full commentary →For before that certain came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision.
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<strong>For before that certain came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision.</strong> The temporal marker <em>pro tou gar elthein tinas apo Iakōbou</em> (πρὸ τοῦ γὰρ ἐλθεῖν τινας ἀπὸ Ἰακώβου, "before certain ones came from James") establishes the timeline. Initially, Peter <em>meta tōn ethnōn...
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(12) **Certain came from James.**—The expression used leaves it an open question whether the persons intended brought, or claimed to bring, any sort of official authorisation from St. James (comp. Acts 15:24), or whether they merely belonged to the Church of Jerusalem, in which, if St. James was not actually bishop, he at least exercised a sort of presidential jurisdiction.
**He did eat with the G...
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11. Confirmation of 2Co 7:10 from the Corinthians' own experience.
**carefulness--**solicitude, literally, "diligence"; opposed to their past negligence in the matter.
**in you--**Greek "for you."
**yea--**not only "carefulness" or diligence, but also "clearing of yourselves," namely, to me by Titus: anxiety to show you disapproved of the deed.
**indignation--**against the offender.
**fe...
Read full commentary →And the other Jews dissembled likewise with him; insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation.
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<strong>And the other Jews dissembled likewise with him; insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation.</strong> The verb <em>synypekrithēsan</em> (συνυπεκρίθησαν, "joined in hypocrisy") uses the compound <em>hypokrinomai</em> (ὑποκρίνομαι, "to play-act, pretend")—the same word for actors wearing masks. <em>Hoi loipoi Ioudaioi</em> (οἱ λοιποὶ Ἰουδαῖοι, "the rest of the Jews...
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(13) **The other Jews . . .**—*i.e.* converts from Judaism, as distinct from Gentile converts, in the Church at Antioch.
**Dissembled.**—The “dissimulation,” or “hypocrisy” (the literal sense of the Greek word), consisted in suppressing their real convictions, and acting as if from a set of convictions different from their real ones.
**Barnabas also.**—Rather, *even Barnabas,* my own familiar frie...
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**12. though I wrote unto you--**"making you sorry with my letter" (2Co 7:8).
**his cause that suffered wrong--**the father of the incestuous person who had his father's wife (1Co 5:1). The father, thus it seems, was alive.
**that our care for you, &c.--**Some of the oldest manuscripts read thus, "That YOUR care for us might be made manifest unto you," &c. But the words, "unto you," th...
Read full commentary →But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?
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<strong>But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?</strong> The verb <em>orthopodousin</em> (ὀρθοποδοῦσιν, "walk uprightly") means to walk straight, not deviating—they were walking <em...
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(14) **Walked not uprightly.**—This is a single word in the Greek, and found here alone in the New Testament. It means, literally, “to walk on straight feet”—*i.e.,* erect and straightforwardly, as opposed to “shuffling.”
**Unto** **Peter before them all.**—The true reading is again *Cephas.* The Apostle lays stress upon the publicity of his remonstrance, as showing that in his controversy with th...
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13. The oldest manuscripts read thus, "Therefore (Greek, 'for this cause,' namely, because our aim has been attained) we have been (English Version, 'were,' is not so accurate) comforted; yea (Greek, 'but'), in OUR comfort we exceedingly the more joyed for the joy of Titus," &c. (compare 2Co 7:7).
Justified by Faith
We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles,
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<strong>We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles.</strong> The phrase <em>hēmeis physei Ioudaioi</em> (ἡμεῖς φύσει Ἰουδαῖοι, "we by nature Jews") acknowledges ethnic identity—<em>physis</em> (φύσις, "nature") means by birth and heritage, not conversion. The contrasting phrase <em>kai ouk ex ethnōn hamartōloi</em> (καὶ οὐκ ἐξ ἐθνῶν ἁμαρτωλοί, "and not sinners from Gentiles") refle...
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(15-21) The section which follows is, in form at least, still a continuation of the rebuke addressed to St. Peter; but the Apostle soon drifts away from this, and begins imperceptibly a comment upon his own words, which is addressed directly to the Galatians. We are thus led, without any real break, from the historical and personal to the doctrinal portion of the Epistle. It is impossible to say e...
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**14. anything--**that is, at all.
**I am not ashamed--**"I am not put to shame," namely, by learning from Titus that you did not realize the high character I gave him of you.
**as ... all things ... in truth, even so our boasting ... is found a truth--**As our speaking in general to you was true (2Co 1:18), so our particular boasting to Titus concerning you is now, by his report, proved to be...
Read full commentary →Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
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<strong>Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.</strong> This verse is the theological heart of Galatians, stated with threefold emphasis. The participle <em>eidotes...
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(16) **Is not justified.**—Here the Apostle introduces, for the first time in the Epistle, the word which plays so prominent a part in the Epistle to the Romans—“pronounced just or righteous”—free from guilt, and therefore from punishment—in the sight of God. This condition could not be produced by works done in obedience to the Law.
**But.**—The sense of the Greek is not clearly brought out by th...
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**15. his inward affection--**literally, "bowels" (compare 2Co 6:12; Php 1:8; 2:1; Col 3:12).
**obedience--**(2Co 2:9).
**fear and trembling--**with trembling anxiety to obey my wishes, and fearful lest there should be aught in yourselves to offend him and me (2Co 7:11; compare 1Co 2:3).
But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid .
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<strong>But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid.</strong> The conditional <em>ei de zētountes dikaiōthēnai en Christō</em> (εἰ δὲ ζητοῦντες δικαιωθῆναι ἐν Χριστῷ, "if while seeking to be justified in Christ") introduces a Judaizer objection: if Jews who abandon law-keeping for faith in Christ are ther...
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(17) We sought justification in Christ. But if, with all our seeking, something more was needed: viz., a rigid performance of the Law—that Law which we had abandoned—then there was still something wanting to our justification. We were sinners on a par with the Gentiles, and all that Christianity seemed to have done for us was to lead us deeper into sin. A profane thought!
**By Christ.**—Strictly, ...
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**16. therefore--**omitted in the oldest manuscripts. The conclusion is more emphatical without it.
**that I have confidence in you in all things--**rather, as Greek, "that in everything I am of good courage concerning (literally, 'in the case of') you," as contrasted with my former doubts concerning you.
For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor.</strong> The conditional <em>ei gar ha katelysa tauta palin oikodomō</em> (εἰ γὰρ ἃ κατέλυσα ταῦτα πάλιν οἰκοδομῶ, "if the things which I destroyed, these I build again") uses architectural metaphor. The verb <em>katalyō</em> (καταλύω) means to demolish completely, tear down; <em>oikodomeō</em> (οἰκοδομέω) mea...
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(18) But Christ is not a minister of sin. The thought is not to be tolerated. For, on the contrary, the sin is seen, not in leaving the Law for Christ, but in going back from Christ to the Law. The sin is seen doubly: for on one theory—the theory that the Law is valid—it was wrong to give it up; while on the other theory, that Christianity has taken its place, it is still more wrong to restore the...
Read full commentary →For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God.
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<strong>For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God.</strong> The prepositional phrase <em>egō gar dia nomou nomō apethanon</em> (ἐγὼ γὰρ διὰ νόμου νόμῳ ἀπέθανον, "I through law to law died") contains profound paradox—the law itself became the instrument (<em>dia nomou</em>) of Paul's death to the law (<em>nomō apethanon</em>). How? The law's demands exposed complete inabi...
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(19) In the last verse the Apostle had been putting a supposed case, but by a not unnatural process of thought he gradually takes the “I” rather more in earnest, and appeals directly to his own personal experience. The “I” of Galatians 2:18 is really St. Peter or the Judaisers; the “I” of this verse is St. Paul himself. The object of his appeal is to make good his assertion that to restore the det...
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CHAPTER 8
2Co 8:1-24. The Collection for the Saints; the Readiness of the Macedonians a Pattern to the Corinthians; Christ the Highest Pattern; Each Is to Give Willingly after His Ability; Titus and Two Others Are the Agents Accredited to Complete the Collection.
**1. we do you to wit--**we make known to you.
**the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia--**Their liberality was no...
Read full commentary →I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
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<strong>I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.</strong> The perfect passive <em>Christō synestaurōmai</em> (Χριστῷ συνεσταύρωμαι, "I have been and remain crucified with Christ") describes completed action with ongoing results—Paul's ...
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(20) In the last verse the Apostle had spoken of himself as “dead to the Law, and living unto God.” The prominent idea in the first half of this clause had been the release from that burdensome ceremonial which the Judaising party wished to bind upon Christian consciences. By a natural transition, the Apostle’s thought had passed from what the Law could not do to what Christianity could do.
The La...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**2. trial of affliction--**The Greek expresses, "in affliction (or, 'tribulation') which tested them"; literally, "in a great testing of affliction."
**abundance of their joy--**The greater was the depth of their poverty, the greater was the abundance of their joy. A delightful contrast in terms, and triumph, in fact, of spirit over flesh.
**their deep poverty--**Greek, "their poverty down to...
Read full commentary →I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.</strong> The emphatic <em>ouk athetō</em> (οὐκ ἀθετῶ, "I do not nullify/set aside") opens Paul's conclusion—<em>atheteō</em> (ἀθετέω) means to reject, set aside, declare invalid. The object: <em>tēn charin tou theou</em> (τὴν χάριν τοῦ θεοῦ, "the grace of God"). By maintaining justificat...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(21) In thus attaching himself devotedly to Christ, the Christian escapes the charge of refusing and thwarting the free gift of justification which God has offered to him in His Son. He has made his choice of Christ, and not of the Law. On the other hand, if he had chosen the Law, and gone to it, and not to Christ, in his search for righteousness, he would have practically declared the death of Ch...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**3-5. they were willing--**rather, supply from 2Co 8:5, the ellipsis thus, "According to their power ... yea, and beyond their power, THEY GAVE."
**of themselves--**not only not being besought, but themselves beseeching us.