Ye know how through infirmity of the flesh I preached the gospel unto you at the first.
Paul first brought the gospel to the Galatians when bodily sickness interrupted his journey and detained him among them. He preached while suffering great physical affliction that hindered his work, yet he labored with even greater vigor instead of seeking his own comfort. The affliction was weak and defective eyesight dating from his blinding on the Damascus road, the same as his thorn in the flesh, though others hold the passage offers this only as possible support and not as certain. His weakness did not empty his preaching of power, for its power came through the Spirit rather than human strength and helped set Christ crucified before them. They received him as an angel of God and loved him so deeply for the spiritual blessing received that they would have plucked out their own eyes for him.
Setting and Letter Context
Paul's letter was addressed to the Christians in Galatia, a comparatively small district of Asia Minor called the Gaul of the East. Its church was founded by him in A.D. 52. Its members were largely Gauls who had dwelt there from about the third century before Christ and were subjugated by the Romans in B.C. 189. Living in a great highway of commerce, they were thus mixed with Greeks and Romans and to some extent with Hebrews.
The verse belongs to the plea in verses 12-20, in which Paul urges the Galatians to become as he was. In that same plea he warns them against those seeking to profit from their turning away.
The letter was written to correct the difficulties caused by Judaizing teachers who taught that there was salvation in human doing and human works, that man must do something in order to save himself. Its message is salvation through faith in Jesus Christ with the emphasis upon Christ, parallel with Romans which argues more fully that men are saved by faith, justified by faith, and kept by faith. Only those who are transgressing the law are under the law, and those who walk in Jesus Christ, who is the personified law, have peace.
The verse belongs to the warning in Galatians 4:9-21 against returning to weak and beggarly elements and desiring to be under the law. Weak and beggarly elements and being under the law mean the ceremonial law written by Moses and placed by the side of the ark, the law of commandments contained in ordinances that was contrary and taken out of the way at the cross. Keeping the precepts of the law of God, including the seventh-day Sabbath of the fourth commandment spoken by God and placed in the ark, is not a curse and is not returning to weak and beggarly elements. Keeping the ceremonial law would be returning to weak and beggarly elements and would place a person where the atonement of Christ would profit nothing.
Infirmity and First Preaching
Paul first preached the gospel to the Galatians while suffering great bodily affliction and bodily weakness. He was hindered by physical infirmity at that first preaching, and was physically infirm when they welcomed him.
He preached there because bodily infirmity and sickness caused him to stop and detained him in Galatia. The sickness interrupted his intended journey and kept him from continuing to his planned destination on his first visit. The detention occurred in the Roman province of Galatia on his second missionary journey, during which he raised up a number of churches there. This unexpected delay served God's purpose in bringing the gospel to Galatia.
The infirmity of the flesh was defective eyesight and weak eyes, the same as the thorn in the flesh. The defective sight began when he was blinded on the Damascus road and his eyes were never fully restored. He therefore generally employed an amanuensis and only signed his epistles with his own hand, and needed someone with him to assist and write for him. His condition made preaching difficult and hindered his work. Galatians 4:13-15 gives possible support for understanding the thorn in the flesh as weakness of vision caused by the blinding glory of Christ, but the passage does not establish this as certain.
Weakness, Power and Reception
Paul first brought the gospel to the Galatians while suffering serious bodily affliction and weakness, and that infirmity did not prevent him from preaching Christ to them. Bodily sickness interrupted his intended journey and detained him from continuing to his planned destination on his first visit, and this unexpected delay served God's purpose in bringing the gospel to Galatia. Though weak and detained, he did not seek his own comfort but used the time to preach, zealous to fulfill his duty, and his weakness even gave him occasion to work with greater vigor.
That affliction was the cause of his stopping in Galatia, not merely the circumstance in which he happened to be ill when he preached there. Christ can use physical weakness to accomplish great work, and the gospel depends on God's Spirit and not on human strength. His weakness may have helped the Galatians see Christ crucified, and the spiritual blessing they received through his preaching led them to love him deeply. His ministry was marked by weakness, fear, and trembling, yet its power came through the Spirit rather than persuasive human wisdom. God's power enabled him to continue even though weak eyes hindered his work and he needed someone with him to assist and write for him.
They welcomed him as an angel of God, and their hospitality accompanied their reception of the gospel and was a blessing to him. Their love rose so high that they would have plucked out their own eyes and given them to him, proving his trial was in his sight and arousing their sympathy even while his condition made his preaching difficult. That infirmity of the flesh was defective eyesight, the same as the thorn in the flesh, beginning when he was blinded on the Damascus road with his eyes never fully restored, so that he generally employed an amanuensis and signed his epistles with his own hand. He besought God for its removal but received the assurance that God's grace was sufficient.
Paul first brought the gospel to the Galatians when bodily sickness interrupted his journey and detained him among them. He preached while suffering great physical affliction that hindered his work, yet he labored with even greater vigor instead of seeking his own comfort. The affliction was weak and defective eyesight dating from his blinding on the Damascus road, the same as his thorn in the flesh, though others hold the passage offers this only as possible support and not as certain. His weakness did not empty his preaching of power, for its power came through the Spirit rather than human strength and helped set Christ crucified before them. They received him as an angel of God and loved him so deeply for the spiritual blessing received that they would have plucked out their own eyes for him.
Setting and Letter Context
Paul's letter was addressed to the Christians in Galatia, a comparatively small district of Asia Minor called the Gaul of the East. Its church was founded by him in A.D. 52. Its members were largely Gauls who had dwelt there from about the third century before Christ and were subjugated by the Romans in B.C. 189. Living in a great highway of commerce, they were thus mixed with Greeks and Romans and to some extent with Hebrews.
The verse belongs to the plea in verses 12-20, in which Paul urges the Galatians to become as he was. In that same plea he warns them against those seeking to profit from their turning away.
The letter was written to correct the difficulties caused by Judaizing teachers who taught that there was salvation in human doing and human works, that man must do something in order to save himself. Its message is salvation through faith in Jesus Christ with the emphasis upon Christ, parallel with Romans which argues more fully that men are saved by faith, justified by faith, and kept by faith. Only those who are transgressing the law are under the law, and those who walk in Jesus Christ, who is the personified law, have peace.
The verse belongs to the warning in Galatians 4:9-21 against returning to weak and beggarly elements and desiring to be under the law. Weak and beggarly elements and being under the law mean the ceremonial law written by Moses and placed by the side of the ark, the law of commandments contained in ordinances that was contrary and taken out of the way at the cross. Keeping the precepts of the law of God, including the seventh-day Sabbath of the fourth commandment spoken by God and placed in the ark, is not a curse and is not returning to weak and beggarly elements. Keeping the ceremonial law would be returning to weak and beggarly elements and would place a person where the atonement of Christ would profit nothing.
Infirmity and First Preaching
Paul first preached the gospel to the Galatians while suffering great bodily affliction and bodily weakness. He was hindered by physical infirmity at that first preaching, and was physically infirm when they welcomed him.
He preached there because bodily infirmity and sickness caused him to stop and detained him in Galatia. The sickness interrupted his intended journey and kept him from continuing to his planned destination on his first visit. The detention occurred in the Roman province of Galatia on his second missionary journey, during which he raised up a number of churches there. This unexpected delay served God's purpose in bringing the gospel to Galatia.
The infirmity of the flesh was defective eyesight and weak eyes, the same as the thorn in the flesh. The defective sight began when he was blinded on the Damascus road and his eyes were never fully restored. He therefore generally employed an amanuensis and only signed his epistles with his own hand, and needed someone with him to assist and write for him. His condition made preaching difficult and hindered his work. Galatians 4:13-15 gives possible support for understanding the thorn in the flesh as weakness of vision caused by the blinding glory of Christ, but the passage does not establish this as certain.
Weakness, Power and Reception
Paul first brought the gospel to the Galatians while suffering serious bodily affliction and weakness, and that infirmity did not prevent him from preaching Christ to them. Bodily sickness interrupted his intended journey and detained him from continuing to his planned destination on his first visit, and this unexpected delay served God's purpose in bringing the gospel to Galatia. Though weak and detained, he did not seek his own comfort but used the time to preach, zealous to fulfill his duty, and his weakness even gave him occasion to work with greater vigor.
That affliction was the cause of his stopping in Galatia, not merely the circumstance in which he happened to be ill when he preached there. Christ can use physical weakness to accomplish great work, and the gospel depends on God's Spirit and not on human strength. His weakness may have helped the Galatians see Christ crucified, and the spiritual blessing they received through his preaching led them to love him deeply. His ministry was marked by weakness, fear, and trembling, yet its power came through the Spirit rather than persuasive human wisdom. God's power enabled him to continue even though weak eyes hindered his work and he needed someone with him to assist and write for him.
They welcomed him as an angel of God, and their hospitality accompanied their reception of the gospel and was a blessing to him. Their love rose so high that they would have plucked out their own eyes and given them to him, proving his trial was in his sight and arousing their sympathy even while his condition made his preaching difficult. That infirmity of the flesh was defective eyesight, the same as the thorn in the flesh, beginning when he was blinded on the Damascus road with his eyes never fully restored, so that he generally employed an amanuensis and signed his epistles with his own hand. He besought God for its removal but received the assurance that God's grace was sufficient.