What is the meaning of Galatians 5:14? The entire law Paul gathers up every statute and ordinance Moses received—moral, civil, ceremonial—and reminds the Galatians that nothing God commanded stands outside this phrase. The scope is total (Matthew 22:40; Deuteronomy 6:5). Because Scripture is fully trustworthy, we read the word “entire” as literal: no command is left out. is fulfilled To “fulfill” means the law’s righteous goal is reached, not merely talked about (Romans 13:10; James 2:8). When love governs our actions, the intent behind Sabbath rest, sacrificial offerings, and social justice finds completion. Christ Himself modeled this (Matthew 5:17) and now lives it through us by the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). in a single decree God distills hundreds of commands into one clear directive so no believer is left guessing (Deuteronomy 30:11-14). This simplicity magnifies grace: rather than carrying a rulebook, we carry a disposition of love. The word “single” shuts the door on legalistic add-ons that were troubling the Galatians (Galatians 1:6-7). Love your neighbor • “Neighbor” includes family, church, the hostile coworker, the stranger (Luke 10:29-37). • Love is more than sentiment; it takes form in patience, kindness, truth, endurance (1 Corinthians 13:4-7). • Practical snapshots: share resources (1 John 3:17), guard reputations (Ephesians 4:29), forgive quickly (Colossians 3:13). as yourself Healthy self-care—feeding, clothing, protecting—sets the baseline (Ephesians 5:29). Scripture assumes we naturally look out for number one; now we extend that same energy outward. It calls us to deliberate empathy: “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others” (Philippians 2:4). summary Galatians 5:14 compresses the whole Mosaic code into one living principle. Love, expressed to every neighbor with the same concern we instinctively lavish on ourselves, completes what the law sought. Walk in that love and you carry the law’s fulfillment wherever you go. |
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