The Pulpit Commentary — Galatians — Section 294

apostle no doubt had in hie eye in this into the eternal kingdom of our Lord o.nd enumeration, "murders" seems too strong a Saviour Jesus Christ," o.nd by St. Jnmee word t.o be o.ppropriate; and this consider- (ii. 5), "heirs of the kingdom which he ation seems t.o prove the word here not au- [God] ·promised to them that love him." It thentic. Drunkenness,revellings (µl6a1,,c!Zµo,); is deri\•ed from our Lord's own ·teaching-, BS, dronkenne!1s~, rer,elUngB. We have the same e.g. Matt, xx'I'. 34, "Inherit the kingdom two plural nouns in Rom. :i.iii. 13, 1«1,µo,s Kai prepared for you; " Luke ~i. 32, " It is µe6a1s. This fourth group represents sins your Father's good pleasure to give yon the of exooss. Here, t.oo, the apostle touches a kingdom." It is the manifesto.tion and con- form of '<'ice, to whic.h abundant testimony summation of "that kingdom of heaven " shows the Galatians, a.s well as other or "kingdom of God," heralded by Chri~t branches of Celts, to have been especially and his forerunner as "at hand," which the prone. It was, perhaps, this marked feature Prophet Daniel had· pointed forwnrd to of the Ga.latian nationality in particular (Dan. ii. H; vii. IS, 14, 18). Bondage to that led St. Peter, in addressing the "the flesh" in this life is constantly de- Churches of" Pontus, Galati&, Cappadooia, clared throughout the New Testament to Asia, and Bithynia," to speak (1 Pet. iv. 3) form an insuperable ba.r to an entrance into of their ha Ying formerly walked in "lasci- that exalted state. And what ,is the alter- viousness, lusts, wine-bibbings, revellings, native prospect? This the Apostle Paul ca.ronsings (oiuo,PA.v,,la«, KWµ.oir, ,r&-ro,s), and does not here specify, though elsewhere he abominable idolatries." And snch like (,co.I does so with awful emphasis; as e.g. Rom, -ra oµ,,w. -ro{n-oLS); and tJwse (works) ,ohich iL 8. are like t,o these. Of the which I tell you Ver. 22.-But the fruit of the Spirit (d II~ before, as I have also told yon in time past 1ro.p1rbs -roii m,.6µ.a-ros). As it wo.s with a (u ,rpo1'.t-yw vµ.iu, tto.6ws [Receptus, Ka8WS Kczl] hortatory purpose, to warn, that the apostle wpoei1rou); of thewhichlforewarn you, even as has before enumerated the vices into which 1 did forewarn you. The construction of the the Galatian Christians would be most in accusative li is precisely similar to that of g,, danger of falling, so now with an answering in John nii. 54, "Ou vµeis "-•-r•n lin e,hs hortatory purpose, to point out the direction vµ!Zv itr-r1.. The "P~ in ,rpo1'.e-yw, ns also in in which their endeavours should lie; he the ,rpo,i1rou which follows, has reference to reckons up the dispositions and states of the time when it shall actually be proved mind which it was the office of the Holy who are to enter into the kingdom of God. Spirit to produce in them. In the Epistle "' As I did forewarn you; " this previous to the Colossians (iii. 12-15), written warning was probably given at his very several years after, most of the features here first preaching of the gospel to them : he specified reappear in the form of direct ex- would no doubt at once speak plainly to hortation (" kindness, meekness, long-suffer- people, very commonly sun.k in vice and ing, love, peace, thankfulness")--" joy " excess, of the awards of the "judgment to being there implicitly represented by come." That they which do snch thingB "thankfulness." The word" fruit" here takes (on ot .,-a 'TOLQ.V'T4 ,rprl.trtrOJl'TfS) ; that they the place of "works" in ver. 19, as being a which practiBe ,uch things. The present more suitable designation of what are rather tense of ,rpa.trtrovr•s is more suitable than states of mind or habits of feeling than the aorist, W! being the language of warn- concrete actions like most of those previously ing- with reference to future conduct (cf. enumero.ted "works." The word "fruit," Rom. ii 2, 3, 7-10). Shall not inherit the moreover, describing in the vegetable world kingdom of God (/3at1t>..dau 0,oii ob 1<M1povoµf,- a matured· product, is very commonly ,used· troutr,11 ). The apostle nses the same words in the New Testament with. reference to in writing to the Corinthians with reference such product as ie uot only of a pleasant t.o the sins to which they were the most but also of a useful kind; thus, "fruits meet prone (l Cor. vL 9, 10). So Eph. v. 6, "No for repentance; " the fruit of the True Vine fornicator, nor unclean person, nor covetoUB in John xv. 2-16 which glorifies. God; the man, 'l'<hich is an idolater, bath any inheri- abundant fruit of whee.t (John xii. 24); the tance in the kingdom of Christ and God." fruit of righteousness ( Pbw.:. ;. H ; Heb. xii. This "kingdom" is also referred to in 11) ; the fruit gathered by an evangelist 1 Thee@. ii 12, "Walk wor.lhily of God (John iv. 36; Rom. i. 13); so that it wu !MII who calleth yon into his own kingdom and doubt introduced here, ae e.lso in Epb. v. ~ glory" (" His own!" Astonishing pro- with the intended suggestion, the.t the spect!) ; 2 Thess. L 5, "That ye may be: graces here specified are results answering counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for to the design of the greo.t Giver of the· which ye aleo suffer;" 2 Tim. iv. 18," will Spirit's influences, and a.re in their own save me nnto his heavenly kingdom." The nature wholesome e.nd gro.teful. The sin- !ike designation of the future felicity iJI gular number of the noun is employed in giv@n by St. Peter (2 Pet. i. 11), "entr81Dce preference to the plural, which ia found e.g. 1111. v. 1-26.J THE EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS.