Galatians 5:8
What does Galatians 5:8 mean?
A plain-English look at Galatians 5:8 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.
What Galatians 5:8 means
The origin of the Galatians’ new persuasion is not God, the One who called them by grace. By pointing to the divine call, Paul contrasts the gospel’s source with the false teaching’s source. God’s call brings freedom and truth; this message brings bondage and confusion. The statement invites the Galatians to test teachings by their conformity to God’s revealed gospel. If a doctrine promotes reliance on human works for acceptance with God, it cannot be from Him. Paul shepherds their conscience: do not ascribe divine authority to what God did not send. Discerning the source helps break the spell of persuasive error.
Parallel translations
WEB
World English Bible · 2000This persuasion came not of him that calleth you.
KJV
King James Version · 1611This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you.
ASV
American Standard Version · 1901This persuasion came not of him that calleth you.
BBE
Bible in Basic English · 1949This ready belief did not come from him who had made you his.
YLT
Young's Literal Translation · 1862the obedience <FI>is<Fi> not of him who is calling you!
DRA
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752This persuasion is not from him that calleth you.
DBY
Darby Bible · 1890The persuasibleness [is] not of him that calls you.
Context
Verse 7 asked who hindered them. Verse 8 answers negatively: not God. This clarifies the spiritual nature of the conflict—competing messages with different origins. The next image in verse 9 will show how even a little falsehood spreads destructively among believers. Paul is both pastoral and strategic: he names the issue, unmasks its source, and then warns of its contagion before turning, in verse 10, to express confidence in the Lord’s work among them and to announce judgment on the troublemaker.
Cross references
Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.
- Romans 8:28
And we know that to them that love God all things work together for good, even to them that are called according to his purpose.
- Galatians 1:6
I marvel that ye are so quickly removing from him that called you in the grace of Christ unto a different gospel;
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