Galatians 5:7-10 :

You were running well! Who interfered with you that you should not obey the truth? This persuasion is not from him who calls you. A little yeast grows through the whole lump. I have confidence toward you in the Lord that you will think no other way. But he who troubles you will bear his judgment, whoever he is.

Paul often used a foot race analogy when talking about living the Christian life. In this case, an interference was causing them to “not obey the truth.” This is the second time that Paul used the words “obey the truth” in Galatians. The first time was in Galatians 3:1. I discussed then that obeying the truth is not the same as obeying the law. It is good to note that Paul says it twice so we can see that it wasn’t a mistake. When you obey the truth, your mind and will are involved because you really believe and know what you are doing. When you follow the law, you don’t really need to know what it means. You just follow because you will get rewarded for it.

Paul refers to this legalism as yeast that grows in a lump of dough. Yeast grows fast and infects every piece of dough with a rotting influence. It also puffs up the dough. That’s very much like what legalism does. It puffs up the people to think that they are as good as Jesus because they think they can follow the law like He did.

Paul had earlier said that he was perplexed and concerned that he had wasted his efforts on the Galatians. In this part of the letter, he gains confidence that the Lord will cause them to turn around and realize what happened to them. It is a wonderful thing to be able to ask God for the salvation of someone. What an amazing thing it is to be able to pray and be heard.

Lastly, we read here that judgment will come upon those who are causing this trouble. Paul mentioned this idea in chapter one where he said that even he would be accursed if he spoke against the Gospel. Here again, Paul affirms that those who go against the Gospel will be judged. Paul used to go against it before he was saved and later was forgiven, so I am sure that Paul is not saying that those who later believe after fighting the Gospel will not get a chance. Even as Christians, we may fail to understand some of these things properly at first, but God will never go back on His promises to us. If we confess our sins in this area, He will forgive us.