Galatians 5

who are being justified
Some translations have “would be” or “seek to,” but the Greek has a relative pronoun (οἵτινες; hoitines; “who are”). Paul is not saying that the Galatians are literally being justified by law as opposed to grace, though he is speaking from their perspective since they are acting as if law keeping does justify them. Thus, he is rhetorically arguing that in a hypthetical system in which the Galatians are being justified by law, they have departed from the grace of Christ that brings true justification. One cannot have both justification by law and justification by grace.

fallen from grace!
This verse is punctuated with an exclamation mark to bring out the proper emphasis due the seriousness of these couple statements. It is an extremely terrible and troublesome thing to be severed from Christ and to have fallen from grace. Thus, the punctuation here helps to more emphatically draw out the intended meaning here.

eagerly waiting
“Eagerly waiting” translates the verb ἀπεκδέχομαι (apekdechomai), which communicates an earnest expectation and eager anticipation for something deeply desired. Paul uses this word with the same sense in Romans 8:19, 23, and 25, as well as in 1 Corinthians 1:7. Here, the object is the hope of righteousness, which is the final, perfected righteousness which believers receive upon glorification. This is the earnest yearning of the true believer by faith.

upsetting
The Greek participle translated as “upsetting” here is formed around the verb ἀναστατόω (anastatoō), which has the idea of being overturned or disturbed. Thus, “upsetting” more accurately portrays the figurative sense of that idea than something like “troubling.” The imagery Paul employs here is that of the Galatian believers being unsettled from a firmly grounded position, and Paul wishes that those who are doing this would “mutilate” themselves (actually communicating the idea of castration!). This strong expression of ill will is truly appropriate in response to the upsetting of the Galatian saints from their foundation upon the true gospel.

want
The verb here is θέλω (thelō), which is the common word for communicating a person’s wish, desire, or will. In this context, it is best translated as “want,” reflecting the same wording Paul used in Romans 7:14 and following (e.g., v. 16: “if I do the very thing I do not want…”). There, he spoke of the inner struggle against sin because of still living in a fleshly, yet-to-be-glorified body. The solution to fighting the flesh is to walk by the Spirit, which is also why Paul follows that discussion in Romans 7 with a full discussion on the blessings of the Holy Spirit in Romans 8. Here, along the same strain, Paul emphasizes battle which rages between the flesh and the Spirit. Because of this battle, though believers want to obey the Lord in holiness, they still sometimes carry out the desire of the flesh because of its dangerous influence.

sexual immorality
The phrase “sexual immorality” translates the Greek word πορνεία (porneia), the term from which “pornography” is derived. It was used to describe practices of sexual perversion such as fornication, adultery, and prostitution (the related term πόρνη [pornē] means “prostitute”). It is used in reference to any sexual behavior outside the sanctity of marriage. Thus, rather than simply “immorality,” it is translated accurately here as “sexual immorality,” a translation consistent throughout the New Testament.

outbursts of anger
The phrase “outbursts of anger” here translates the plural form of the Greek term θυμός (thymos). The New Testament has two similar words for the concepts of “anger” and “wrath,” θυμός (thymos) and ὀργή (orgē). The burden in translation is to keep each term consistent with itself but distinct from the other. Because θυμός (thymos) carries the idea of a state of indignation, and ὀργή (orgē) more of a focus on retribution, this translation consistently renders the former with “anger” or “rage” and the latter with “wrath” or “fury.” While this is the general rule, some specific contexts require exceptions. For example, when θυμός (thymos) is used in the plural, it is translated as “outbursts of anger” (Gal 5:20; 1 Cor 12:20). In two other exceptional contexts, θυμός (thymos) is most precisely translated as “anger” (Mark 3:5; James 1:19–20). Finally, the book of Revelation has its own rules for translating these terms because John uses them in a different way than the other New Testament writers due to the connections and allusions he makes to Old Testament passages. Thus, in Revelation, ὀργη (orgē) is translated with “rage” and θυμός (thymos) with “wrath.”

selfish ambition
While some translations have something like “disputes” or “rivalries” the underlying Greek term ἐριθεία (eritheia) is slightly more specific than this, indicating that such disputes or rivalries are selfishly motivated. The term had been used prior to New Testament times to describe the underhanded jockeying for a position of authority for selfish gain (cf. BDAG on ἐριθεία). Thus, “selfish ambition” provides an admirable gloss for the term here and is the consistent translation for this word in its every occurrence in the New Testament (cf. Rom 2:8; 2 Cor 12:20; Phil 1:17; 2:3; James 3:14, 16). Here, such selfish competition is one of the marks of a sinful, fleshly person.

walk in step
“Walk in step” is from στοιχέω (stoicheō). The idea here is for the believer to walk in conformity to the standard of living defined by the Spirit and His fruit in their life. This same verb is used similarly and translated the same way also in 6:16 and Philippians 3:16.

vain glory
“Vain glory” translates κενόδοξος (kenodoxos), which only occurs here in the New Testament. The word has to do with praising oneself over empty things. Its cognate κενοδοξία (kenodoxia) occurs in Philippians 2:3 where it it also transalted as “vain glory.” Translating kenodoxos as “vain glory” here in Galatians contrasts improper boasting and glorying with what is truly glorious and worthy of being boasted about.