• (00:09:11) - The Spirit (of God) vs the spirit (of man)
• (00:15:00) - How do you walk in the Spirit?
• (00:16:35) - Praying in the Spirit (of God) vs praying with the spirit (of man)
• (00:22:20) - The Law of Moses and the Spirit of Christ.
• (00:26:29) - Common Errors in the King James Version.
• (00:29:15) - 1st Corinthians 2.
• (00:32:59) - The spirit (of man) searches the deep things of (the Spirit of) God.
• (00:38:57) - The Voice of Your Recreated Human Spirit.
• (00:39:37) - Romans 8: Those that are in the flesh and those that are in the Spirit
• (00:44:40) - The works of the Flesh VS the fruit of the spirit.
• (00:55:41) - Galatians 5:19 The works of the flesh.
• (00:59:31) - Walk in the Spirit.
• (01:01:26) - How do you begin to walk in the Spirit?
• (01:13:51) - Galatians 5:22 The fruit of the (recreated human) spirit.
• (01:19:32) - They that are Christ's have crucified the flesh.

Welcome to this explanatory guide, designed to illuminate the core ideas presented in Shingi’s Bible Commentary on Galatians Chapter 5. These notes serve as a clear and accessible resource for those new to biblical studies, simplifying complex theological concepts and providing a structured understanding of the text. Shingi’s primary teaching method in this commentary is to unpack the allegory of Abraham’s two sons from Galatians 4, using it as a lens through which to interpret the entire chapter. This guide will walk you through the central theme of the commentary: the profound difference between living under the burden of religious law and living in the freedom offered through Christ.

The study frames Galatians 5 around a central conflict between two opposing ways of living: one defined by Christ-given liberty and the other by a legalistic “yoke of bondage.”

1.1. What is the “Liberty” We Are Called To?

According to Teacher Shingi, the liberty discussed is the freedom that Christ has bestowed upon all believers. This freedom is not something that must be earned but is a direct result of one’s spiritual birth. This is allegorically explained as being “born of the free woman,” which signifies being born into Christ and becoming part of the “Jerusalem which is above, which is free”. The key benefit of this liberty is that it is an inheritance of freedom, a foundational aspect of the believer’s new identity, not a reward for good works.

1.2. What is the “Yoke of Bondage”?

Teacher Shingi defines the “yoke of bondage” as the act of becoming entangled with the Law of Moses and attempting to be justified by it. This “yoke” represents several interconnected ideas:

• The Law from Mount Sinai: Teacher Shingi explicitly links this bondage to the law that Moses received at Mount Sinai.
• The Pursuit of Circumcision: The act of circumcision is used as the primary example of trying to adhere to the law for justification before God.
• The “Flesh”: The source of this bondage is the “flesh,” which Shingi directly links to the attempt to live by the Law of Moses received at Mount Sinai.

Apostle Paul issues a stark warning: anyone who attempts to be justified by the law becomes a “debtor to do the whole law,” and for that person, Christ becomes of “no effect”. Shingi highlights the severe consequence of this path, noting that if you fail to keep even one point of the law, you have violated the whole law and are therefore “worthy of death”.

This fundamental conflict between liberty and bondage is illustrated by Teacher Shingi through two distinct spiritual origins, or “births.”

The commentary draws upon the allegory from Galatians 4—the story of Abraham’s two sons, Ishmael and Isaac—to illustrate the difference between a life lived under the law (“born after the flesh”) and a life lived in Christ (“born after the Spirit”).

• (00:12:22) - Jerusalem Which Is Above Is Free
• (00:14:26) - Stand Fast In Your Liberty
• (00:20:27) - Faith Working By Love
• (00:30:55) - How Much God Loves Me
• (00:34:06) - The Truth Of The Gospel
• (00:40:03) - Paul The Apostle On Liberty
• (00:48:55) - Walking In The Spirit

The key theological themes and interpretations from Shingi’s Bible Commentary: Galatians Chapter 4, specifically focusing on the transition from the Old Covenant (Law) to the New Covenant (Grace) and the concept of sonship in Christ.

1. Core Argument: Freedom from Bondage through Sonship in Christ

The central theme is the stark contrast between the “bondage of the law” under the Old Testament and the “freedom” and “sonship” available through the New Covenant in Christ. Shingi, asserts that adherence to the Law leads to spiritual bondage, akin to being a child who “differs nothing from a servant, though he be Lord of all.” True freedom and inheritance come through the Spirit of God, which raises believers into sonship.

2. Key Concepts and Distinctions:

A. Bondage vs. Sonship:

• The Law and Bondage: Mount Sinai, where the Law was given, is allegorically linked to the “bondwoman” Hagar, giving “birth to bondage.” The Old Testament is consistently presented as a “testament of bondage.”
  “Mount Sinai, Moses and Mount Sinai is like the bond woman that gave birth to bondage. So it says Ishmael was bondage and then Isaac was what? Was freedom!”
  “Why do you desire to be under the bondage of the law?”
• Sonship through the Spirit: Shingi teaches on how receiving the Holy Spirit after believing is crucial for escaping bondage and entering into sonship.“The Spirit of Christ comes into your heart and now raises you, and now brings you, and raises you into becoming a son, places you into the place of the sonship of Christ.”
  
  “Only the Spirit of God can do that for you. Have you received the Holy Spirit since you believed? Because if you have not received the Holy Spirit since you believed, you’re going to be in bondage.”
  
  “Wherefore you are no more a servant, but a son. And if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.”

B. The Allegory of Hagar and Sarah:

• Ishmael (Bondwoman/Flesh/Law): Hagar and her son Ishmael represent the Old Covenant, born “after the flesh,” leading to bondage. Those who adhere to the Law are likened to Ishmael, whose destiny, as prophesied, was to be a “wild man” whose “hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him.” This is prophetically linked to the historical persecution faced by Israel.
  
  “He who was of the bond woman was born after the flesh. The one from Mount Sinai, it says, which gendereth – it gives birth to bondage.”
  
  “The destiny of those that were under the law, he says that, he shall be like a wild man. Your hand is going to be against every man, and every man’s hand is going to be against you.”
• Isaac (Free Woman/Promise/Spirit): Sarah and Isaac represent the New Covenant, born “after promise,” leading to freedom. Believers in Christ are “children of promise,” like Isaac, and are “of the free.”
  
  “But he who is of the free woman was born after promise. Now we brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise....

Teacher Shingi summarizes key theological concepts from Galatians chapter 3, “Abraham’s Seed: Heirs According To The Promise,” focusing on the nature of sonship in Christ, the purpose and limitations of the Law, the significance of Abraham’s blessing, and the dismantling of societal barriers in Christ.

1. The Transformation to Sonship in Christ (Huiothesia)

The core message revolves around the concept of “sonship” (huiothesia) being raised by the Holy Spirit and being placed into the “sonship of Christ”, contrasting it with a prior state of a Christian being “children

(of God)” (teknon) which is being just offspring that are born of Him.

• Baptism and “Putting on Christ”: Being “baptized into Christ” means to “put on Christ,” which is “put[ting] on the sonship of Christ.” This has nothing to do with water baptism but an immersion or being “dipped into, to put into” Christ/the Spirit of Christ through being born again.
• Teknon vs. Huios (Sons): Initially, Christians are “teknon” or “children of God” as in “offspring” by being “born again of the Word of God.” However, the receipt of the Holy Spirit elevates them to “sonship” (huiothesia).
• Teknon (Children): This state implies immaturity and a need for guidance, akin to being “in bondage under the elements of the world” and “under a schoolmaster.”
• Huios (Sons): The Holy Spirit “places you into sonship,” signifying maturity, readiness to “reign,” and the ability to “dominate and reign over the elements of the world.”
• Huiothesia- Not Adoption (as commonly understood): Shingirai Mudyirwa strongly refutes the common English translation of huiothesia as “adoption” in the sense of taking on a child not previously one’s own. Instead, it signifies a “placing into sonship from being a child who was under a schoolmaster, which was the law of Moses.” It’s a maturation process, not an external legal adoption.“No, it’s not adoption like as you go there to say, this was not my child, and now I want to adopt them to become my child. No, no, no, that’s not what he’s talking. That’s not the adoption of sons.”“The adoption of sons that the that the King James translated the huiothesia, the adoption of sons is talking about the placing into sonship from being a child who was under a schoolmaster, which was the law of Moses.”
• The Role of the Holy Spirit: The Holy Spirit is crucial for this transition to sonship.
  “When you are filled with the Holy Spirit, you are brought into the huiothesia where the spirit of God takes you from being just teknon offspring and now places you into sonship.”

  2. The Purpose and Limitations of the Law

The Law of Moses is presented as a temporary, preparatory measure, ultimately replaced by Christ.

• The Law as a “Schoolmaster”: The Law served as a “schoolmaster” or “caretaker,” “nanny,” “tutor,” or “guardian” to humanity, specifically the children of Israel. Its purpose was to “guard”...

Teacher Shingi provides key themes and facts from the provided source, “Galatians 3: Faithfulness and the Promise of Christ,”. The overarching message emphazises salvation and righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ, contrasting it sharply with adherence to the Mosaic Law. A significant portion of this commentary is dedicated to re-defining “faithfulness” in a biblical context, particularly as it applies to God and Abraham.

Key Themes:
1. “Justification by Faith, Not by the Law:“

The central argument of Galatians 3, and the core message of the commentary, is that salvation and righteousness are received solely through faith in Jesus Christ, not through adherence to the Mosaic Law. The Apostle Paul’s epistle to the Galatians is presented as an attack on those who tried to “mix the law of Moses and the faith of Jesus Christ.”

1. “Paul calls bewitchment to mix the the law of Moses and the faith of Jesus Christ.”
O foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ has been evidently set forth, crucified among you?” (Galatians 3:1)
2. “You cannot impose things of the law of Moses to those who are of the faith of Jesus Christ.”
3. The reception of the Holy Spirit is cited as proof of justification through faith in Christ alone:
“Received you the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?” (Galatians 3:2)
4. Miracles and transformation are attributed to: the “hearing of faith,” not “works of the law.” (Galatians 3:5)
5. “For if righteousness came by the law, then Christ died in vain.”
“That no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident. For the just shall live by faith.” (Galatians 3:11)

2. Abraham as the Archetype of Faith:

Paul presents Abraham’s faith in God as the foundational example of justification by faith, predating the Mosaic Law. His faith in God’s “word of promise” was “accounted to him for righteousness.”
“Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” (Galatians 3:6)

1. Teacher Shingi references Genesis 15, where Abraham believed God’s promise of a seed.
“And he believed in the Lord, and he counted it to him for righteousness.” (Genesis 15:6)

2. This faith in God’s Word is contrasted with attempts to keep the Ten Commandments as a means of salvation. “You didn’t fulfill any part of the law or try to fulfill any part of the law to be saved… not the observing of the law, but the hearing of faith.” (Galatians 3:5)

3. Christ as Abraham’s “Seed” and the Fulfillment of the Promise:

The “seed” promised to Abraham is id...

In this commentary, Shingi reviews key themes, arguments, and facts from Galatians Chapter 2, focusing on the Apostle Paul’s theological stance against mixing the Law of Moses with the Gospel of Christ.

The central and most important theme in Shingi’s commentary is the vehement opposition to the mixing of the Law of Moses with the faith of Jesus Christ for salvation. Teacher Shingi repeatedly stresses that “There is no Christian who has the business mixing the law of Moses with the faith of Jesus Christ.”

Lesser vs. Greater Glory: The Law of Moses is described as a “lesser glory” compared to the “greater glory that the Lord Jesus Christ brought to us with the Gospel.” Shingi questions, “Why do you want to live according to a lesser glory?”

Justification by Faith, Not Works: Paul’s argument, as expounded in Galatians 2:16, is highlighted: “knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ… For by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.” This is presented as the foundational truth for Christian life.
Christ’s Sacrifice in Vain if Law Justifies: The commentary concludes by quoting Galatians 2:21: “I do not frustrate the grace of God. For if righteousness came by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.” This underscores the radical incompatibility of the two systems for achieving righteousness.

Teacher Shingi emphasizes the unique source of Paul’s gospel message, validating his strong arguments against the Law.
Divine Revelation: Paul’s gospel was “by revelation, by apokalupsis of Jesus Christ.” He explicitly states, “No man taught me this message.” This direct divine instruction distinguishes his gospel from that propagated by others.
Three Years in Arabia: Paul spent “three years in the desert of Arabia, where he said by apokalupsis, he received the gospel message for three years.” This period is presented as Jesus’s personal teaching of Paul.
Judas’s Replacement: A provocative revelation is offered: “Paul, not Matthias, was Jesus’s replacement and choice for the bishopric of Judas,” because Jesus appeared to Paul after his resurrection for three years, mirroring the time the other disciples spent with Him. This further validates Paul’s unique authority and divine calling.
Boldness from the Word: Paul’s confidence in his message stems from having “received the word of God by apokalupsis of Jesus Christ.” Shingi presents this as a model for Christians today: “When you receive the Word of God, it comes, and it gives you the boldness that you require to be able to deliver it and to stand for it.”

A significant portion of the commentary details the conflict between Paul and Peter in Antioch, highlighting Peter’s hypocrisy and Paul’s unwavering commitme...

Shingi’s Bible Commentary on the Epistle of Paul to the Galatians, Chapter 1, focuses on establishing Paul’s apostolic authority, the true nature of the Gospel, and the historical context of the early Christian church. Teacher Shingi, emphasises Paul’s bold declaration of his apostleship and his unique revelation from Jesus Christ, arguing that Paul, not Matthias, was the divinely chosen 12th apostle.

1. Paul’s Apostolic Authority and Divine Calling:

Bold Self-Declaration: Paul immediately introduces himself as “Paul, an apostle, not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father” (Galatians 1:1). This is presented as a bold declaration in the face of widespread uncertainty and fear surrounding his conversion, given his past as a persecutor of Christians.

Direct Appointment by Jesus Christ: The core argument for Paul’s authority is that his apostleship was “by the revelation of Jesus Christ” (Galatians 1:12). This is distinguished from human teaching or study of scripture, implying a personal appearance of Jesus Christ to the apostle Paul. Shingi uses the Greek word “apokalupsis” to highlight this direct, personal encounter, being Jesus’ post-resurrection appearances to the apostles.

The “Apocalupsis of Jesus Christ” vs. “Apocalupsis in the Knowledge of God”: Shingi meticulously differentiates these two types of revelation. The “apocalupsis of Jesus Christ” refers to direct, personal appearances of Jesus Christ post-resurrection, like those experienced by the original 12 apostles and, as argued, by Paul himself. “Apocalupsis in the knowledge of God” refers to revelation gained through studying scripture study and the Spirit of God (Ephesians 1:17). Paul’s claim is the former, signifying a foundational and unique authority.

Paul as the True 12th Apostle: A central and strongly asserted idea is that Paul was God’s chosen replacement for Judas, making him the rightful 12th apostle, not Matthias. Teacher Shingi argues that Matthias’s selection by casting lots (Acts 1:26) was a human decision made “before the Holy Spirit had come to start the church” and was therefore questionable. Paul’s apostleship, conversely, was a direct divine appointment, fulfilling the scripture in Psalms about Judas’s bishopric being taken by another (Acts 1:20).

Three Years in Arabia as Divine Training: Paul’s account of spending three years in Arabia (Galatians 1:17) is interpreted as a period of direct, personal training and “apocalupses’ of Jesus Christ”, mirroring the three years the original disciples spent with Jesus during his earthly ministry. This further solidifies Paul’s direct tutelage from Christ.

2. The True Gospel and its Content:

“Another Gospel” and Perversion: Paul expresses “marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you to the grace of Christ unto another gospel which is not another, but there be some that trouble you and would pervert the gospel of Christ” (Galatians 1:6-7). This “another gospel” refers to the contention that Gentile believers needed to adhere to Jewish customs (like circumcision) in addition to faith in Christ for salvation...