5:7
The Galatians had started well, but, as all of the Bible makes clear, perseverance is essential. The Old Testament is full of examples of people who started well but finished badly. This is particularly the case in 1 and 2 Kings. There were a lot of bad kings, but several who did well for a time, then they failed at the end, eg Hezekiah, Azariah. In the New Testament we are encouraged to persevere, and in Christ and through the Spirit this is possible. However, the Galatians were now in danger of falling away. A false teaching had arrived and this was keeping them from the truth.
False teachings do not just tell us wrong things, they blind us to the truth as well.
5:8
There is such a tendency today to count all views as having some merit to them, or even having equal merit. They do not. Some views are utterly destructive, that is the clear Biblical teaching. A key question is where does the teaching come from. Teaching that blinds us to the truth, or teaching that contradicts the Bible does not come from God and we need to recognise this.
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