https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Gal+5%3A7-13&version=NIVUK
13 You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.
Galatians 5:13
One of the most aggressive words of Paul that leaves you speechless: Let them cut off their genitals if they uphold circumcision so much! (v.12) Why so much aggression in preaching the gospel? Because they, the false teachers, undermine the vital truth—it is Christ and his work that have freed you and continue to do so to be his, no matter what history or destiny you had. This might be a stumbling block to them, but not for us because it is the cornerstone, the foundation stone, of our faith’s hearing (that Christ transforms us completely despite our origin of being ‘born of woman’, in other words, ‘born under the law’).
Now we see why Paul is so strong and strict about this. To bring believers under the law, represented by the law of circumcision, is like undoing our Christ’s work on the cross! Thus Paul curses such attempts and emphasises that it is grace from beginning to end. It makes you so humble that you have nothing to boast about yourself but be like a slave again. But this time not to the flesh but to love—the essence that freely chose to come to us and strengthen us back to life.
Lord, your word enlightens us. Your word blesses us. Through the word, we come to know our blessed status, which is never to be cursed again. Forgive us, Lord; we have many times negotiated our status, which you have won for us. We were born of Hagar, but you transformed us into being born of Sarah; we were Ishamel, but you transformed us into Isaac. How can we completely understand this wonder? Preserve us until the day we can, so that we may, though we may not understand completely how or why, still demonstrate the outcome of your wonder of freeing us from our bodily greed into your godly promise. Let us realise that freedom, and let us cut off all cunning and fraudulent schemes of our own and others, because you have already cut them off to win us. Let us belong to and praise that victory, Lord. Only to that love and freedom are we slaves eternally.