I have confidence in you through the Lord, that you will not be otherwise minded: but he that troubles you shall bear his judgment, whosoever he be.
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Ambrosiaster
AD 400
He says that he has this ground for trusting in them, that they had entered on the path of error not of their own accord, but they had been taken unawares. Thus he trusts that when they are shown the true road they will easily be able to return.
I have confidence in you. I trust the Lord to stablish you in the faith you have received, and to save you from believing aught save what I have taught you, and from following these new teachers and their novel doctrines.
But he that troubleth you. He who is stirring up this strife, and tending the whole Church, shall bear the punishment which God in His wrath shall inflict on those who teach heresy. By metonymy, judgment is put for punishment.
Some say that Paul is tacitly attacking Peter, whom he says he “opposed to his face” … but Paul would not speak with such offensive aggression of the head of the church, nor did Peter deserve to be held to blame for disturbing the church. Therefore it must be supposed that he is speaking of someone else who had either been with the apostles, or was from Judea, or was one of the believing Pharisees, or at any rate was reckoned important among the Galatians. .
But he that troubles you shall bear his judgment, whosoever he be.
Not only by words of encouragement, but by uttering a curse or a prophecy against their teachers, he applies to them an incentive. And observe that he never mentions the name of these plotters, that they might not become more shameless. His meaning is as follows. Not because you will be none otherwise minded, are the authors of your seduction relieved from punishment. They shall be punished; for it is not proper that the good conduct of the one should become an encouragement to the evil disposition of the other. This is said that they might not make a second attempt upon others. And he says not merely, he that troubles, but, whosoever he be, in the way of aggravation.
He does not say, you are not minded, but, you will not be minded; that is, you will be set right. And how does he know this? He says not I know, but I trust in God, and invoking His aid in order to your correction, I am in hopes; and he says, not merely, I have confidence in the Lord, but, I have confidence towards you in the Lord. Every where he connects complaint with his praises; here it is as if he had said, I know my disciples, I know your readiness to be set right. I have good hopes, partly because of the Lord who suffers nothing, however trivial, to perish, partly because of you who are quickly to recover yourselves. At the same time he exhorts them to use diligence on their own parts, it not being possible to obtain aid from God, if our own efforts are not contributed.
He did not say “I know” but “I have confidence.” “I trust God,” Paul says. “I am confident when I call on the Lord to assist in your amendment.” And he has not said, “I have confidence in the Lord” but “I have confidence in you in the Lord.” Everywhere he interweaves his admonitions with praises. It is as though he said, “I know my disciples, I know your uprightness. My confidence is based first on the Lord who does not allow the least thing to be lost, and then on you, who can quickly recover control of yourselves.” At the same time, he asks them to bring their own zeal, since we cannot receive from God without bringing something of our own.
