Galatians 5:8 - The True Source of Truth

"The persuasion [is] not out of the [One] calling you."

-The Galatians are being hindered. They are following Jesus, running (to win - at least that's the idea, cf 1Corinthians 9.24) the spiritual race of faith - trying to at least - and somebody is giving them bad info, information which is hurting their running.  This bad information, this would-be 'persuasion', as Paul calls it, comes from the same word that gives us the word 'faith'.  It is any amount of information in which you might put your faith or trust.  It is something you are persuaded to believe.  You are certain.  Never mind that you could be certainly wrong.  But you are certain.  Ultimately, however, what matters more than being certain or persuaded about something, more than simply having faith, is the quality as well as the source of your information.  If the information I believe is wrong, it doesn't matter how persuaded or sincere I am that it is true.  I will be sincerely wrong.  Certainty and sincerity matter, don't get me wrong, but what matters more is veracity.  Vigilant eagle-eyed truth-checkers - that's what we are (or should be).  Which of course begins with diligent study of the Truth.  Know it well, so you can more easily sort a counterfeit.

-And so we have this somebody who believes something about how to follow Jesus, they are so sincere, so strongly persuaded about it and they are doing their darnedest to try and persuade these Galatians about it.  To which Paul simply says, in no un-certain terms, that, as certain as they are about what they are saying, they have bad information.  It is wrong information, because it is not from the right Source.  You gotta check the source, and you then need to check to make sure the info is consistent with what one would expect from that source, as well as from any other reliable sources.  Paul knows for sure that these Judaizers did not get their information from the True Source of truth, because it is not consistent with everything else this One Who calls us to follow Him has said about how to follow Him.  Always check your sources, and don't let anything slow you down in your race towards the Prize...