Daniel's Literal Translation and Commentary
The Renewed Covenant by Daniel Gregg
"Galatians 5:1-4 For freedom Messiah liberated us. Stand firm, then, and do not hold on to a yoke of slavery again. 2 Behold, I Paul tell you all that if you should be circumcised, Messiah will be of no benefit for you all. 3 And I witness again for every man being circumcised such that a debtor he is for all the law to do—you all are undone from Messiah, you who by the norm are trying to satisfy justice—from grace you have fallen" (DLT: torahtimes.org).
should : A translation of the subjunctive mood (see Wallace pg. 463). The idea opposed here is that one should be circumcised as the first step in satisfying the penalty of sin. Paul could also used this manner of phrase because the Jerusalem council had decided that Gentiles outside the land of Israel need not be circumcised at that time based on the precedent that God had not enforced circumcision on Israel until they actually came into the land.
such that : οτι. BDAG, 3rd edition, "5c. so that ". The conjunction supplies the reason and condition upon which Paul opposes circumcision on this occasion—because it was married to a heretical theology of having to do all the law in order to earn forgiveness. It is much like Catholics teaching that one must be baptized to remit the guilt of original sin, or modern Gnostics teaching substitutionary righteousness as a means to obtaining an acquittal before God.
norm : νομος. Or "custom" or "tradition". BDAD, 3rd. Edition, definition 1. The meaning is very flexible. At least Paul is saying they were submitting to the norm of having to acquit themselves of sin by trying to be perfect. Pursuing righteousness is the right thing to do, but pursuing it to earn an acquittal is simply heresy. One of the biggest modern versions of earning an acquittal is to say that Christ earned an acquittal on one's behalf. Fancy that, acquittal without having to be good! However, God does not accept any type of acquittal, whether it is a real attempt to be perfect, or philosophical and legalistic trickery to get the equivalent of an acquittal in God's sight. No the only way is to plead guilty and forever give up the idea of vindication in God's estimation. He forgives the repentant sinner, but He hates anyone who would have him see them as righteous and then claim God must acquit them of sin on that basis. Such is the snare and deadly peril of the forensic doctrine of imputed righteousness. Paul seems to have anticipated this Lutheran and Calvinistic heresy because he says in the next verse that we must "wait" for righteousness—indeed wait for it by πιστεως. That pretty well kills the false doctrine that God sees us as perfectly righteous by faith. True imputation of righteousness comes as the Torah is inscribed on the heart, and only comes to completion in the eschatological day of atonement. (DLC: torahtimes.org)
satisfy justice : δικαιοω. or "have justice done".
Daniel's Literal Translation and Commentary: (http://www.torahtimes.org/translation/gal0501.html)
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