King James Bible
"And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage:"
Paul identifies infiltrators who posed as genuine believers but were actually opponents of the gospel. These individuals were secretly introduced into the Christian community, likely by Judaizers who insisted Gentile converts must follow Jewish law to be saved. Their covert purpose was reconnaissance—to observe and undermine the freedom from Mosaic law that believers enjoyed through faith in Christ. This liberty was the revolutionary teaching that salvation comes by grace alone, not through ceremonial observance. The ultimate goal of these false brothers was to re-enslave believers to legalistic requirements, reversing the gospel's liberating message. Paul views any return to law-based righteousness as spiritual bondage, contradicting the freedom Christ purchased.