Abstract
The letter to the Galatians reflects
a central theme and concern - the essence of the true gospel of Jesus Christ
set in contrast to a false imposter gospel. In his letter, the apostle Paul
exposes a false teaching threatening to ensnare the new Gentile believers and
corrupt their faith in the work of their Lord and Saviour. In essence, subtle
in its workings, this false gospel does not openly deny Christ yet preaches
that justification is attained through the works of the Law. It replaces God’s
grace with man’s righteousness, faith in Jesus with faith in one’s works – thus
essentially denying the cross.
The letter by Paul the apostle to the Galatians is set as a champion for the true gospel and a polemic response to a false gospel. At first glance, one wishes for more insight into the apostle’s thought behind his text, or into the experience of the Galatians which led to receiving such a communication. The letter is an affectionate display of the apostle’s fatherly love toward the Galatians; yet this extends to a tone of serious chastisement and correction. At the heart of the message to the Galatians lies the contrast between the true gospel and the false gospel.
The letter by Paul the apostle to the Galatians is set as a champion for the true gospel and a polemic response to a false gospel. At first glance, one wishes for more insight into the apostle’s thought behind his text, or into the experience of the Galatians which led to receiving such a communication. The letter is an affectionate display of the apostle’s fatherly love toward the Galatians; yet this extends to a tone of serious chastisement and correction. At the heart of the message to the Galatians lies the contrast between the true gospel and the false gospel.
We are introduced to the ‘other
gospel’ early in the opening of the letter. Following an assertion of his
authority as an apostle of Jesus, Paul does not delay bringing up the reason
for his letter: “I am astonished that you
are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are
turning to a different gospel — which is really no gospel at all. Evidently
some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the
gospel of Christ.” (1:6-7).
The apostle goes as far as calling
down a curse upon anyone (not excluding himself) if they preach another gospel
to the one of Jesus (1:7, 8). Further, he assures the Galatians of the divine
origin of the true gospel, establishing Jesus Christ himself as the authority,
and to the exclusion of any human influence (1:12). Evidently, the apostle goes
to great lengths to state that the gospel he delivered to the Galatians was
entrusted to him by God and not by man (1:1, 10, 11). In support of this he
cites his background as a persecutor of the church and subsequently his true
conversion, moreover, also citing the acceptance of leadership of the early
church of his appointment as an apostle to the Gentiles (1:6-10).
In the second chapter, two issues
give us insight into the concerns for the Galatians; the issue of circumcision
and the issue of eating with Gentiles. Separation from the Gentiles, as well as
forcing Gentiles to follow Jewish customs is seen as not acting in line with
the true gospel (2:14). With regards to circumcision, the apostle Paul affirms
that his companion Titus was not compelled to be circumcised and that in doing
so he held on to the ‘freedom we have in Christ Jesus’ (2:3). Along similar
lines, he cites open criticism of Peter for ceasing to eat with the Gentiles
for the purpose of appeasing the ‘circumcision group’ (2:11-14). In light of circumcision
being a sign of the Old Covenant and signifying inclusion to the people of God;
Paul often cites circumcision as a representation of living under the Old Covenant.
This is evident in his letter to the Galatians, where he draws the distinction
between the Old and the New Covenants - being that the true gospel is for the
circumcised and the uncircumcised.
Therein lays the difference between the true gospel of Jesus and the imposter
false gospel.
The heart of the matter
Justification
is not by works of the Law but by faith in Jesus Christ – In 2:16 Paul stands
as a Jew and testifies that: ‘We…know
that a man is not justified by observing the Law, but by faith in Jesus
Christ.’ The matter is summed up in verse 2:21 ‘I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be
gained through the Law, Christ died for nothing!’
In the third chapter we encounter
the famous phrase ‘You foolish Galatians’
– we glimpse Paul’s zeal for them not wanting to see them turn from the good
beginning they had – where they witnessed Jesus crucified, the purpose being to
attain for them righteousness before God. He reminds them that they did not
receive the Holy Spirit by observing the Law (which they could not uphold to
begin with), but directly from God by faith in Jesus.
Paul bolsters his argument by
citing Abraham – who received the promise of blessing not through observing the Law, but through faith in the promise of
God – essentially Abraham received the gospel ahead of time, “He believed God, and it was credited to him
as righteousness.” (3:6 cf Gen 15:6)[1] – Later
in verse 3:17 Paul reiterates the point that the Law came after Abraham, and
certainly did not nullify the promise of God’s grace to Abraham.
The apostle uses the Law (and the Prophets)
to drive his point home. He cites the curse of the Law (Deut 27:26) necessarily
applying to all who were yoked to the
covenant of the Law, since all failed to uphold the whole Law. He thus
demonstrates that reliance on the Law
is futile for seeking righteousness. He then quotes the Prophets, ‘the
righteous will live by faith’ (3:11, cf Hab 2:4), showing that the Law, as a
vehicle for justification, has nothing to do with, and is contrary to faith. In
Paul’s eyes, Jesus’ died on our behalf (necessarily becoming a curse for us in
order to redeem us from the curse of the Law) (3:13 cf Deut 21:23) so that by
faith we might receive the promise of the spirit made to Abraham (v 14) – thus the
inheritance depends on the promise, it never depended on keeping the Law (v 18).
Paul clearly makes the point that whilst
the Law is not opposed to the
promises, justification is not attained through observing the Law (3:21). The
crucial message to the Galatians is that righteousness is attained only through
faith in Jesus. The apostle explains that the Law was our guardian until Christ,
that we might be justified by faith in Christ (3:26) – now we, Jew or Gentile,
are all baptised as children of God,
clothed with Christ. In the New Covenant baptism in Christ is viewed as a
parallel to the Old Covenant sign of circumcision in Israel
In the forth chapter, we see more
of the apostle’s thought on the function of the Law. He uses the analogy of the
underage son – who is being subjected to a guardian (the Law) whilst he waits
for the inheritance (the spirit through faith) – God sent his son under the Law to
redeem those under the Law that we
might receive adoption to sonship (4:5). Here we witness yet again this
swapping of roles which God performs to save us – earlier in 3:13, Christ
becomes the curse to free us from the curse; here God’s Son comes under the Law
redeeming to sonship those under the Law!
Speaking to the Gentile believers, the
apostle calls them heirs and sons of God, who can call out ‘Abba father’
through the spirit of his son which they received into their hearts – what a
gospel! This is the true gospel.
The grave concern expressed for the
Galatians is that they should not be ensnared as slaves again – likening such
an entanglement to their past as worshipers of pagan gods; ‘Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by
nature are not gods. But now that you know God—or rather are known by God—how
is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable principles? Do you
wish to be enslaved by them all over again?’ (4:8, 9) It appears that the apostle
views their past somewhat as his own, tied to ‘observing days, months, seasons
and years’. Lovingly he entreats them and exhorts them to become like him as he
becomes like them (4:12), as if they both meet in the middle where the gospel
of Christ unites them.
As a Jew, he then argues
effectively from the Law that there can only be one covenant of relationship
with God – just as only one son, Isaac, was the child of the promise. Paul recognises
in the Galatians a need to belong to the family of God – but he says that they
should not seek the illegitimate means to attain this, for through faith in
Jesus they are Isaac’s sons and the
true children of the promise, children of the free woman (Christ’s supernatural
righteousness by God’s grace) and not of the slave woman (natural righteousness
through works of the Law).
‘It is for freedom that Christ has set us
free’
Finally, the Apostle Paul urges them to stand in the freedom afforded to them by Jesus – affirming that circumcision, taken to mean obligation to the Law, constitutes falling away from Christ. Those who by keeping the Law try to attain justification are fallen away from grace. Circumcision, in as far as it represents a way to God, counts for nothing (5:4). In his view ‘The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.’ (5:6) – and flowing from that is the living out of the Law of God; ‘The entire Law is summed up in a single command: “Love your neighbours as yourself.’ (5:14). How are they to live now? They are urged to now be led by the Spirit, upholding the law of Christ – a contrast is made between the acts of the sinful nature to the fruit of the Spirit – ‘against which there is no law’.
Essentially the message to the
Galatians is that they can not have it both ways – one must choose either the
way of faith in Jesus or the way of works of the Law. While looking like a Jew
may have saved him from persecution, the Apostle states that he has chosen to
place his faith in Jesus; as a result, he is persecuted for not preaching the works of the Law, rather, for preaching Christ crucified!
Paul ends his letter by stating: ‘May I
never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ’ (6:14) He does
not boast in his circumcision, neither does he commend it to anyone, ‘Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision
means anything; what counts is a new creation. Peace and mercy to all who
follow this rule, even to the Israel
Insight from other letters by the apostle Paul
The argument made by Paul on the
true gospel is echoed in some of his other writings. In Romans, he states: ‘Therefore no one will be declared righteous
in his sight by observing the Law; rather, through the Law we become conscious
of sin. But now a righteousness from God, apart from Law, has been made known,
to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes
through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.’ (Rom 3:20-22) ‘For we maintain that a man is justified by
faith apart from observing the Law.’ (Rom 3:28) ‘However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the
wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness.’ (Rom 4:5); ‘Christ is the end of the Law so that
there may be righteousness for everyone who believes’ (Rom 10:4).
In his letter to the Ephesians he
writes: ‘For it is by grace you have been
saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not
by works, so that no one can boast.’ (Eph 2:8-10) Similar teaching is seen
in the letter to Titus, where Paul instructs on justification by God’s grace
and not through any righteous acts anyone can present before God (Ti 35, 7) To
the Corinthians, it is written: ‘He has
made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the
Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.’ (2 Cor 3:6)
Conclusion
The real difference between the
true gospel and the false gospel is the power of the cross. The false gospel proclaims
the works of the Law as means of justification; the true gospel proclaims the
work of Jesus on the cross. The false gospel is impotent in attaining
righteousness before God while the true gospel of grace through faith in Jesus
Christ is the way to righteousness with God. One leads to death, the other leads
to life. One enslaves; the other sets free. The grace of God has always been
dependant on faith, from the time of Abraham and applying to the true sons of
Abraham’s seed. ‘I do not set aside the
grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the Law, Christ died
for nothing!’ ‘May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ’.
All biblical citations are from New
International Version 1984.
[1] Paul
uses the same logic and argument in Romans 4 demonstrating that righteousness
is not attained through personal works.
No comments:
Post a Comment