Posts: Galatians

Galatians

Paul’s letter to the churches of Galatia includes a significant number of negative statements. But, the negatives are always followed by more-than-equal positives. The introduction to the letter (Galatians 1:1 – 5) is key to setting the right expectations for what follows. Paul introduced himself as one who had been assigned this task by God; he was not just a good guy with nice ideas. His objective was for his audience to assimilate the character of God into themselves and to have peace in this broken world. Sounds interesting!

Many of the Christians of Galatia (central Turkey) had fallen prey to off-beat teachings by those who had trouble leaving their culture behind (Galatians 1:6 – 2:14). Paul reminded them of key credentials by which the faithful should measure all teaching. First, Paul could prove that he got his information from the top. Today, people make claims, but the Bible contains the only provable source material. Second, overcoming self must be demonstrated. We are not forgiven failures but are being transformed. Third, arrogance disqualifies.

Galatians 2:16, when translated literally, says, “… knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but by the faith of Jesus Christ, and we into the faith of Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ.” If our “faith in Jesus” were the criterion for acceptance, we would be re-inventing legalism because our faith would never be good enough. Instead, we are being transformed “into” the faith of Jesus by the indwelling Spirit who is given to Christians, who need enough confidence to relinquish control and let it happen.

Galatians 2:20, when translated literally, says, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and that which I now live in the flesh I live in the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” The two criteria for adoption into the family of God are mutual trust and selfless concern. Those who opt for the first are given the second (Romans 5:5). The new mindset of the faithful is that of Jesus who gave up “self” for the benefit of others. The faithful are motivated to be selfless by the selflessness of God.

Christians tend to forget their own transition from cyclic failure to trust in the promises of God, and revert to a hopeless obsession with proper behavior. Paul reminded his readers of their own miraculous pasts and their former dedication to the things of the Spirit (Galatians 3:2 – 3). In v3, “made perfect” is better translated “made consistent.” If we follow a right-and-wrong system, we are repeatedly inconsistent and can be “perfect” only by being flawless. In the faith system, our faith can be consistent even if we make bad choices on occasion.

“Therefore, He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, it is by the works of the Law or by the hearing of faith?” (Galatians 3:5). The best the right-and-wrong system has to offer is being a forgiven failure. The faith system promises the ability to overcome oneself through the indwelling Spirit (Romans 8:9 – 15). Those with the Spirit routinely accomplish the humanly impossible. The key is “hearing.” Do we give lip-service to faith while seeking the self-deceived security of rules?

“…those who are of faith are sons of Abraham” (Galatians 3:7). “ so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the Law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham” (Romans 4:16). Biblical faith must be based on evidence that the resurrection and the Scriptures are true, understanding that sacrifice is a celebration of forgiveness, maintaining a realistic and confident expectation of eternal life, acting on the promises of God, taking on the divine nature, and spreading this good news.

“Why the Law, then?” (Galatians 3:8 – 25) God made a promise to His friend, Abraham, that the Savior would be one of his descendants. But how can God keep this promise over such a long timespan? The Law of Moses, instituted in 1446 BC at Mount Sinai, was designed to hold together the descendants of Abraham, so they would not become merged into the surrounding cultures. Further, the Law set up illustrations, predictions, and history that would be used later to explain Jesus. This Law expired as planned and predicted in 70 AD.

All those who have “put on Christ” are to put an end to ethnic, class, and social divisions within their ranks (Galatians 3:28, cf Colossians 3:11). In baptism, the faithful assert to God, among other things, that this will be their mode of interaction. Historically, why has this gone so badly? The biggest contributor is culture; we drag our preconceptions, stereotypes, and traditions with us into the church. The cure is to allow the indwelling Spirit to cause character transformation so that each begins to resemble Jesus. But that means turning over control.

Galatians 4:21 – 31 presents an allegory contrasting Ishmael, who was born the natural way, to Isaac, who was born through a promise from God. Paul’s point was that the natural way enslaves, the promise liberates. Those trapped by their rituals and humanly achievable goals are in bondage to the brokenness of the world. The faithful, transformed by promise, achieve the humanly impossible and adoption into God’s family. A confident expectation of being conformed to the image of Jesus while still living on earth is required.

The first churches in central Turkey drifted away from the works of the Spirit and into an increasing dependence on rules and traditions (Galatians 5). But the transition was too slow to be noticed. How do the faithful today avoid the same fate? Ask these questions. Is every decision based on a promise of God and on what is best for the other person? Were faith and love better in the past? Do we honestly accept one another despite our differences? Are the works of the flesh passing away? Is it getting tiresome? Each sad answer is a signal flare.

Paul concludes Galatians with a list of points of evaluation for any congregation. Be gentle and helpful with those who stumble. Share the burdens of life. Be motivated by empathy, not superiority. Don’t give yourself credit for the work of the group. Sharing with teachers is right (not “a right”). Don’t try to manipulate God into accepting me by attaining my own benchmark. Do not grow weary of doing good, but rather share, especially with fellow believers. It’s about faith and love, not authority and doctrine.

Galatians 1:4, “…who gave Himself for our sins that He might deliver us from this present evil age…” Paul characterized his own time as “the present evil age.” Things have not changed much. Interestingly, the objective is not only to deliver the faithful at some point in the future, but also from the age in which they will continue to live for some years to come. The faithful can have peace and joy on this earth despite the brokenness of it. Such an objective should be of great interest to outsiders who are looking for some sanity in this world.

Galatians 5:13, “For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.” The faithful have liberty to act out their faith in the way they choose, which also means that each one is responsible for his or her own choices. Paul caution is to avoid convenient excuses for bad behavior, disguising it as a choice. Self-deception, Paul says, is best avoided through selflessness.

Galatians 5:22 – 23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” The primary task of the indwelling Spirit who is given to each faithful person is character development. These traits should become remarkably visible to the outside observer to a degree not normally achieved.

Galatians 6:1, “Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.” Within the family of God, side-stepping (the literal meaning of trespass) what is right should be dealt with gently, not with lecturing, haranguing, or condemning. The temptation is to be righteously indignant, which is itself just self-deception.

Galatians 6:2, “Bear one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ.” Biblical love is doing what is best for another without considering the effect on me. That selflessness is essential in all the parts of the body. Fortunately, that love is poured out in the hearts of all the faithful by the indwelling Spirit (Romans 5:5). The key is believing that promise (faith), which is the other essential characteristic of all the family. Those are the two rules of the kingdom: love people and trust God.