Put Down the Rule Book
Galatians
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. (Galatians 5:1 NIV)
Today’s journal entry will be the first of two that I share about Galatians. I had considered doing an entry per chapter for this short book, but as I got to the end of it, I changed my mind. I’d rather look at it as a whole. Maybe someday, I’ll journal specific verses from each chapter, but that’s not today.
As you know if you’ve been following these Morning Thoughts from Scripture posts, just before I began my study of Galatians, I spent several months in the Gospel of Luke, and I have to say that as I read through Galatians, I was reminded of that book. It’s kind of what my mind does. It links scripture passages together. And that linking of things has left me with a slightly different impression of the theme of this Pauline epistle from what I heard while studying.
Is anyone surprised that my brain sees things from a different angle than some? Not if you’ve been around for any length of time. Now, don’t worry. My impression dovetails nicely with the more traditional take. So don’t panic. :)
I know, from the study that I’ve been doing, that scholars say the theme of Galatians is grace. In fact, Kris Langham of Through the Word called it a Manifesto of Grace. And yes, grace is present, but it wasn’t the word that kept coming to my mind as I read. The word I kept seeing and hearing in my mind was freedom.
I’m going to “blame” my recent study of Luke for that. :)
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Luke 4:18-19 NIV)
^^ This passage, which I think of as Jesus’s purpose statement and the core of the gospel, was the first that came to mind as I read Galatians.
This – the proclamation of good news, freedom, sight for the blind, year of the Lord – is the result of grace, and that’s why, while I think grace is an important theme in this book, I don’t know that it’s the main one. I’d give that position to freedom since that’s what grace grants.
Another thing that struck me as I was reading through this book of the Bible was the structure of the writing. It’s a very well put together composition – introductory information, salutation, presentation of the problem, Paul’s credentials and defense of his teaching, his closing remarks and encouragement.
It’s also not textbook-y or dull. There’s a lot of emotions in this letter. It’s filled with frustration and zealous pleading that his dear Galatian friends don’t get led astray from the truth, that they don’t lose their freedom in Christ to the teaching of the Judaizers who were in their midst. He even uses some very strong language. You can feel his pain and longing.
These things combined have me imagining Paul throwing up his hands and shouting, “But, you are no longer under the law!” when he hears the things that are happening in the Galatian church.
So what was happening that pulled such a heart-felt response from Paul? To put it in modern vernacular, there were legalists who had crept in with a message of Jesus plus the Law. They were teaching that faith was not enough. They said that these Gentile believers were not truly part of God’s kingdom until they became Jewish. According to these false teachers, the Galatians needed to be circumcised and follow the law or their salvation was incomplete.
And from how the problem in need of addressing is put forward in chapter one, it seems that Paul was being tossed under the donkey cart as someone who was starting a new man-made religion – a religion that was not of God.
Here’s an interesting thing to note about that. This accusation has not faded with the passing of time. I recently listened to a video from One for Israel about the Apostle Paul, and in it they tackled this very topic of Paul being accused of starting a new religion. I wonder how he would feel to know that thousands of years later, he’s still stirring up controversy? Based on Galatians 5:17, the second to last line in his letter where he says “From now on, let no one cause me trouble,” I don’t think he’d be pleased. ;)
At the heart of all the confusion and controversy was the freedom that God’s grace provides to all who will accept it.
I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in 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. (Galatians 1:6-7 NIV)
We still get this wrong today. It’s not an old problem that was dealt with and died. Just take a poke around the internet. Do a search on YouTube for teaching on Bible topics. Follow a few religious pages on Facebook or accounts on Instagram. If those who twist the gospel one way or another don’t show up as the author of whatever you’re looking at, there’s a good chance they’ll show up in the comment section. I’ve seen it many times. And honestly, it’s not just online. I’ve read a few Bible study books over the past couple of years that were problematic as well.
Sometimes, the troublesome teaching is subtle and easy to miss. For instance, it might just be the re-defining of terms to mean what the teacher wants them to mean, but to the average person, those words mean something different. Or it might just be hyperfocusing on a particular element of Christian living that sounds really holy or spiritual.
Other times, there is no subtlety about it. Everyone knows in those circles that you can’t really be a Christian, or at least, not one who is right with God, unless you wear the right thing, read the right Bible, participate in the required activities, etc.
Now, let me be clear here. I’m not saying that all of the things I have listed are things to be absolutely avoided at all costs. If wearing red ties on Sundays or reading only one version of the Bible or focusing on the cross of Christ or listening to only Gregorian chants or (fill in the blank) helps you in your relationship with God, knock yourself out. BUT… don’t make that thing something that gets added to the gospel of Christ.
Legalism and rule books can feel safe. It’s like having a playbook or a recipe that has to be followed. If I just do these certain things, I’m good. If I don’t, I’m not. Choices are easy to make because the rule book says xyz. But following a set of rules set up by a modern church doesn't make you God’s child anymore than following every bit of the Old Testament law did for the people of Paul’s day.
In fact, Paul should have been acceptable to God before his conversion if that was the case, for he was not just religious. He was top tier religious. He was a Pharisee and not just a run of the mill one. He was a Pharisee of the Pharisees. He was a student of Gamaliel, who, according to that video I mentioned earlier from One for Israel, accepted only one student out of a thousand who sought to be taught by him. And in that group of select individuals, Paul was the star pupil and a zealous one. He was so zealous about his beliefs that he persecuted Christians even to the point of death.
He knew the law. All of it. Every. Single. Bit. And he followed it. Religiously. But it couldn’t save him. It couldn’t take him from slavery to the “elemental forces of the world” (Galatians 4:3) and make him an heir to the Kingdom of God. It couldn’t set him free from the curse that fell upon man in the Garden of Eden.
But the grace of God – His goodness, love, and mercy? That could bring freedom.
It was through God’s great goodness, through His unmatchable grace, that the penalty of the curse and the requirements of the law were fulfilled in the death of Jesus Christ, God’s one and only Son. All we have to do is put down our rule book for how we think we can work our way into God’s favour and place our faith in Jesus. There is no special ceremony that has to happen first. No special spiritual spark that must be ignited before we can turn to Him. We don’t have to clean ourselves up and then, we can put our faith in Him. We don’t have to belong to a select group of people to be eligible to be sons and daughters of God.
His grace that sets the captive free is available to all. It’s a gift that is freely extended to the whole world (see John 3:16). Grab it. Hold on to it, but by all means don’t sully it’s glorious brilliance by adding to it some human effort or doctrine of man. Put down that rule book! It’s time to live free and pick up your fruit bowl (which is what I’ll be journaling about in the next one).