We are entering in to a New Year, and this year we will be spending a significant amount of time in Paul’s Epistle to the Galatians. Since this will be our first week in what Martin Luther called, “my epistle. To it I am as it were in wedlock. It is my Katherine.”[1] It seemed wise to me that we review the entire contents of the book today. In the hope, that we will get a bird’s eye picture of the epistle Luther spoke of with such endearing terms, even comparing it to his beloved wife.
Galatians is the letter of all letters. It has shaped the past 500 years of Protestant church history. It is the letter that began the Reformation and brought comfort to many reformers souls and peace to their minds. It is a love letter from God to his church, via one of his messengers, the apostle Paul.
Like all letters of the day, Galatians followed a standard form – identifying the writer first, the recipients second, and followed by a greeting. This is kind of like our letters– Dear Chuck, how are you…Sincerely, Debra - except that where we identify ourselves at the end of the letter, ancient letter writers identified themselves at the beginning. But what is so different about this letter from the other NT letters and from Paul’s letters in particular is that there is no prayer of thanks or praise for these brothers and sisters. Rather, Paul begins immediately with a sense of urgency to define and defend the gospel. We see it even within his own introduction as he declares the foundational truth of the Gospel – God the Father, who raised him [Christ] from the dead (1:1) and continues on to talk about our rescue from the present evil age (1:4).
From these two points Paul continues to elaborate and expand, proclaiming that there is but one Gospel, which is grounded in a single Savior (1:6-9). It is because of this that the Gospel must originate outside of humanity and must be delivered to men, women and children by direct revelation. God must impress it upon the heart and instill it on the soul of people (1:10-12).
Paul’s testimony comes next (1:13-2:10); it just happens to be one of the supernatural testimonies illustrating this truth in vivid color. Paul’s former life was one of persecuting the church, seeking even to destroy it. Acts 9:1 says that he was “breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples” but God called this man and taught him the gospel promise of justification (3:1ff), the truth of Christian liberty (5:1ff) and the joy of boasting in the New Creation (6:14). All of this Paul learned from God, and not from men (1:1,12) and he learned it so well, and so deeply that it affected his very life and he went about preaching and proclaiming the faith he once tried to destroy (1:23).
The gospel changed Paul completely and interminably, and when he went to Jerusalem after 14 years (2:1) of ministering such life changing truth, he was received by the apostles who recognized that the Gospel he had been taught by Jesus and the Gospel they had been taught were the same. Listen to these words, Gal. 2:8-9 For God, who was at work in the ministry of Peter as an apostle to the Jews, was also at work in my ministry as an apostle to the Gentiles. James, Peter and John, those reputed to be pillars, gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship when they recognized the grace given to me. They agreed that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the Jews.
The gospel that originates from God and changes men is also the same gospel that every true believer can recognize. With this truth in mind, Paul’s letter takes a shift from the autobiographical into the more theological. In chapter 2:11 Paul records an interaction with Peter, who although knowing the gospel of freedom, although knowing that (Eph. 2:8-9) 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. Although Peter knew it, he failed to live it. Peter was allowing an aberrant, perverted form of the gospel to sneak into the life of the church in Antioch. Peter was moving away from justification by faith, into a rank form of justification by works, into a perverted gospel crying out, “You are mostly acceptable but you must submit to a token measure of law keeping to truly be one of the promised children of God.” In this case, it was the token of circumcision (2:12), in another age it may have been avoiding dance halls, smoking or movies. Today, that token is often picked up by the declaration that to truly be a Christian, one must be engaged in social justice, or vote a certain way, or some other purely external action which wrestles faith from God and replaces it with human works of righteousness.
But Paul counters every one of these lines of reasoning with these questions, “Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard? Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now try to attain your goal by human effort? Have you suffered so much for nothing – if it really was for nothing? Does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law, or because you believe what you heard?” (3:2b-5)
And in order to illustrate how faith is superior to works, in order to contrast Peter’s faulty example, Paul introduces the example of Abraham (3:6-9), the recipient of the covenant. The one promised the blessings of God, the one promised an enormous family, the one promised to have God as his God and Paul shows that Faith in God, belief in the words and promises of God were the means in which God reckoned righteousness unto Abraham (3:6).
As the illustration is developed, Paul argues that the Law proclaims a curse on all who disobey its teachings thereby falling under judgment (3:10f). Since this is true, Paul then tells the Galatians that any appeal to human actions for righteousness is futile. I think Paul might say any such appeal to human power or will is insanity, absurdity, lunacy and utter madness, rather, we must look for one who can redeem us from the curse of the law. This is the gospel that is found in the resurrection of the dead and the revelation of God. As 3:13-14 tells us, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.” He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.”
Faith brings the Spirit of Life, works, no matter how minimal or small, if we appeal to them as the basis of our salvation, sanctification or acceptance before God are doomed to fall short and throw us into the judgments of law breaking. The Law, Paul reminds us was introduced after the promise to Abraham (3:17). And since it was introduced after the promise of God was proclaimed and ratified to Abraham, it cannot make anyone righteous, but it can point everyone to the righteous One. It can lead us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith (3:25).
We must hold onto this truth: There is only one gospel; God gives it to humanity. It originates in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ who rescues us from our sin and the evil of this age. It isn’t gained, or sustained by any work we may do or fail to do. For all law, merely points out our inability to live up to the standards of God, completely, eternally and unequivocally and should therefore point us beyond the Law to the One who can redeem us from the Law, by faith in his righteousness. This is the gospel.
With this in mind, in 3:26 Paul moves into the third major section of the letter. In the 1st section (1:1-2:10) he writes of the singular gospel, in the 2nd section (2:11-3:25) he elaborates on the truth of Justification by faith, now, in the third section (3:26-6:10) he will enlighten us on the effects of faith in our lives.
Firstly, faith makes us Sons of God (3:26). Another way of saying this would be to say, “Faith makes us honored children of God, this is why Paul appeals to them to return to the gospel (4:8-16) and to spurn false zeal (4:17-20). You are children, return to your father.
Secondly, Faith brings about freedom while work brings about slavery. This is illustrated by the allegorical story of Hagar and Sarah (4:21-5:1). But it comes out in striking force with these words: It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm then, and do not let yourselves by burdened again by a yoke of slavery (5:1). As believers justified by faith, we are free from any and all appeals to obedience for our right standing before God. We are free to trust in the gift of God.
Thirdly, Faith bears fruit (5:13ff) Paul reminds then. Not the kind of licentious fruit (5:16-21) one might expect from a freedom from works but the kind of fruit dictated by a love of God and neighbor. A kind of fruit grounded in the soil of love. Faith brings out the very character of Christ in our lives – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (5:22-23). This is all because the Spirit of God is given by belief in the truth of God’s revelation and the Spirit of God cannot bear anything other than the life of God within us. Therefore, Paul encourages all believers to let the Spirit flow through their lives, let it hold your sinful life in check. Let it draw you further into the righteousness, which has been guaranteed by faith in the Son of God. Let the Spirit work all its magic in you – first making you God’s children, then bringing you freedom from working to please God and finally bearing the very life of God within you.
And this fruit, not only affects you, but it will affect all those brothers and sisters around you. Paul says, Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently (6:1a). Because faith bears fruit by the Spirit living within us, our faith will affect our interactions with others. And it will be grounded in love, a love for others and a concern for their well-being. This is one of many instructions Paul gives on practically living out a fruitful life in the world.
Finally, Paul concludes his letter by boasting in the exhilarating work of Christ (6:11ff), a work that makes a new creation out of the old ways and orders. A work which brings Jew and Gentile, circumcised and uncircumcised together in the body of Christ. Hear these beautiful words as Paul concludes his letter, Gal. 6:15 Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation.
I hope that this brief overview of the letter has helped you to see why Martin Luther considered himself “wed” to these words of God. For they are the very words of life, the very words of hope, the very words of faith which have sustained countless generations in the gracious gift of God and have rescued every true believer from their own depraved actions of trying to please God with human righteousness.
To God be the glory for there is but one savior “who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen (Gal. 1:4-5).”
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