TEXT TO REFLECT ON
Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace. For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.
GALATIANS 5:2-6
REFLECT
One of the dilemmas in interpreting scripture is the question of how generalizable a certain biblical teaching is. Does a principle that applies to a particular situation in the church apply also to other situations? And if so, to what extent and in which situations does that principle apply?
In the present case, Paul was addressing the issue of circumcision. The Jewish Christians were insisting that Gentiles who had converted to Christianity had to undergo circumcision. Paul argued that under the new covenant established by the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ, the law of Moses no longer applied. Hence, circumcision was no longer required. Rather, a person was made righteous by having faith that God has made all persons righteous through Christ.
Strictly speaking, Paul was arguing only for the repeal of the requirement for circumcision. However, in arguing against the requirement for circumcision, Paul based his argument on the principle that we are no longer bound to keep the law (v3). And if anyone chose to be justified by keeping the law, they would be obligated to keep the whole law. Christ would then be of no advantage, since such persons would not need the grace of God to declare them righteous. They would, in a sense, have fallen from grace and severed from Christ, since they had chosen to be justified by their observance of the law. To put it another way, a person had TWO options: Option A was to be justified by the law. Under this option, that person would have to obey every law. Failure to observe even one single law would render that person a sinner and punishable by death. Option B was that the law no longer applied. Jesus had rendered the law unnecessary, having taken on the sins of the world. Those who chose option B were declared righteous regardless of how sinful they were, as God had made them righteous because of Christ.
The principle that Paul appealed too then appears to have universal application, beyond that of circumcision. But one would ask, if there is no longer a law, then are we allowed to live lawlessly? This was the question that Paul addressed in Romans 6:1-4. “Should we continue in sin that grace may abound?” Paul’s answer is revealing and instructive about the new life. A renewed person dies to sin; he no longer wants to sin. Dying and rising with Christ gives such persons power to live righteously. So, while we are no longer bound by the law, neither do we want to live sinful lives. We have an inner motivation to live good lives, not because we are afraid of breaking the law (there is no longer any law that we can break), but because we want to do good.
RELATE
What is complicated is determining what laws have been superseded. Which of the Old Testament laws no longer apply to us? All of them?Do the ten commandments, for example, still apply? What about the many laws in Leviticus and Deuteronomy? For a start, we can ascertain from the Apostle Peter’s vision in the Book of Acts that the dietary laws no longer apply. Paul also writes in 1 Corinthians that food that had been offered to idols could be eaten. But the Bible does not contain a comprehensive list of which laws still apply and which no longer apply. The principle simply is that the Law no longer applies. How then do we regulate our lives if the Law of Moses no longer applies? Can we, for example, kill another or bear false witness against another? Do we still observe the Sabbath? I do not have the answers to all these questions. What I know is that the new law that governs us is the Law of Love. That we love the Lord our God with all our heart, and mind, and soul, and strength, and our neighbour as ourselves. Foremost in our hearts is a desire to know God's heart and to pursue what He desires. And to consider the interests of our neighbours as if we were considering our own interests. Apart from the Law of Love, I wouldn’t dare state any other law.
REST
God forgave my sin in Jesus' name.
I've been born again in Jesus' name
And in Jesus' name I come to you
To share his love as he told me to.
He said 'Freely, freely you have received;, freely, freely give.
Go in my name, and because you believe others will know that I live.
All pow'r is giv'n in Jesus' name
in earth and heav'n in jesus name
And in Jesus' name I come to you
To share his pow'r as he told me to.
He said 'Freely, freely you have received;, freely, freely give.
Go in my name, and because you believe others will know that I live.
God gives us life in Jesus' name
he lives in us in Jesus' name
And in Jesus' name I come to you
To share his peace as he told me to.
God Forgave My Sin In Jesus’ Name/Freely Freely by Carol Owens 1972
Comments
Post a Comment