Galatians: The Life I Now LiveSample

Galatians is a life-changer, but for many Christians it remains only a biblical curiosity – an ancient letter to a small region in central Turkey. Perhaps people think that the dangerous teaching Paul opposed back then poses no threat now. After all, if the problem was merely the promotion of circumcision, then we can relax. Believers with a Jewish background who were pushing circumcision would not get an invitation to most churches today. 

Circumcision was certainly a feature of the false teaching, it was even used as the label for the false teaching, but the real issue was broader than just circumcision. It was an anti-gospel promotion of law-keeping. 

This is what the false teachers were effectively saying, ‘to be truly born again, not just born a bit, then you need the law, that is, to be circumcised. And if you want to live Christianity to the full, then you need to strive to keep the law. Paul’s grace message needs balancing with law.’ Now at this point in a typical letter we would expect Paul to write, ‘I give thanks to God for you ...’ 

Not this time! Get ready for an explosion. Paul is indignant! Verse 6 is like a landmine waiting to go off if you poke around it for too long. ‘I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting …’ 

After hearing the gospel and responding to it, now the Galatians were turning away. They were not just turning away from a message, but were turning away from a person, from God Himself! 

Here comes the explosion. How were they turning away from God? Were they diving into gross immorality? No. Were they leaving Christianity and signing up to some other religion? No. What were they doing? They were actually becoming more religious, more Jewish, and, they might say, ‘more biblical’, even ‘more godly’! 

Is it possible that a greater personal commitment to keeping the law could mean turning from God? That is what Paul is saying. How is that possible? Because any change and any addition to the gospel of God’s grace in Christ Jesus is a different and distorted gospel. Anything that takes our eyes off Christ and onto ourselves is really no gospel at all! 

Surely this can’t be right? Either Paul is pro-sin, or he must have a better solution in mind.

Reflection

How could a greater commitment to so-called godliness actually be turning you from God? Do corruptions of the gospel stir appropriate anger in you?