What a lesson Paul is teaching us here! The age-old issue of how obeying the law and faith in Jesus co-exist is explained plainly. First, were you also surprised at how direct Paul was with his audience? He did not sugarcoat his message for fear of hurting anyone’s feelings and called the Galatians out as “foolish.” Paul’s observations of the people’s response to their faith troubled him greatly.
We can benefit from their foolishness. Paul’s explanation clears up a lot about the law and our faith. How often have you ventured out on your own, trusting your human effort alone to get something done, particularly kingdom work? I’m guilty. There is no way for us to be perfect or achieve perfection, so that shouldn’t be our goal. Becoming more like Jesus will move us toward being more perfect, for Jesus was the only perfect one.
Because I’ve also experienced the Holy Spirit working in my life, I know it’s way better to let the Spirit lead rather than blindly stumble forward. Paul thought so, too, and he was really disappointed in his audience for their apparent “slip.” How do you get such a great gift and then not use it or ignore it? That must have been what Paul was thinking.
Paul went on to explain the benefit to “all nations.” God’s love and mercy were for everyone. Jewish history points back to faithful Abraham as the common ancestor whom God had used as the earthly father of all. Even in those early days, God knew that one day all people would be included in Abraham’s family, even if not by birth. Doesn’t that powerfully strike you speechless? That’s certainly a “wow, God!” moment for me!
God’s covenant with Abraham predated the law by over four hundred years. That’s another reason our inheritance has no relationship with the law. The law doesn’t save us. Jesus does. What Jesus did on the cross made it possible for us to have life.
When you have an awe and reverence for God, you want to do your best to be “right” with him. That means you want his acceptance and to receive his grace and mercy. According to Paul, you can do nothing on your own to make that happen. You can’t “sweet talk” God or impress him. Paul quotes Habakkuk, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.”
What is the purpose of the law given to Moses then? God saw that his people needed boundaries. Their sinfulness was out of control. The law exposes our sinfulness. When we sin or make choices contrary to God’s desires, we create a wedge between ourselves and God. Without the law, we wouldn’t know what those sins are, what those behaviors are that displease God. You can’t fix something if you don’t know it’s broken, right?
Hopefully, Paul has cleared up some of the confusion about the law and our faithfulness. Until Jesus came, all we had was the law. When Jesus came, he gave us a new covenant to follow. On the cross, Jesus took the punishment for the sins of all, and our response is faith and devotion. To the Ephesians, Paul described it like this: “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.” (Ephesians 2:8)
Let’s pray. Lord Jesus, thank you for your gift of grace and all that you endured for me and my freedom from sin and death. I am so grateful that you include me in your family, and I want to always be faithful and true to you. Help me stay focused on you and your goodness. Keep my feet from stumbling so that I can run to your arms of forgiveness and love. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
