“Justification by the Law”


BIBLE READING: Galatians 5

Galatians 5 speaks about the problem of turning from the Law of Christ to the Law of Moses.  There were Jews in Galatia teaching that in order to become a Christian you would have to obey the Law of Moses and submit to circumcision.  Paul writes that their message was no gospel at all but rather a perversion of the gospel of Christ (1:6-9).
Paul was dealing with one of the greatest requirements of the Jewish Law, circumcision.  Earlier in the letter, he used the example of Titus, his faithful coworker, who was not compelled to be circumcised because he was a Greek (2:3).
No evidence surfaces to suggest that the Galatians had any concern about rule-keeping.  It seems unlikely that they, as biblically unschooled Gentiles, would want to bother with such abstract matters.  This contrasts with the obsession of modern interpreters with the idea that one can earn his way to heaven through works.
Even though we cannot do anything to put God in our debt, we know that good works are evidences of our spiritual well being.  "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.” (II Cor 5:10, ESV)  Obviously, we will be judged by our actions.  The inner man determines what the body does.  When referring to false prophets, Jesus said we will know them by their works.   "A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit:…" (Matt 7:18).


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