Galatians 6:11-18 Messianic Style

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Paul was last speaking on sowing and reaping. He continued with his concluding remarks.

Galatians 6:11-18 (KJV)
¹¹ Ye see how large a letter I have written unto you with mine own hand.
¹² As many as desire to make a fair shew in the flesh, they constrain you to be circumcised; only lest they should suffer persecution for the cross of Christ.
¹³ For neither they themselves who are circumcised keep the law; but desire to have you circumcised, that they may glory in your flesh.
¹⁴ But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.
¹⁵ For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.
¹⁶ And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.
¹⁷ From henceforth let no man trouble me: for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.
¹⁸ Brethren, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.

In New Testament times, the Biblical writers often used professional scribes to put their writings into the most clear yet space-saving format as possible. Paul wrote his conclusion in his own hand in a much larger print than the small, neat writing that the scribe used in the rest of Paul's letter (verse 11). This also served as an authentication of his work.

The false teachers had come to the Galatian assembly trying to make a good impression that would sway the new believers (verse 12). But Paul believed that the false teachers' reason for compelling the Galatian believers to be circumcised and ritually become Jews was so that persecution for the cross of Messiah would be avoided. They wanted to believe in Messiah Yeshua, but continue to fit in with traditional Judaism. However, Paul pointed out in verse 13 that the false teachers were not in obedience to Torah, because they insisted that a man-made act of ritual would make someone a Jew, when Torah was clear that salvation came by grace through faith. The only thing that the ritual would accomplish was that the false teachers could boast about their flesh.

But Paul would never boast about anything except the cross of Messiah Yeshua, which "crucified" the world to Paul and he to the world (verse 14). Being a Jew or a Gentile was not what was important, but becoming a new creation in Messiah was (verse 15).

Paul then gave a benediction of peace and mercy over those Galatians who lived according to this rule (of being a new creation in Messiah) and to all Israel of God (verse16). By using the phrase,  "Israel of God,"  Paul confirmed that God's people, whether Jew or Gentile, are called collectively,  Israel.

Verses 17 and 18 finish Paul's remarks. He had made his case and that was enough. He needed to vindicate his actions and beliefs no further since he bore in his body the evidence (scars of persecution) of a life lived for Yeshua. He ended his benediction by addressing the Galatian brethren, asking God to give them the grace of Messiah Yeshua.

Galatians 6:6-10 Messianic Style

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Paul had been speaking about the Galatian believers' responsibilities to one another. He continued with these thoughts.

Galatians 6:6-10 (NIV)
⁶ Anyone who receives instruction in the word must share all good things with his instructor.
⁷ Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.
⁸ The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.
⁹ Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
¹⁰ Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

In verse 6 Paul urged the believers, who have received instruction in the Word of God, to share all good things with their instructors. This concept falls in line with Paul's statement in 1 Corinthians.

1 Corinthians 9:14 (NIV)
¹⁴ In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel.

Paul was concerned about the body of Messiah and how each one in the body should be cared for by the others. Those responsibilities included the welfare of their pastors and teachers.

 In verse 7 Paul, again, anticipated some of the less than perfect responses that even the saints (forgiven sinners) can have towards others. No matter how hard someone may try, or think that God will not "notice", God cannot be mocked. He sees and knows everything. If someone believes that he or she can get away with treating others poorly he or she is deceived, because "a man reaps what he sows." There are always consequences to our actions.

Paul explained this more in verse 8. If someone acts according to his sinful nature, by being stingy, for example, he will reap from that nature. Often, stingy people receive stingy treatment in return. However, Paul's statement went further than this. He said that whoever sows from his sinful nature will reap destruction. He was talking about someone who allowed that sinful nature to have dominance in his or her life rather than by living in reliance on the Holy Spirit. In contrast, the one who acts according to the Spirit will reap eternal life.

Another issue that believers can experience is becoming weary in doing good (verse 9). Although sowing leads to reaping, the harvest is not always immediate. Many times our good actions are forgotten by others, or are met with evil in return. Yet, Paul assured the Galatians that even if they did not receive a return right away, eventually they would, at the very least, in eternity.

Therefore, Paul concluded that the believers were to continue in doing good deeds as the opportunities arose. They were to do good to all, but especially to the others in the body of Messiah.

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Galatians 6:1-5 Messianic Style

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Paul's list of the fruit of the Spirit stands as an example of the virtues that should characterize the believer's life. We now come to the final chapter of Galatians.

Galatians 6:1-5 (KJV)
¹ Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.
² Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.
³ For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.
⁴ But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.
⁵ For every man shall bear his own burden.

Paul began this section of Galatians with an example. A member of the believing fellowship has fallen into some type of sin. Paul then encouraged those that were spiritual (mature in faith) to restore those that had been overtaken in a fault. This was to be done in the spirit of meekness (humility and gentleness), remembering that anyone can fall into sin (verse 1). Paul understood that our sinful human nature, often filled with pride and envy (Galatians 5:26), can make our attempts at restoring others an "I'm better than you" fest. Yet, this action of restoration was something that Paul believed was essential to the body of Messiah.

Believers are to be very involved in the lives of each other. Paul said that we are to bear one another's burdens (verse 2).This is what living in the body of Messiah is all about. We are not living out our faith as solitary individuals. We are part of a body with responsibilities towards each other. When members are suffering we are to help them. We are to care for them. We are to love them. This bearing of burdens fulfills the law of Messiah. As was seen in the prior post, "fulfill" means that the requirements of the law are satisfied each time others' burdens are shared. The law of Messiah, also called the law of love, and the Mosaic law are identical.

Paul continued his cautions in verse 3. If someone thinks too highly of himself or herself, he or she is deceived. We are to think of others before ourselves.

Philippians 2:3 (KJV)
³ Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.

Paul summarized by recommending that each believer examine his or her own actions. In this way we can make sure that we are not falling into sin and that we are doing what God has required of us regarding our fellow believers.  This is important because eventually, we will all bear our own burdens. In this verse, "burdens" refers to guilt (verse 5). Paul's reference here is to God's judgment and is not contradictory to verse 2.

We are to live as members of a believing body. We must care for those around us, particularly the believers. Yet, pride and envy can cause us to think more highly of ourselves than we should. Let us remember to examine our lives and to correct our behaviors into those actions that are pleasing to God, before others need to take us aside or God's judgment falls.

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Galatians 5:14-26 Messianic Style

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After Paul cautioned the Galatian believers not to use their liberty as an excuse to sin, he continued by discussing how the believers should serve one another in love.

Galatians 5:14-26 (KJV)
¹⁴ For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
¹⁵ But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.
¹⁶ This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
¹⁷ For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
¹⁸ But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.
¹⁹ Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
²⁰ Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
²¹ Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
²³ Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
²⁴ And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
²⁵ If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
²⁶ Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.

Paul summarized the law in one statement. "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." This was not original to Paul. It actually comes from the Old Testament.

Leviticus 19:18 (KJV)
¹⁸ Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD.

The law is also summarized in the same way by Yeshua himself.

Matthew 22:39-40 (KJV)
³⁹ And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
⁴⁰ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

Notice also that verse 14 says that the law is fulfilled by the action of loving one's neighbor. According to traditional Christianity the fulfilling of the law by Yeshua's death and resurrection meant that the law no longer needed to be observed. Yet, here, Paul contends that the law is fulfilled by loving one's neighbor. Which is it? Obviously, the traditional understanding of fulfill is incorrect. Fulfilling means that a certain action satisfies the requirements of the law. However, the law continues, it is not ended. Every single time that the believer loves his neighbor the law is fulfilled. In the same way Yeshua did what He came to do, to be the perfect sacrifice for sin. It was a once and for all sacrifice that paid for the penalty of sin and allows believers to trust in what He did and gain eternal life. This doesn't change the requirements of the law, however.

Paul went on to say that if the Galatians bit and devoured one another, they would potentially consume one another (verse 15). Instead of loving each other and fulfilling the law, the Galatians were selfishly acting in ways that hurt each other and by doing so would splinter the group and would harm the unity of the body that God intended they have. Paul then told them in verse 16 to walk in the Spirit so that they would not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. Here Paul was speaking about sinful human nature. We naturally behave in these sinful ways, but through the power of the Holy Spirit we are free from that nature and we can walk in the ways God has decreed. In verse 17 Paul described the "war" that goes on inside of the believer. We still carry the old sinful nature, but we also have the Holy Spirit dwelling within. The desires of each are opposites and in that war we often don't do as we should. Paul reiterates in verse 18, however, that if we are led by the Holy Spirit we are not under the law. Again, this is not referring to obedience to Torah living, that results from our love of God, but the rigid observance of ritual because of some sense that it is the ritual (or even Torah itself) that saves and frees from the sinful nature.

Paul listed the works of the flesh in verses 19-21. They are adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and like things. Paul's list is remarkably broad, yet, it is certainly not complete. Notice that stealing and lying, for example, are not mentioned, nor are sins like disobeying the Sabbath or food laws mentioned. Paul's list, therefore, is not meant to be a complete list of potential sins. Notice, also, that there is a heavy representation of sexual sins, idolatry, hate related sins, and social sins like drunkenness. Paul ended verse 21 by stating that those who engage in these sins will not inherit the Kingdom of God. This is a sobering fact, but Paul wasn't condemning the believer who "misses the mark" or who falls into sin unintentionally. If this were the case, none of us would be able to claim salvation. Rather, there are those in the body of believers who think that they can continue in sin and will still qualify for salvation. Paul's conclusion was that this was simply not the case. The sins listed may be a representative list of sins that Paul observed or heard about in the body of the Galatian believers. It may also represent those sins that the Galatian believers were likely to engage in.

Verses 22 and 23 are Paul's contrasting list of the fruit of the Spirit, those things that are to be demonstrated in the body of believers. They are love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance. Against these there are no laws. Again, this was not a detailed list of to do's, but rather a broad list of guidelines to behavior.

In verse 24 Paul concluded his argument with the fact that the believers had crucified their flesh with its affections and lusts. Remember, that Paul was using "flesh" not as the bodies of flesh humans have, but the sinful human nature that all have. When we are born again and we receive the Holy Spirit we are freed from the subjugation of the sinful human nature, so therefore, we should walk in the ways of the Holy Spirit (verse 25). In verse 26 Paul ended by warning the Galatian believers not to seek vain glory (pride in oneself), or to provoke one another, or to envy one another. This verse hearkens back to verse 15 where Paul seemed to imply that the Galatians were doing these very things to each other. Although they truly were believers, they certainly were behaving in ways very much in opposition to God's intent.

When the false teachers came to the fellowship of the Galatians, their introducing the necessity of becoming Jews ritually and following all of the traditions, added to this backbiting behavior, and caused further disunity. Paul was teaching them to go back to the gospel that He had taught them. What about our own congregations, do we exhibit works of the flesh and the backbiting behavior that leads to disunity? There will always be believers who hang onto sin, but if we truly are born of the Spirit and are led by the Holy Spirit, we need to implement the fruit of the Spirit and to banish those works of the flesh that can ensnare us.

As Paul initially summarized, our goal is to serve one another in love and thereby fulfill the law.

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Galatians 5:13 Messianic Style

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Paul had just made some very strong statements about the false teachers who had come into the Galatian fellowship, trying to pervert the gospel of Messiah. Paul then continued.

Galatians 5:13 (KJV)
¹³ For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.

The Galatians had been called into liberty (verse 13). Paul's readers of the day understood what he was referring to, but here in the twenty-first century it is much more difficult, because we read Paul's letters through many centuries of our own traditions and assumptions that may or may not be true. For most of these centuries it has been believed that Paul was contrasting living under grace as opposed to living under Torah, but this has not been the issue of Galatians. The foundation of Galatians, as we've seen, has been that mankind is saved by grace through faith and nothing else.The false teachers ultimately were denying that Yeshua's death and resurrection accomplished all that was needed for mankind's salvation. They believed faith was not enough, but that ritual conversion had to be added. So, what liberty was Paul talking about?

If we remember back in chapter 4, Paul had stated that when individuals come to faith in Messiah Yeshua, they are freed from the bondage of the principles of the world. The believers have gone from bondage to what the principles of the world required, to freedom now under the reign of Yeshua. It didn't matter either, really, whether the believers were Jews or Gentiles. In either case the unbelievers were subject to trying to appease the gods. The rules or methods required needed to be followed meticulously so that the gods were happy with the subjects. Man-made religion is superstitious in nature. The followers are stuck in a never ending cycle of following rules, but never knowing if what they had done was enough. This was what the false teachers were espousing. In contrast living by faith in Yeshua meant knowing that His sacrifice had saved the believers and they were free from the treadmill of constantly following rules in the attempt to appease. Rather, they could live as God wanted them to live, but without the constant superstitious striving. When they did sin, the faith relationship was not destroyed. They were not living by their own attempts at righteousness.

Paul continued in verse 13 with a caution not to use that liberty as an occasion to the flesh. In other words he didn't want the Galatians to use that liberty as an excuse to sin. Although they didn't have to be consumed with trying to be righteous in order to be saved, the Galatian believers were not to intentionally engage in sin.

This should ring true in all of our hearts, because when we know that God has saved us, there can be a tendency to feel, prior to sin, that it doesn't really matter because God will forgive us. Certainly, this is not necessarily a conscious decision to go out and sin, but instead, in the heat of emotion, take anger for example, the normal Christian response is exchanged for the fleshly sinful response. Yet, in that emotion, in the seconds that it took to process the anger, that tendency of knowing God will forgive, can come into play, and we respond in sin. This was Paul's caution.

Paul's idea of liberty was not a turning away from Torah. God's laws were not the bondage that the Galatians had been freed from. Believers are freed in order to live righteous lives as God intended.

1 John 5:3 (KJV)
³ For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

When John and Paul were writing there was no New Testament that was viewed as Scripture (See here:). John's comments about keeping the commandments, which are not grievous, could only refer to the Torah. Obviously, Paul could not have been speaking about being freed from the Torah either.

Paul's last instruction in verse 13 was that instead of sinning, believers were to serve one another in love. In my next post we will deal with that topic.

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Galatians 5:5-12 Messianic Style

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Paul and the other New Testament writers refer to the Scriptures, Law, and commandments quite frequently in their writings. Since the New Testament did not formally exist at the time of their writing, their references must refer to the Old Testament.

Keeping this in mind we continue with chapter 5.

Galatians 5:5-12 (KJV)
⁵ For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.
⁶ For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.
⁷ Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?
⁸ This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you.
⁹ A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.
¹⁰ I have confidence in you through the Lord, that ye will be none otherwise minded: but he that troubleth you shall bear his judgment, whosoever he be.
¹¹ And I, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution? then is the offence of the cross ceased.
¹² I would they were even cut off which trouble you.

Verse 5 continues on Paul's theme of salvation by faith. Believers through the Holy Spirit by faith wait for the hope of righteousness, eternal life. This hope of eternal life is based on trusting in Yeshua's righteousness, but leads to an increasing sanctification and righteousness of the believer.

This occurs through faith and is not based on whether one is a Jew or a Gentile. (Paul again used circumcision and uncircumcision to identify Jews and Gentiles.) Faith is demonstrated by good deeds motivated by love.

In verse 7 Paul commended the Galatians for their "walk" that resulted from salvation by faith. He returned to the topic of why they would turn away from the truth and follow the false teachers, whose teaching was not from God (verse 8). He then reminded the Galatians that a little bit of yeast put into bread dough will leaven the entire loaf, just like a small deviation from the truth of God can cause great damage to the believers (verse 9).

Paul then encouraged the Galatians by stating his confidence in them in verse 10. Notice, that his confidence was based on the Lord's ability to keep the Galatian believers sound rather than on their own ability! The false teachers, or anyone else potentially coming along with false ideas, would be accountable to God for their teaching error to the Galatians.

In verse 11 Paul pointed out that if he went back and preached according to what the false teachers believed, that the Galatians needed to be ritually converted in order to be a part of the Kingdom of God, he would be in line with what traditional Judaism believed. He would not be persecuted any more, but then the "offense" of the cross would no longer exist either. Basically, Yeshua would have died for nothing if ritual conversion was what saved.

Lastly, Paul emphatically denounced the false teachers in verse 12. Being "cut off" in this case likely meant to "separate from" or to "expel" the false teachers. Considering that the false teachers believed that the Galatians needed to be ritually circumcised, Paul very likely was turning the tables on the false teachers and was suggesting that "cut off" was to be taken more literally. No one could ever accuse Paul of timidity!

Next time we will discuss the topic of Christian liberty.

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Galatians 5 Messianic Style - Paul's Scriptures

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In our study of Galatians Paul's main thrust has been the issue of how mankind receives salvation. His prime example has been Abraham, whose faith was credited to him as righteousness.

Galatians 3:6 (KJV)
⁶ Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.

Then in Galatians 5 Paul discussed the bondage that the Galatian believers were desiring to enter into by being ritually converted to Judaism. Yet, salvation doesn't free mankind totally from everything. Paul stated this in Romans.

Romans 6:18 (KJV)
¹⁸ Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.

What is righteousness? The Free Online Dictionary defines righteousness as being, "morally upright; without guilt or sin." How do we know what constitutes righteousness? Christians believe that it is God, through the written Bible, who tells us what righteousness looks like As we go further into our study of Galatians, we will find that chapters 5 and 6 relate much about righteousness. Do we find everything that we need in order to understand what righteousness is by reading the New Testament? Most Christians would say, "yes." The traditional understanding is that the Old Testament Law is no longer in force (Others believe that the "moral law" is still applicable, but not the "ritual" or "civic" law.) and that the New Testament is the only law that is applicable. While there are passages that seem to agree with this there are others that flatly contradict this idea.

Romans 7:12 (KJV)
¹² Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.

Here Paul not only states that the law is holy, but that the commandment (singular) is holy. What commandment and what law is he referring to? If Paul is talking about a singular law and commandment, he must be referring to the entire body of the Old Testament Law.

2 John 1:5-6 (KJV)
⁵ And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another.
⁶ And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.

John tells us  that he had written a "new" commandment to the "lady." However, he goes on to say that the commandment to love one another, is not new, but has been around "from the beginning." John can only be referring to the commands to love one another in the Old Testament.

John 15:10 (KJV)
¹⁰ If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.

In this verse John quotes Yeshua by saying that if we keep His commandments as He had kept His Father's commandments, we will abide in the Father's love. Which commandments did Yeshua keep? He had to faithfully keep every command in the Old Testament in order to qualify to be the sacrifice for our sin. Which commandments are we to keep? He doesn't specify, but seems to assume that the believers would understand. Most likely, the Father's commandments and Yeshua's would be the same. Notice, that it is through the keeping of the commandments that we abide in the Father's love.

Romans 2:13 (KJV)
¹³ (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.

In Romans Paul clearly stands with James in that the evidence of faith in Yeshua results in doing the law. Again, which law is Paul referring to? Without specification, the whole law seems to be indicated.

1 John 3:4 (KJV)
⁴ Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

John also uses the law in an unspecified sense. When we sin we transgress the whole law of God.

Some reading these verses will still argue that "the law" and "the commandments" only apply to either the "moral" law or those "laws" delineated in the New Testament. There is no instance in the New Testament where we are directed to obey only the "moral" law. There is also no instance where the law is actually separated into moral, ritual, and civic categories. Also, it is impossible that the New Testament writers could be directing the believers into following only New Testament law since no New Testament existed for them at that time. Paul's letters were likely written before the Gospels (Hegg, Tim. The Letter Writer: Paul's Background and Torah Perspective. TorahResource, Tacoma, WA, 2008. p. 146). His writings as well as the other New Testament writings were not likely considered Scripture until after the apostolic period.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 (KJV)
¹⁶ All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
¹⁷ That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

Therefore, when Paul stated the above, he could only be referring to the Old Testament. Verse 17 summarized Paul's view. The Old Testament was what God had given mankind that would equip believers for understanding what constituted good works or righteousness.

This will be important as we continue in our study of Galatians.

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Galatians 5:1-4 Messianic Style

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Paul finished his allegory and we are now about to move into Chapter 5.

Galatians 5:1-4 (KJV)
¹ Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
² Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing.
³ For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law.
⁴ Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.

The summary of Paul's allegory was stated in verse 31 of chapter 4. Because the Galatians had come to faith in Messiah Yeshua rather than through ritual conversion they were "sons of Sarah." Therefore, as verse 1 of chapter 5 begins, Paul instructed the believers to stand fast, or to refuse to abandon, the liberty they received from Yeshua and not be entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
To clarify, Paul was urging the believers to recognize that they, by coming to Yeshua in faith, were no longer under bondage to the occult, spiritual forces that were in control of the world, and not to enter into another form of bondage.

In verse 2 Paul told them that if they were ritually converted to Judaism, Yeshua would not be of benefit to them. This is the bondage that Paul was afraid that they would enter into. His statement is confusing because of how he used the word "circumcision." In chapter 2, verses 7-9, Paul used "circumcision" as a way of identifying the Jewish people. Here he was using "circumcision" as shorthand for the four steps of ritual conversion (circumcision, payment of the Temple tax, immersion, and agreeing to obey both the written and oral law).  If the Galatians ritually converted they would enter into the bondage that the Jewish system had become.

But even more importantly, if these Gentile Galatians accepted what the false teachers were saying, that they had to become Jews in order to be in the Kingdom of God and they were ritually converted, they would in essence nullify Yeshua's death and resurrection as the completed act that provided salvation. They would nullify faith as the method of how that salvation was applied. This was how Yeshua would not then be of benefit to them.

In verse 3 Paul confirmed that every man that was ritually converted would be a debtor to the whole law, meaning both the written and oral law.

Paul summarized what he was saying in verse 4. Yeshua had no effect for those who thought they were justified (saved) by ritual conversion. They would actually be fallen from grace if they were ritually converted.

Before going on, it must be remembered that Paul was primarily addressing Gentiles and the issue they were facing because of the false teachers. His comments were not directed towards Jewish believers nor was he making a statement regarding the observance of the Torah.

The Jewish believers came to faith in Yeshua just like the Gentiles. They were freed from the elements of the world, also. These elements included any bondage that resulted from the Jewish religion that contradicted God's written Law or went beyond it. This doesn't mean that all Jewish tradition was wrong, bad, or should be thrown away. Most of what was practiced in Judaism was perfectly acceptable. We see this in Yeshua's behavior while He lived on this earth. He practiced Judaism. His way was actually very similar to how the Pharisees lived. However, as we know, Yeshua did take issue with the Jewish system when it conflicted with the Torah. So, the Jewish believers were free to continue to live as Jews, but they were free, now, from any bondage outside of righteousness.

Romans 6:18 (KJV)
¹⁸ Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.

So both Jews and Gentiles, as believers in Yeshua, were freed from sin and its bondage, whatever form it took, and were now servants of rightousness. They were free to observe Torah without extraneous bondage. There will be more on this next time.

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Galatians 4:25-31 Messianic Style

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In the allegory that Paul was using, Hagar represented man's attempt at accomplishing God's promise of a son for Abraham. Sarah represented God's own miraculous method of fulfilling the promise. Paul was trying to convey the difference between God's way of salvation (faith) versus the way that the false teachers were pushing (ritual conversion). Paul continued with this.

Galatians 4:25-31 (KJV)
²⁵ For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.
²⁶ But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.
²⁷ For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband.
²⁸ Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.
²⁹ But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now.
³⁰ Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.
³¹ So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.

Verse 25 continues Paul's discussion about Hagar (Agar). Although she represented Mount Sinai which is located in Arabia, Mount Sinai answered to Jerusalem, as the location where God placed His name. Paul was using Hagar then as a representative also of Jerusalem, as it was at that time, and the current system of Judaism that placed the Jewish people under a form of bondage. This was what the false teachers wanted the new Galatian believers to submit to.

Paul contrasted the present Jerusalem with the Jerusalem which was above, was free, and was mother of us all (verse 26). This was Sarah in Paul's allegory and she represented the Abrahamic covenant that demonstrated that God's way of salvation was through faith. Notice that Paul claimed that the heavenly (or New) Jerusalem was the mother of us all (the believers, both Jew and Gentile). Paul was not divorcing the believers in Yeshua from Judaism per se, but rather the man-made system surrounding it.

Paul then used Isaiah 54 as the foundation of his allegory (verse 27).

Isaiah 54:1-3 (KJV)
¹ Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the LORD.
² Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes;
³ For thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited.

This prophecy was about Jerusalem, which was described as being barren because her children had gone into exile. However, one day there would be an ingathering of the people, a number far exceeding what she would have expected. In this Millennial Kingdom there would be both Jews and Gentiles.

The comparison of the New Jerusalem to Sarah was in keeping with traditional Jewish interpretation of the barren woman who became the mother of a nation (Lancaster, D.Thomas. The Holy Epistle to the Galatians. First Fruits of Zion, Marshfield, MO, 2011. p. 224).

In verse 28, Paul confirmed that just like Isaac, the believers in Galatia were the children of promise.

Just as Isaac was persecuted by Ishmael, so, too, were the Galatian children of promise persecuted by the children of the flesh (the false teachers) (verse 29). This was a pretty harsh statement about the false teachers. Instead of calling them, brethren, as Paul had been calling the Galatians, he implied that the false teachers would not inherit eternal life! This was confirmed in verse 30, where just as Abraham had been told to cast out Hagar and Ishmael, so, too, the Galatians should cast out the false teachers.

In summary, Paul concluded his allegory by saying that the Galatians were the children of the free woman and not the slave woman (verse 31). There simply was no need for them to undergo ritual conversion and become Jews and be subject to the Judaic system. They were already saved and had entered the Kingdom of God.

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Galatians 4:22-24 Messianic Style

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Since the Galatians wanted to be under the system of Judaism, Paul asked them if they had heard what the Torah said? He then began to teach them by way of an allegory.

Galatians 4:22-24 (KJV)
²² For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman.
²³ But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.
²⁴ Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar.

The first thing to notice in verse 22 is that Paul was taking his information from the Scriptures. There it is written that Abraham had two sons. The first son, named Ishmael, was the son of a bondmaid, the slave Hagar. The second son, Isaac, was the son of Abraham's wife Sarah, a free woman.

Verse 23 states that Ishmael was born after the flesh. Isaac was born by promise. Paul was briefly explaining that God had promised a son to Abraham. When the expected heir did not come, Sarah and Abraham took matters in their own hands. Sarah gave Abraham her handmaid, Hagar, as a concubine, hoping to have children through her, which she did. That child was Ishmael. But this had not been God's plan. God intended that Abraham would have the promised son through Sarah. About thirteen years later Sarah gave birth to Isaac. It would be through Isaac that God's promises would be fulfilled. These facts must be kept in mind as Paul explained his allegory. Hagar and Ishmael were Sarah and Abraham's man-made attempt at fulfilling God's plan. Sarah and Isaac were God's miraculous fulfillment.

Verse 24 sets the stage for the allegory.  Hagar and Sarah represent two covenants. Hagar represents the covenant from Mount Sinai which leads to bondage.

Which two covenants do these women represent? Often it is assumed that they represent the Mosaic Covenant and the New Covenant, but this is not true. Verse 24 confirms that Hagar represents the Mosaic covenant, but to identify the covenant that Sarah represents requires a look back at what Paul had been teaching. Much time in the book of Galatians was spent in explaining that the Galatians had been saved by grace through faith. Paul's example had been Abraham, so it is understandable that Paul would use Sarah as the representative of the Abrahamic Covenant. The false teachers believed that the Galatians needed to undergo conversion to Judaism in order to be a part of the Kingdom of God. Paul's going back to the Abrahamic Covenant revealed that salvation came by faith. He made the point that a newer covenant cannot annul an older covenant. The Abrahamic Covenant was still in force and so faith continued to be the mechanism for salvation.

God has made several covenants with Israel. For example, there are the Abrahamic, Mosaic, Davidic, and the New Covenants. In each case the newer only builds or expands the older, it doesn't annul. In essence then the Abrahamic and Mosaic Covenants were not in opposition. The Mosaic Covenant only built on the Abrahamic. Again, Paul was proving that the false teachers were wrong in their assumptions.

Verse 24 also states that the covenant that Hagar represented led to bondage. Although Hagar stood as a representative of the Mosaic Covenant, the description of that covenant leading to bondage is confusing. Paul's view of that covenant was positive.

Romans 7:12 (KJV)
¹² Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.

However, Paul did believe that coming under the system of Judaism which included an agreement to observe the oral law to the same degree as the written Law, did lead to bondage. This also violated God's plan of including both Jews and Gentiles in His kingdom, since ritual conversion made the Gentiles virtual Jews. Paul saw Hagar (and the false teachers' way) as a man-made attempt at fulfilling God's salvation plan. Sarah (and faith) was God's method of fulfillment.

The next post will continue with Paul's allegory.

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Galatians 4:17-21 Messianic Style

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Paul had begun speaking to the Galatians about the relationship that he had with them. Despite an infirmity he had preached to them the Gospel of Yeshua. The Galatians had accepted it and cared deeply for Paul. He continued by speaking about the false teachers and his relationship to the Galatians.

Galatians 4:17-21 (KJV)
¹⁷ They zealously affect you, but not well; yea, they would exclude you, that ye might affect them.
¹⁸ But it is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing, and not only when I am present with you.
¹⁹ My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you,
²⁰ I desire to be present with you now, and to change my voice; for I stand in doubt of you.
²¹ Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law?

In verse 17 Paul stated that the false teachers had affected the Galatians zealously, but not in a good way. The false teachers had been trying to isolate them from the men and teachings consistent with Paul's doctrine in an attempt to make the Galatians seek only the false teachers. Paul then stated that being zealous was a good thing if it was for a good purpose and not just when Paul was present with them (verse 18).

Verse 19 expressed Paul's relationship to the Galatians in a nutshell. They were his children in faith, that he labored for them and were laboring for them until Messiah was fully formed in them. Paul meant to continue working for their salvation and sanctification until the Galatians were strong in their faith. According to verse 20 Paul wanted to be with the Galatians and able to use a gentler tone with them, but as it was, he was concerned about the direction in which they were going.

Paul then asked the Galatians another question, "Those of you who desire to be under the law, do you not hear what the law says?"

This verse can be difficult to understand because of Paul's use of "under the law." What did he mean here? He could have been referring to the Torah and he had previously used the term in this way in Galatians (4:5), but for the Jew the law also meant the encompassing system of law that included not only the written Torah, but the oral law as well. Remember, too, that even though the written Torah specified that Gentiles were to be accepted by grace through faith into Israel, the vast understanding of the Jews had been that only Jews were able to participate in the World to Come (salvation). So any Gentile desiring to be in God's kingdom must have to be converted to Judaism first. Paul had spent the majority of the first four chapters in Galatians refuting this idea. Salvation is through faith in Yeshua only and not in the law, Torah or oral. Now Paul was ready to get to the meat of his letter. The false teachers believed that the Galatians had to convert to Judaism in order to be a part of the kingdom of God. This is how Paul is obviously using "under the law." The Galatians were being swayed by the false teachers' mandate, they desired to be placed under the encompassing system of Judaism, all the oral law, and all the required customs of Judaism.

The last part of Paul's question is a play on words. If the Galatians wanted to be under the system of Judaism proscribed by the false teachers, didn't they understand what the Law (in this case the Torah) said? It is also important at this juncture to realize that the word "hear" to the Jewish mind also meant "obey." The Hebrew word "shema" although meaning "hear" is never independent of "obeying." In the next verse Paul would begin an illustration meant to clarify his arguments. This will be the topic of the next post.

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Galatians 4:12-16 Messianic Style

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We last left Paul taking the Galatians to task for returning to pagan practices. He ended by saying that he was afraid that he had labored among them in vain. Paul went on to speak of their relationship.

Galatians 4:12-16 (KJV)
¹² Brethren, I beseech you, be as I am; for I am as ye are: ye have not injured me at all.
¹³ Ye know how through infirmity of the flesh I preached the gospel unto you at the first.
¹⁴ And my temptation which was in my flesh ye despised not, nor rejected; but received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus.
¹⁵ Where is then the blessedness ye spake of? for I bear you record, that, if it had been possible, ye would have plucked out your own eyes, and have given them to me.
¹⁶ Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?

In spite of Paul's frustration with the Galatians, he called them brethren in verse 12. This indicated that he considered these Galatians as truly born again members of the body of Yeshua. This also reveals that they had not lost their salvation. He told them to become like him in the same way that he had become like them. This should remind us of another statement of Paul.

1 Corinthians 9:19 (KJV)
¹⁹ For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more.

So, as Paul had embraced living among Gentiles by forgoing many of the Jewish customs that he had considered for most of his life as essential, he wanted the Gentiles to embrace a life devoted to God without their pagan customs. The last part of verse 12 indicates that Paul was assuring the Galatians that he recognized that they had not injured or offended him in any way.

Verse 13 hints at a physical or spiritual infirmity that Paul had. We read about this in 2 Corinthians.

2 Corinthians 12:7 (KJV)
⁷ And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.

There have been many speculations on what Paul's "thorn in the flesh" may have been. The ideas range from stuttering, epilepsy, weak vision, emotional suffering, a recurring temptation, to the presence of a demonic spirit (Stern, David, Jewish New Testament Commentary, 517-518). Whatever Paul's condition may have been, he still managed to preach the Gospel to the Galatians. They also received the message without despising or rejecting Paul on the basis of his infirmity. They accepted Paul as if he were an angel of God or Yeshua, himself (verse 14).

Paul then asked them, "Where are your blessings (verse 15)?" Paul was wondering why after they had accepted the Gospel so graciously from him that they turned back to paganism. Why weren't they living in the blessings that should have resulted from their reception of the Gospel? Paul added that when he had last seen them he would have believed that the Galatians would have plucked out their own eyes for him. (This gives further credibility to the idea that Paul's infirmity may have had something to do with his eyes.)

In verse 16 Paul asked, "Am I now your enemy because I proclaimed the truth?"

Next, we will learn more about the false teachers that have been trying to pervert the message that Paul had preached.

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Galatians 4:4-11 Messianic Style

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Paul shared a parable with the Galatians that equated them with a child heir, who before maturity was no more than a servant. As he was explaining how this applied to the Galatians he was about to describe what happened in the fullness of time.

Galatians 4:4-11 (KJV)
⁴ But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
⁵ To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
⁶ And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.
⁷ Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.
⁸ Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods.
⁹ But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?
¹⁰ Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years.
¹¹ I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain.

When the time was right, God sent his Son, Yeshua the Messiah, as a baby, subject to the same Law that all mankind was subject to, the Torah (verse 4). God's purpose in sending His Son was to redeem those that are under the Law so that they might receive the adoption of sons and daughters (verse 5). Paul made this personal as he changed "them" to "we." As believers the Galatians were indeed sons and daughters of God and through the Spirit of God's Son they were entitled to call God, "Abba" meaning father (verse 6). As these Galatians came to faith they were no longer servants (remember the child heir), but sons and daughters, and therefore heirs of God through Messiah (verse 7).

In verse 8 Paul began to describe what had been going on with the Galatians. He acknowledged that before faith (when they didn't know God) they served them which were not really gods. This is the state of the unbeliever. Even if someone is an atheist and claims that they don't follow any religion, they serve Satan and the forces aligned against God. In the case of the Galatians they were primarily pagans, serving the Great Goddess Mother (see previous post). But now the Galatian believers were saved. In verse 9 Paul related something about the Galatians that he was surprised at, that even though they were believers, they had turned again to the weak and beggarly elements that they had served before. He asked, "Why do you desire to be in bondage again?"

Again, traditional Christianity has tried to interpret verse 9 as stating that the Galatians were turning back to weak and beggarly elements, meaning the Torah, but this is not possible. These elements are the same as those in verse 3, the occult, spiritual forces that characterize life before faith. By returning to these pagan practices the Galatians were placing themselves back into bondage. Paul couldn't understand why they wanted to do that.

Verse 10 confirms that the practices that the Galatians were involved with were not Torah practices. They were observing days, months, times, and years. The Jews were specifically forbidden to observe times in Leviticus and Deuteronomy.

Leviticus 19:26 (KJV)
²⁶ Ye shall not eat any thing with the blood: neither shall ye use enchantment, nor observe times.

Deuteronomy 18:10 (KJV)
¹⁰ There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch,

Deuteronomy 18:14 (KJV)
¹⁴ For these nations, which thou shalt possess, hearkened unto observers of times, and unto diviners: but as for thee, the LORD thy God hath not suffered thee so to do.

God was warning his people about engaging in occult practices. This ties in with verse 8's summary of what the Galatians had come out of. Again, since the Galatians had primarily been pagans, any return could not be to Judaism, since they had not come out of Judaism.

Then in verse 11 Paul ended this section by saying that he was afraid that he had labored amongst them in vain. Imagine how Paul's heart must have ached, knowing that he had sown the Gospel message, that it was received, and yet, the Galatians were turning back to paganism?

Today in Christianity we are a lot like the Galatians. Many have been saved mightily and have committed their lives to Yeshua, but have returned to paganism without even knowing it. Most of us know that occult practices like horoscopes, seances, and tarot cards are wrong, but there are other practices that are just as bad that are slipping into the church in the guise of good practice. Contemplative prayer, walking of labyrinths, and lectio divina are just some of them. But perhaps even more insidious are the practices that we have participated in for hundreds of years, not realizing that they come from paganism. These are practices that Paul would have denounced based on this chapter of Galatians. They are the observance of pagan holidays such as Halloween, Christmas, Easter, Lent, Advent, and Sunday Sabbath. We have Christianized them, but slapping a Christian theme onto a pagan holiday doesn't make it Christian.

Instead, God gave us feast days as stated in Leviticus, which many Christians push aside because they don't want to be Jewish or they have misunderstood various writings in the New Testament. Besides, if a person wants to celebrate Yeshua's birth or His resurrection, the Lord's feasts in Leviticus already point to Messiah. The Feast of Tabernacles, likely when Yeshua was born, reflects His dwelling (or tabernacling) with us. The Feast of First Fruits (right after Passover), when Yeshua was raised from the dead, reflects His resurrection. We don't need pagan holidays as replacements, nor do we want to find ourselves in the same place as the Galatians. Let us commit to pure Christian practices!

In the next post, Paul continued speaking to the Galatians in a personal way.

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Galatians 4:1-3 Messianic Style

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As chapter four begins Paul continued his argument. The Law's purpose is as a schoolmaster, convicting mankind of sin, which in turn leads to repentance and faith.

Galatians 4:1-3 (KJV)
¹ Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all;
² But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father.
³ Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world:

Paul started off by making a comparison. Verses 1 and 2 refer to the child of a wealthy landowner. Although he is the lord of the estate as heir to his father, he is yet a child and doesn't really differ from a servant. He is under tutors and governors until he reaches maturity at the time appointed by his father. Then in verse 3 Paul stated that the Galatian believers were like that child. He said that they were in bondage under the elements of the world.

Traditional Christianity has interpreted this bondage as bondage under the Law, but it is unlikely that Paul would have called the Law a bondage or an element of the world.

Proverbs 29:18 (KJV)
¹⁸ Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.

Psalm 119:77 (KJV)
⁷⁷ Let thy tender mercies come unto me, that I may live: for thy law is my delight.

Psalm 119:113 (KJV)
¹¹³ I hate vain thoughts: but thy law do I love.

1 John 5:2-3 (KJV)
² By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.
³ For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

It is also unlikely that the Galatians would have considered themselves in bondage under the Law. The assembly of the Galatians consisted primarily of Gentiles. In Galatia, at that time, the most important cult was that of the Great Goddess Mother (Roman Cybele). (The Condensation of Specificity: Paul's Use of "stoicheia" by Kevin von Duuglas-Ittu: http://kvond.wordpress.com/2008/05/28/the-condensation-of-specificity-pauls-rhetorical-use/) However, Paul included any Jewish believers in Galatia by his statement of "we" being in bondage in verse 3. So the bondage includes both Jews and Gentiles.

So what are these elements of the world? The word translated "elements" is the Greek word "stoicheia." The basic meaning of the word refers to the four elements that the world was believed to be made of, fire, water, earth, and air. But Paul's usage went far beyond this. In Roman and Greek philosophy the term also included the occult, spiritual forces that were in control of the world. Paul's use of the word fits in very well with this idea. The Galatians believers had been in bondage to the occult, spiritual forces around them.

How can it be explained then that both Jews and Gentiles were in bondage to these "elements?" The Gentile's bondage to paganism and idolatry is evident, but the Jews were often involved in their own brand of idolatry, ranging from accepting idolatrous teachings of Greek philosophy to being bound by oral law that was placed on the same level as the written Law. This is not to say that the oral law was necessarily evil or idolatrous, since it defined how the Jews lived. It became idolatry when it led the Jews into violating the written Law or it was viewed as a necessary part of salvation.

Going back to verse 2, Paul stated that as children in bondage to these "elements,"  they were under tutors and governors until maturity. This is reminiscent of chapter 3's "schoolmaster." This again points to the purpose of the Law as a guardian or keeper that demonstrated how life was to be lived. 

In verse 4 Paul went on to describe what occurred "at the fulness of time" and how this related to his parable of the child in verses 1 and 2. This will be covered next time.

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Galatians 3:21b-29 Messianic Style

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Last time Paul had begun to explain the purpose of the Law and its relationship to salvation by grace through faith. He continued with this:

Galatians 3:21b-29 (KJV)
²¹ for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law.
²² But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.
²³ But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.
²⁴ Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
²⁵ But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.
²⁶ For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
²⁷ For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
²⁸ There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
²⁹ And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

In verse 21b Paul went on to say that if the Law could give life, then righteousness or salvation would have been by the Law. However, he pointed out that because of the Law, it is obvious that all mankind is sinful (verse 22). The promise of salvation given by faith in Yeshua is only given to them that believe. But before a believer comes to faith he or she is "guarded" (Aramaic English New Testament by Andrew Roth) by the Torah (verse 23). Paul was saying that before faith, mankind's only way of living is by staying within the confines of the written Law. When faith comes, Torah is moved internally and the Holy Spirit's power is there to help the believer live according to the Law.

Verse 24 summarized what Paul had been saying. The Law is the schoolmaster that convicts mankind of sin, thereby bringing them to desire a remedy, which is repentance and then faith in Yeshua's work on the cross. The believer is then justified by that faith. After faith, a believer is no longer under the schoolmaster (verse 25). Since the Torah has been internalized, obedience is possible by the Holy Spirit. The condemnation that the schoolmaster brought is no longer there. But it is the condemnation of the Torah that is gone, not the Torah itself.

Paul then went back to his initial argument in verse 26 that through faith in Yeshua the believing Galatians were the children of God and by baptism had put on Yeshua's righteousness like a garment (Aramaic English New Testament) (verse 27). Therefore, there is only the body of Yeshua, not separate groups of Jews or Gentiles (Greeks), slaves or free born members, nor males or females. All are one in Yeshua (verse 28). And if they are all Yeshua's then they all are Abraham's descendants and heirs according to the promise of salvation by grace through faith (verse 29).

All Christians agree that the purpose of the Torah initially is as a schoolmaster. Traditional Christianity then says that once Yeshua came, the Torah was no longer needed as a schoolmaster,  since Yeshua fulfilled the Torah. Therefore, no one needs to observe the Torah any more. However, if Galatians had been written with that intent, the purpose of the Torah is removed.  How do unbelievers come to Yeshua? There would be no source of conviction! The Torah must continue in force.

Some Christians believe that the Ten Commandments or those laws from the Torah that are repeated in the New Testament can now function as the schoolmaster. This is only partially true. Paul made no such distinctions and this thinking only allows believers and unbelievers alike to violate the Torah as a whole.

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Galatians 3:15-21a Messianic Style

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Paul was determined to make the Galatians understand that they had already been saved by grace through faith in Messiah Yeshua and that they did not need to add anything further to their salvation.

He continued his argument.

Galatians 3:15-21 (KJV)
¹⁵ Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; Though it be but a man's covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto.
¹⁶ Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.
¹⁷ And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect.
¹⁸ For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise.
¹⁹ Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.
²⁰ Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one.
^21a Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid:

In verse 15 Paul compared God's covenant of salvation to the covenants that human beings make with others. Just as a human covenant cannot be annulled or added to once it is confirmed, God's covenant cannot be annulled or added to once it has been confirmed. The new Galatian believers' covenant with God was confirmed by the receiving of the Holy Spirit. That was it! Nothing needed to be added to it! (David Stern in the Jewish New Testament Commentary (548-549) uses the word "oath" instead of "covenant" to reflect that once an oath is made it cannot be changed, while strictly, a covenant can be changed by a codicil.)

Paul continued his discussion about Abraham in verse 16. The promises of salvation were made originally to Abraham. The promises were also made then to Abraham's seed (descendants), based on faith. But his descendants are "one" in Yeshua. David Stern summarizes with these nine truths:

          (1) Israel is God's son.
          (2) The Messiah is God's Son.
          (3) Israel is descended from Avraham (Abraham), is Avraham's seed, the children of Avraham.
          (4) The true children of Avraham are those who trust.
          (5) Those who trust in Yeshua are united with him by that trust -- they are part of his Body, one with him, one, singular.
          (6) In the thinking of the Tanakh (Old Testament), a king represents his people to the point of being one with them; and the king of Israel is treated as representing Israel, standing for them, being one with them.
          (7) The Messiah Yeshua is the King of Israel, the promised Son of David, one with Israel.
          (8) By trusting, Gentiles become identified with and in some sense a part of Israel.
          (9) All of God's promises reach their culmination and fulfillment in the Messiah, who is Avraham's "seed." (549)

In verse 17 Paul stated that the promises to Abraham were given 430 years prior to the giving of the Law. Therfore, the Law cannot annul those promises. If the observing of any laws made the people heirs of God, it wouldn't be then by promise (verse 18).

So what purpose then did the Torah serve?  It was to show sinful man what constituted right and wrong. With Yeshua's coming the Law was then written on the hearts of believers and the Torah no longer condemned believers. The Torah still exists to show unbelievers what constitutes right and wrong. Although the Torah doesn't condemn believers, the Torah is still meant to be the guide to behavior (verse 19). Paul stated that the Torah was given by the angels through Moses the mediator.

Verse 20's meaning is contested. However, Moses was the mediator, not of one, but of two, since he acted between God and the people of Israel. The promises given to Abraham were not given through a mediator, but through God himself. This may be another point that Paul was making regarding the superior position that the promise of salvation had over the Torah.

Lastly, was the Torah against the promises of God? Paul's response was a resounding "God forbid!"

Christianity has traditionally pitted the Torah against salvation received by grace through faith. But, Paul consistently stated otherwise, that they work together. This is the truth about law and grace.

This thought will be continued next time.

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Galatians 3:5-14 Messianic Style

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In chapter three Paul began by asking the Galatians if they had received the Holy Spirit by works of the law or by faith. He continued.

Galatians 3:5-14 (KJV)
⁵ He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
⁶ Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.
⁷ Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.
⁸ And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.
⁹ So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.
¹⁰ For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.
¹¹ But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.
¹² And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them.
¹³ Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:
¹⁴ That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

Paul asked another question in verse 5. Did God minister to the Galatians the Spirit and work miracles by works of the law or by faith? The answer was, of course, by faith. In verse 6 Paul pointed out that Abraham had received righteousness by believing in God just as the Galatians had. Therefore, all those that have faith in God are the children of Abraham (verse 7). This meant that the believing Galatians had been added to the commonwealth of Israel. They were a part of the Kingdom of God.

Ephesians 2:19 (KJV)
¹⁹ Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;

Ultimately, this implies that not all Jews were true children of Abraham. Belief in God was the determining factor. However, this argument does not imply that ethnic Jews were not ethnically children of Abraham, nor does it remove the prophetic importance of the physical nation of Israel and the promises given to the nation.

Paul's arguments do prove that the Kingdom of God was to be made up of both Jews and Gentiles. These Galatians simply did not have to become Jews in order to participate, nor did they have to add anything to their faith in order to become part of the Kingdom. This is Paul's message!

In verse 8 Paul continued to explain that God had hinted about the inclusion of Gentiles when He made His promises to Abraham, that all nations would be blessed in him.

Genesis 12:3 (KJV)
³ And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

Paul recapped his thinking in verse 9. The Galatian believers did not have to add those things that the false teachers were insisting they needed to add in order to be truly a part of the Kingdom of God.

Paul continued to explain that the nature of the Torah is such that its requirements are complete obedience. Any disobedience results in a curse (verse 10). In verse 11, Paul reiterated that no one was justified by observing the Torah, because everyone sins and falls under the curse of disobedience. He then quoted Habakkuk.

Habakkuk 2:4 (KJV)
⁴ Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.

This again informs us that salvation by faith was not new to Christianity. Judaism is also based on the same. Nothing has changed! God knew from the beginning of time that mankind would not be able to keep the Torah perfectly. So within Torah itself were remedies for disobedience. Repentance and certain sacrifices would atone and cover sin.

Torah obedience was not the way to salvation, but it is how the righteous live (verse 12)! Paul quoted from Leviticus.

Leviticus 18:5 (KJV)
⁵ Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments: which if a man do, he shall live in them: I am the LORD.

Verse 13 states that Messiah Yeshua saved sinners from the curse of the disobedience of Torah by becoming a curse himself. Paul quoted Deuteronomy.

Deuteronomy 21:22-23 (KJV)
²² And if a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he be to be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree:
²³ His body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is hanged is accursed of God;) that thy land be not defiled, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.

Although Yeshua committed no crime and obeyed the Torah perfectly, He paid the penalty for mankind's sin by dying on the cross. Indeed, He was cursed for mankind. Through His sacrifice the blessing of Abraham was bestowed on the Gentiles and they receive salvation through faith.

Paul was continuing to make an argument that the Galatians received salvation by faith and not works either of the Torah or any deeds that the false teachers were trying to add. His argument here is not on whether the believers should continue in observing Torah after salvation. In fact, because of verse 12, Paul believed observing Torah was how the righteous (the saved) live! This makes perfect sense, since believers should understand that just because they aren't saved by Torah observance that it is not acceptable to murder, lie, or steal. Neither is disregarding any of the Torah's requirements acceptable. The false teachers were not advocating anything about Torah observance either, but rather traditions and culture that the Jews had come to believe were as essential as Torah observance.

We will continue next time with more of Paul's argument.

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Galatians 3:1-4 Messianic Style

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So far in Galatians, Paul had expressed his surprise that the Galatians were turning from Yeshua to another "gospel." Paul outlined how he had come to faith and how the apostles in Jerusalem had given him approval and had agreed that he was the "apostle to the Gentiles." His narrative demonstrated that he had authority to question what the Galatians were doing. In chapter two, Paul related an event that had taken place in Antioch where Peter had succumbed to pressure from some men from Jerusalem to separate from the Gentile believers. Paul took him to task over his violating the true gospel message. Lastly, Paul described salvation by faith.

As we come to chapter three Paul turned his attention back to the Galatians. The similarities between what happened in Antioch and what the Galatians were going through should be kept in mind as we continue.

Galatians 3:1-4 (KJV)
¹ O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?
² This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
³ Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?
⁴ Have ye suffered so many things in vain? if it be yet in vain.

Paul began this section of Scripture by again berating the Galatians. He called them "foolish." He asked, "Who has bewitched you?" The word "bewitch" means to "cast a spell over" or to "captivate completely" (Free Online Dictionary). The idea is that this new gospel had so overtaken the Galatians that it was as if a magic spell had been cast over them. The rest of verse 1 contrasts this "spell" that the Galatians were under to the truth that had been presented to them that they were not obeying.

In verse 2 Paul asked the Galatians another question. Did they receive the Holy Spirit by works of the law or by faith? First of all, Paul's question implies that these Galatians were already believers. They were already members of the body of Yeshua. They were already saved. So what the Galatians were turning to was not an invalid method of salvation, but something wrong consequent to salvation. Obviously, then the answer to Paul's question was that they received the Holy Spirit because they had faith in Yeshua. They had not received the Holy Spirit by "the works of the law." From chapter 2 Paul explained that "works of the law" were basically any kind of righteous works. For the Jew this would include the commands of God as well as the rules in the oral law (the traditions of the fathers).

Paul asked a second question in verse 3. Were the Galatians so foolish to think that once having been saved by the Holy Spirit through faith that fleshly deeds could make them perfect? Again, obviously, no amount of righteous deeds that any human could do would perfect him or her, because our righteousness is never enough. We are flawed, fallen people who continue to sin even after salvation. In spite of our flaws God does expect us to live righteously.

1 Peter 1:15-16 (KJV)
¹⁵ But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation (conduct);
¹⁶ Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

Paul's concern was not the righteous deeds expected after salvation, rather it was something extra. What were these false teachers trying to add? Paul didn't specifically tell us here, since his readers would have understood the issue at hand. But from the prior chapters we do receive hints. In Antioch the false teachers wanted to maintain Jewish traditions based on the oral law as if they were absolutes from the written Torah. Paul's inclusion of the Antioch episode would lead to the understanding that the issues were similar. Likely, the false teachers in Galatians were also trying to insist that the new Gentile believers follow the oral law, specifically the requirement to undergo ritual conversion to Judaism.

In verse 4 Paul asked the question, "Have ye suffered so many things in vain?" David Stern in the Jewish New Testament translates the phrase as, "If that's the way you think, your suffering certainly will have been for nothing." Paul summarized, by question, that if the Galatians continued in the direction that they were going, everything that they had gone through would have been for nothing. This was a strong statement of how far off the Galatians were straying from the true Gospel.

We will continue with Paul's comments next time.

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Galatians 2:14-21 Messianic Style

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In my last post, Paul had begun to explain how he had confronted Peter over his being carried away by the practices of some false teachers who had come to Antioch. Today we will continue with Paul's explanation.

Galatians 2:14-21 (KJV)
¹⁴ But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?
¹⁵ We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles,
¹⁶ Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
¹⁷ But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid.
¹⁸ For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor.
¹⁹ For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God.
²⁰ I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
²¹ I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.

When the false teachers (men from James) arrived in Antioch, Peter, Barnabas, and the other Jewish Messianic believers separated themselves from the Gentile believers. Paul stated in verse 14 that they were not behaving in a manner consistent with the truth of the gospel. So, he called Peter out in front of all of them. He asked the question, "If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?" What does this mean exactly? Peter, who was a Jew (ethnically and religiously in that he had been circumcised) was now living as a Gentile. Traditional Christianity has insisted that this has meant that Peter no longer followed the Torah, especially the food laws, but in light of the fact that the men from James most likely came from the same assembly as Peter and James, this seems unlikely. This issue would have been dealt with in Jerusalem long before Peter and the men came to Antioch. The problem was not the food laws, but rather a Jewish tradition of Jews and Gentiles eating separately.  So how did Peter live as a Gentile? Peter understood that the gospel was for both Jew and Gentile. The traditions in the oral law that were binding on Jews was no longer binding on the believers. Peter had been living in accord with this understanding. Apparently, his understanding had not been put to the test very strenuously in Jerusalem. He had no problem eating with Gentiles until the men from James pressured him into old ways of thought. If Peter understood that there was no difference between Jews and Gentiles in Messiah, Paul asked him why he wanted to compel the Gentiles to live according to all the oral traditions?

From this point on Paul explained why he had taken Peter to task.

In verse 15 Paul's use of "Jews by nature" and "sinners of the Gentiles" was not pejorative, but his Jewish way of differentiating the two groups. In traditional Judaism Gentiles were by nature "sinful." Paul used this description, although he was fully aware that both Jews and Gentiles were sinners.

Verse 16 makes it clear that the Jews knew that justification didn't come through doing any works, including the observance of Torah, but through faith in Messiah Yeshua. There has been a misunderstanding in Christianity that Judaism is a works-based religion. This is not true. We see this in Genesis.

Genesis 15:6 (KJV)
⁶ And he (Abraham) believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.

Yet, this has not stopped either Jews or Christians from acting as if righteousness comes from obeying laws. This is what the men from James were guilty of, believing that the Gentiles' salvation was dependent on righteous deeds, not only those of the Torah, but of the Jewish traditions as well. Paul, who knew how that understanding can lead believers astray, pointedly stated that "no man is justified by works.

In verse 17 Paul anticipated the reaction of his statement to all false teachers like those that came to Antioch. If receiving salvation came by faith and it was not dependent on works of righteousness, was not Messiah a minister of sin, if believers were found to be sinners? Paul emphatically exclaimed "No way!"

Paul then added that if he built back up the foundation of a works-based salvation as demonstrated by the false teachers, that he had worked so hard to destroy, he would be guilty of transgressing the real Torah (verse 18). In other words the Jewish religious system had created a god of their own making, by insisting that the Jewish traditions were essential, not the true God who allowed both Jews and Gentiles into salvation through faith and not works of any kind.

In verse 19 Paul used the word "law" in two different ways. The first was as "the Torah", but the second was as "the Jewish traditions." In other words, Paul, by understanding the true Torah's method of salvation, the Jewish traditions of the oral Torah were dead to him.

Believers share in Yeshua's death and resurrection (verse 20). Although, they still live in the flesh, the life they live is no longer controlled by the sinful nature, but is lived by Yeshua living within them. This is a picture of the new covenant where the Law was to be written on the hearts of believers.

Jeremiah 31:33 (KJV)
³³ But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.

Verse 21 then recaps Paul's statements by reiterating that if salvation had come by works of righteousness then Yeshua would have died in vain.

In summary, the false teachers were demonstrating that faith in Yeshua was not enough for salvation, that works were needed. Paul boldly corrected that notion. Faith in Yeshua was all that was required. Paul was pointing out that not even following Torah would result in the salvation of anyone. So certainly, the traditions of the Jews were not needed. However, just because salvation is not gained by doing works, it doesn't mean that the the Laws of the Torah are done away with. The Torah was now written on the believers' hearts and those good works would follow after salvation. The false teachers were wrong in trying to add Jewish tradition into what was required for salvation.

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