Justification by Faith: Faith leads to Love (Galatians 5.2-15)

Opposing a false teacher
In this passage we sense again the strength of Paul’s passionate concern for the Galatians. His repeated address to them as “brothers and sisters” (5.11, 13) underlines his warm relationship with them. This love contrasts sharply with his strong rejection of the false teaching which seems to have infiltrated into the Galatian churches. Readers of the English translation of 5.12 may be shocked by the apparently vituperative tone of his opposition to the false teachers, who are causing the problem. But in Paul’s original Greek, it comes across slightly less aggressively – although it is still distinctly negative.
The Old Testament reference to a little yeast penetrating the whole batch of dough (5.9) occurs also in 1 Corinthians 5.6. In his commentary, Stott points out that the yeast there refers to the sin of unholy living in the Christian community, whereas in Galatians Paul fears that the yeast of false teaching may contaminate the churches. Indeed, the fruit of unbiblical teaching will inevitably manifest itself in sinful life-styles. Stott points out that doctrinal error and ethical sin both spread perniciously.

Paul therefore warns that the one who is “throwing you into confusion will pay the penalty” (5.10). Judgment awaits them. What a warning to those of us who hold the responsibility of influencing other Christians through our teaching!

5.10’s use of the singular makes it clear that Paul is particularly thinking of one man who is causing the trouble. The poignant addition of the words “whoever he may be” indicates that the false teacher is someone who would otherwise be highly respected (5.10). Clearly, he has a leader of the Christian church in mind. We are reminded that in chapter 2 the false teaching was introduced by the great Apostle Peter, the rock on whom the Christian church was to be built (Matthew 16.18)! How easy it is to be led astray when a respected and trusted Pope, Archbishop or Vicar gives us unbiblical teaching! Sadly, church history is littered with examples of the official church and its leaders failing in this way and falling into error. Praise God for his Word in the Bible to reveal God’s truth! Let us all carefully read and study it for ourselves, so that we can discern truth!

What was the false teaching?

Throughout this letter we gain a clear picture of the false teaching, to which the Galatians were prone. Gentile believers were being told that they needed to be circumcised in order to become true Christians. Some Christians parallel this teaching with an emphasis on baptism as the means of salvation. Paul points out that such an emphasis on circumcision means that they would be “required to obey the whole Law” (5.3). If circumcision and obedience to the Law are accepted as the way to salvation, then Christ is side-lined and “you have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace” (5.4).
Actually, Paul declares that both circumcision and uncircumcision are valueless (5.6). Jewish Christians will of course have already been circumcised as babies, which gives evidence of belonging to God in accordance with the Abrahamic covenant. But entry into the new messianic covenant comes only through faith in the Messiah Jesus. For justification and redemption, only faith in Jesus Christ gives entry.
Inevitably, wrong teaching not only has spiritual consequences, but it also affects everyday life in practice. The Galatians were evidently failing to live in love together as fellow-believers. They were “biting and devouring each other” and faced the danger that they would be “destroyed by each other” (5.15). These words come to us all in our churches as a warning.

The true message

Christ, the Spirit, grace, faith, righteousness, hope, preaching, freedom, serving! What a brilliant list of heart-warming words! In God’s totally unmerited grace we put our faith in Jesus Christ and receive his indwelling Holy Spirit. As a result God covers our sinful nature with his righteousness and we now live with the sure hope of eternal life. Rejoicing in these wonderful truths, we now long to introduce other people to God’s grace. We therefore preach his Good News to Jew and Gentile of every nation and people. And we live in freedom from all legal and ecclesiastical compulsion, desiring only to live lives of humble service.
But we have not yet mentioned the key word in this passage and in the Bible as a whole – “LOVE”. Paul exhorts us not to use our freedom in a worldly way for our own pleasure and self-satisfaction, but to “serve one another in love” (5.13). With his emphasis on “one another” and “each other” (5.13-15), Paul is reminding us that we are not just individuals in God’s church, but we are part of the family and fellowship of God’s people. So, loving our Christian neighbour stands out as the hallmark of the Christian life. We are called to love our fellow-Christians as much as we love ourselves. Such love sums up the whole purpose and content of God’s Law (5.14).

Obedience or Persuasion?

Three times in quick succession Paul uses different forms of the Greek word ‘peitho’ (5.7, 8, 10 NIV: ‘obeying’, ‘persuasion’, ‘confident’). We have several times noted this word in Paul’s letters. In English translations, it is commonly translated as ‘obey’, but actually it signifies being open to persuasion. In European and some other cultures, leaders carry authority and status, demanding obedience. In Jewish society, however, leaders do not have power over their people. They lead by careful, logical persuasion rather than by the power of their position.
Biblical Christ-centred truth persuades us (5.7/8), it does not expect blind obedience. All of us bear the responsibility of weighing and discerning the teaching we receive – and our church leaders should be seeking to persuade rather than demanding unthinking obedience. Of course, Christians should never be rebellious and hard-hearted like those who see the notice “Please don’t walk on the grass” and immediately do so! The Galatian Christians should still respect Peter as God’s chosen Apostle, but they need also to discern his teaching and practice concerning circumcision for Gentile believers. In humble love, Jewish and Gentile believers in Jesus should be able to eat together in genuine fellowship. And in our inter-ethnic societies, our churches are called to demonstrate genuine fellowship in love and mutual service.

Justification by Faith: slaves or free? (Galatians 4.21-5.1)

Allegory/”figurative”

Christians should of course rejoice in the great truths of these verses. But Paul’s allegorical style of teaching may fail to relate to many of us today. We may note however that allegory was respected as a form of argument in former centuries. For example, Origen (185-253 A.D.) with his highly allegorical theological communication was much admired. Cultures and styles of communication change. As Christians we need to learn to witness for Christ in contemporary forms which will convince our hearers. Thus, in many cultures today, story telling with personal examples lies at the heart of debate. Thus, debate about such matters as euthanasia or gender issues is won or lost through stories of individual people who have suffered horrendously or, on the other side, who have overcome their sufferings and led lives of love and rejoicing. Moral or ethical issues, and even medical facts, may fail to carry the same power of conviction.

The foundational allegory

Paul is still arguing against the absolute need for Gentile believers in Jesus the Messiah to submit to the Mosaic Law like orthodox Jews. He continues to insist on justification being by faith alone, and therefore also the freedom of Christians from compulsory submission to the Law. He argues for this by citing the foundational example of Abraham with his wife Sarah and servant Hagar.

Suffering the heartache of infertility, in desperation Sarah followed the common custom of the society around her. Popular public beliefs and practices can prove dangerous! Sarah gave her Egyptian servant Hagar to Abraham, so that he might have children through her. When Hagar gave birth to Ishmael,  she mocked poor Sarah who was still childless. Hagar made life really difficult for her mistress. As a result, Sarah persuaded Abraham to allow her to mistreat Hagar and Ishmael. Finally, Hagar with Ishmael ran away and escaped into the wilderness (Genesis 16.1-6). It is interesting to note that in 4.27 the Old Testament quote talks of the children of the “desolate woman” – literally the original Greek says “the wilderness/desert woman”. Hagar literally hid in the desert, but Sarah also went through a wilderness experience. Israel’s never-to-be-forgotten time in the desert reminds us that the years of wilderness wandering finally gave way to entry into the promised land of milk and honey. Sarah experienced this after her bitter years of infertility. Finally, they gave way to the birth of Isaac and through him the whole development of the messianic line. Paul is deeply conscious of our enormous privilege as Christians, that we all now belong to that family which inherits all the promises of God through the Messiah. Our inheritance awaits us!

The contrasts

In Paul’s eyes Hagar stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia with the Law (4.25). She  ‘corresponds’ to the present city of Jerusalem, from whose church came Peter and others who were bringing the Galatians back into slavery to the Law. We may note that the word translated ‘corresponds’ is the verbal form of ‘stoicheia’ , the ‘principles’ (4.3, 9) of this world (cf. our notes on 4.1-20).
In contrast to Hagar as the “slave woman” (4.30), Sarah is described as the “free woman”. And her descendants represent freedom. Unlike the earthly Jerusalem which in these verses represents slavery to the Law, the heavenly city of Jerusalem is free (4.26). It brings freedom to all who live as its citizens.

The key contrast of freedom and slavery is dependent on the contrast between God’s promise and the Law. Compulsory obedience to the Law, and particularly to the need for circumcision, would bring a legalistic requirement that Gentile believers should join the people of Israel and become ‘little Jews’. But, praise God for his gift of freedom! The birth of Ishmael was ‘according to the flesh’ (4.23; NIV ‘in the ordinary way’), but the miraculous birth of Isaac “from the free woman” came through God’s promise.

Conclusion

Expressions like “I suppose I should” or “I am afraid we must” no longer belong to a true Christian life. These need to be replaced by “I really want to be more loving” and “I long to be more like Christ”. Strict compulsory obedience to  regulations and stipulations may contradict our freedom in Christ and hinder our mission to the world. Paul was very aware that submission to the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem would present a threat to his mission among Gentiles. He was also very conscious that insistence on freedom could easily upset leaders and lead to the suffering of opposition, discrimination and even persecution (4.29). However, those who walk in the way of freedom can be assured of God’s promised inheritance (4.30). Wonderfully, we already enjoy a foretaste of that inheritance here and now in this world. We can be assured too that God’s inheritance will envelop us fully in the glory of eternity.
So, Paul exhorts the Galatian Christians (and us!) to “stand firm” (5.1) and not slip back into legalistic slavery to the Law. The Law carried weight because it came from God, but it always had the purpose of preparing God’s people for the coming of the Saviour in love and holy righteousness (3.24). Now, as followers of Jesus Christ, we have a new freedom (3.25). Jewish believers in Jesus as Messiah and Saviour are free to continue a kosher life in accordance with the Law, if they feel that is God’s perfect will for them; Gentile believers in Jesus Christ are also free to follow the Lord without submitting to circumcision and the Jewish Law. Jew and Gentile alike are united in the freedom that comes from faith in the Lord Jesus.

P.S. For contemporary communication of the Gospel through story telling, may I encourage you to get my book “Storytelling” (published by IVP/SPCK; retail price £9.99).