Discipleship

Tough stuff

You may feel that at this point in Galatians, you are more than bored with trying to follow the twists and turns of Paul’s arguments against the Judaisers who had upset the churches of Galatia.  Quite clearly, Paul was going to leave no stone unturned to defend the faith and make sure that no one, absolutely no one modified or changed the Gospel.  The zeal he shows puts us to shame when we so easily let people who believe almost anything come to church and listen, but remain unchanged by the Gospel.  We find it socially awkward to challenge people, and in an age when other religions grasp the upper hand and seek the moral high ground, we are unwilling to fight for what we believe.

I agree that this passage is very difficult to understand, and I confess that there have been many previous editions of what I have written here as I have attempted to get the themes right and interpret scripture as accurately as I can.  However, if you come away from all this in awe of the way Paul fought for the Gospel and would not let go for he truth of God’s grace and saving power, then your reading will not have been in vain.

Angels and mediators

Paul casually speaks of angels and mediators of the things of God (3:19), but he does not seem enthusiastic about them.  I reckon this is why God’s people seem to be ambivalent about angels and other spiritual forces.  On the one hand we can hardly say they do not exist or that God does not use His angels to communicate with people.  Scripture clearly says that He does.  However, Paul seems far more interested in the direct contact we may have with God through our Saviour Christ, and the work of His Spirit which we can accept and which empowers us.

The place of scripture.

I have one cautionary point to make here which some may find difficult.  Paul seems to say here that scripture does not of itself save people.  Now this is controversial.  There are plenty of people who will sign up to the belief that the Bible has a unique ability to draw people to God’s saving grace.  Now I agree with this; but just as Paul argues here that Scripture does not save just as the law does not save (3:21,22), I believe that the Gospel says we are saved by the grace of God and not by Scripture itself.  Scripture, the law, the church, and people all have a part to play in a person’s pathway to salvation, and in individual cases, some more than others.  However, God alone saves people by His grace and because of faith.  We cannot afford to let ourselves make a god out of Scripture when the Lord is God alone; Scripture is His divine and unique agent and tool.

Further questions for reflection

• What, if anything do you believe that God has given to you through your salvation and how to they help you go forward in faith
• How can Christian people today best use the ‘Law’, meaning the law in the Old Testament?  Why is it not right for us to ignore this part of Scripture?
• How is Jesus honoured in the various activities of your church with which you are involved?  Do people know that you do these things to honour Christ?

Final Prayer

Save us, O Lord God, from the corruption of our minds by things around us which draw us away from faith; the pursuit of leisure, alcohol, the luxuries of life which we enjoy, or the temptations of money, sex or power.  Keep us firmly on the path of the Gospel of truth and make us constantly aware of our salvation through the death of Jesus Christ.  AMEN

15 Friends, I give you a worldly example: once someone’s will has been endorsed, no one can add to it or cancel it. 16 Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his descendant; it does not say ‘to his descendants’ as referring to many of them; it says ‘to your descendant’ referring to one person, who is Christ.

17 This is what I mean: the law, introduced four hundred and thirty years later, cannot cancel a covenant promise previously endorsed by God, as if to do away with this promise. 18 If the inheritance originated from the law then it would have nothing to do with the promise; but God granted the inheritance to Abraham through the promise!

19 What then is the purpose of the law? It was added because of transgressions, arranged by angels and through a mediator, until the descendant would come to whom the promise had been made. 20 Now a mediator represents more than one party; but God is one.

21 So, is the law opposed to the promises of God? Certainly not!  If a law had been given which had the power to give life, then righteousness would indeed originate in the law, 22 but scriptures have kept everything under the power of sin, so that through faith in Jesus Christ, what was promised might be given to those who believe!