On Galatians and the Law

For the last several weeks, several of the Sunday school classes in our church have been studying the book of Galatians; one of of St. Paul’s most important letters, but one which is difficult to understand if the reader does not understand the context Paul was addressing. To understand Paul’s argument, we need to understand the context.

The church at Galatia was composed entirely of Gentile Christians. The importance of knowing this is that at the time, most Christians were Jewish. The larger Church of the time was still getting used to the presence of Gentile Christians, and there was still a lot of controversy about what was expected of Gentile believers, especially as it related to the Law. We’re Gentile Christians expected to live according to the Law?

To understand this question, one needs to know what the Law is. The Law was/is the Torah, the first five books of the Old Testament. When Paul is writing about living “under” or “free” from the Law, he is not just talking about rules in general. Many Christians misunderstand Paul because they think that the contrast he is making between the old and new covenants is one of a covenant of rules verses one without rules. That is not what Paul is talking about. He is talking about the Torah. Are Gentile Christians expected to live according to the Torah?

To answer this question, we have to know why God gave the Jews the Torah. First, God did not give them the Torah as a way of earning God’s love, or salvation, or a relationship with God. In the book of Exodus, God loves, saves, and brings his people out of slavery before giving them the Law. They already have all of this. Notice, God did not give the Law to the people before the Exodus. The people did not have to first live up to the demands of the Law as a way of earning their deliverance from slavery in Egypt.

After God has redeemed the people, after God has made covenant to be their God and for them to be His people, He gave them the Law so that they could live abundant life as God had designed it to be. The Law was God’s gracious gift to His redeemed people. The Law was a gift that described and taught the people how they were meant to live.

But this is where the problem starts. If the Jews, and the rest of humanity, were unaffected by sin, living with and under the Law would be no challenge or hardship. However, for sinful and broken people, living under the Law is simply impossible. In fact, as Paul describes in the book of Romans, the Law actually exacerbates the problem, making the sin more obvious, and causing our sinful nature to react to the Law in rebellion to God.

That’s not because the Law is bad. It’s because the Law is so good that it causes our sin to stand out, in the way cold water thrown upon hot rocks exposes their heat; or the way a “wet paint - don’t touch” sign exposes our rebellious nature.

This is what Paul’s argument is about in 2 Corinthians, when he says:

2 Corinthians 3:6

“He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.”

The point he is making is not that rules kill and stifle, while freedom and religious fuzzy feelings kindle life and spirituality. The point is, the Torah, while being able to show us what the holy life is like, is powerless to make us holy, and even drives sinful people away from holiness. Only the Spirit of God can transform the human heart. That’s why Paul, the book of Galatians, is so adamant about Christians being unable to save themselves by observing the Law. It can’t be done. We cannot restore our relationship with God, or fix our spiritual condition by our own merits. If that had been possible, there would have been no need for Jesus to die on the Cross.

So, does that mean that we have no need for the Law? Are Christians free to disregard the Old Testament, or at least the first five books? Many Christians think so. This, of course, is hard to square with Jesus’ own teachings, especially as he says that “[he] did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose”- Matthew 5:17. Jesus saw his own ministry teachings as being a continuation of and even a fulfillment of the Old Testament faith. His teachings were not meant to replace the ancient faith but to bring it to its rightful conclusion.

Discounting the Ten Commandments and the Old Testament also flows in the opposite direction of the practices of Jesus’ earliest followers. Reading the book of Acts, we find the Christians preaching and teaching about Jesus from the Old Testament. In the pages of the Hebrew Bible they saw every story, every prayer, every law pointing toward the central figure of Christ.

Well then, where does this leave us? Many Jewish Christians of St. Paul’s day thought that while the Law could not save us, Christians were still obligated to live by it, including Gentile Christians. This was the central issue Paul was writing to address in the book of Galatians. The question at issue was, did Gentile Christians need to become Jewish to be full-fledged Christians? Paul’s answer is “no.” Gentiles did not need to first become Jewish in order to be Christian, and neither did they have to be Torah observant. The reason is, Jesus has fulfilled the Torah.

Thus, Kosher requirements, such as Sabbath observances, Kosher food laws, circumcision, and other ethnic boundaries, are no longer binding on Christian people. We can still learn from them, and they still stand as a part of God’s word to us, but the conditions and reasons for God giving them no longer an issue, thanks to Calvary. Thus, they are no longer binding.

This means, we read Leviticus quite differently from those lived before the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Leviticus still has much to teach us, but we no longer read it and come away thinking of our need for offering animal sacrifices to God. We no longer read it and come away thinking about the importance of not mixing fabrics in our clothing. We read it more along the lines of how the author of Hebrews reads it.

We don’t throw Leviticus and Deuteronomy out as being useless, but we recognize that these portions of our Bible have a different and lesser role to play since the coming of Christ.

None of this, of course, has anything to do with rules in general. Christianity (and Judaism) is about far more than rules; but neither is a faith without rules or structure. Even a very superficial reading of the New Testament shows that. But our faith is surely more than a set of rules. It is about a relationship. And, like all relationships, it can’t be reduced rules, but neither can it be very healthy without some structure.

What to Read: Josemaria Escriva

I want to start this article by talking about basketball; and particularly, about Phil Jackson, head coach of the Chicago Bulls during the Jordan-dynasty. Without a doubt, Michael Jordan played an enormous role in the success of the Bulls; but, one dare not overlook the amazing work of Phil Jackson. Jackson was hired on as assistant coach in 1987 and was promoted to head coach in 1989. Over the next the next 9 seasons, he would lead the team to 6 championships.

In addition to Michael Jordan, Jackson also coached the likes of Pippen, Cartwright, and Paxon. The amazing feat of Phil Jackson was his ability to not only harness these great talents, but also in making it possible for such talented athletes to play together. Somehow, he was able to keep these strong personalities from tearing the team apart, as strong egos competed for center stage, but instead focus their energies on the common goal of playing amazing basketball. This was the work of one unusually talented coach. One simply cannot understand the Jordan-dynasty without understanding the amazing coach behind it.

In the same way, individuals often thrive under the direction of a personal coach. At the fitness center where I work out, personal fitness coaches are made available to those who want assistance in reaching some personal goal. The results show the great benefit of offering this service; those who work with a personal coach tend to achieve specific fitness goals faster than those who go it alone.

The same is often true of our spiritual health. Under the guidance of a good spiritual director, a Christian is likely to find greater victory and more sastisfaction in their spiritual journey. I recommend that every Christian seek spiritual direction from a mature and trusted believer from time to time. But, sometimes one needs a very seasoned spiritual guide; one who has gone much further than is typical, and one who has developed great depth of soul. That kind of guide not easy to find.

If this is the kind of spiritual coach you need, you can do no better San JoseMaria Escriva, the founder of Opus Dei. This may seem to be an odd choice, coming from an Evangelical; but I can testify that no writer has caused me to grow as much as Escriva. He is the Phil Jackson of spiritual coaches; and what's best is that you can read all of his work online for free.

www.escrivaworks.org/

What to Read: Between Allah and Jesus

Christianity and Islam are both growing at astounding rates. As a result, these two ancient religions are encountering each other at increasing frequency, as they win converts throughout the globe. Though Muslims and Christians have lived together for centuries, these new encounters expose a fragility in this old relationship. These encounters are often heavy-laden with mutual suspicion, mistrust, fear, and anger.

It is no exageration to say that how Muslims and Christians choose to relate to each other has staggering implications for the people of our world. Already the two faiths encompass nearly 1/2 of all the people on planet earth. If Christianity and Islam are unable to live together peacefully and respectfully, there is a bleak outlook for our future.

Much has been written on the dynamics of the relationship between Islam and Christianity. Usually, these works are either highly polemical, extolling the virtues of one faith over the pitfalls of the other; or they understate the real differences between the two in hopes that superficiality will mask the tensions that exist between Muslims and Christians. Either way, most books on the topic leave the reader with very little that would help one develop a healthy, robust, and amicable conversation between a Muslim and Christian.

The exception to these two descriptions is Peter Kreeft's book, Between Allah and Jesus. Kreefts book is interesting and highly readable, without being dumbed-down. It is also respectful of both faiths without trying to smooth over the differences or without trying to convert its readers to Roman Catholic Christianity (the faith of the author). Kreeft demonstrates, through the characters in his book, what an open and honest dialogue might look like between people with different understandings of God. For those looking for a good book on the topic of Muslim-Christian dialogue, there is no book even close to being the equal of this book.

What to Read: Charles Wesley

John Wesley is usually credited with being the founder of the Methodist movement; however, he was far from being alone in leading the 18th century revival. His brother Charles deserves as much credit as John. Charles was a powerful preacher, strong administrator, and wise mentor. Aditionally, Charles was the music behind the movement.

During his life, Charles wrote between 6,000 and 9,000 hymns. Through the gift of music, Charles taught the Methodists to sing their theology. If one wants to really capture, not only the ideas of the Methodist movement, but also its passion and heart, one can do no better than to read the Collection of Hymns for the Use of the People Called Methodists.

Seldom do people remember the sermons they hear; but they often remember by heart the songs that really touch them. Wesley's hymns have been the life-blood of the Methodist people; especially in times of poor preaching.

John and Charles co-authored The Collection of Hymns for the Use of the People Called Methodists,with each contributing about half of the hymns. Below is a link to site where you can read them. To read and understand them is to catch the spirit of the 18th century revival. My wish is that some really good musician would spend about six months getting to know these hymns, and would then take the ideas and spirit of this collection of hymns and write a set of contemporary songs,with the intent to capture their essence.

Such a collection of songs would be such a theological treasure and gift to our generation.

In the last 100 years, Methodists theologians have exhausted themselves, trying to rediscover the essence of the Methodist message. It's all in this collection of hymns. A reader who has read them and taken them to heart and mind need not ask about the nature of the Methodist message.


http://www.ccel.org/ccel/wesley/hymn.html

What To Read : C. S. Lewis

A friend and mentor of mine, Fr. Knickerbocker (aka Doctor/Father Knick) told me this story about the works of C. S. Lewis. Fr. Knick was attending a conference of orthodox Protestants, Evangelicals, Roman Catholics, and Eastern Orthodox Christians. The purpose of the conference was to explore how a common commitment to orthodoxy could bridge the differences between these various Christian traditions.

After several days of lengthy and deep theological conversation, the moderator for the week said, "So what do we have? What conclusions have been drawn from our time together?"

A participant answered: "Well, I think we can say that we all agree on the Scriptures, the Church Fathers and Mothers, the three Ecumenical Creeds and on everything ever written by C. S. Lewis"; to which there was a rousing applause.

Fr. Knick also made the observation: From time to time, some seminary student, who is new to Christianity, will ask; "What do I need to read if I want to really understand Christian theology, as it has been developed over the last 2,000 years?" When asked this type of question, Father Knick responds: "Well, you need to start with understanding the Scriptures in their original languages. You need to master ancient Hebrew and Koine Greek. Then, in order to read the Church Fathers, you need to have a thorough knowledge of Latin. You then need to set about a reading plan that will help you work through the 300 volumes of Church Fathers and Mothers.

Prior to reading them, you might also want to have a good grasp of ancient literature, philosophy, rhetoric, and logic. After tackling the Church Fathers, you will want to read the great mystics and theologians of the Middle Ages. After that you will need to aquaint yourself with modern, as well as old forms of European languages. This will help you to read the works of the Reformation and Counter Reformation. It will also help you to work through the volumes of European literature that reflects and influences the writings of European Christians.

If you do not have the time, energy, or talent for this, you can read everything by C.S. Lewis. It's like reading the Cliffe's Notes.

If you read only one work by Lewis, my own recommendation is Basic Christianity. However, my second recommendation would be the seven Chronicles of Narnia. In them you will find the whole of Christian theology told in the form of a child's story. These wonderful tales bring otherwise abstract doctrines to life.

The Great Divorce should be on the reading list of every post-modern Christian who is struggling to work out the tension between the idea of God's love and idea of God's holiness and judgement.

The Abolition of Man is by far Lewis' most difficult work to understand; yet, it is almost prophetic in its keen insights. The Space Trilogy is a bizarre read, but filled with deep spiritual insights.

Finally, the Screwtape Letters are worth careful reading and constant meditation. Outside of the Bible, no writer has influenced me more.

Face Lift

Over the last several years, this blog has gained quite an audience; in fact one bigger than it really deserves. As a writer, I have been all over the place. Some of my post have been quite intellectual in tone, others have been more devotional. Some of have bordered on being personal and light hearted. None have been satisfactory to everyone.

Some read this blog because they know me personally and just want to know what is going on in my life. Others read it for its intellectual content, while still others read it to gain a bit of daily inspiration. Each have at times been dissapointed to find something different from what they were looking for.

As a writer, I have really struggled because in writing for all three audiences. But it has become very apparent that all of those different styles of writing need their own space. Therefore, I am giving my blog(s) a face lift.

From now on, I will limit my intellectual work and theological writing to the Tracts for Our Times. Those interested in me personally will be invited to friend me on Facebook. On my Facebook account, I will mostly be writing about my personal life and family. No heady stuff there.

I am also starting a blog called My Ol'e West-Kentucky Home. This site will be devoted to all things in and around Paducah, Kentucky. I will be writing about my homeland and what I love about it.

My work as a pastor can be followed on the Calvert City UMC facebook site.

Finally, I will keep devotional material, such as sermons on my podcast. My Twitter acount will be used to announce new posts on any of the above.

Thanks to all my readers. Your support has meant so much.

Resolved

Wisdom is such a peculiar virtue. It is usually hard-earned and gained only after repeatedly falling down, failing, getting bruised-up, and generally looking like a fool in the process. Wisdom can often be frustrating, in that by time one gains enough wisdom to successfully navigate through some portion of life, that part of the journey is long since passed; leaving us saying, “If I knew then what I know now…”

Personally, in my nearly 40 years on earth, I have just recently accumulated enough wisdom to successfully traverse my way through elementary school. If I could just go back, I know that I could really get those years absolutely right. But what good does that wisdom do me now? It’s the next forty years with which I have to contend. Still, Proverbs chapters 3 & 4 tell us to seek wisdom. As a Wesleyan, that resonates with me.

Each year, Wesleyan Christians begin the New Year by renewing our covenant with God. The Wesleyan Covenant service begins by confessing our shortcomings and failings in the previous year. Then, reflecting on the lessons learned and wisdom gained from the past year, we resolve, with God’s help to do better.

This resolve does not include the assumption that we will get it all right in the coming year. Wisdom is far too honest for such naiveté. The school of hard-knocks does not allow for that kind of self-deception. But wisdom earned does lead to a persistent hope that next year may be just a bit better than the last. And so, we start again; resolved to rise…because “A Charge to Keep, I have; a God to glorify…”