The Letter of Paul to the Galatians Introduction by Copeland

Galatians 5:1

   "Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which 

    Christ has made us free, and do not be 

    entangled again with a yoke of bondage."

Where is Galatia?

Pictured above is an area of Galatia near the city of Ankara, Turkey. In the third century B.C., Celts from Gaul in Europe came into this region. The name “Galatia” recalls that these the ancestors of the inhabitants in the region came from Gaul.

The Letters of Saint Paul to the ‘Galatians’
Greek text on papyrus c. AD 180-200 Egypt CB BP II (P46) f.86r

The original letter of Paul to the several ‘churches of Galatia’ is thought to have been written between AD 48-55.

According to J.I. Packer, Legalism is a distortion of obedience that can never produce truly good works. He says,

“Its first fault is that it skews motive and purpose, seeing good deeds as essentially ways to earn more of God’s favor than one has at the moment. Its second fault is arrogance. Belief that one’s labor earns God’s favor, begets contempt for those who do not labor in the same way. Its third fault is lovelessness in that its self-advancing purpose squeezes humble kindness and creative compassion out of the heart.”

The Judaizers taught that the gospel needed the Jewish law system to make it perfect. But Paul maintained that God’s way was different. God’s way was salvation through Christ by grace alone – and we can’t mix works and grace.

Martin Luther pointed out two ways that people devalue or undermine Christ’s cross and take away the value of his atonement. The first one is by trusting in their own works, merit, or inherent goodness. The second one is by doubting Christ’s power to deal with their sin. The second one occurs when Satan uses memories of our past sins and accuses us. He continually points out our shortcomings until our conscience condemns us.

We’ve been set free from the bondage of sin and death and sorrow and despair. The New Testament sees salvation in Christ as liberation and the Christian life as one of liberty. Christ has freed us FOR freedom. Christians are set free from the law as a system of salvation. Being justified by faith in Christ, we’re no longer under God’s law, but under his grace. This means that our standing with God rests on the fact of our acceptance and adoption in Christ. Now, this doesn’t mean that we throw the law away or have nothing to do with the law. We need to take the law of God seriously, because it reminds us of our sin and it directs us to the path of holiness. But we don’t follow the law to earn God’s favor.

Rex M. Rogers says:
Not License, Not Legalism, But Liberty

For centuries Christians have wrestled with the question of how to live their faith. Do they do as they please, knowing that their eternal destiny is sure? Or do they live with an ever-stricter set of standards designed to produce a “pure” life pleasing to God?

License produces a Christian life that is unencumbered by standards, limitations, self-denial, or community responsibility. Legalism creates a Christian life that’s just the opposite, a life strapped by do’s and don’ts lists, fear of culture, endless self-repression, and judgmental attitudes.

License yields a “devil-may-care” attitude resulting in spiritual juvenile delinquency. Legalism produces a “holier-than-thou” attitude resulting in a spiritual insecurity complex. These kinds of Christians never grow up and rarely accomplish anything for the Lord.

Samson is an example of License. He had the truth, but then he lived like he didn’t know right from wrong. The Pharisees are an example of Legalism. They had the truth, but then they added so many cultural rules to it that they built themselves into a spiritual cage.

God’s Biblical approach is a third one, not License or Legalism but “Liberty.” Liberty allows us to avoid the error of no-rules License on one end of the spectrum and multi-rules Legalism on the other.

Christian Liberty is Biblical truth informing personal choice. The more we know and obey the basic principles of the Bible, the more freedom we can experience in this world. Obedience goes together with choice. Our obedience of Biblical standards liberates us from becoming a slave to sin and protects our freedom to enjoy the blessings of life.

A Righteous God demands holiness. A Creator God desires freedom. Christian Liberty gives us the balance.

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