I have always liked the Galatians letter. Paul in a storming mood gets down to it, sends of his letter without any niceties, with a ‘listen to me, I am going to straighten all this out’. I like that for some reason, but I also like if for a few other reasons. It is short, it is not so involved as the much fuller version of ‘his gospel’ that we find in Romans; it is an early letter and it has conflict. So I thought (and hope I stick with it) I would simply make a few comments on the letter.
One of the issues surrounding the date is whether it comes before the council in Jerusalem in Acts 15 (AD50). He refers to a visit to Jerusalem (2:1) and of conflict with Peter (2:15-14… perhaps where he cheekily refers to Peter as Cephas). Did all this predate Jerusalem or come after? I think it came before and would date Galatians as very early 48/49AD. Peter’s behaviour being confronted by Paul prior to the letter that went out to the churches from Jerusalem. This adds to Paul’s depth of convictions to confront Peter before there had been a council to sort out those issues (though I personally think Acts 15 was a compromise that did not go far enough – all encouraging to us, where God takes a step back with a ‘you work it out’. Maybe all of this (date / who are the Galatians) is incidental but I like the idea that they were working things out as they went along.
An obvious theme in the letter is that of freedom / slavery.
- Set us free from this present evil age 1:4.
- Spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus 1:4.
- Scripture has imprisoned all things 3:22.
- Now before faith came we were imprisoned (under the law!) 3:23.
- No better than those who are enslaved 4:1.
- We were enslaved to the elemental principles (ta stoicheia) 4:3.
- You were enslaved to beings that by nature are not gods 4:8.
- [Now] you turn back to the weak and beggarly elemental principles (ta stoicheia)… to be enslaved by them 4:9.
- Children of an enslaved woman or of a free woman 4:22.
- She is in slavery 4:25.
- She is free 4:26.
- Child of the enslaved woman… child of the free woman 4:30.
- For freedom Christ has set us free… do not submit to a yoke of slavery 5:1.
- You were called to freedom 5:13.
- Become enslaved to one another 5:13.
To that we could of course add words such as gospel, justified and grace; and also specific texts such as the ‘In Christ there is neither…’, or that only ‘new creation’ counts.
Paul is heavily biased toward freedom, indeed his first description of what happened as a result of the cross is that we are ‘set free… from this present evil age’. Freedom wins the day!
He navigates a line between ‘submit to no-one… do not give up your freedom’ and meeting with those in Jerusalem, submitting his revelation to them lest he run in vain; he also comes very close to describing the law in negative terms, seemingly indicating that the law (for Israel) and the gods of the nations were in the same category (ta stoicheia: elemental principles / spirits; that which orders and structures / shapes a society, hence it certainly spills over into the demonic spirit world; I suggest it includes the demonic that shapes society, culture etc. and is perhaps a summarising word for everything that shapes and holds a culture / nation back from finding maturity and freedom). He comes close but avoids that direct 1:1 relationship. He is close, but the law came from God… but he certainly seems to suggest that when approached as law performs the same result, it cannot deliver the freedom that is in Christ.
OK… enough for now.
I like this Martin. Looking forward to the rest.
Wouldn’t it be easier if we didn’t have to work things out, especially some of the modern conundrums of Western society that the Church has to grapple with? But maybe that is our privilege as God’s kids. So grateful for His word and His Spirit.
One of our privileges!!! Indeed. Gives us the opportunity to mess it up? Oh my – rules and one way of doing things would be so much easier – and BTW ‘my way of doing things’ would really make it easier.