Galatians 1:5-2:5: Distorting the Gospel

People and churches have been guilty of distorting the gospel.  Do I?  The trouble in Galatia was caused by folks that had good intentions and strong convictions.  However, they stymied the gospel and disturbed the freedom of  people in the community of faith.  Galatians 2:4 tells us that false brethren secretly sneaked in to spy out the freedom that Paul and the Gentiles were enjoying--in order to bring them into bondage.

Some of the Jewish Christians that Paul was dealing with during this time were having a hard time coping with the  "new" message that Paul was bringing (a message he repeatedly says he got by revelation direct from God).  His message was that Gentiles do not have to be circumsised, do not have to follow the Jewish religious calendar, do not have to adhere to a Jewish lifestyle in accordance with laws the Jews held dear.  Many of the Jewish believers were saying- "Oh, yes they do."

Are we guilty of limiting the grace and freedom of Christ by imposing the same limitations on others?  We often do so in the name of fighting for pure theology.  Here are some things commonly mis-understood about Paul in Galatians and his other writings:

1.  Paul did away with the law for Christians:  False.  Rather, he pointed out that there is no way to come into a proper relation with the living God by keeping the law--as some of the Jewish converts were maintaining.  The Holy Spirit empowers us to want to keep the law after we are saved by grace through faith.  This is clear in Hebrews and in Paul's writings also.  The law is holy, righteous, good.  We that belong to Christ have been rescued by grace to do good works--i.e. we delight to please God by keeping His commandments.  This new freedom through the Spirit changes the works of the law into what James calls the "law of perfect freedom."  If you don't know Christ then the attempt to do the law only leads to bondage.  The law leads us to Jesus and then presto-- by the infilling of the Holy Spirit we want to keep the law (here thinking of the moral law rather than the ceremonial and civil laws the Jews were insisting on.)

2.  God has two tracks of redemptive work for two different people:  one for the Jews and one for the Gentiles.  False.  Paul defines the mystery that was revealed to him in Romans and Ephesians as the fact that Gentiles and Jews are now one family.  It can be called Israel or the Church.  Choose whatever you like.  The truth is that everything has always been by grace through faith (OT and NT).  Furthermore, law factors in as applicable in OT and NT.

So, in Galatians Paul is insisting that this "new" message he is promoting is not according to man.  He is not changing the game and setting up a distorted, false gospel--this is what Paul was being accused of.  After all, he was not one of the original apostles.  Thus Paul insists that the authority for his message was direct from the Lord by revelation (on the Damascus road and afterward).  In fact, he was such a committed Jew that he would be the last one to want to preach a message damaging the faith.  As a true Jew he has street cred!  Nevertheless, God has told him things that ensure freedom for all people who come to Christ.  All are rescued the same way and all are equal.  There is no inequality for anybody and there are no special rules or hoops that someone has to go through to be reconciled to the living God--all are declared not guilty through faith in Christ Jesus.  There are no additional requirements.  Let us not add any ourselves to the people we are trying to reach.

Summary:

1.  We distort the gospel when we impose on people required rules that simply do not apply.
2.  There is one family of God and when someone comes to Jesus by faith they are a brother or sister.
3.  The law still applies because the Holy Spirit puts it on our hearts.  It is just that one cannot be rescued from sin by keeping the law.
4.  Jesus the Messiah gave Himself for us so that we might have true freedom and proclaim a clear message that leads to real freedom for others.
5.  Some Christians promote a false gospel that leads people back into bondage.  What are you proclaiming?