Central Truth

The Law given to Moses on Mount Sinai did not, in any way, shape, or fashion, invalidate or nullify the promises which God made to Abraham.

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Reflections

This passage is all about the Law vs. the Abrahamic covenant. False teachers called Judaizers were going around spreading false teaching in Galatia, a region inhabited by Gentiles. They told these Gentiles that they first had to convert to Judaism and submit to Mosaic law before they could become Christians. When Paul heard about this, he was shocked and appalled that the Galatians would fall for this after they had heard the Truth. He wrote this letter to make it clear that salvation was (and is) by faith alone. He quoted Genesis 15:6:  "Abraham believed the Lord, and He credited to him as righteousness."

Several years ago, I was helping a high school student with his history homework. Part of the assigned chapter was about Jesus, whom the history textbook described as simply a “great teacher.” It summarized his teachings by saying, “Jesus taught that, if people were good, they would go to heaven.” I was shocked, much like Paul was when he found out what the Galatians were falling for. Jesus, as well as the apostles who came after Him, made it clear that obeying a set of rules and trying to do our best was not the way to salvation. There are verses in both the Old Testament and the New Testament explaining that there is no one who is good enough to please God. 

In this passage in Galatians, Paul explains that the law was never intended to impart salvation; on the contrary, it was to expose the sinfulness of human beings and make them aware of their need for salvation. He emphasized the fact that faith and the Law are mutually exclusive.

God made His covenant with Abraham hundreds of years before the giving of the Law, and Abraham was saved through his faith in the Messiah whom God promised to send. I am so glad He fulfilled that promise so that I do not have to be a prisoner to my sin and constantly worry about whether I am good enough to get into heaven!

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Discussion Questions

1.  Have you ever been in a situation in which you felt that, no matter how hard you tried, you could never measure up to someone’s expectations?  How was it resolved?

2.  Have you ever been involved in a legalistic church? If so, how did that shape your idea of who God is?

3.  What can you do to debunk the cultural myth (as in the textbook I mentioned) that people who are basically good will go to heaven?

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