NOV 16

Galatians 2:16
Memorise Galatians 2:16
“…the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith…”

Paul’s epistle to the Galatians is a soteriological epistle as Paul had to reiterate the fundamentals of the Gospel to the Galatians. They had started to believe that works, namely the act of circumcision, were necessary for salvation. There were Jews in the congregation who were teaching that the Gentiles had to be circumcised before they could truly be saved. Paul expressed his disappointment with the Galatians that they were “so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel” (Gal 1:6). Their basic understanding of the Gospel of grace had been so poor that they were so easily swayed into believing heresy.

Paul goes on to explain how “no man is justified by the law in the sight of God” (Galatians 3:11). No man is able to fulfill every letter of the Law and not sin, except the Lord Jesus Christ (Galatians 2:16). Not even Abraham who lived before Christ and was given the commandment from God to circumcise God’s people as a sign of God’s covenant with him (Genesis 17:10). Paul explains that it was not through this act of circumcision and the Law that God promised Abraham that “in [him] shall all nations be blessed” (Galatians 3:8). But rather it was through the Gospel, which Abraham believed in, that future generations would attain salvation and be called “the children of Abraham” because they share Abraham’s faith (Galatians 3:6-7). The Law “is not of faith” (Galatians 3:12) and all of us are cursed as we cannot keep the Law perfectly. “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us… that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith” (Galatians 3:13-14).

Is the Law then useless? God forbid. Paul writes that “the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith” (Galatians 3:24). Having now been justified and freed from the curse of the Law, we now “live unto God” and “Christ liveth in [us]” (Galatians 2:19-20). We are a “new creature” (Galatians 6:15) and should “[crucify] the flesh with the affections and lusts” (Galatians 5:24) and “walk in the Spirit” (Galatians 5:16), bearing the fruit of the Spirit which is “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23).

Thought: Have you heard of any false teachings that teach that works are necessary for salvation?
Prayer: Dear Lord, help me to live and walk in the Spirit. (Galatians 5:25)