The Book of Galatians

The Book of Galatians

It was cold today. Really cold. –12 degrees, plus a nice bit of wind-chill, so church was cancelled this morning. Instead of church, people meet together at each other’s homes. Anna and I were a bit sick yesterdays, so we decided to take it easy again today. I decided to read the book of Galatians. You know, it is Sunday morning, I should be at church I might as well do something “spiritual” right? It has been a long time since I have just picked up the Bible just to read it. I sometimes listen to it on the radio, and often discuss it with my friends. However, as of late, I have not been reading. Not like I probably should be at least, but this is another story for another time.

Anyway, I read the book of Galatians from the New Living Translation of the Bible. I like the New Living Translation. Most people use the NIV. It is what I grew up reading, and used at college. A couple years ago I asked for the New Living Translation for Christmas. I want something more readable, less complex, and that is exactly what this translation is. If you find the NIV to be difficult to read and understand, try the NLT version.

Paul is writing to a group of gentiles that he had preached to and converted sometime earlier. Paul really sounds like a whiner in the first few chapters. “I” this and “I” that is all he seemed to talk about. How annoying, but it got better.

After the introduction Paul jumps in the meat of the message (chapters 3 and on). My intentions when I opened my Bible this morning was to read a chapter or two and reflect on those chapters, but as I read I found the message to be more and more compelling. I ended up reading the how thing.

Paul discusses following the law in the form of circumcision. (For those of you who don’t know what circumcision is, it is the cutting off of the foreskin of a male child. The Jews used circumcision as an outward sign of devotion to God. Gentiles of that day, however, saw it as a horrific mutilation of ones body, and for obvious reason did not partake in the practice.) The book of Galatians was written around 49 AD, only 16 years after the resurrection of Christ. People were still figuring out what it meant to be Christ-followers. They weren’t even called Christians at this time, instead they known as the followers of “The Way”. So, what is going at this time was defining what following Christ meant. Did it mean that a gentile had to convert to Judaism, and there by follow Jewish laws and traditions? Or, was being a Christ follower something totally something different?

Paul quickly answers that question. We are saved through faith in Christ, period. There is no need to be bound to the law, and therefore, no need to become Jewish. We are therefore free from the law, and by correlation, free from sinful cravings. Those who follow their sinful cravings end up in: “sexual immorality, impure thoughts, eagerness for lustful pleasures, idolatry, participation in demonic activities, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, division, the feeling that everyone is wrong except those in your little group, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins.” As opposed to those who’s lives are controlled by the Holy Spirit live in: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”

How does living by the law lead to sinful cravings? Paul transitions quickly without explaining himself very well, but it is pretty easy to understand. When you follow the law you need to bind yourself to the law, and thereby loosing your bind with Christ. When you loose touch with Christ, your sinful nature creeps back into your life.

It is interesting to look through the list of sinfulness. When I was reading this book I was wondering how could apply this to my life, how does it apply to the church, and is it outdated? I was actually really struggling with the relevancy of the text. I have never been taught that I need to convert to Judaism, so how does this apply to me and us today? However, when I went through the sin list it became evident how it applies today. When we look at Christianity today we can see all the rules and laws that you need to follow in order to be “Christian”. We could list the things we see, but that isn’t the point. We can see what happens when a person outward devoted to Christ (following the right rules), as opposed to inwardly following Christ. When we look at the followers list, it is not a list of actions or things we do, it is a list of what we are. You do not do love, you are loving. You do not do patience, you are patient. You do not do faithfulness, you are faithful. You do not do self-control, you are self-controlled.

So, following Christ is more about who you are, not what you do. You can say all the right things, do all the right tasks, but in the end if you are not loving, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle, and self-controlled you are not following Christ. One thing that I have learned while being Christian, it is easier do Christianity, than it is to be a Christian. I picked up a book recently called “Simplexity”. It is about how simple things are often the most complex. It is simple to get to heaven, follow Christ. But, as many of you know, it is much easier said then done.

So yeah, read Galatians. It is short and to the point.
Right now, my mom is coming up here to make some meals with us. I am pretty excited. Have a great day!