Michael Seiler

Tag: Law

  • Training Wheels

    Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring would come to whom the promise had been made; and it was ordained through angels by a mediator. Now a mediator involves more than one party; but God is one. Is the law then opposed to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could make alive, then righteousness would indeed come through the law. But the scripture has imprisoned all things under the power of sin, so that what was promised through faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. Now before faith came, we were imprisoned and guarded under the law until faith would be revealed. Therefore the law was our disciplinarian until Christ came, so that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer subject to a disciplinarian

    Galatians 3:19-25

    After having read Paul’s arguments for the law, I started singing the lyrics to the old Temptations song, “War.” Only I modified the lyrics, “Law! What is it good for, absolutely nothing!” Of course, that just means that I was following along with Paul’s train of thought, and going right where he wanted his readers/listeners to go. After all of this arguments, we are left wondering exactly the same question that Paul starts this passage with: “Why then the law?” If the promise God made to Abraham supersedes the law, then why was there ever a compendium of rules and regulations? Why were they necessary, if the way to God could be found through faith alone?

    Well, it seems that not everyone had the pleasure of interacting with God in the manner than Abraham did, and so for those, the law was given as a means of moving people toward the mindset exemplified by a living faith by giving people the guidance they need to move forward. Kind of like training wheels on a child’s bike. They are pedaling, keeping themselves mostly upright and balanced, until something throws them slightly off kilter and they fall a bit to the left or right. But then the training wheels catch them, bringing them back to a level of equilibrium.

    Another example, perhaps more in line with Paul’s thinking, is this word “adulting.” A lot of memes these days talk about “adulting,” and how taking on the responsibilities of being an adult are difficult. Everyone wishes they could still be a child, have their parents or guardians – or anyone else, really – doing the difficult, heavy lifting of life for them, while they are allowed to focus on the fun and enjoyable bits of life. This calls back the idea found in earlier chapters, in which we understand the irony of living a life according to rules and regulations set down by others. It is easier to live according to a set of rules than to move forward completely free to live as we choose – and still choosing to live that life for God. Paul’s thoughts here tell us that the Law was that guide, that tutor, that chaperone that helped to teach us and prepare us to take on the challenges of life in that day when the training wheels are removed, or when those that have raised us are no longer around.

    The law was intended to guide people until the messiah came, until the path of faith provided the means to God. But, now that Paul declares the age of the messiah, he is by no means saying that the law should be completely thrown out either. Just because faith in the messiah now provides access to God to all people, including the gentiles, does not mean that Paul intends to throw out the Law altogether. In fact, in Romans 3, Paul talks about the law, and asks whether the whole codex should be nullified, and answers his own question with “It should never be so.” Paul does seem to think that the Law is still beneficial to believers, even though believers have been set free from the condemnation of the Law when failing to live up to it. The Law still provides guidance toward living in freedom, once one has started along the path of faith.

    Important Words and Phrases

    παράβασις – parabasis, eos, on – “Striding to and fro,” overstepping, transgression, violation. In the NT it denotes sin in relation to the Law. Between Adam and Moses there is sin, but no parabasis because the law is not yet given. In Galatians 3:19 the law is given to show that evil deeds are transgressions of God’s will. 1 Those that know God’s will might have a chance of avoiding transgressions, while those who seek only to follow the rules and regulations of the law will be destined to fail to achieve to uphold it.

    ἐπαγγελία – Promise.2 Paul links the word promise to the gospel, and looks at “promise” from the standpoint of επανγέλεσθαι (middle voice for “I announce myself”) with the implication being that one announces oneself with the intention of providing one’s services to others. It seems that the idea of a promise to Paul includes the idea of service. The gospel includes the service of Christ to the people of the world, through his death. How does viewing a promise as service to others affect the definition of the word?

    προστίθημι – Prostithemi – To add to, increase, or do again. In the context of Galatians 3:19, it suggests that the law was simply an interlude [on the way to the final fulfillment of the promise of Christ].3

    παιδαγωγος – Paidagogos – attendant, custodian, guide (possibly a tutor). For Paul, the law has only limited validity (Gal. 3:24). Its time end with Christ. It is a paedagogos while we are minors. During our minority, we are under it and virtually in the position of slaves. With faith, however, we achieve adult sonship and a new immediacy to the Father which is far better than dependence on even the best “pedagogue.” Although Paul here associates the law with the “elemental spirits,” he is not against the law. It is a taskmaster with an educational role. He thus continues to appeal to it when decisions must be made in congregational life, interpreting the OT in the light of Christ. 4 Consider also the concept of the Greek idea of home education, which had the intention of training children – and heirs – to be cultured and upright so that they could assume the responsibilities of the household after the death of a parent.

    1. Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, 1 volume (TDNT), pp. 772-773
    2. TDNT, pp. 76
    3. TDNT, pp. 1181
    4. TDNT, pp. 757

  • Rewriting the Promise

    For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not observe and obey all the things written in the book of the law.” Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law; for “The one who is righteous will live by faith.” But the law does not rest on faith; on the contrary, “Whoever does the works of the law will live by them.” Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us — for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree” — in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

    Galatians 3:10-14

    Every one of us knows someone – or maybe we ourselves fit into the category – who can never let go of something until they determine that it is “perfect.” The will not give up on a task or on a project until it has met their rigorous standards. Often that means that they will never complete the project, because after every little bit of tinkering, every little change, they discover that something else is still missing that certain special feature that keeps the whole thing from being perfect. No matter how hard they try, whatever it is they are trying to accomplish simply doesn’t live up to the perfection that they strive for.

    You could almost say that they are cursed with an affliction that keeps them from ever attaining what they seek, simply because nothing quite measures up. Even when everyone else around them is convinced of the merits of the project or task.

    It is this struggle to live up to an unattainable goal that Paul is trying to point out, starting in verse ten. In verse nine, he had only just said that all who are of faith are blessed with believing in Abraham. And then he immediately contrasts that with those who are cursed because they are trying to keep the Law of Moses. Paul quotes Deuteronomy 27, where the Levites are to proclaim “in a loud voice” those who will be cursed, specifically verse 26, where they state, “Cursed is everyone who does not observe and obey all the things written in the book of the law.” The idea of being able to keep the entirety of the law is simply unattainable. Paul, who had been a Pharisee, an ardent adherent of the Law, knew that it was impossible to keep all of the laws. Even Jesus pointed out to the Pharisees that they neglect the weightier parts of the law, like justice, mercy, and faith (v. 23), and instead rely on their own understanding of righteousness, an understanding of righteousness that is only an outward show (v. 28) (verses from Matthew 23).

    For those listening – knowing Paul’s history as one of those considered righteous according to the law – and hearing him state that it is impossible to completely keep the law, no matter how badly you want to, or how hard you try, must have been confusing enough to give Paul the effect he was looking for. The effect would be this: “Look, I was a Pharisee, I stood for the full and robust keeping of the Law, but even I couldn’t keep it completely. And now, I have something better to tell you. A means to seek God through your faith, and not through something unattainable. Salvation is unattainable through our own works. We are cursed if we do not keep it all, so what we need instead is one who takes on that curse for us. That, my friends, was Jesus. Christ became the curse for us, to bring the blessing of Abraham to all of us, through his own cursed nature, hanging on a tree.”

    While the argument makes sense even without knowing Paul’s history, I think that the argument is much more effective for those who knew of Paul’s history as one who persecuted the church because of his ardent adherence to the Law. And, I think this is where we can also look to our own lives. Evangelism is never just a simple recounting of the academic points of what Christ did for us, but an active, tangible display of what Christ has changed in us, in our lives. People may remember the academic bullet points, but still not believe because they haven’t seen a drastic change in the lives of those sharing the message. I believe that sometimes those who have come from darker histories have a greater example – and therefore a greater opportunity – to share the message of Christ’s redemption, because people see the metamorphosis that they have undergone. Those who have always managed to fit into society’s “approved circles” will never really have the same context to declare the good news as those who have walked through the radical transformation that this message brings.

    Brothers and sisters, I give an example from daily life: once a person’s will has been ratified, no one adds to it or annuls it. Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring; it does not say, “And to offsprings,” as of many; but it says, “And to your offspring,” that is, to one person, who is Christ. My point is this: the law, which came four hundred thirty years later, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to nullify the promise. For if the inheritance comes from the law, it no longer comes from the promise; but God granted it to Abraham through the promise.

    Galatians 3:15-18

    I think most of us, when first reading this passage, can be excused for cocking our heads to the side and wondering out loud, “Could you be any more esoteric, Paul?” What exactly is he driving at with this comment about someone’s last will and testament? People change their wills all the time, don’t they? At least before they die, so why bring this up here? It seems, that Paul wants to again make the point that God had made a promise to Abraham, that all nations would be blessed through Abraham. And so, this discussion about a will is really about the ultimate provider of salvation – the law, or faith.

    Or, those things that come from clear cut definitive words on paper, and those that come from a relationship. Those pushing for the gentiles to become Jews first, before following the Messiah, were arguing that the Law was the ultimate result of the Abrahamic covenant. But Paul points out that God had promised a global family to Abraham long before the law was handed down. So, if the inheritance of a global family came from the law, then there would be no need for the promise. And, since God had promised this to Abraham before the law was delivered, then the promise of this vast number of descendants can only be fulfilled with an action beyond the law. Again, this action is Christ’s death on the cross, through whom even the Gentiles are added to Abraham’s lineage, fulfilling the promise that through Abraham, all nations would be blessed.

    N.T. Wright defines this whole conversation as those who wanted to convert people to the law before allowing them to become a part of the family of Christ as trying to re-interpret the will of a dead person, by claiming that “It’s what he would have wanted.” 1 But, Paul says, what God wanted was already clear, so this desire to make people adhere to the law is nothing more than trying to put words into God’s mouth.

    Important Words and Phrases

    ἐπικατάρατος, -ον – Accursed, execrable – only has Ecclesiastical and biblical uses, and only appears in Galatians 3:13. Another form of the word, επάρατοσ, used in John 7:49, expresses the scorn of the scribes for the unlearned; those that do not know the law are “cursed.” 2 Does the idea of “ignorance of the law is no excuse” express a similar idea to the scorn of the scribes?

    σπέρμα – Something sown, i.e. seed, including the male “sperm.” figuratively, descendents, offspring. In Paul, both the idea of plant seed as well as the male offspring. Sometimes it refers to Christ (Galatians 3:16), or to the church (Romans 9:8).3

    ἐπαγγελία – Promise.4 Paul links the word promise to the gospel, and looks at “promise” from the standpoint of επανγέλεσθαι (middle voice for “I announce myself”) with the implication being that one announces oneself with the intention of providing one’s services to others. It seems that the idea of a promise to Paul includes the idea of service. The gospel includes the service of Christ to the people of the world, through his death. How does viewing a promise as service to others affect the definition of the word?

    1. N. T. Wright, Paul for Everyone – Galatians and Thessalonians, pp. 35-36
    2. Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, 1 volume (TDNT), pp. 76
    3. TDNT, pp 1066-1067
    4. TDNT, pp 240-241

  • Father Abraham Had Many Children

    You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly exhibited as crucified! The only thing I want to learn from you is this: Did you receive the Spirit by doing the works of the law or by believing what you heard? Are you so foolish? Having started with the Spirit, are you now ending with the flesh? Did you experience so much for nothing? — if it really was for nothing. Well then, does God supply you with the Spirit and work miracles among you by your doing the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard? Just as Abraham “believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness,” so, you see, those who believe are the descendants of Abraham. And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, declared the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “All the Gentiles shall be blessed in you.” For this reason, those who believe are blessed with Abraham who believed.

    Galatians 3:1-9

    When I was still in grade school, one of the songs we sang in Sunday school and vacation bible school was “Father Abraham.” The song was a a few short verses, and went like this:

    “Father Abraham had many sons.
    Many sons had Father Abraham.
    And I am one of them.
    And so are you.
    Many Sons had Father Abraham.
    So let’s just praise the Lord.”

    Father Abraham

    Granted, the language might need some updating to be a bit more inclusive, but the simple truth that was passed on to little ones like me and my friends was that we were part of the tribe of Abraham, part of his spiritual family, brought about by the promise that God had made to Abraham. And this truth is what Paul is trying to convey to the people of Galatia. He is continuing the argument he began with the story of Peter failing to live up to his own convictions, attempting to show the difference between faith and works.

    The reason Paul is so perplexed by the Galatians is that they had already understood that they were accepted as members of God’s family, and that this status as members of the family was attained through their belief in Jesus as the Messiah. And so now, when people come along telling them that they need to first become Jews and follow all the rules and regulations of the Jewish faith before they can consider themselves followers of Christ, Paul thinks that they must be bewitched. What else could explain going from already being accepted in the family of God to suddenly trying to attain something they already had by doing work that they didn’t need to do? “Mind-boggling. It must be that someone has put a spell on them.”

    But why bring up Abraham at all? N.T. Wright, and others, think that those demanding the gentiles follow the Jewish law were probably throwing around Abraham’s name, because God had made the covenant with Abraham, and had demanded circumcision as part of that covenant (Genesis 17). This would seem like a logical argument, and would explain why they are demanding that everyone need to get circumcised. But Paul reminds them that not even Abraham had been circumcised only after God had deemed him righteous (Genesis 15:1-6). So it was not works that justified Abram in the eyes of God, but his faith in God’s promise of his future lineage that did so.

    And if that wasn’t enough to remind the Galatians that they were already justified before God through their faith and belief in the work of the messiah, then Paul throws in an extra little reminder: God had promised that all nations would be blessed through Abraham (“or all gentiles shall be blessed in you”). This really draws home Paul’s argument, that even from the beginning of the covenant, God had the gentiles in mind. God had planned that the sons of Abraham would be the people from whom would come the blessing that would save the world (Genesis 22:1-18). And, if we follow the opening recitations of lineage in the Gospel according to Matthew, we see that Jesus, the Christ, was in the direct lineage of Abraham. And from him came the salvation of the world; through him all nations were blessed; through him all gentiles were blessed and became children of Abraham.

    Divisions, Divisions

    What’s interesting here, is the word that Paul uses here to describe the Gentiles is ethnos (pl. ethne), meaning “a race, a nation” and implying any nation other than Israel. It is also the word from which we get the English word Ethnic. Generally, this word, in current usage, tends not to refer to other nations. Instead, it takes on the meaning more closely related to it’s original implied meaning of “anything other than Israel,” with the new implication being that anyone who is ethnic is not like us. It is usually uttered by those who are trying to make the distinction between themselves and others, often with the intention of separating themselves from those others; in short, it often has racist overtones, even among those who would call themselves believers. It would be more akin to Peter’s attempt to remove himself from the gentiles in Galatians 2:11-24, and less like Paul’s reminder that all are welcome in the family of God, if only they believe.

    In fact, it seems that over the centuries, Christians have proven that they are more adept at finding reasons for division than for unity. According to recent numbers, there are roughly 200 denominations in the United States alone, and roughly 45,000 different denominations globally1. These all represent some form of division and disagreement.

    When I was in seminary, several of the people in our cohort joked about their denominations’ ability to have church splits over seemingly inconsequential things. “We’ll have a split over whether to use an organ or a piano,” one of them joked. “It’s not even a theological issue. More of a preference. But you’ll get all the righteous indignation and proof-texting to show that this is how God wanted it.” We all had a chuckle about that, but the reality is that all of these disagreements, and the resulting church splits, are damaging both to the believers in the church, and especially to the faith itself. Because who, when watching this in-fighting unfold can truly say that these believers are following The Way of Love?

    Important Words and Phrases

    ἀνόητοι – anontoi, from anoetos– “unswise, irrational, or foolish,” not so much in the sense of stupid, but more along the lines of lacking in wisdom, failing to reason through something with proper logic, and has overtones of a lack of moral wisdom. 2

    ἐβάσκανεν – “has bewitched” – from βασκαίνω – baskaino – To “hurt by words,” slander, and then, to bewitch. The use here in Galatians 3:1 is the only use in the New Testament. “The use is figurative, but not without some realism insofar as the power of falsehood stands behind magic. In yielding to these ‘magicians’ the Galatians have come under the power of untruth.” 3

    ἐπιτελεῖσθε – “being perfected, completed” – from ἐπιτελέω – epiteleo – I finish, I complete, I accomplish. 4 The idea here is to contrast it to the “starting” with the spirit, drawing together the idea that they are trying to complete things through their own power.

    ἔθνη – “the nations” – from ἔθνος, ους, τό – ethnos – a race, a nation, the nations (as distinct from Israel). 5

    Notes

    1. https://www.livescience.com/christianity-denominations.html
    2. Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (TDNT), Abridged in 1 Vol., pp 638
    3. TDNT, pp 102
    4. TDNT, pp 1163
    5. TDNT, pp 201-202

  • Let Me Sit At Another Table

    Galatians 2:11-21

    Do As I Say, and Not as I Do

    But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood self-condemned; for until certain people came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But after they came, he drew back and kept himself separate for fear of the circumcision faction. And the other Jews joined him in this hypocrisy, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. But when I saw that they were not acting consistently with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, “If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?”

    Galatians 2:11-14

    One of the first things that comes to mind when reading this passage is that Peter was reacting out of fear, much like he did in the courtyard of the high priest after Jesus’ crucifixion. When people confronted him about his association with Christ, he denied that he knew Jesus. And here, when he fears confrontation about the freedom he knows in Christ, he pulls himself back from eating with gentiles.

    Peter had a vision which showed him that gentiles were loved by God (Acts 10:1 – 11:18), and that God had accepted them as full members of God’s family. And so, Peter accepted the gentile Cornelius and his entire family and brought them into the family of God, not requiring them to follow all the rules and regulations that he he had grown up with. Paul preached this same freedom from maintaining the law, and, he had just told the readers of this letter that he had met with Peter (Galatians 2:1-10), and that Peter and the other apostles had agreed with him about the inclusion of the gentiles into the family of God.

    Since Paul is writing to the Galatians – gentiles – and since he had just explained to them that Peter had agreed that gentiles are a part of God’s family, this calling out of Peter’s hypocrisy serves more than just to bash Peter in the eyes of the Galatian believers. It has to do with who belongs to Christ’s family; and how exactly that relates is in the next section.

    But, we cannot overlook that Peter, and even Barnabas joined into this division within a church of fellow believers. They heard what the people from James had said, and then turned around and refused to eat with the gentiles. Peter had understood God’s decision to include gentiles in the story of salvation. And Peter had already had a meeting with Paul, James, and John about not needing to make gentiles follow the rules and regulations of their Jewish heritage. So this decision by Peter and Barnabas to fall into a pattern of excluding people is, as Paul says, based entirely in fear. Fear that he might be ridiculed, have his authority challenged, or have his leadership threatened.

    If Peter, the pillar of the church, could be swayed by fear over those confronting something that God had personally explained to Peter, then we can see how easily it might be for us to step into doing things that are opposite what we claim to follow.

    But we must examine that possibility, because Peter’s actions harmed those whom he excluded. His actions harmed himself, because those watching (those within the community as well as those outside of it) saw that he was failing to live up to his own standards. And his actions harmed the church as a whole, because he was unwilling to correct those who would sow the seeds of exclusivity and division among the believers. By not correcting them, these men were able to continue sowing division and confusion among the greater church.

    But this side story by Paul, really had the intent of defining who truly belongs to the family of God, rather than just calling out Peter for his inconsistencies.

    Those Who Believe Are Christ’s Family

    We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; yet we know that a person is justified not by the works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ. And we have come to believe in Christ Jesus, so that we might be justified by faith in Christ, and not by doing the works of the law, because no one will be justified by the works of the law. But if, in our effort to be justified in Christ, we ourselves have been found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not! But if I build up again the very things that I once tore down, then I demonstrate that I am a transgressor. For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not nullify the grace of God; for if justification comes through the law, then Christ died for nothing.

    Galatians 2:15-21

    The whole story about Peter’s inconsistency was just a lead up to remind everyone that anyone who believes in Christ is a member of God’s family. No one should make distinctions between people who believe.

    Paul reminds Peter and the others about their heritage, in order to remind them that they themselves know that it is impossible to keep all of the law, and that they cannot be deemed righteous by following the law all on their own. And he reminds them that they themselves know that it is only through the faithfulness of the messiah that they are justified.

    Paul has set up the dichotomy between God’s grace and trying to attain righteousness by maintaining the law. It’s a comparison between God’s works, and our works. And the point is clear. Our works can never amount to enough to justify us before God, because if we could, then there was no need for the messiah, or for the messiah to die. So, the only people who are justified in God’s sight are those that believe in Christ.

    And that includes the gentiles, who also believe.

    And if it includes the gentiles, why are you pulling yourself back and refusing to eat with them? You’re falling back into the idea that your works of the law that you grew up with will save you. But you cannot be justified by any of that. You are justified only by faith in Christ, just like these men who did not grow up with your heritage. But, they now share the same future that you do, simply by believing in Christ.

    Paul has, by calling out Peter’s inconsistencies, brought back the idea that there is to be unity among all believers. He calls out those sowing confusion and division by bringing them all back to the understanding that the only thing that matters is faith in what the messiah has done through his death and resurrection.

    Important Words and Phrases

    ὑποστέλλω – hupostello – “I draw back” mid. shrink from, avoid, keep silent 1 – notable because it sounds similar to ἀποστέλλω – “apostello” – “to send, to send out,” as of the apostles. Peter “drew back and kept himself separate.” Peter, like Paul, had been sent by God to spread the news of Christ, but here, rather than living into his “sending out,” he has retreated in fear of what others might think of his living in spiritual freedom. In Hebrews 10:37-38, this word indicates that believers can not expect a reward if they fail to confess the truth of the gospel.

    ἀφώριζεν – from ἀφορίζω – aphorizo – “I separate” 2 – Peter separated himself, held himself off, created boundaries between himself and others; the exact opposite of the unity the Gospel teaches. The New Testament uses this word to indicate being separated for divine service, or “calling.” So in a sense, Peter has separated himself from his calling to preach the gospel because he has separated himself from those with whom he should share the Gospel.

    συνεσταύρωμαι – I have been crucified, from συσταυρόω – sustaurao – “To crucify together with” – in this sense, ” I am crucified with.” We tend to gloss over the idea of having died to sin, having died with Christ, etc. but this imagery of being nailed to a cross together with Christ should carry a bit more weight than it seems to.

    1. Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (TDNT), pp 1074
    2. TDNT, pp 728
    3. TDNT, pp 1105