You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ;
Summary: Paul’s insistence on this point is leading us to deeper levels of understanding God’s power of salvation through Jesus Christ.
There, he said it again!
People who are trying to be justified by the law are alienated from Christ. That doesn’t sound good. We need Jesus if we want to have true life both in this world and the next.
Earlier, in “Galatians 5:2 – Complications,” we talked about Paul having Timothy circumcised. Doesn’t that mean Timothy is alienated from Christ?
Choosing to be circumcised because you’ve you need it to be saved is not the same as Paul choosing to have Timothy circumcised to reduce the potential for political and religious conflict (See Acts 16:1-3).
God is not mocked (Galatians 6:7).
We cannot “play” at being religious and think we are fooling God. If we are going to live by the law, we have to abide by the law. Unfortunately, we can’t. Even if we were able to master the appearance of obedience to the law on the outside, we are not capable of meeting the law’s requirements in our hearts.
So, where does that leave us?
Anyone who is drawn to God and prefers heaven over hell wants to be one of Jesus’ sheep (John 10: 14-15). We do not want to be “alienated from Christ!” How serious is Paul about this?
Perhaps a better question is this: “Who decides whether a person is ‘alienated from Christ’ or not?” The answer to this question has to be Jesus. He is the one who, according to John’s gospel, knows his sheep, not Paul.
I don’t think Paul would argue with this point. What he is arguing against is not an individual or their actions. He is arguing against people who argue against Jesus. People who deny Jesus are not his sheep. In fact, John tells us that such a person is the “antichrist,” the opposite of Jesus (1 John 2:22).
The people who led the Galatians astray were telling them that faith in Jesus was not enough. In effect, they were saying Jesus alone could not save people. Logically, if that were true, Jesus would not be the Messiah.
Paul saw through the smokescreen of words and obfuscations. He understood that the root issue was denying Jesus. He understood the consequences of being an antichrist. So, yes, Paul is serious about this.
Application: Trust Jesus, only Jesus!
Food for Thought: What is the difference between “going along” with people who are following the law and trying to be justified by the law?
What is the difference between “going along” with people who are following the law and trying to be justified by the law?
1 Corinthians 9:20-21, To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though I myself am not under the law) so that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law) so that I might win those outside the law.
We may abstain from exercising from specific freedoms so we do not offend another who believes all must comply with rules, so we will have an opportunity to explore truths we agree on rather than have friction.
1 Corinthians 8:13 Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother or sister to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause them to fall.
Looks like we are on a similar track. I didn’t see your post until after I posted mine.
Nicely said, Ron!
I think I’m going to reserve my answer to those that do have a desire to serve God. I’m not entertaining the idea of doing something I know would place a barrier between me and the Lord, in an effort to win someone over for Christ. I wouldn’t want to do anything that grieved the Spirit. And I wouldn’t want to confess, or give testimony, that my salvation was in anything other than Christ.
In answering this question, I tried to think of an example where I would “go along.” I think a good example would be in the observance of kashrut (kosher). If I was given the opportunity to eat with someone or a group that is Orthodox Jew, I certainly wouldn’t insist on eating or serving something that wasn’t kosher. The purpose of the time together would be to build up the body of Christ, not to diminish it.
I think Paul said it better:
1 Corinthians 9:19-23
19 For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. 20 To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. 21 To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. 23 I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.
I think the key difference is in the “why.” That we would share in similarity in our actions, but why we do or don’t do is crucial.
Great example, Chris!
Excellent reference verse, too! Part of the art of being “all things to all people” is to put others first, or at least love others as we love ourselves.
Good use of the word obfuscation. You get a bonus point for that😊.
To me simply going along with others who are trying to be justified by the law and doing so myself, is that in one scenario someone else is separated from Christ and in the other scenario I am separated from Christ. Both are bad scenarios. So it is better to trust in Jesus for my salvation and encourage others to do so too (John 14: 6; Acts 4: 12; 2 Corinthians 5: 14 – 21).
Rich,
Thanks for the bonus point!! 🙂
I like your distinction between someone else being separated from God and being separated ourselves. That leads to a question about why we are spending time with one who is separated from Christ. If it is because we are curious about their pagan ways, that would be bad. If it is because we are working to share Christ’s light with them, that would be good.
Amen