The Gospel of Grace

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Improved Conditions Under Grace

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Continuing on with his explaining of the Gospel of Grace, we see that Paul has trouble understanding why any one would want to return to being under the Law after having tasted the freedoms of Grace.

Paul, in these verses, compares the two. First he explains what their state was under the Law. Under the Law, even though you were an heir to the Kingdom, you Was still a child spiritually and no better than a slave. You owned something, but you didn't know what it was or when you would receive it for it was not yours until the date set by the Father. So you were slaves to the "elemental spirits" of the universe. The elemental spirits were the "observances" that they were bound to keep. Such things as circumcision, days, months, seasons and years, purifications rites, observance of feasts, little hats and long beards. All of this demonstrated "piety" by the doing or the wearing of things.

There was a "promise" of deliverance but they didn't know when that deliverance would come, it was a date to be set by the Father. The thing that Paul wanted them to see was that that date had already been set and had come to pass, the coming of Christ. Christ was the "promise, His coming redeemed and set them free who were under the Law. Why would anybody want to return to a "prison" of observances after being set free? Why would they want to replace the "veil" after it had been rent asunder?

Paul had gone over all of this before, he had explained to them the freedoms that were theirs in Christ. He felt as though he had taught in vain. It would appear that they hadn't learned anything and yet he knew that they had received him as being one sent of God and as one who knew the Gospel of Jesus Christ, what he wanted to know was, what happened? Why had they allowed the false teachers to come in and take from them the freedoms that were theirs in Christ Jesus?

The Reception of Grace

In these verses, Paul reflects back to when he first came to these churches and he's wondering why they received Christ, yes, wondering why they even received him. They had received him like he was an Angel, perhaps even like they would have received Jesus. All this in spite of his poor speaking ability, his poor health, and in spite of the fact that he had been a burden to them. In spite of all of this, they had not scorned nor despised him. All of these things that Paul seems to think hindered his mission, may have been his "thorn in the flesh".

But in spite of all his problems, they had accepted his message as authoritative, and it had brought joy and peace to them. Now, they had given up that joy and peace for the burden of "observances" and Paul could not understand why. He reminds them that they had loved him then, some may have even plucked out their eyes and given them to him,if they could have, to demonstrate that love.

Again, what happened? Now it would appear that they, in some measure, had turned against him. "Did I become your enemy by telling you the truth?" No, I doubt that they thought any less of Paul than they did when he was there, but they had been "brain washed". Verse 17 says that the Jews had zealously courted them". They flattered them and fed their egos. They encircled them with compliments and captured them with their charm.

Why would these Jews go to all that trouble to brain wash these Gentile believers? Well, Paul says that it certainly wasn't because they were interested in their spiritual well being. They were only interested in using them for their own purposes. The Gentile believers at this time, still looked upon the Jew as the "insider", their Savior was a Jew and Jews had a great influence upon the Gentile.

The Jews had overwhelmed them with their knowledge of the Old Testament scriptures and that, along with their flattery, made it easy for them to lead these Gentiles astray. But how much could Paul do with this letter? He had to undo what the Judaizers had done and them he had to remind them of the truths that he had taught them before. He was fighting a battle against his own people. It might very well be that he could accomplish this only if he went there. It still baffled Paul as to why these Galatians gave up their freedoms so easily.

Law and Grace Cannot Co-Exist

Here Paul explains that the Law and Grace were two separate dispensations. They were never made to co-exist. Grace replaced the Law.

Now I bet there are some serious questions coming into your minds. Was Paul saying something different than Jesus said concerning the Law? Jesus Said, "I have not come to destroy the Law but to fulfill it." Paul says that the Law and Grace cannot co-exist. At first they seem to be opposing statements but actually they are statements about different aspects of the Law. Jesus was saying, in effect, the same thing as Paul. The Law promised Grace but that Grace was not fulfilled until the coming of Christ. So Christ fulfilled the Law, He did not destroy it, but rather made it no longer necessary. In fact, The Law was like a chain that keeps you in bondage, Grace freed you from that bondage therefore there is no longer any need for the chain.

Paul uses an "allegory" to further explain this. An allegory is one story to illustrate another. The first is symbolic of the other. He uses two brothers, sons of Abraham. Isaac, the son of a free woman, Sarah, and Ishmael, the son of a slave, Hager. Isaac represents man's position under Grace, and Ishmael represents man's position under the Law.

The Judaizers felt the need to do something that would make them deserve salvation. Works of the Law had been a part of their heritage for 2,000 years. It was hard for them to let go of this responsibility and accept the freedoms that are in Christ. People still have that problem. They have trouble believing that salvation is by faith apart from works. They take great pride in their works and find it hard to believe that it isn't gaining for them some position in Heaven, if not their salvation.

Paul believed that these Judaizers may very well have been sincere, but they were also wrong and he believed that if they really understood the scriptures, they would no longer hold to the need to observe the Law. So, he reminds them. Abraham established two lines. One thru Ishmael and one thru Isaac. One by a slave and one by a free woman. One according to the flesh, and one according to the Promise. Each represented a Covenant. One the Covenant at Mt Sinai and one the Covenant at Calvary. One representing Jerusalem and one representing the "New Jerusalem". So, which line would you like to be a part of, the linage of slavery or the linage of Grace.

We can see why the unbelieving Jews held on to the Law. It was all that they had. They still had only the Promise of freedom because they had rejected the Christ. But why the believing Jew? Why did they still accept the bondage of the Law? They had been set free just like the believing Gentile and Paul could not understand why they still held to their bondage. He was concerned about the ignorance of these Judaizers but he was also concerned that they were leading the Gentile astray also. So he wrote this letter to the churches of Galatia to try to get them to reclaim the freedoms that they had in Christ and throw off the yoke of these Judaizers.

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