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The Choice of Freedom or Slavery (Fri. Oct 4)

The Word of the Day is “under.” Today in our reading of Galatians 4:8-13, St. Paul asks the pivotal question, “Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not hear the law?” (Gal 4:21). Today, we consider Paul’s teaching of what it means to be under the slavery to the Law or under the reign of freedom.

In Paul’s day, the “Judaizers,” a group of Jewish Christians, had insisted that the Gentiles had to be circumcised to become “real” Christians. The great Jewish teacher Gamaliel had trained Paul, and the apostle knew that circumcision was the rite of binding one to the Law of Moses. So if the Gentiles were circumcised, they would be bound to keep the entire Jewish Law, its rituals, dietary restrictions, and division of clean and unclean, as well as its moral and spiritual requirements. This idea insulted Paul’s understanding of the Gospel and undermined his mission to the Gentiles.

OBLIGATED TO KEEP THE WHOLE LAW

Paul knew that the Law was of one piece. One could not choose what parts of the Law to obey. He said, “I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is bound to keep the whole law” (Galatians 5:3). With that in mind, Paul asked the Galatians whether they wanted to be obligated to the whole Mosaic Law, especially since Christ had freed them from such tyranny (Galatians 5:1).

In Galatians 4:22-31, Paul continues his argument for freedom by appealing to scripture.  In an allegorical approach to interpretation, he contrasts Sarah, the free woman, with Hagar, the slave. The difference between the two is the crucial understanding that they represent two covenants (Galatians 4:24). The line between them separates one way of God’s relationship with humankind from another. And that line goes right through the distinction between slavery (Hagar) and freedom (Sarah).

SARAH AND HAGAR: TWO COVENANTS

In Paul’s mind, the Gospel gives us a choice of living under one or the other of these covenants. We can choose either the freewoman Sarah as our mother or the bondservant Hagar. In this way, Paul graphically asks what family, covenant, and way of life we choose to belong to. The critical concept is obligation. Why do we keep the Law? In the household of Hagar, we must obey it out of the sense of duty that involves reward and punishment, righteousness and judgment. But in the home of Sarah, we do it willingly, following the way of Christ out of love and devotion.

FOR REFLECTION

Paull’s teaching is so radical that it might shock us. And indeed, that is what the apostle is trying to do in Galatians. In response, we might conclude that Paul goes too far. We might try to rescue at least some parts of the Law--some commands that we are bound to uphold out of obligation. But note what we just said. We want to choose something that will bind us to the Law. But as soon as we try to obey the Law out of duty, we make the work of Christ to no effect (Galatians 5:2). Whatever Law we choose to obey slavishly will judge us. And Christ will not be our Savior in that part of our lives. This is the stark reality of the choice between freedom and slavery.

No, we cannot have two mothers. Grace must not be compromised. We are not under the Law but under the Spirit of freedom. Thus, if, as children of Sarah, we keep the Law of God, it is out of freedom, in love, and by the power of the Holy Spirit working in us.

No More Need of a Schoolmaster (Thurs. Oct. 3)

 The Word of the Day is "tutor."  When we are new to the faith, we might suppose that we must put ourselves under some strict external disciplines to regulate our life in Christ. For example, Paul's opponents demanded that the believing Gentiles still keep the constraints of the Law of Moses. But in today's reading of Galatians 3:23-4:5, the apostle compares the Mosaic law to a "schoolmaster," "guardian," or "tutor"[1] who forces an undisciplined child to comply with his directives.

The Law as a Tutor

The apostle writes, "Therefore the Law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus" (vs. 24-25). Today, we learn that we are freed from the bondage to such a custodian because we are now sons and daughters of God. by the liberating power of faith.

In today's reading, Paul gives more reasons that faith, not works of the Law, leads us along the path of salvation. He uses the metaphor of the paidagōgos, the Greek word from which we get the term "pedagogy" in English. Our Bibles translate this word differently because it is hard to find a single substitute for it. In the Roman Empire, slaves were assigned to train boys in rudimentary learning and proper conduct. These "pedagogues" were more than tutors of academic subjects. The tutor was the "master" who supervised the boy's entire life. The Greek term is derived from the idea of leading an animal by a halter. Thus, the "master" ruled the boy, "ridding him from all vice," until the youth was grown, and his good habits were developed" (NfPf1:13, vs.3:24).

Kept Under Guard By the Law

In our reading, Paul teaches that "before faith," the Law kept us "under guard" (vs. 24), the supervision of such a master.  St. John Chrysostom explains, "'We were 'kept' and 'shut up,' signifying nothing else than the security given by the commandments of the Law; which like a fortress fenced us round with fear and a life conformable to itself, and so preserved us unto Faith" (NfPf1:13, vs.3:23).

But when was the tutor no longer needed? Paul states in our passage, "But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor" (vs. 25). Therefore, the "obedience of faith" (Romans 1:5) replaces the submission to the Law.

Faith Replaces the Law's Role as a Tutor

Why should faith supersede the revered Law that the People of God strove to keep for centuries? Paul's answer in our reading is twofold. First, faith makes us "sons of God." The Greek term emphasizes the likeness of the son to the father (Strong's #5207). Thus, by faith, we are adopted into the family of God. And by grace, we become what God is by nature. In other words, by grace through faith, the image of God is restored in us , setting us on the path of "deification" ("theosis"), that is, union in Christ with God the Holy Trinity.

Second, in our baptism, we "put on Christ."  Now Christ lives in us, and we live in Him. As long as we abide in Christ and are one with the Holy Trinity, we do not need an external master. But our true "Master" dwells in us to guide and empower.

Accordingly, Chrysostom summarizes, "If Christ be the Son of God, and thou hast put on Him, thou who hast the Son within thee, and art fashioned after His pattern, has been brought into one kindred and nature with Him" (NfPf1:13, vs.3:25).

The Law Now Holds Us Back from Growth in Faith

So then, what becomes of the Law? Chrysostom says that it was our guardian, but now it has become our "adversary" (NfPf1:13, vs.3:25/26). Formerly, it restrained us from sin. Now, it holds us back in the growth of righteousness.

The "Golden-Mouthed" compared the Law to a candle brought into the sunlight. He preached, "If a candle which gave light by night, kept us, when it became day, from the sun, it would not only not benefit, but it would also injure us; and so doth the Law, if it stands between us and greater benefits" (NfPf1:13, vs.3:25/26).

So long as our nature remains the same, we need the restraint of the Law. But when our nature changes and we become sons and daughters of God, we can go on to a deeper and closer relationship with the Holy Trinity and all the blessings of knowing Him.

For Reflection

We learn from our reading today that we should not glory in the strictness of our spiritual disciplines: in prostrations, vigils, severe fasting, self-punishments, and deprivations of all kinds. So long as we put our trust in these efforts to carry us along the path of holiness, they will prevent our progress along the way. If we wonder why they are not helping us to achieve the closeness to Christ that we desire, then we should know that they are human works that cannot save us. They are ineffective for sanctification but effective in driving us to Christ Jesus, "who became for us wisdom from God and righteousness and sanctification and redemption" (OSB 1 Corinthians 1:30).

Endnotes

[1] Galatians 3:24 & 25: "schoolmaster (KJV),  "guardian" NIV), "tutor" (OSB)

Is Faith Opposed to Good Works? (Wed. Oct. 2)

 The Word of the Day is “promise.” Since the Protestant Reformation, many think in opposites:  Law/Gospel, Faith/Works, grace/merit.  In terms of today’s reading of Galatians 3:15-22, they juxtapose the promise given to Abraham with the directives given to Moses.  However, the problem is that these believers pit one category against the other as if each canceled out the other.

Today, we learn to put the categories that describe God’s work of salvation in the proper relationship.  So when Paul argues that righteousness is by faith, he states, “Is the law then against the promises of God?  Certainly not!” (vs. 21).  You see, the Almighty is One and has one will and purpose.   He did not establish one order of salvation only to contradict Himself with another.

The Promise Was Given Before the Law

Accordingly, Paul says that His promise to Abraham came before the law given to Moses (vs. 17).  Moreover, it was a promise of divine favor, not the demands of divine regulation (vs. 1).  So why did God impose the law?  Was it to add a qualification that had to be met before one could receive the gift of the promise, a requirement that the Gentiles should be circumcised? Those who were not Jewish could receive the promise given to Abraham all right, but only if they kept the law of Moses like them.

However, Paul argued that this meant that the law was the priority.  In effect, it canceled the promise, making it a condition of earning salvation.  But Paul reasoned that “if there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law” (vs. 21).

The Relationship of the Promise to the Law

So what, then, is the relationship of the law to the promise?  Paul offers two reasons for the law. First, “it was added because of transgressions” (vs. 19). Second, it ensured that salvation would be by faith and not by works (vs. 20).

But these two explanations are related, as we see in Paul’s words, “Scripture confined all under sin” (vs. 22).  The Greek word “confined” comes from the root “to shut up together,” that is, “to enclose” (Strong’s #4788).  By the law, the Almighty hemmed in human sinfulness.  The law was a divine restraint, ensuring that transgressions of God’s People would not get out of hand.  In this sense, the bondage to the law served a necessary divine purpose.

The Law Prepared for the Fulfillment of the Promise

What is more, the law not only restricted the sin of the people until the promise could be fulfilled, but it also exposed it.  The law prepared the people for grace because no one was righteous according to the measure of the law.  Therefore, their failure to keep the law’s righteous requirements prepared their hearts for the Gospel of salvation by faith in Christ. This preparation through the law instilled hope in their hearts for salvation—but only if they were willing to set aside their efforts to earn God’s favor.

For Reflection

Paul’s teaching on the relationship between faith and works in our reading rescues us from fruitless discussions that take one side to the exclusion of the other.  The Orthodox Study Bible gives an insightful summary of the proper order of the categories, “Good works flow out of authentic faith.  Works cannot earn us this great treasure—it is a pure gift—but those who receive this gift do Good.  We are not saved by good works but for good works” (OSB fn. Eph. 2:8-10).  This understanding of the relationship between faith and works teaches us the wisdom of God's plan, where the law served a divine purpose in preparing us for the fulfillment of the promise.