Letter to the Galatians

Christ lives in me

Paul probably writes the letter to the Galatians around the year 55 AD, after his second missionary journey; the recipients are the Christian communities he founded in northern Galatia (see Acts 16,6; 18,23). The reason for Paul’s intervention is the confusion that some Christian preachers coming from Judaism brought among the believers: in facts, they claimed that the Christians coming from the Gentiles had to be circumcised and to observe Moses’ Law. In the writing we find trace of a Hebrew literary form we already met in the Prophets: the “rîb”; Paul, in fact, makes a true controversy with the Galatians, loved like children (see Gal 4,19), hoping to take them back to the truth he originally preached.
«But I make known to you, brothers, concerning the Gospel which was preached by me, that it is not according to man. For neither did I receive it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came to me through revelation of Jesus Christ» (Gal 1,11-12). The apostle tells the story of his vocation, the mission Jesus gave him, the meeting with the Jerusalem apostles: «and when they perceived the grace that was given to me, James and Cephas [Peter] and John, they who were reputed to be pillars, gave to me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the circumcised» (Gal 2,9).



Paul even reproached Peter for his contradictory behavior towards the Gentiles (see Gal 2,11-13). «But when I saw that they did not walk uprightly according to the truth of the Good News, I said to Cephas before them all, “If you, being a Jew, live as the Gentiles do, and not as the Jews do, how can you compel the Gentiles to live as the Jews do? “We, being Jews by birth, and not Gentile sinners, yet knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, even we believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ, and not by the works of the law, because no flesh will be justified by the works of the law. [...] I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I that live, but Christ living in me. That life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself up for me. I do not make void the grace of God. For if righteousness is through the law, then Christ died for nothing!”» (Gal 2,14-16.20-21). «Foolish Galatians, who has cunningly deceived you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was openly set forth as crucified? I just want to learn this from you. Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by hearing of faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now completed in the flesh [the condition of human weakness in which the sin can infiltrate: not the mere “body”, see below «the works of the flesh»]? Did you suffer so many things in vain, if it is indeed in vain? He therefore who supplies the Spirit to you, and works miracles among you, does he do it by the works of the law, or by hearing of faith?» (Gal 3,1-5).
Paul compares Moses’ Law to a pedagogue (among the ancient Greeks and Romans he was a servant who brought the children to school, guarded them and made them study); therefore, it was something useful only to point out and to punish the transgressions, but without any power of salvation: no one could respect all its norms with mere human forces (see Rom 7,14-25). The pedagogue ends his task when the child grows up: similarly, Moses’ Law gives way to Christ in the fullness of the time. «But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, confined for the faith which should afterwards be revealed. So that the law has become our pedagogue to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. For you are all children of God, through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. [...] But I say that so long as the heir is a child, he is no different from a bondservant, though he is lord of all; but is under guardians and stewards until the day appointed by the father. So we also, when we were children, were held in bondage under the elemental principles of the world. But when the fullness of the time came, God sent out his Son, born to a woman, born under the law, that he might redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of children. And because you are children, God sent out the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba, Father!” So you are no longer a bondservant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God» (Gal 3,23-27; 4,1-7). «For we, through the Spirit, by faith wait for the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision amounts to anything, nor uncircumcision, but faith working through love. [...] For you, brothers, were called for freedom. Only do not use your freedom for gain to the flesh, but through love be servants to one another. [...] Now the works of the flesh are obvious, which are: sexual immorality, uncleanness, lustfulness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, strife, jealousies, outbursts of anger, rivalries, divisions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these; of which I forewarn you, even as I also forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the Kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law. [...] Do not be deceived. God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption. But he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life» (Gal 5,5-6.13.19-23; 6,7-8).
In the next post we will read the letter to the Ephesians.