Recap

So far in Galatians, we’ve read as Paul defended his apostleship and his gospel, and then pointed to the Old Testament as evidence. After planting the Galatian churches (Acts 13-14), Paul learned that some Hebrews are teaching the Gentile believers they needed to be circumcised to be saved. Paul’s authority as an apostle was also challenged, leading him to address these issues. At the Jerusalem council, it was decided that Gentiles did not need to be circumcised, as the Holy Spirit had become the new seal of salvation. Despite this, some continued to argue for adherence to the Torah, prompting Paul to write Galatians to reaffirm his gospel message.

In the letter, Paul defended his apostleship and the gospel he preached. He asserted that salvation comes through faith in Jesus, not following the Torah. He explained that, even as Jews, they recognised the law couldn’t justify them; only faith in Christ could. Paul then rebuked the Galatians for turning away from this gospel. They needed to know that believers are not saved by following rules or cultural practices, but by faith in Jesus. This faith unites all believers, Jew and Gentile, in Jesus. The behaviour and the way they lived did not determine their salvation. It was, however, the expression of the salvation they now had in Jesus.

Paul challenged the Galatians for turning from their faith after acknowledging Jesus' crucifixion and experiencing the Spirit’s power. He questioned why they would abandon the freedom they found in faith to try earning salvation through behaviour. Requiring circumcision makes Jesus' sacrifice worthless. Paul reminded them that Abraham was declared righteous by faith, long before the law, and God promised that all nations, including Gentiles, would be blessed through him. The law came later and brought a curse, as no one could keep it perfectly. Jesus fulfilled the law, becoming a curse so believers could receive the promise by faith.

Paul explained that the law was never meant to replace the promise but to guide people until Jesus brought true freedom. The law revealed sin's nature but could not save. Now, through faith in Jesus, all believers are children of God and heirs of Abraham's promise. Before Jesus they were like children to young to receive their inheritance and are controlled by the powers of sin. Now, because of Jesus they are no longer underneath sin, but are mature adults who can receive their inheritance.

Galatians 5-6

Finally, Paul then unpacks what this gospel means in practice for the Galatians. They should not get circumcised. If they decide to get circumcised because they think it will make them better believers, then they will also have to fulfil the entire Torah, because the two are a package deal.

To do that would be to cut themselves off from Jesus, for they have rejected the freedom that he offers. Instead, they choose to faith through the Spirit, as through faith the Galatians have the hope that Jesus will eventually redeem all things to himself. In Jesus, it doesn’t matter if they’re circumcised or not. All that matters is their faith, and that that faith is outworking in the Galatians through love.

Paul then turns to those “who prevented [the Galatians] from obeying the truth” (Galatians 5:7). They are not from Jesus, and clearly they corrupt the believers just like yeast spreading through dough. Paul is confident that the Galatians will turn away from these teachers, and that these teachers will have to pay the cost of confusing the Galatians in this way.

It appears that some were accusing him of still preaching circumcision to others and therefore being inconsistent in his teaching. We can see a potential example of this in Acts 16:3, when Paul had Timothy circumcised. But the point wasn’t that Timothy needed to be circumcised for his salvation. Timothy was a Jew, and so to better appeal to the Jews and meet them where they were at, Paul felt it was best to circumcise Timothy so the Jews wouldn’t discredit him for not following his own traditions.

This didn’t apply to the Galatians. Paul points out how foolish this accusation is. He’s been persecuted by Jews for not teaching Gentiles to be circumcised. If he was changing his teaching to appease people, then why has he been persecuted so much?

Finishing with these false teachers, Paul suggests that if they are so keen for people to be circumcised, then maybe they should cut a little more off their own bodies to show how passionate about it they are.

Moving on, Paul wants to address the idea that if the Galatians are free from the law, they can live how they want. They should use this freedom not to satisfy themselves, but to show love to one another. That was always the ultimate goal of the law. If they decide to use their freedom to fight amongst themselves, then they will be consumed.

There are two forces at work in the Galatians. The Spirit and the power of sin, which Paul here calls ‘the desires of the flesh’ (Galatians 5:16). The two are opposite from one another, and the Galatians have the choice over which they want to indulge. To indulge the power of sin in their lives means to be sexually immoral, to cause disunity or disagreement, to practise sorcery, or to get drunk. If the Galatians choose to indulge the power of sin through these actions, then they are opting out of the kingdom of God.

In contrast, to indulge the Spirit means to practise “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things.” (Galatians 5:22-23). To live by the Spirit means to die to the desires of the flesh and be guided by the Spirit in these things that indulge the Spirit.

When it comes to their community, this means supporting one another, and guiding one another away from indulging the power of sin and towards indulging the Spirit. This involves challenging people with gentleness. Not just to punish people for their failings, but with the goal of seeing them restored. It requires humility to recognise that each person can be tempted into these mistakes. And it requires patience, bearing with one another in their failings.

The Galatians shouldn’t boast in themselves about how pure they are, not failing where others fail. It’s not about comparing themselves to others, but judging themselves based on the work they are doing to build up the community.

Next up comes the importance of supporting their leaders. If there are those in the church who are guiding and teaching them, then it’s the responsibility of the church to support those teachers so they can continue to do so.

Then Paul turns back to how the Galatians should live. Their behaviour is like a farmer sowing. If they invest or indulge the power of sin in their life, then they will reap a harvest of sin. If they invest or indulge the Spirit in their life, then they reap a harvest of the Spirit.

Because of this, the goal should be to seek to do good in every situation so that Galatians can harvest good. Always be on the lookout to do good at every opportunity.

And so Paul begins to wrap up his letter. Once again, we see him write some final words himself to show that the letter is from him. Paul talks about his large letters. Think of a child that is still learning to write. They typically write big because they are still getting used to the shape of the letters. That’s what happening with Paul. While the rest of the letter would have been written in neat handwriting, Paul’s handwriting is large.

The false teachers are only teaching that the Galatians should be circumcised to win approval from other Jews and not be persecuted. They are unable to fulfil the law and yet try to expect the same from the Galatians so they can boast in how they’ve ‘civilised’ them to be more Jewish.

As for Paul, he will only boast in Jesus. It’s not about following cultural practices, whether they be circumcision or something else. It’s about becoming a new creation in Jesus. Whoever can understand that may have peace.

As we’ve already read, Galatians covers much of the same material as Romans, though its message is perhaps more targeted. The issue in the Roman church was the disunity between the Jews and the Gentiles and so Paul wanted to show they are now one family.

Here in Galatians, the issue was Jews trying to force Gentiles to follow Jewish cultural practices as though that makes them better believers. In doing so, they have denied the power of Jesus on the cross.

This becomes directly relevant to us today. Are we forcing people to follow certain cultural practices, even if they are good ones, because we believe it will make them better believers? What makes someone a better believer is the power of the Spirit transforming them from the inside out.

Should the new found freedom bear fruit that lines up with the Spirit? Yes. But that doesn’t always look the way we think it might, and so we shouldn’t fall into the trap of forcing people to follow set practices as though they, rather than Jesus, are the answer.

Psalm 5

This psalm is attributed to king David, and fits into the category of Lament Psalms, but only loosely. There is much less of a focus on a specific complaint and more of a general call to God to bless the righteous and oppose the wicked. 

The structure of the Psalm mirrors itself, as we can see below. This is known as a chiasm and is very common in Hebrew literature, particularly poetry. As Hebrew poetry doesn’t use rhyming, it relies much more on repeated themes and very intentional structures.

(a) Psalm 5:1-3 - Asking God to hear their prayers

(b) Psalm 5:4-6 - God opposes the wicked

(c) Psalm 5:7-8 - But the psalmist may enter God’s presence

(b) Psalm 5:9-10 - May the wicked get what is coming to them

(a) Psalm 5:11-12 - Asking God for his protection

As all good prayers start, the psalmist turns to God and asks him to hear. To pay attention and listen. The psalmist identifies God as king. When we come to God, in everything we do, we must acknowledge that he is king over our lives.

As they get ready to enter God’s presence, the psalmist also recognise all the things that would keep someone out of God’s presence. Anyone who is wicked, who boasts, who does evil or tells lies. Anyone who is bloodthirsty or deceitful, these are all things that God hates.

God’s house is a place of abundance and of faithful love. The thing that allows someone to enter God’s presence? The fear of God (Psalm 5:7). This fear leads to righteousness, and so the psalmist asks God to help him be righteous, particularly because right now he is surrounded by enemies and just wants to retaliate.

Then the psalmist turns back to his enemies and why he wants to retaliate against them so badly. They are liars. Inwardly all they want to do is kill and destroy, but outwardly they flatter and pretend. So the psalmist asks God to make the consequences of their actions fall back on them. 

Finally, the psalmist asks for God’s protection. While those who are wicked should be rejected, may those who trust in God rejoice and be protected. God blesses the righteous, protecting them with his righteousness.