Galatians – A Play in Three Acts

Setting the Stage

Some men came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the brothers: “Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.” Some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, “The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to obey the law of Moses.” (Acts 15:1, 5, NIV 1984).

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. (Galatians 1:6–7, NIV 1984).

Act 1 (Galatians 1-2): Paul Defends His Authority and Message

Authority – I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel I preached is not something that man made up. I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ. (Galatians 1:11–12, NIV 1984).

Message – [We] put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified. (Galatians 2:16, NIV 1984).

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing! (Galatians 2:19–21, NIV 1984).

• Salvation by works negates the necessity of Christ’s sacrifice.
• Adding something to Christ’s sacrifice undermines the sufficiency of His sacrifice.
• The reality is, adding anything to Christ’s sacrifice subtracts from the sufficiency of it.

Act 2 (Galatians 3-4):  Insufficiency of the Law & the Sufficiency of Grace

Insufficiency of the Law – All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.” Clearly no one is justified before God by the law. (Galatians 3:10–11, NIV 1984).

What, then, was the purpose of the law? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come. So, the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. (Galatians 3:19, 24, NIV 1984).

Sufficiency of Grace – When the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law. (Galatians 4:4–5, NIV 1984).

Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law. (Galatians 3:25, NIV 1984).

• No one be “justified before God by the law.”
• Jesus was the “seed” of Abraham and “all nations will be blessed” was the promise given to Abraham.
• It necessary for Christ to be “born under law” in order to satisfy “everything written in the Book of the Law” on behalf of mankind.

Act 3 (Galatians 5-6):  Slavery to the Law Versus Freedom from the Law

Slavery to the Law (Performance) – It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. [We must] stand firm, then, and [must] not let [ourselves] be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. (Galatians 5:1, NIV 1984). Freed from the “yoke of slavery” of the law and its requirements – total and complete obedience. Christ did that for us. Some would persuade us otherwise, adding works to grace.

Freedom from the Law (Transformance) – [We], my brothers [and sisters], were called to be free. But [we must] not use [our] freedom to indulge the sinful nature.” (Galatians 5:13, NIV 1984). Doing so would we conforming to the patterns of the world. The world is full of this ideology. That grace permits indulgence. Rather, we are called to be transformed into the likeness of Christ – who was sinless. “Likeness” does not mean we will be sinless ourselves, but rather similar to the person we represent-in increasing measure.

• Paul’s admonition to not “indulge the sinful nature” is not the same as being “burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”
• Works cannot be added to grace (result in salvation) but works must be derived from grace (result of salvation).

Conformed – The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:19–21, NIV 1984).

Transformed – 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. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. (Galatians 5:22–25, NIV 1984).

• We cannot be conformed to “everything written in the Book of the Law” because the “acts of [our] sinful nature” always get in our way. But now that “we are no longer under the supervision of the law” we can be transformed into the likeness of Christ and “keep in step with the Spirit.”

Epilogue (the Link to Christ): Not Abolished but Fulfilled.

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. (Matthew 5:17-18, NIV 1984).

 Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. (John 19:28–30, NIV 1984).

The challenge – But now that you know God—or rather are known by God—how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again? (Galatians 4:9, NIV 1984).

“How is it” with you? Are you “turning back” to “the acts of the sinful nature” or are you living by and keeping “in step with the Spirit? “