Aside from Jesus Christ, the Apostle Paul is the most important figure in the history of Christianity. Thirteen of the twenty-seven books in the New Testament are attributed to him. These thirteen books can be divided into three categories; undisputed, disputed, and pastoral epistles. Although Paul’s undisputed letters laid the foundation of Christianity, as we know it, most of the modern evangelical church has grossly misunderstood what Paul’s message really meant, particularly in regards to the righteousness of God. Paul’s writings, like the Gospels, had a specific genre, purpose, and occasion 2000 years ago. Paul’s letter to the Galatians is a perfect example. By analyzing a specific passage from Galatians, we gain a clear understanding of what Paul truly intended, when writing this particular text.
Galatians, along with Romans, is considered to be one of Paul’s most important letters. The misinterpretation of this letter, along with Romans, was largely responsible for the Protestant Reformation( this is not to say that the reformation was a bad thing). It’s Paul’s most angry letter. He is writing in response to the Church embracing the message of Judeazires (Christian Jews), who argued that Pagan Gentiles must be circumcised, and follow the Torah, in order to be “ justified,” or have membership in the covenant community of God. They claimed that because Paul’s message argued to the contrary, he was a “renegade” that had broken away from the true Church. Within Galatians, Paul delivers an ingenious response, using Abraham’s covenant with the Hebrew God, proving otherwise.
Within the context of Galatians 4: 21-31, we see a perfect example of this. One of the important terms in this particular section of the letter is the “The Law.” Modern Christians have grossly misunderstood this term, by not understanding its context. When Paul spoke of “The Law” he was referring to “Jewish Law” and the “Torah,” not modern day authority. He goes on, in this part of the letter, to describe Abraham’s two sons. He explains that the son born of his bondservant was born according to the flesh, or the world, where as the son born of Sarah, his wife, and free woman, was born according to the “Promise,” by faith. He does this to show that the two sons represented an earthly Jerusalem and a spiritual Jerusalem. He parallels Hagar’s son to the earthly Jerusalem and the “Torah,” which leads to bondage, and compares Sarah’s son to Gentile Pagan Converts, who are free from bondage of “The Law,” and members of the covenant community through acceptance of the resurrected Jesus. He describes this as two covenants. Whereas Hagar’s son, representing “The Law,” leads to a covenant in bondage, the son of Sarah leads to freedom in a Jerusalem above. This covenant is found in Jesus, who now sets on his throne in the heavenly realm, and leads to spiritual freedom. Paul develops this part of the letter in order to set the stage where he may prove that pagan gentile converts don’t receive justification through “The Law,” but through their acceptance of the resurrected Jesus. Therefore, by using scripture directly from the Torah, Paul proves that “The Law” itself describes how Pagan Gentiles are rightful members of the covenant community. In essence, they are not just members of God’s covenant community, but they have a better covenant through Christ, than Jews have in “The Law.”
In an attempt to keep order within the churches that he founded, Paul wrote his letters to specific churches and persons, desiring to address particular issues and problems. He never intended, nor imagined, that in the future, these letters would help to form the foundation of the New Testament Scriptures, as we know them today. As modern Christians, if we truly intend to grasp Paul’s message, as it relates to universal and timeless truth, we must understand who Paul was, who he was writing to, and why he was writing at the time his letters were created 2000 years ago.
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