Justin Appel

Dear Friends,

In today’s Epistle lesson to the Galatians (5:1-15), St Paul reiterates some critical notions about the economy of salvation for Christians.

He again clarifies that salvation cannot be found in following the “works of the law,” that is, by following the Torah. The “law” remains utterly unable to “justify” those who keep it and Paul states boldly that those who attempt such a justification have “fallen from grace.”

Contrastingly, Paul places emphasis on love as the fulfillment of the law, stating that, in the Spirit, “we wait for the hope of righteousness by faith (v. 5).” That is, we have hope for a future state, that of being justified (set to rights), a hope which we cling to actively through faithfulness to Christ, which is fleshed out through love (vv. 5-6). That is a sequence worthy of our meditation as we consider how to walk according to the Gospel of Christ.

St Paul goes on to warn the Galatians that they are abandoning the truth. He criticizes his audience for listening to the persuasive arguments of false teachers who want to preach a different gospel. We might forget what a serious issue this is—particularly in a time of enlightenment, individualism, and commercialism (both of goods and of ideas). Untrue teachings can be offered persuasively, stylishly, or flatteringly, but they are still false, and indeed, dangerous. St Paul’s remarkably harsh words for the teachers of false gospels here and elsewhere in this epistle (see Galatians 1:8-9) give us a sense of the colossal importance of this issue for him and for us.

In our lesson today, Paul clearly and vividly describes the issue: “in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love (v. 6).”

Yours in Christ,

—Justin