The Hard Questions of the Law

Galatians 3:23-29  Before faith came, we were guarded under the Law, locked up until faith that was coming would be revealed, 24 so that the Law became our custodian until Christ so that we might be made righteous by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a custodian. 26 You are all God’s children through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 All of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek; there is neither slave nor free; nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 Now if you belong to Christ, then indeed you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to the promise.

INTRO

Last week we talked about how Christianity was never meant to be a solitary religion. Christianity was never meant to only be practiced in the privacy of our homes. The truth about our faith is that it is not all about us. In a world, where individuality is the ultimate value giving an individual worth, such values gives expression to those things which make us uniquely individual such as our age, nationality, and race. We find ourselves continually called by the world to live more fully into those identities. Yet, our text today reminds us that it is not about us, our individual expressions, or our opinions. It is the triune God who calls us together in all of our diversity.

This question of individuality is at the heart of Paul’s letter to the Galatians. How much like a Jew does a Gentile need to be in order to be a Christian? What about us, how much do we need to live into the traditions of the Jewish faith in order to be Christians? Do we need to follow the dietary laws of the Torah? Do all the males need to go and be circumcised in the church in order to be Christian? Do women need to camp in a tent outside while on their periods and be ritually cleanse by the priest before they can come back in the house? These might seem like strange questions to consider this morning, but these kinds of questions dominated the early church. How much of the Jewish tradition must one follow in order to be a Christian is precisely what Paul is writing about. What role do the laws found in the Torah play in the newly formed church that has recently begun to include Gentiles?

We’re seeing the same types of questions now. Is online church the same as gathering in-person for worship. How involved does someone from online church need to be with what is going on in the building? Can people who aren’t near here be a part of our community of faith? We each ask ourselves questions like, do you have to belong to the same political party that I do in order to be a part of MY church? For the Galatians and for us, the question of how much of one’s identity is bound up in “law” is essential.

Paul insists that the law is God’s will, and it is good. When used and interpreted correctly, the law exposes our selfishness and our self-righteousness. It other words, the law makes humanity aware of its sinfulness. It uncovers our rebellious nature against God’s will. In our rebellion, we have even misconstrued the law to fit our narrative of what is good, holy, and acceptable in the sight of God. Jesus’ sermon on the mount is a reorientation of the law - “You heard you shall not murder and anyone who murders will be subject to judgement. But I tell you anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgement., You heard you shall not commit adultery. But I tell you anyone who has lusted after another has committed adultery in their hearts.” In the sermon on the Mount, the people know the law: they are not to murder, and they are not to commit adultery. Their actions of being angry or lusting after someone are justified in their hearts because it doesn’t “technically” violate the letter of the law. Jesus, however, shows them that their actions do, in fact, violate the law. He exposes their broken relationship with God and one another.

Notice, it is Jesus, who corrects the people. Prior to Christ’s coming, the people largely used the law as a custodian or guide. The law was given to the people to serve as guard rails. They were able to use the law to keep them going on the right path and to use it as a diagnostic manual when they strayed. However, when the people misinterpreted the law, they still sinned. Ultimately, even with the law as a guide, the people could not save themselves from their sinfulness by their own volition. The law can only convict it does not save.

Jesus however, has the power to save. It is Christ who is able to reorient us towards right living. As Paul points out to us, we are no longer under the custodian of the law - by this we mean that the law is not our only guide. The law must now be interpreted through the intentional relationality shown to us in Christ. This does not mean that the law is without power. The law still convicts us of our sin. Yet, Jesus is here to help us do what we could not do on our own, Jesus not only saves us from out sins but models for in tangible form the righteous living.

One theologian writes this, “The purpose of the law was to deal with transgressions by making them explicitly known as violations against God… Moreover the law could not make it adherents righteous; instead it confined them to sin. This all changed when Christ came and righteousness by faith was established. Now that Christ and the new era have arrived, there is no reason to remain under the law and its method of dealing with sin.” That is, we move from being under the custodianship of the law to placing our faith in Jesus Christ who saves us. As we spoke about last week, the Spirit guides us into mirroring the image of Christ. By that same Spirit, we no longer live by our interpretation of the law.

In baptism we are incorporated into God’s mighty acts of salvation and given new birth by water and the Spirit. We are baptized into Christ and clothed with Christ. We belong to Christ and are called to put our whole trust in his grace. Further, we are welcomed into the family of God and made a part of Christ’s body. In this act, the old ways, the opposites on which we lay the foundations of our self-understandings are turned around. We are no longer defined by our age, nationality, and other means of division but by Christ who calls us into unity with one another. Not only is Paul telling us that what we used to believe is wrong, but that the foundation on which we had built our understanding doesn’t even exist.

When we wipe away our old foundations and turn away from the things of this world, the things that the world uses to divide us no longer matter. When Paul writes that there is “There is neither Jew nor Greek; there is neither slave nor free; nor is there male and female,” he is not abolishing gender or slavery or ethic division. In fact, Paul based this portion of our text on what many believe to be an early church baptismal liturgy. Paul uses this liturgy to name that individuals will not lose the things that make them distinct, after-all, each person is still uniquely made, each person has their own gifts, cultural understanding and prospectives. Each person’s uniqueness offers us a glimpse of God through their different understandings. Paul is not saying that one needs to look like us, talk like us, and act like us, rather, Paul is telling us that these distinctions will no longer be used as a a dividing wall. These distinctions of the “law,” these cultural differences, these different interpretations that we hold can no longer be used to hold people hostage or to oppress people.

As one theologian writes, “Jews should not dominate Gentiles; free persons should not dominate slaves; men should not dominate women.”

The truth is, that in Galatians, Paul is calling us back to right relationship. Our God is the same God who made promises to Abraham. God sent Jesus so that those under the law might be liberated and given new life. In our baptism, we are offered the gift of God’s grace to be included in God’s family. In this, we are called to live in right relationship with God and with one another. In this relationship we are distinct in who we are, yet these distinctions are liberated from domination and destruction forces of this world. Instead, they must be honored and respected as we are brought together as one in Christ.

John Wesley said “ Never dream of forcing men into the ways of God. Think yourself, and let think. Use no constraint in matters of religion. Even those who are farthest out of the way never compel to come in by any other means than reason, truth, and love.” In other words, in our response to God we must be faithful. We must be faithful to the God who liberates us. We must be faithful to follow the law as we follow after Jesus, but we must be faithful not to allow the law to hold us prisoner. We must not use the law to oppress or destroy others but to lift others up and point them to the grace of God.

In the coming weeks and months, we will embark on new journeys. In these days and weeks to come, similarities will be highlighted, but differences will emerge. It can be tempting in times of transition to go back to the old ways, to turn toward every man and woman for his/herself. But our call this morning is to remember that we can’t go on living like we always have. We must cling to our baptismal vows, allowing the Spirit to work in us, that our hearts and lives must be changed. As we embody this transformation, we must embrace this new fellowship God has called us to. “There is neither Jew nor Greek; there is neither slave nor free; nor is there male and female, for [we] are all one in Christ Jesus.” Yes we are distinct. Yes we have differences. But in Christ, these differences are celebrated. Might we celebrate our differences as we move forward together building up the crazy, big, diverse family of God.