“There ought to be a law...” The Pharisees found a law for everything. Parsing the law of the Old Testament, they found 613 commands comprised of 365 “Thou shalts” (one for each day of the year) and 248 “Thou shalt nots” (one for every bone in the human body). Paul had been a dedicated Pharisee, advancing in Judaism ahead of his peers.
True or false: making more rules would make the world better. My struggle with this idea is the wet paint signs I have seen in my lifetime. What do they say? “Do not touch. Wet paint.” Mysteriously, we cannot resist. In a revival in San Antonio, my friend Don Guthrie observed that if we see such a sign, we will almost certainly touch the paint. Scott and White Hospital in my wife’s hometown of Temple posted a sign under the porte-cochere which said, “Do not think about parking here.” Apparently, the “no parking” signs had not worked.
Paul had once persecuted the church in the name of law-keeping. Then he heard the good news, straight from the source, Jesus. This did not make him lawless. But it did set him free from constantly keeping score with others. He left behind “gotcha” for the gospel. For Paul, the gospel was a message of God’s grace extended to all of mankind who had broken God’s laws. Having believed the good news of grace, the Galatian believers had been sabotaged by an invasion of Judaizers. This group not only reverted to the law as a way to gain God’s favor, but they concluded that grace was not enough to save.
As we continue to read the books of the law in the Old Testament portion of our reading plan, it is timely to see the lens of Galatians. God’s purpose is not to return us to the law. His grace has saved us. This leads to transformation. Paul is exhibit-A. Under the law, he had been harsh and unkind. Under grace, having experienced God’s love, he joyfully extended it to others. This is the pattern for us. Good news: we will be changed. Better news: it starts now. There is only one gospel. Accept no substitutes.
