Interpretive analysis of a Pauline letter

¶ … Pauline Letter

Paul's Letter to the Galatians

Opening

During the early days of Christianity, one of the primary controversies amongst Christian believers was whether gentile converts to this new form of Judaism would have to observe Mosaic Law. Paul's Letter to the Galatians addresses this issue. "There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus" (3:28). According to Paul, the Law of Moses was only necessary until the world was justified through Christ's sacrifice.

Thanksgiving

Paul writes in Galatians that Christ's crucifixion changed the relationship of God and the world, so now all human beings could be saved. Additionally, the coming of Christ instituted a new era of spiritual, rather than ritually and legally-based religious commandments. There is no longer any need to follow Mosaic Law, now that one is a Christian justified by Christ. "Now before faith came, we were imprisoned and guarded under the law until faith would be revealed. Therefore the law was our disciplinarian until Christ came, so that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer subject to disciplinarian, for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith" (Galatians 3:23-26).

Throughout his letter, Paul creates a dichotomy between deed and thought and law and spirit. The spirit is superior to the letter of the law. This is most notably manifested in the practice of circumcision. Although Paul was himself a sinner -- he was born Saul, a man who persecuted Christians -- he became converted to Christ. Presumably Paul was circumcised (as was Jesus) because Paul was brought up as a Jewish man in a Jewish community. Because of Paul's revelation on the road of Damascus he came to believe that physical actions were not the primary methods by which one demonstrates righteousness. "Now I, Paul, say to you that if you receive circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. I testify again to every man who receives circumcision that he is bound to keep the whole law. You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace. For through the Spirit, by faith, we wait for the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is of any avail, but faith working through love" (Galatians 5:2-6). Those who become circumcised because they believe that this brings them closer to the true faith are profoundly in error; they do not understand the purpose and true intent of Christ's spiritual teaching and Christ's abhorrence of 'following the rules' rather than the heart as a source of spiritual grace.

Blessing/Praise

Paul's Letter to the Galatians places a great deal of responsibility upon the shoulders of the individual. To some degree, it is easy to follow the rules. However, this becomes problematic when a situation arises in which the rules do not give a person guidance. Life is often unpredictable. Rather than being inflexible and unchanging, by relying upon one's moral compass, and using Christ's life as an inspirational example, a Christian can act in a way that is moral, good, and spiritually beneficial to all.