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A Pastoral Reading of the Letter to the Galatians: For the Christian Freedom

Paul's Letter to the Galatians is Paul's response to a theological problem raised in the Churches of Galatia. Some instigators visited Galatia to teach that men should keep a certain 'works of law' to be justified before God. This Jewish teaching was gaining ground among Christians. Paul thought that if they are persuaded by it, they would eventually loose the freedom they acquired by their belief in Christ. A tragic result of depending on the law to be justified before God has proven beyond doubt by the Old Testament history. The law was given to Jewish people as a way of life. However, during many centuries of try and error the people was perished by the curse of the law. They could not keep and gain life by it. This shows that if the Galatian Christians choose the path of the works of law as a way justification, they would get the same tragic result. They would loose the freedom and be unable to fulfill the requirement of the law, i.e. the law of love. Paul, therefore, decided to urge them to resist against the error. Men can be justified not by any works of law, but only by the belief in Jesus Christ who is free gift of gracious God for the salvation of sinners. Then, they would recover the Christian freedom to be able to love.