Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians
The Project Gutenberg EBook of Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians, by
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with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.orgTitle: Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians
Author: Martin Luther
Translator: Theodore Graebner
Release Date: December, 1998 [Etext #1549]
Last Updated: February 4, 2013Language: English
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*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS ***
Produced by Laura J. Hoelter and David Widger
COMMENTARY ON THE EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS
(1535)
By Martin Luther
Translated by Theodore Graebner
CONTENTS
FROM LUTHER'S INTRODUCTION, 1538
PREFACE
The preparation of this edition of Luther's Commentary on Galatians was
first suggested to me by Mr. P. J. Zondervan, of the firm of publishers,
in March, 1937. The consultation had the twofold merit of definiteness and
brevity.
"Luther is still the greatest name in Protestantism. We want you to help
us publish some leading work of Luther's for the general American market.
Will you do it?"
"I will, on one condition."
"And what is that?"
"The condition is that I will be permitted to make Luther talk American,
'streamline' him, so to speak—because you will never get people,
whether in or outside the Lutheran Church, actually to read Luther unless
we make him talk as he would talk today to Americans."
I illustrated the point by reading to Mr. Zondervan a few sentences from
an English translation lately reprinted by an American publisher, of one
of Luther's outstanding reformatory essays.
The demonstration seemed to prove convincing for it was agreed that one
may as well offer Luther in the original German or Latin as expect the
American church-member to read any translations that would adhere to
Luther's German or Latin constructions and employ the Mid-Victorian type
of English characteristic of the translations now on the market.
"And what book would be your choice?"
"There is one book that Luther himself likes better than any other. Let us
begin with that: his Commentary on Galatians..."
The undertaking, which seemed so attractive when viewed as a literary
task, proved a most difficult one, and at times became oppressive. The
Letter to the Galatians consists of six short chapters. Luther's
commentary fills seven hundred and thirty-three octavo pages in the
Weidman Edition of his works. It was written in Latin. We were resolved
not to present this entire mass of exegesis. It would have run to more
than fifteen hundred pages, ordinary octavo (like this), since it is
impossible to use the compressed structure of sentences which is
characteristic of Latin, and particularly of Luther's Latin. The work had
to be condensed. German and English translations are available, but the
most acceptable English version, besides laboring under the handicaps of
an archaic style, had to be condensed into half its volume in order to
accomplish the "streamlining" of the book. Whatever merit the translation
now presented to the reader may possess should be written to the credit of
Rev. Gerhardt Mahler of Geneva, N.Y., who came to my assistance in a very
busy season by making a rough draft of the translation and later preparing
a revision of it, which forms the basis of the final draft submitted to
the printer. A word should now be said about the origin of Luther's
Commentary on Galatians.
The Reformer had lectured on this Epistle of St. Paul's in 1519 and again
in 1523. It was his favorite among all the Biblical books. In his table
talks the saying is recorded: "The Epistle to the Galatians is my epistle.
To it I am as it were in wedlock. It is my Katherine." Much later when a
friend of his was preparing an edition of all his Latin works, he remarked
to his home circle: "If I had my way about it they would republish only
those of my books which have doctrine. My Galatians, for instance." The
lectures which are preserved in the works herewith submitted to the
American public were delivered in 1531. They were taken down by George
Roerer, who held something of a deanship at Wittenberg University and who
was one of Luther's aids in the translation of the Bible. Roerer took down
Luther's lectures and this manuscript has been preserved to the present
day, in a copy which contains also additions by Veit Dietrich and by
Cruciger, friends of Roerer's, who with him attended Luther's lectures. In
other words, these three men took down the lectures which Luther addressed
to his students in the course of Galatians, and Roerer prepared the
manuscript for the printer. A German translation by Justus Menius appeared
in the Wittenberg Edition of Luther's writings, published in 1539.
The importance of this Commentary on Galatians for the history of
Protestantism is very great. It presents like no other of Luther's
writings the central thought of Christianity, the justification of the
sinner for the sake of Christ's merits alone. We have permitted in the
final revision of the manuscript many a passage to stand which seemed weak
and ineffectual when compared with the trumpet tones of the Latin
original. But the essence of Luther's lectures is there. May the reader
accept with indulgence where in this translation we have gone too far in
modernizing Luther's expression—making him "talk American."
At the end of his lectures in 1531, Luther uttered a brief prayer and then
dictated two Scriptural texts, which we shall inscribe at the end of these
introductory remarks:
"The Lord who has given us power to teach and to hear, let Him also give
us the power to serve and to do."
LUKE 2Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace,
Good will to men.
ISAIAH 40The Word of our God shall stand forever.
THEODORE GRAEBNER
St. Louis, Missouri
FROM LUTHER'S INTRODUCTION, 1538
In my heart reigns this one article, faith in my dear Lord Christ,
the beginning, middle and end of whatever spiritual and divine
thoughts I may have, whether by day or by night.
CHAPTER 1
VERSE 1. Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus
Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead).
St. Paul wrote this epistle because, after his departure from the Galatian
churches, Jewish-Christian fanatics moved in, who perverted Paul's Gospel
of man's free justification by faith in Christ Jesus.
The world bears the Gospel a grudge because the Gospel condemns the
religious wisdom of the world. Jealous for its own religious views, the
world in turn charges the Gospel with being a subversive and licentious
doctrine, offensive to God and man, a doctrine to be persecuted as the
worst plague on earth.
As a result we have this paradoxical situation: The Gospel supplies the
world with the salvation of Jesus Christ, peace of conscience, and every
blessing. Just for that the world abhors the Gospel.
These Jewish-Christian fanatics who pushed themselves into the Galatian
churches after Paul's departure, boasted that they were the descendants of
Abraham, true ministers of Christ, having been trained by the apostles
themselves, that they were able to perform miracles.
In every way they sought to undermine the authority of St. Paul. They said
to the Galatians: "You have no right to think highly of Paul. He was the
last to turn to Christ. But we have seen Christ. We heard Him preach. Paul
came later and is beneath us. It is possible for us to be in error—we
who have received the Holy Ghost? Paul stands alone. He has not seen
Christ, nor has he had much contact with the other apostles. Indeed, he
persecuted the Church of Christ for a long time."
When men claiming such credentials come along, they deceive not only the
naive, but also those who seemingly are well-established in the faith.
This same argument is used by the papacy. "Do you suppose that God for the
sake of a few Lutheran heretics would disown His entire Church? Or do you
suppose that God would have left His Church floundering in error all these
centuries?" The Galatians were taken in by such arguments with the result
that Paul's authority and doctrine were drawn in question.
Against these boasting, false apostles, Paul boldly defends his apostolic
authority and ministry. Humble man that he was, he will not now take a
back seat. He reminds them of the time when he opposed Peter to his face
and reproved the chief of the apostles.
Paul devotes the first two chapters to a defense of his office and his
Gospel, affirming that he received it, not from men, but from the Lord
Jesus Christ by special revelation, and that if he or an angel from heaven
preach any other gospel than the one he had preached, he shall be
accursed.
The Certainty of Our Calling
Every minister should make much of his calling and impress upon others the
fact that he has been delegated by God to preach the Gospel. As the
ambassador of a government is honored for his office and not for his
private person, so the minister of Christ should exalt his office in order
to gain authority among men. This is not vain glory, but needful glorying.
Paul takes pride in his ministry, not to his own praise but to the praise
of God. Writing to the Romans, he declares, "Inasmuch as I am the apostle
of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office," i.e., I want to be received not
as Paul of Tarsus, but as Paul the apostle and ambassador of Jesus Christ,
in order that people might be more eager to hear. Paul exalts his ministry
out of the desire to make known the name, the grace, and the mercy of God.
VERSE 1. Paul, an apostle, (not of men, etc.)
Paul loses no time in defending himself against the charge that he had
thrust himself into the ministry. He says to the Galatians: "My call may
seem inferior to you. But those who have come to you are either called of
men or by man. My call is the highest possible, for it is by Jesus Christ,
and God the Father."
When Paul speaks of those called "by men," I take it he means those whom
neither God nor man sent, but who go wherever they like and speak for
themselves.
When Paul speaks of those called "by man" I take it he means those who
have a divine call extended to them through other persons. God calls in
two ways. Either He calls ministers through the agency of men, or He calls
them directly as He called the prophets and apostles. Paul declares that
the false apostles were called or sent neither by men, nor by man. The
most they could claim is that they were sent by others. "But as for me I
was called neither of men, nor by man, but directly by Jesus Christ. My
call is in every respect like the call of the apostles. In fact I am an
apostle."
Elsewhere Paul draws a sharp distinction between an apostleship and lesser
functions, as in I Corinthians 12:28: "And God hath set some in the
church; first, apostles; secondarily, prophets; thirdly, teachers." He
mentions the apostles first because they were appointed directly by God.
Matthias was called in this manner. The apostles chose two candidates and
then cast lots, praying that God would indicate which one He would have.
To be an apostle he had to have his appointment from God. In the same
manner Paul was called as the apostle of the Gentiles.
The call is not to be taken lightly. For a person to possess knowledge is
not enough. He must be sure that he is properly called. Those who operate
without a proper call seek no good purpose. God does not bless their
labors. They may be good preachers, but they do not edify. Many of the
fanatics of our day pronounce words of faith, but they bear no good fruit,
because their purpose is to turn men to their perverse opinions. On the
other hand, those who have a divine call must suffer a good deal of
opposition in order that they may become fortified against the running
attacks of the devil and the world.
This is our comfort in the ministry, that ours is a divine office to which
we have been divinely called. Reversely, what an awful thing it must be
for the conscience if one is not properly called. It spoils one's best
work. When I was a young man I thought Paul was making too much of his
call. I did not understand his purpose. I did not then realize the
importance of the ministry. I knew nothing of the doctrine of faith
because we were taught sophistry instead of certainty, and nobody
understood spiritual boasting. We exalt our calling, not to gain glory
among men, or money, or satisfaction, or favor, but because people need to
be assured that the words we speak are the words of God. This is no sinful
pride. It is holy pride.
VERSE 1. And God the Father, who raised him from the dead.
Paul is so eager to come to the subject matter of his epistle, the
righteousness of faith in opposition to the righteousness of works, that
already in the title he must speak his mind. He did not think it quite
enough to say that he was an apostle "by Jesus Christ"; he adds, "and God
the Father, who raised him from the dead."
The clause seems superfluous on first sight. Yet Paul had a good reason
for adding it. He had to deal with Satan and his agents who endeavored to
deprive him of the righteousness of Christ, who was raised by God the
Father from the dead. These perverters of the righteousness of Christ
resist the Father and the Son, and the works of them both.
In this whole epistle Paul treats of the resurrection of Christ. By His
resurrection Christ won the victory over law, sin, flesh, world, devil,
death, hell, and every evil. And this His victory He donated unto us.
These many tyrants and enemies of ours may accuse and frighten us, but
they dare not condemn us, for Christ, whom God the Father has raised from
the dead is our righteousness and our victory.
Do you notice how well suited to his purpose Paul writes? He does not say,
"By God who made heaven and earth, who is Lord of the angels," but Paul
has in mind the righteousness of Christ, and speaks to the point, saying,
"I am an apostle, not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God
the Father, who raised him from the dead."
VERSE 2. And all the brethren which are with me.
This should go far in shutting the mouths of the false apostles. Paul's
intention is to exalt his own ministry while discrediting theirs. He adds
for good measure the argument that he does not stand alone, but that all
the brethren with him attest to the fact that his doctrine is divinely
true. "Although the brethren with me are not apostles like myself, yet
they are all of one mind with me, think, write, and teach as I do."
VERSE 2. Unto the churches of Galatia.
Paul had preached the Gospel throughout Galatia, founding many churches
which after his departure were invaded by the false apostles. The
Anabaptists in our time imitate the false apostles. They do not go where
the enemies of the Gospel predominate. They go where the Christians are.
Why do they not invade the Catholic provinces and preach their doctrine to
godless princes, bishops, and doctors, as we have done by the help of God?
These soft martyrs take no chances. They go where the Gospel has a hold,
so that they may not endanger their lives. The false apostles would not go
to Jerusalem of Caiaphas, or to the Rome of the Emperor, or to any other
place where no man had preached before as Paul and the other apostles did.
But they came to the churches of Galatia, knowing that where men profess
the name of Christ they may feel secure.
It is the lot of God's ministers not only to suffer opposition at the hand
of a wicked world, but also to see the patient indoctrination of many
years quickly undone by such religious fanatics. This hurts more than the
persecution of tyrants. We are treated shabbily on the outside by tyrants,
on the inside by those whom we have restored to the liberty of the Gospel,
and also by false brethren. But this is our comfort and our glory, that
being called of God we have the promise of everlasting life. We look for
that reward which "eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath entered
into the heart of man."
Jerome raises the question why Paul called them churches that were no
churches, inasmuch as the Galatians had forsaken the grace of Christ for
the law of Moses. The proper answer is: Although the Galatians had fallen
away from the doctrine of Paul, baptism, the Gospel, and the name of
Christ continued among them. Not all the Galatians had become perverted.
There were some who clung to the right view of the Word and the
Sacraments. These means cannot be contaminated. They remain divine
regardless of men's opinion. Wherever the means of grace are found, there
is the Holy Church, even though Antichrist reigns there. So much for the
title of the epistle. Now follows the greeting of the apostle.
VERSE 3. Grace be to you, and peace, from God the Father, and from our
Lord Jesus Christ.
The terms of grace and peace are common terms with Paul and are now pretty
well understood. But since we are explaining this epistle, you will not
mind if we repeat what we have so often explained elsewhere. The article
of justification must be sounded in our ears incessantly because the
frailty of our flesh will not permit us to take hold of it perfectly and
to believe it with all our heart.
The greeting of the Apostle is refreshing. Grace remits sin, and peace
quiets the conscience. Sin and conscience torment us, but Christ has
overcome these fiends now and forever. Only Christians possess this
victorious knowledge given from above. These two terms, grace and peace,
constitute Christianity. Grace involves the remission of sins, peace, and
a happy conscience. Sin is not canceled by lawful living, for no person is
able to live up to the Law. The Law reveals guilt, fills the conscience
with terror, and drives men to despair. Much less is sin taken away by
man-invented endeavors. The fact is, the more a person seeks credit for
himself by his own efforts, the deeper he goes into debt. Nothing can take
away sin except the grace of God. In actual living, however, it is not so
easy to persuade oneself that by grace alone, in opposition to every other
means, we obtain the forgiveness of our sins and peace with God.
The world brands this a pernicious doctrine. The world advances free will,
the rational and natural approach of good works, as the means of obtaining
the forgiveness of sin. But it is impossible to gain peace of conscience
by the methods and means of the world. Experience proves this. Various
holy orders have been launched for the purpose of securing peace of
conscience through religious exercises, but they proved failures because
such devices only increase doubt and despair. We find no rest for our
weary bones unless we cling to the word of grace.
The Apostle does not wish the Galatians grace and peace from the emperor,
or from kings, or from governors, but from God the Father. He wishes them
heavenly peace, the kind of which Jesus spoke when He said, "Peace I leave
unto you: my peace I give unto you." Worldly peace provides quiet
enjoyment of life and possessions. But in affliction, particularly in the
hour of death, the grace and peace of the world will not deliver us.
However, the grace and peace of God will. They make a person strong and
courageous to bear and to overcome all difficulties, even death itself,
because we have the victory of Christ's death and the assurance of the
forgiveness of our sins.
Men Should Not Speculate About the Nature of God
The Apostle adds to the salutation the words, "and from our Lord Jesus
Christ." Was it not enough to say, "from God the Father"?
It is a principle of the Bible that we are not to inquire curiously into
the nature of God. "There shall no man see me, and live," Exodus 33:20.
All who trust in their own merits to save them disregard this principle
and lose sight of the Mediator, Jesus Christ.
True Christian theology does not inquire into the nature of God, but into
God's purpose and will in Christ, whom God incorporated in our flesh to
live and to die for our sins. There is nothing more dangerous than to
speculate about the incomprehensible power, wisdom, and majesty of God
when the conscience is in turmoil over sin. To do so is to lose God
altogether because God becomes intolerable when we seek to measure and to
comprehend His infinite majesty.
We are to seek God as Paul tells us in I Corinthians 1:23, 24: "We preach
Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks
foolishness; but unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ
the power of God, and the wisdom of God." Begin with Christ. He came down
to earth, lived among men, suffered, was crucified, and then He died,
standing clearly before us, so that our hearts and eyes may fasten upon
Him. Thus we shall be kept from climbing into heaven in a curious and
futile search after the nature of God.
If you ask how God may be found, who justifies sinners, know that there is
no other God besides this man Christ Jesus. Embrace Him, and forget about
the nature of God. But these fanatics who exclude our Mediator in their
dealings with God, do not believe me. Did not Christ Himself say: "I am
the way, and the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but
by me"? Without Christ there is no access to the Father, but futile
rambling; no truth, but hypocrisy; no life, but eternal death.
When you argue about the nature of God apart from the question of
justification, you may be as profound as you like. But when you deal with
conscience and with righteousness over against the law, sin, death, and
the devil, you must close your mind to all inquiries into the nature of
God, and concentrate upon Jesus Christ, who says, "Come unto me, all ye
that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Doing this, you
will recognize the power, and majesty condescending to your condition
according to Paul's statement to the Colossians, "In Christ are hid all
the treasures of wisdom and knowledge," and, "In him dwelleth all the
fulness of the Godhead bodily." Paul in wishing grace and peace not alone
from God the Father, but also from Jesus Christ, wants to warn us against
the curious incursions into the nature of God. We are to hear Christ, who
has been appointed by the Father as our divine Teacher.
Christ is God by Nature
At the same time, Paul confirms our creed, "that Christ is very God." We
need such frequent confirmation of our faith, for Satan will not fail to
attack it. He hates our faith. He knows that it is the victory which
overcometh him and the world. That Christ is very God is apparent in that
Paul ascribes to Him divine powers equally with the Father, as for
instance, the power to dispense grace and peace. This Jesus could not do
unless He were God.
To bestow peace and grace lies in the province of God, who alone can
create these blessings. The angels cannot. The apostles could only
distribute these blessings by the preaching of the Gospel. In attributing
to Christ the divine power of creating and giving grace, peace,
everlasting life, righteousness, and forgiveness of sins, the conclusion
is inevitable that Christ is truly God. Similarly, St. John concludes from
the works attributed to the Father and the Son that they are divinely One.
Hence, the gifts which we receive from the Father and from the Son are one
and the same. Otherwise Paul should have written: "Grace from God the
Father, and peace from our Lord Jesus Christ." In combining them he
ascribes them equally to the Father and the Son. I stress this on account
of the many errors emanating from the sects.
The Arians were sharp fellows. Admitting that Christ had two natures, and
that He is called "very God of very God," they were yet able to deny His
divinity. The Arians took Christ for a noble and perfect creature,
superior even to the angels, because by Him God created heaven and earth.
Mohammed also speaks highly of Christ. But all their praise is mere
palaver to deceive men. Paul's language is different. To paraphrase him:
"You are established in this belief that Christ is very God because He
gives grace and peace, gifts which only God can create and bestow."
VERSE 4. Who gave himself for our sins.
Paul sticks to his theme. He never loses sight of the purpose of his
epistle. He does not say, "Who received our works," but "who gave." Gave
what? Not gold, or silver, or paschal lambs, or an angel, but Himself.
What for? Not for a crown, or a kingdom, or our goodness, but for our
sins. These words are like so many thunderclaps of protest from heaven
against every kind and type of self-merit. Underscore these words, for
they are full of comfort for sore consciences.
How may we obtain remission of our sins? Paul answers: "The man who is
named Jesus Christ and the Son of God gave himself for our sins." The
heavy artillery of these words explodes papacy, works, merits,
superstitions. For if our sins could be removed by our own efforts, what
need was there for the Son of God to be given for them? Since Christ was
given for our sins it stands to reason that they cannot be put away by our
own efforts.
This sentence also defines our sins as great, so great, in fact, that the
whole world could not make amends for a single sin. The greatness of the
ransom, Christ, the Son of God, indicates this. The vicious character of
sin is brought out by the words "who gave himself for our sins." So
vicious is sin that only the sacrifice of Christ could atone for sin. When
we reflect that the one little word "sin" embraces the whole kingdom of
Satan, and that it includes everything that is horrible, we have reason to
tremble. But we are careless. We make light of sin. We think that by some
little work or merit we can dismiss sin.
This passage, then, bears out the fact that all men are sold under sin.
Sin is an exacting despot who can be vanquished by no created power, but
by the sovereign power of Jesus Christ alone.
All this is of wonderful comfort to a conscience troubled by the enormity
of sin. Sin cannot harm those who believe in Christ, because He has
overcome sin by His death. Armed with this conviction, we are enlightened
and may pass judgment upon the papists, monks, nuns, priests, Mohammedans,
Anabaptists, and all who trust in their own merits, as wicked and
destructive sects that rob God and Christ of the honor that belongs to
them alone.
Note especially the pronoun "our" and its significance. You will readily
grant that Christ gave Himself for the sins of Peter, Paul, and others who
were worthy of such grace. But feeling low, you find it hard to believe
that Christ gave Himself for your sins. Our feelings shy at a personal
application of the pronoun "our" and we refuse to have anything to do with
God until we have made ourselves worthy by good deeds.
This attitude springs from a false conception of sin, the conception that
sin is a small matter, easily taken care of by good works; that we must
present ourselves unto God with a good conscience; that we must feel no
sin before we may feel that Christ was given for our sins.
This attitude is universal and particularly developed in those who
consider themselves better than others. Such readily confess that they are
frequent sinners, but they regard their sins as of no such importance that
they cannot easily be dissolved by some good action, or that they may not
appear before the tribunal of Christ and demand the reward of eternal life
for their righteousness. Meantime they pretend great humility and
acknowledge a certain degree of sinfulness for which they soulfully join
in the publican's prayer, "God be merciful to me a sinner." But the real
significance and comfort of the words "for our sins" is lost upon them.
The genius of Christianity takes the words of Paul "who gave himself for
our sins" as true and efficacious. We are not to look upon our sins as
insignificant trifles. On the other hand, we are not to regard them as so
terrible that we must despair. Learn to believe that Christ was given, not
for picayune and imaginary transgressions, but for mountainous sins; not
for one or two, but for all; not for sins that can be discarded, but for
sins that are stubbornly ingrained.
Practice this knowledge and fortify yourself against despair, particularly
in the last hour, when the memory of past sins assails the conscience. Say
with confidence: "Christ, the Son of God, was given not for the righteous,
but for sinners. If I had no sin I should not need Christ. No, Satan, you
cannot delude me into thinking I am holy. The truth is, I am all sin. My
sins are not imaginary transgressions, but sins against the first table,
unbelief, doubt, despair, contempt, hatred, ignorance of God, ingratitude
towards Him, misuse of His name, neglect of His Word, etc.; and sins
against the second table, dishonor of parents, disobedience of government,
coveting of another's possessions, etc. Granted that I have not committed
murder, adultery, theft, and similar sins in deed, nevertheless I have
committed them in the heart, and therefore I am a transgressor of all the
commandments of God.
"Because my transgressions are multiplied and my own efforts at
self-justification rather a hindrance than a furtherance, therefore Christ
the Son of God gave Himself into death for my sins." To believe this is to
have eternal life.
Let us equip ourselves against the accusations of Satan with this and
similar passages of Holy Scripture. If he says, "Thou shalt be damned,"
you tell him: "No, for I fly to Christ who gave Himself for my sins. In
accusing me of being a damnable sinner, you are cutting your own throat,
Satan. You are reminding me of God's fatherly goodness toward me, that He
so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son that whosoever
believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. In calling
me a sinner, Satan, you really comfort me above measure." With such
heavenly cunning we are to meet the devil's craft and put from us the
memory of sin.
St. Paul also presents a true picture of Christ as the virgin-born Son of
God, delivered into death for our sins. To entertain a true conception of
Christ is important, for the devil describes Christ as an exacting and
cruel judge who condemns and punishes men. Tell him that his definition of
Christ is wrong, that Christ has given Himself for our sins, that by His
sacrifice He has taken away the sins of the whole world.
Make ample use of this pronoun "our" Be assured that Christ has canceled
the sins, not of certain persons only, but your sins. Do not permit
yourself to be robbed of this lovely conception of Christ. Christ is no
Moses, no law-giver, no tyrant, but the Mediator for sins, the Giver of
grace and life.
We know this. Yet in the actual conflict with the devil, when he scares us
with the Law, when he frightens us with the very person of the Mediator,
when he misquotes the words of Christ, and distorts for us our Savior, we
so easily lose sight of our sweet High-Priest.
For this reason I am so anxious for you to gain a true picture of Christ
out of the words of Paul "who gave himself for our sins." Obviously,
Christ is no judge to condemn us, for He gave Himself for our sins. He
does not trample the fallen but raises them. He comforts the
broken-hearted. Otherwise Paul should lie when he writes "who gave himself
for our sins."
I do not bother my head with speculations about the nature of God. I
simply attach myself to the human Christ, and I find joy and peace, and
the wisdom of God in Him. These are not new truths. I am repeating what
the apostles and all teachers of God have taught long ago. Would to God we
could impregnate our hearts with these truths.
VERSE 4. That he might deliver us from this present evil world.
Paul calls this present world evil because everything in it is subject to
the malice of the devil, who reigns over the whole world as his domain and
fills the air with ignorance, contempt, hatred, and disobedience of God.
In this devil's kingdom we live.
As long as a person is in the world he cannot by his own efforts rid
himself of sin, because the world is bent upon evil. The people of the
world are the slaves of the devil. If we are not in the Kingdom of Christ,
it is certain we belong to the kingdom of Satan and we are pressed into
his service with every talent we possess.
Take the talents of wisdom and integrity. Without Christ, wisdom is double
foolishness and integrity double sin, because they not only fail to
perceive the wisdom and righteousness of Christ, but hinder and blaspheme
the salvation of Christ. Paul justly calls it the evil or wicked world,
for when the world is at its best the world is at its worst. The grossest
vices are small faults in comparison with the wisdom and righteousness of
the world. These prevent men from accepting the Gospel of the
righteousness of Christ. The white devil of spiritual sin is far more
dangerous than the black devil of carnal sin because the wiser, the better
men are without Christ, the more they are likely to ignore and oppose the
Gospel.
With the words, "that he might deliver us," Paul argues that we stand in
need of Christ. No other being can possibly deliver us from this present
evil world. Do not let the fact disturb you that a great many people enjoy
excellent reputations without Christ. Remember what Paul says, that the
world with all its wisdom, might, and righteousness is the devil's own.
God alone is able to deliver us from the world.
Let us praise and thank God for His mercy in delivering us from the
captivity of Satan, when we were unable to do so by our own strength. Let
us confess with Paul that all our work-righteousness is loss and dung. Let
us condemn as filthy rags all talk about free will, all religious orders,
masses, ceremonies, vows, fastings, and the like.
In branding the world the devil's kingdom of iniquity, ignorance, error,
sin, death, and everlasting despair, Paul at the same time declares the
Kingdom of Christ to be a kingdom of equity, light, grace, remission of
sin, peace, saving health, and everlasting life into which we are
translated by our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever.
In this passage Paul contends against the false apostles for the article
of Justification. Christ, says Paul, has delivered us from this wicked
kingdom of the devil and the world according to the good will, the
pleasure and commandment of the Father. Hence we are not delivered by our
own will, or shrewdness, or wisdom, but by the mercy and love of God, as
it is written, I John 4:10, "Herein is love, not that we loved God, but
that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins."
Another reason why Paul, like John, emphasizes the Father's will is
Christ's habit of directing attention to the Father. For Christ came into
the world to reconcile God with us and to draw us to the Father.
Not by curious inquiries into the nature of God shall we know God and His
purpose for our salvation, but by taking hold of Christ, who according to
the will of the Father has given Himself into death for our sins. When we
understand this to be the will of the Father in Christ, then shall we know
God to be merciful, and not angry. We shall realize that He loved us
wretched sinners so much indeed that He gave us His only-begotten Son into
death for us.
The pronoun "our" refers to both God and Father. He is our God and our
Father. Christ's Father and our Father are one and the same. Hence Christ
said to Mary Magdalene: "Go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend
unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God." God is our
Father and our God, but only in Christ Jesus.
VERSE 5. To whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Hebrew writing is interspersed with expressions of praise and gratitude.
This peculiarity can be traced in the apostolic writings, particularly in
those of Paul. The name of the Lord is to be mentioned with great
reverence and thanksgiving.
VERSE 6. I marvel.
How patiently Paul deals with his seduced Galatians! He does not pounce on
them but, like a father, he fairly excuses their error. With motherly
affection he talks to them yet he does it in a way that at the same time
he also reproves them. On the other hand, he is highly indignant at the
seducers whom he blames for the apostasy of the Galatians. His anger
bursts forth in elemental fury at the beginning of his epistle. "If any
may," he cries, "preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have
received, let him be accursed." Later on, in the fifth chapter, he
threatens the false apostles with damnation. "He that troubleth you shall
bear his judgment, whosoever he be." He pronounces a curse upon them. "I
would they were even cut off which trouble you."
He might have addressed the Galatians after this fashion: "I am ashamed of
you. Your ingratitude grieves me. I am angry with you." But his purpose
was to call them back to the Gospel. With this purpose in his mind he
speaks very gently to them. He could not have chosen a milder expression
than this, "I marvel." It indicates his sorrow and his displeasure.
Paul minds the rule which he himself lays down in a later chapter where he
says: "Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual,
restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest
thou also be tempted." Toward those who have been misled we are to show
ourselves parentally affectionate, so that they may perceive that we seek
not their destruction but their salvation. Over against the devil and his
missionaries, the authors of false doctrines and sects, we ought to be
like the Apostle, impatient, and rigorously condemnatory, as parents are
with the dog that bites their little one, but the weeping child itself
they soothe.
The right spirit in Paul supplies him with an extraordinary facility in
handling the afflicted consciences of the fallen. The Pope and his
bishops, inspired by the desire to lord it over men's souls, crack out
thunders and curses upon miserable consciences. They have no care for the
saving of men's souls. They are interested only in maintaining their
position.
VERSE 6. That ye are so soon.
Paul deplores the fact that it is difficult for the mind to retain a sound
and steadfast faith. A man labors for a decade before he succeeds in
training his little church into orderly religion, and then some ignorant
and vicious poltroon comes along to overthrow in a minute the patient
labor of years. By the grace of God we have effected here in Wittenberg
the form of a Christian church. The Word of God is taught as it should be,
the Sacraments are administered, and everything is prosperous. This happy
condition, secured by many years of arduous labors, some lunatic might
spoil in a moment. This happened in the churches of Galatia which Paul had
brought into life in spiritual travail. Soon after his departure, however,
these Galatian churches were thrown into confusion by the false apostles.
The church is a tender plant. It must be watched. People hear a couple of
sermons, scan a few pages of Holy Writ, and think they know it all. They
are bold because they have never gone through any trials of faith. Void of
the Holy Spirit, they teach what they please as long as it sounds good to
the common people who are ever ready to join something new.
We have to watch out for the devil lest he sow tares among the wheat while
we sleep. No sooner had Paul turned his back on the churches of Galatia,
than the false apostles went to work. Therefore, let us watch over
ourselves and over the whole church.
VERSE 6. I marvel that ye are so soon removed.
Again the Apostle puts in a gentle word. He does not berate the Galatians,
"I marvel that ye are so unsteady, unfaithful." He says, "I marvel that ye
are so soon removed." He does not address them as evildoers. He speaks to
them as people who have suffered great loss. He condemns those who removed
them rather than the Galatians. At the same time he gently reproves them
for permitting themselves to be removed. The criticism is implied that
they should have been rather a little more settled in their beliefs. If
they had taken better hold of the Word they could not have been removed so
easily.
Jerome thinks that Paul is playing upon the name Galatians, deriving it
from the Hebrew word Galath, which means fallen or carried away, as though
Paul wanted to say, "You are true Galatians, i.e., fallen away in name and
in fact." Some believe that the Germans are descended from the Galatians.
There may be something to that. For the Germans are not unlike the
Galatians in their lack of constancy. At first we Germans are very
enthusiastic, but presently our emotions cool and we become slack. When
the light of the Gospel first came to us many were zealous, heard sermons
greedily, and held the ministry of God's Word in high esteem. But now that
religion has been reformed, many who formerly were such earnest disciples
have discarded the Word of God, have become sow-bellies like the foolish
and inconsistent Galatians.
VERSE 6. From him that called you into the grace of Christ.
The reading is a little doubtful. The sentence may be construed to read:
"From that Christ that called you into grace"; or it may be construed to
read: "From God that called you into the grace of Christ." I prefer the
former for it seems to me that Paul's purpose is to impress upon us the
benefits of Christ. This reading also preserves the implied criticism that
the Galatians withdrew themselves from that Christ who had called them not
unto the law, but unto grace. With Paul we decry the blindness and
perverseness of men in that they will not receive the message of grace and
salvation, or having received it they quickly let go of it, in spite of
the fact that the Gospel bestows all good things spiritual: forgiveness of
sins, true righteousness, peace of conscience, everlasting life; and all
good things temporal: good judgment, good government and peace.
Why does the world abhor the glad tidings of the Gospel and the blessings
that go with it? Because the world is the devil's. Under his direction the
world persecutes the Gospel and would if it could nail again Christ, the
Son of God, to the Cross although He gave Himself into death for the sins
of the world. The world dwells in darkness. The world is darkness.
Paul accentuates the point that the Galatians had been called by Christ
unto grace. "I taught you the doctrine of grace and of liberty from the
Law, from sin and wrath, that you should be free in Christ, and not slaves
to the hard laws of Moses. Will you allow yourselves to be carried away so
easily from the living fountain of grace and life?"
VERSE 6. Unto another gospel.
Note the resourcefulness of the devil. Heretics do not advertise their
errors. Murderers, adulterers, thieves disguise themselves. So the devil
masquerades all his devices and activities. He puts on white to make
himself look like an angel of light. He is astoundingly clever to sell his
patent poison for the Gospel of Christ. Knowing Satan's guile, Paul
sardonically calls the doctrine of the false apostles "another gospel," as
if he would say, "You Galatians have now another gospel, while my Gospel
is no longer esteemed by you."
We infer from this that the false apostles had depreciated the Gospel of
Paul among the Galatians on the plea that it was incomplete. Their
objection to Paul's Gospel is identical to that recorded in the fifteenth
chapter of the Book of Acts to the effect that it was not enough for the
Galatians to believe in Christ, or to be baptized, but that it was needful
to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses, for
"except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved."
As though Christ were a workman who had begun a building and left it for
Moses to finish.
Today the Anabaptists and others, finding it difficult to condemn us,
accuse us Lutherans of timidity in professing the whole truth. They grant
that we have laid the foundation in Christ, but claim that we have failed
to go through with the building. In this way these perverse fanatics
parade their cursed doctrine as the Word of God, and, flying the flag of
God's name, they deceive many. The devil knows better than to appear ugly
and black. He prefers to carry on his nefarious activities in the name of
God. Hence the German proverb: "All mischief begins in the name of God."
When the devil sees that he cannot hurt the cause of the Gospel by
destructive methods, he does it under the guise of correcting and
advancing the cause of the Gospel. He would like best of all to persecute
us with fire and sword, but this method has availed him little because
through the blood of martyrs the church has been watered. Unable to
prevail by force, he engages wicked and ungodly teachers who at first make
common cause with us, then claim that they are particularly called to
teach the hidden mysteries of the Scriptures to superimpose upon the first
principles of Christian doctrine that we teach. This sort of thing brings
the Gospel into trouble. May we all cling to the Word of Christ against
the wiles of the devil, "for we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but
against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness
of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places."
VERSE 7. Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you.
Here again the apostle excuses the Galatians, while he blames the false
apostles for disturbing their consciences and for stealing them out of his
hand. How angry he gets at these deceivers! He calls them troublemakers,
seducers of poor consciences.
This passage adduces further evidence that the false apostles defamed Paul
as an imperfect apostle and a weak and erroneous preacher. They condemn
Paul, Paul condemns them. Such warfare of condemnation is always going on
in the church. The papists and the fanatics hate us, condemn our doctrine,
and want to kill us. We in turn hate and condemn their cursed doctrine. In
the meanwhile the people are uncertain whom to follow and which way to
turn, for it is not given to everybody to judge these matters. But the
truth will win out. So much is certain, we persecute no man, neither does
our doctrine trouble men. On the contrary, we have the testimony of many
good men who thank God on their knees for the consolation that our
doctrine has brought them. Like Paul, we are not to blame that the
churches have trouble. The fault lies with the Anabaptists and other
fanatics.
Every teacher of work-righteousness is a trouble-maker. Has it never
occurred to you that the pope, cardinals, bishops, monks, and that the
whole synagogue of Satan are trouble-makers? The truth is, they are worse
than false apostles. The false apostles taught that in addition to faith
in Christ the works of the Law of God were necessary unto salvation. But
the papists omit faith altogether and teach self-devised traditions and
works that are not commanded of God, indeed are contrary to the Word of
God, and for these traditions they demand preferred attention and
obedience.
Paul calls the false apostles troublers of the church because they taught
circumcision and the keeping of the Law as needful unto salvation. They
insisted that the Law must be observed in every detail. They were
supporters in this contention by the Jews, with the result that those who
were not firmly established in faith were easily persuaded that Paul was
not a sincere teacher of God because he ignored the Law. The Jews were
offended at the idea that the Law of God should be entirely ignored by
Paul and that the Gentiles, former idol-worshippers, should gratuitously
attain to the station of God's people without circumcision, without the
penitentiary performance of the law, by grace alone through faith in
Christ Jesus.
These criticisms were amplified by the false apostles. They accused Paul
of designs to abolish the law of God and the Jewish dispensation, contrary
to the law of God, contrary to their Jewish heritage, contrary to
apostolic example, contrary to Paul's own example. They demanded that Paul
be shunned as a blasphemer and a rebel, while they were to be heard as
true teachers of the Gospel and authentic disciples of the apostles. Thus
Paul stood defamed among the Galatians. He was forced to attack the false
apostles. He did so without hesitation.
VERSE 7. And would pervert the gospel of Christ.
To paraphrase this sentence: "These false apostles do not merely trouble
you, they abolish Christ's Gospel. They act as if they were the only true
Gospel-preachers. For all that they muddle Law and Gospel. As a result
they pervert the Gospel. Either Christ must live and the Law perish, or
the Law remains and Christ must perish; Christ and the Law cannot dwell
side by side in the conscience. It is either grace or law. To muddle the
two is to eliminate the Gospel of Christ entirely."
It seems a small matter to mingle the Law and Gospel, faith and works, but
it creates more mischief than man's brain can conceive. To mix Law and
Gospel not only clouds the knowledge of grace, it cuts out Christ
altogether.
The words of Paul, "and would pervert the gospel of Christ," also indicate
how arrogant these false apostles were. They were shameless boasters. Paul
simply had to exalt his own ministry and Gospel.
VERSE 8. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other
gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him
be accursed.
Paul's zeal for the Gospel becomes so fervent that it almost leads him to
curse angels. "I would rather that I, my brethren, yes, the angels of
heaven be anathematized than that my gospel be overthrown."
The Greek word anathema, Hebrew herem, means to accurse,
execrate, to damn. Paul first (hypothetically) curses himself. Knowing
persons first find fault with themselves in order that they may all the
more earnestly reprove others.
Paul maintains that there is no other gospel besides the one he had
preached to the Galatians. He preached, not a gospel of his own invention,
but the very same Gospel God had long ago prescribed in the Sacred
Scriptures. No wonder Paul pronounces curses upon himself and upon others,
upon the angels of heaven, if anyone should dare to preach any other
gospel than Christ's own.
VERSE 9. As we said before, so say I now again. If any man preach
any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be
accursed.
Paul repeats the curse, directing it now upon other persons. Before, he
cursed himself, his brethren, and an angel from heaven. "Now," he says,
"if there are any others who preach a gospel different from that you have
received from us, let them also be accursed." Paul herewith curses and
excommunicates all false teachers including his opponents. He is so worked
up that he dares to curse all who pervert his Gospel. Would to God that
this terrible pronouncement of the Apostle might strike fear into the
hearts of all who pervert the Gospel of Paul.
The Galatians might say: "Paul, we do not pervert the Gospel you have
brought unto us. We did not quite understand it. That is all. Now these
teachers who came after you have explained everything so beautifully."
This explanation the Apostle refuses to accept. They must add nothing;
they must correct nothing. "What you received from me is the genuine
Gospel of God. Let it stand. If any man brings any other gospel than the
one I brought you, or promises to deliver better things than you have
received from me, let him be accursed."
In spite of this emphatic denunciation so many accept the pope as the
supreme judge of the Scriptures. "The Church," they say, "chose only four
gospels. The Church might have chosen more. Ergo the Church is above the
Gospel." With equal force one might argue: "I approve the Scriptures. Ergo
I am above the Scriptures. John the Baptist confessed Christ. Hence he is
above Christ." Paul subordinates himself, all preachers, all the angels of
heaven, everybody to the Sacred Scriptures. We are not the masters,
judges, or arbiters, but witnesses, disciples, and confessors of the
Scriptures, whether we be pope, Luther, Augustine, Paul, or an angel from
heaven.
VERSE 10. For do I now persuade men, or God?
With the same vehemence Paul continues: "You Galatians ought to be able to
tell from my preaching and from the many afflictions which I have endured,
whether I serve men or God. Everybody can see that my preaching has
stirred up persecution against me everywhere, and has earned for me the
cruel hatred of my own people, in fact the hatred of all men. This should
convince you that by my preaching I do not seek the favor and praise of
men, but the glory of God."
No man can say that we are seeking the favor and praise of men with our
doctrine. We teach that all men are naturally depraved. We condemn man's
free will, his strength, wisdom, and righteousness. We say that we obtain
grace by the free mercy of God alone for Christ's sake. This is no
preaching to please men. This sort of preaching procures for us the hatred
and disfavor of the world, persecutions, excommunications, murders, and
curses.
"Can't you see that I seek no man's favor by my doctrine?" asks Paul. "If
I were anxious for the favor of men I would flatter them. But what do I
do? I condemn their works. I teach things only that I have been commanded
to teach from above. For that I bring down upon my head the wrath of Jews
and Gentiles. My doctrine must be right. It must be divine. Any other
doctrine cannot be better than mine. Any other doctrine must be false and
wicked."
With Paul we boldly pronounce a curse upon every doctrine that does not
agree with ours. We do not preach for the praise of men, or the favor of
princes. We preach for the favor of God alone whose grace and mercy we
proclaim. Whosoever teaches a gospel contrary to ours, or different from
ours, let us be bold to say that he is sent of the devil.
VERSE 10. Or do I seek to please men?
"Do I serve men or God?" Paul keeps an eye on the false apostles, those
flatterers of men. They taught circumcision to avoid the hatred and
persecution of men.
To this day you will find many who seek to please men in order that they
may live in peace and security. They teach whatever is agreeable to men,
no matter whether it is contrary to God's Word or their own conscience.
But we who endeavor to please God and not men, stir up hell itself. We
must suffer reproach, slanders, death.
For those who go about to please men we have a word from Christ recorded
in the fifth chapter of St. John: "How can ye believe, which receive honor
one of another, and seek not the honor that cometh from God alone?"
VERSE 10. For if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of
Christ.
Observe the consummate cleverness with which the false apostles went about
to bring Paul into disrepute. They combed Paul's writings for
contradictions (our opponents do the same) to accuse him of teaching
contradictory things. They found that Paul had circumcised Timothy
according to the Law, that Paul had purified himself with four other men
in the Temple at Jerusalem, that Paul had shaven his head at Cenchrea. The
false apostles slyly suggested that Paul had been constrained by the other
apostles to observe these ceremonial laws. We know that Paul observed
these decora out of charitable regard for the weak brethren. He did
not want to offend them. But the false apostles turned Paul's charitable
regard to his disadvantage. If Paul had preached the Law and circumcision,
if he had commended the strength and free will of man, he would not have
been so obnoxious to the Jews. On the contrary they would have praised his
every action.
VERSES 11, 12. But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which
was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of
man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.
This passage constitutes Paul's chief defense against the accusations of
his opponents. He maintains under oath that he received his Gospel not
from men, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.
In declaring that his Gospel is not after man, Paul does not merely wish
to state that his Gospel is not mundane. The false apostles made the same
claim for their gospel. Paul means to say that he learned his Gospel not
in the usual and accepted manner through the agency of men by hearing,
reading, or writing. He received the Gospel by special revelation directly
from Jesus Christ.
Paul received his Gospel on the way to Damascus when Christ appeared to
him. St. Luke furnishes an account of the incident in the ninth chapter of
the Book of Acts. "Arise," said Christ to Paul, "and go into the city, and
it shall be told thee what thou must do." Christ did not send Paul into
the city to learn the Gospel from Ananias. Ananias was only to baptize
Paul, to lay his hands on Paul, to commit the ministry of the Word unto
Paul, and to recommend him to the Church. Ananias recognized his limited
assignment when he said to Paul: "Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that
appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou
mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost." Paul did
not receive instruction from Ananias. Paul had already been called,
enlightened, and taught by Christ in the road. His contact with Ananias
was merely a testimonial to the fact that Paul had been called by Christ
to preach the Gospel.
Paul was forced to speak of his conversion to combat the slanderous
contention of the false apostles to the effect that this apostleship was
inferior to that of the other apostles.
If it were not for the example of the Galatian churches I would never have
thought it possible that anybody who had received the Word of God with
such eagerness as they had, could so quickly let go of it. Good Lord, what
terrible mischief one single false statement can create.
The article of justification is fragile. Not in itself, of course, but in
us. I know how quickly a person can forfeit the joy of the Gospel. I know
in what slippery places even those stand who seem to have a good footing
in the matters of faith. In the midst of the conflict when we should be
consoling ourselves with the Gospel, the Law rears up and begins to rage
all over our conscience. I say the Gospel is frail because we are frail.
What makes matters worse is that one-half of ourselves, our own reason,
stands against us. The flesh resists the spirit, or as Paul puts it, "The
flesh lusteth against the Spirit." Therefore we teach that to know Christ
and to believe in Him is no achievement of man, but the gift of God. God
alone can create and preserve faith in us. God creates faith in us through
the Word. He increases, strengthens and confirms faith in us through His
word. Hence the best service that anybody can render God is diligently to
hear and read God's Word. On the other hand, nothing is more perilous than
to be weary of the Word of God. Thinking he knows enough, a person begins
little by little to despise the Word until he has lost Christ and the
Gospel altogether.
Let every believer carefully learn the Gospel. Let him continue in humble
prayer. We are molested not by puny foes, but by mighty ones, foes who
never grow tired of warring against us. These, our enemies, are many: Our
own flesh, the world, the Law, sin, death, the wrath and judgment of God,
and the devil himself.
The arguments which the false apostles advanced impress people to this
day. "Who are you to dissent from the fathers and the entire Church, and
to bring a contradictory doctrine? Are you wiser than so many holy men,
wiser than the whole Church?" When Satan, abetted by our own reason,
advances these arguments against us, we lose heart, unless we keep on
saying to ourselves: "I don't care if Cyprian, Ambrose, Augustine, Peter,
Paul, John, or an angel from heaven, teaches so and so. I know that I
teach the truth of God in Christ Jesus."
When I first took over the defense of the Gospel, I remembered what Doctor
Staupitz said to me. "I like it well," he said, "that the doctrine which
you proclaim gives glory to God alone and none to man. For never can too
much glory, goodness, and mercy be ascribed unto God." These words of the
worthy Doctor comforted and confirmed me. The Gospel is true because it
deprives men of all glory, wisdom, and righteousness and turns over all
honor to the Creator alone. It is safer to attribute too much glory unto
God than unto man.
You may argue that the Church and the fathers are holy. Yet the Church is
compelled to pray: "Forgive us our trespasses," I am not to be believed,
nor is the Church to be believed, or the fathers, or the apostles, or an
angel from heaven, if they teach anything contrary to the Word of God. Let
the Word of God abide forever.
Peter erred in life and in doctrine. Paul might have dismissed Peter's
error as a matter of no consequence. But Paul saw that Peter's error would
lead to the damage of the whole Church unless it were corrected. Therefore
he withstood Peter to his face. The Church, Peter, the apostles, angels
from heaven, are not to be heard unless they teach the genuine Word of
God.
This argument is not always to our advantage. People ask: "Whom then shall
we believe?" Our opponents maintain that they teach the pure Word of God.
We do not believe them. They in turn hate and persecute us for vile
heretics. What can we do about it? With Paul we glory in the Gospel of
Jesus Christ. What do we gain? We are told that our glorying is idle
vanity and unadulterated blasphemy. The moment we abase ourselves and give
in to the rage of our opponents, Papists and Anabaptists grow arrogant.
The Anabaptists hatch out some new monstrosity. The Papists revive their
old abominations. What to do? Let everybody become sure of his calling and
doctrine, that he may boldly say with Paul: "But though we, or an angel
from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than ye have received, let
him be accursed."
VERSES 13, 14. For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in
the Jews' religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church
of God, and wasted it: And profited in the Jews' religion above many
my equals in mine own nation.
This passage does not contain doctrine. Paul adduces his own case for an
example. "I have," he says, "at one time defended the traditions of the
Pharisees more fiercely than any of your false apostles. Now, if the
righteousness of the Law had been worth anything I would never have
forsaken it. So carefully did I live up to the Law that I excelled many of
my companions. So zealous was I in defense of the Law that I wasted the
church of God."
VERSE 14. Being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my
fathers.
Speaking now of the Mosaic Law, Paul declares that he was wrapped up in
it. To the Philippians he wrote: "As touching the law, a Pharisee;
concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which
is in the law, blameless." He means to say, "I can compare myself with the
best and holiest of all those who are of the circumcision. Let them show
me if they can, a more earnest defender of the Mosaic Law than I was at
one time. This fact, O Galatians, should have put you on your guard
against these deceivers who make so much of the Law. If anybody ever had
reason to glory in the righteousness of the Law, it was I." I too may say
that before I was enlightened by the Gospel, I was as zealous for the
papistical laws and traditions of the fathers as ever a man was. I tried
hard to live up to every law as best I could. I punished myself with
fasting, watching, praying, and other exercises more than all those who
today hate and persecute me. I was so much in earnest that I imposed upon
my body more than it could stand. I honored the pope as a matter of
conscience. Whatever I did, I did with a single heart to the glory of God.
But our opponents, well-fed idlers that they are, will not believe what I
and many others have endured.
VERSES 15, 16, 17. But when it pleased God, who separated me from
my mother's womb, and called me by his grace. To reveal his Son in
me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I
conferred not with flesh and blood: Neither went I up to Jerusalem to
them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, and
returned again unto Damascus.
Here Paul relates that immediately upon being called by God to preach the
Gospel to the Gentiles, he went into Arabia without consulting a single
person. "When it had pleased God," he writes, "I did not deserve it. I had
been an enemy of Christ. I had blasphemed His Gospel. I had shed innocent
blood. In the midst of my frenzy I was called. Why? On account of my
outrageous cruelty? Indeed not. My gracious God who shows mercy unto whom
He will, pardoned all mine iniquities. He bestowed His grace upon me, and
called me for an apostle."
We also have come to the knowledge of the truth by the same kindness of
God. I crucified Christ daily in my cloistered life, and blasphemed God by
my wrong faith. Outwardly I kept myself chaste, poor, and obedient. I was
much given to fasting, watching, praying, saying of masses, and the like.
Yet under the cloak of my outward respectability I continually mistrusted,
doubted, feared, hated, and blasphemed God. My righteousness was a filthy
puddle. Satan loves such saints. They are his darlings, for they quickly
destroy their body and soul by depriving them of the blessings of God's
generous gifts.
I tell you I stood in awe of the pope's authority. To dissent from him I
considered a crime worthy of eternal death. I thought of John Huss as a
cursed heretic. I counted it a sin even to think of him. I would gladly
have furnished the wood to burn him. I would have felt I had done God a
real service.
In comparison with these sanctimonious hypocrites of the papacy, publicans
and harlots are not bad. They at least feel remorse. They at least do not
try to justify their wicked deeds. But these pretended saints, so far from
acknowledging their errors, justify them and regard them as acceptable
sacrifices unto God.
VERSE 15. When it pleased God.
"By the favor of God I, a wicked and cursed wretch, a blasphemer,
persecutor, and rebel, was spared. Not content to spare me, God granted
unto me the knowledge of His salvation, His Spirit, His Son, the office of
an apostle, everlasting life." Paul speaking.
God not only pardoned our iniquities, but in addition overwhelmed us with
blessings and spiritual gifts. Many, however, are ungrateful. Worse, by
opening again a window to the devil many begin to loathe God's Word, and
end by perverting the Gospel.
VERSE 15. Who separated me from my mother's womb.
This is a Hebrew expression, meaning to sanctify, ordain, prepare. Paul is
saying, "When I was not yet born God ordained me to be an apostle, and in
due time confirmed my apostleship before the world. Every gift, be it
small or great, spiritual or temporal, and every good thing I should ever
do, God has ordained while I was yet in my mother's womb where I could
neither think nor perform any good thing. After I was born God supported
me. Heaping mercy upon mercy, He freely forgave my sins, replenishing me
with His grace to enable me to learn what great things are ours in Christ.
To crown it all, He called me to preach the Gospel to others."
VERSE 15. And called me by his grace.
"Did God call me on account of my holy life? Or on account of my
pharisaical religion? Or on account of my prayers, fastings, and works?
Never. Well, then, it is certain God did not call me on account of my
blasphemies, persecutions, oppressions. What prompted Him to call me? His
grace alone."
VERSE 16. To reveal his Son to me.
We now hear what kind of doctrine was committed to Paul: The doctrine of
the Gospel, the doctrine of the revelation of the Son of God. This
doctrine differs greatly from the Law. The Law terrorizes the conscience.
The Law reveals the wrath and judgment of God. The Gospel does not
threaten. The Gospel announces that Christ is come to forgive the sins of
the world. The Gospel conveys to us the inestimable treasures of God.
VERSE 16. That I might preach him among the heathen.
"It pleased God," says the Apostle, "to reveal himself in me. Why? For a
twofold purpose. That I personally should believe in the Son of God, and
that I should reveal Him to the Gentiles."
Paul does not mention the Jews, for the simple reason that he was the
called and acknowledged apostle of the Gentiles, although he preached
Christ also to the Jews.
We can hear the Apostle saying to himself: "I will not burden the Gentiles
with the Law, because I am their apostle and not their lawgiver. Not once
did you Galatians hear me speak of the righteousness of the Law or of
works. My job was to bring you the Gospel. Therefore you ought to listen
to no teachers of the Law, but the Gospel: not Moses, but the Son of God;
not the righteousness of works, but the righteousness of faith must be
proclaimed to the Gentiles. That is the right kind of preaching for
Gentiles."
VERSE 16. Immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood.
Once Paul had received the Gospel from Christ, he conferred with nobody in
Damascus. He asked no man to teach him. He did not go up to Jerusalem to
sit at the feet of Peter and the other apostles. At once he preached Jesus
Christ in Damascus.
VERSE 17. Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were
apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto
Damascus.
"I went to Arabia before I saw any of the apostles. I took it upon myself
to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles without delay, because Christ had
called me for that purpose." This statement refutes the assertion of the
false apostles that Paul had been a pupil of the apostles, from which the
false apostles inferred that Paul had been instructed in the obedience of
the Law, that therefore the Gentiles also ought to keep the Law and submit
to circumcision.
VERSES 18, 19. Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see
Peter, and abode with him fifteen days. But other of the apostles
saw I none, save James the Lord's brother.
Paul minutely recounts his personal history to stop the cavil of the false
apostles. Paul does not deny that he had been with some of the apostles.
He went to Jerusalem uninvited, not to be instructed, but to visit with
Peter. Luke reports the occasion in the ninth chapter of the Book of Acts.
Barnabas introduced Paul to the apostles and related to them how Paul had
met the Lord Jesus on the way to Damascus, also how Paul had preached
boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus. Paul says that he saw Peter and
James, but he denies that he learned anything from them.
Why does Paul harp on this seemingly unimportant fact? To convince the
churches of Galatia that his Gospel was the true Word of Christ which he
learned from Christ Himself and from no man. Paul was forced to affirm and
re-affirm this fact. His usefulness to all the churches that had used him
as their pastor and teacher was at stake.
VERSE 20. Now the things which I write unto you, behold, before God,
I lie not.
Was it necessary for Paul to go under oath? Yes. Paul is reporting
personal history. How else would the churches believe him? The false
apostles might say, "Who knows whether Paul is telling the truth?" Paul,
the elect vessel of God, was held in so little esteem by his own Galatians
to whom he had preached Christ that it was necessary for him to swear an
oath that he spoke the truth. If this happened to Paul, what business have
we to complain when people doubt our words, or hold us in little regard,
we who cannot begin to compare ourselves with the Apostle?
VERSE 21. Afterwards I came into the regions of Syria and Cilicia.
Syria and Cilicia are adjacent countries. Paul traces his movements
carefully in order to convince the Galatians that he had never been the
disciple of any apostle.
VERSES 22, 23, 24. And was unknown by face unto the churches of
Judaea which were in Christ: But they had heard only, that he which
persecuted us in times past now preacheth the faith which once he
destroyed. And they glorified God in me.
In Syria and Cilicia Paul won the indorsement of all the churches of
Judea, by his preaching. All the churches everywhere, even those of Judea,
could testify that he had preached the same faith everywhere. "And," Paul
adds, "these churches glorified God in me, not because I taught that
circumcision and the law of Moses should be observed, but because I urged
upon all faith in the Lord Jesus Christ."
CHAPTER 2
VERSE 1. Then fourteen years after I went up again to Jerusalem.
Paul taught justification by faith in Christ Jesus, without the deeds of
the Law. He reported this to the disciples at Antioch. Among the disciples
were some that had been brought up in the ancient customs of the Jews.
These rose against Paul in quick indignation, accusing him of propagating
a gospel of lawlessness.
Great dissension followed. Paul and Barnabas stood up for the truth. They
testified: "Wherever we preached to the Gentiles, the Holy Ghost came upon
those who received the Word. This happened everywhere. We preached not
circumcision, we did not require observance of the Law. We preached faith
in Jesus Christ. At our preaching of faith, God gave to the hearers the
Holy Ghost." From this fact Paul and Barnabas inferred that the Holy Ghost
approved the faith of the Gentiles without the Law and circumcision. If
the faith of the Gentiles had not pleased the Holy Ghost, He would not
have manifested His presence in the uncircumcised hearers of the Word.
Unconvinced, the Jews fiercely opposed Paul, asserting that the Law ought
to be kept and that the Gentiles ought to be circumcised, or else they
could not be saved.
When we consider the obstinacy with which Romanists cling to their
traditions, we can very well understand the zealous devotion of the Jews
for the Law. After all, they had received the Law from God. We can
understand how impossible it was for recent converts from Judaism suddenly
to break with the Law. For that matter, God did bear with them, as He bore
with the infirmity of Israel when the people halted between two religions.
Was not God patient with us also while we were blindfolded by the papacy?
God is longsuffering and full of mercy. But we dare not abuse the patience
of the Lord. We dare no longer continue in error now that the truth has
been revealed in the Gospel. The opponents of Paul had his own example to
prefer against him. Paul had circumcised Timothy. Paul defended his action
on the ground that he had circumcised Timothy, not from compulsion, but
from Christian love, lest the weak in faith should be offended. His
opponents would not accept Paul's explanation.
When Paul saw that the quarrel was getting out of hand he obeyed the
direction of God and left for Jerusalem, there to confer with the other
apostles. He did this not for his own sake, but for the sake of the
people.
VERSE 1. With Barnabas, and took Titus with me also.
Paul chose two witnesses, Barnabas and Titus. Barnabas had been Paul's
preaching companion to the Gentiles. Barnabas was an eye-witness of the
fact that the Holy Ghost had come upon the Gentiles in response to the
simple preaching of faith in Jesus Christ. Barnabas stuck to Paul on this
point, that it was not necessary for the Gentiles to be bothered with the
Law as long as they believed in Christ.
Titus was superintendent of the churches in Crete, having been placed in
charge of the churches by Paul. Titus was a former Gentile.
VERSE 2. And I went up by revelation.
If God had not ordered Paul to Jerusalem, Paul would never have gone
there.
VERSE 2. And communicated unto them that gospel.
After an absence of fourteen years, respectively eighteen years, Paul
returned to Jerusalem to confer with the other apostles.
VERSE 2. Which I preach among the Gentiles.
Among the Jews Paul allowed Law and circumcision to stand for the time
being. So did all the apostles. Nevertheless Paul held fast to the liberty
of the Gospel. On one occasion he said to the Jews: "Through this man
(Christ) is preached unto you forgiveness of sins; and by him all that
believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be
justified by the law of Moses." (Acts 13:39.) Always remembering the weak,
Paul did not insist that they break at once with the Law.
Paul admits that he conferred with the apostles concerning his Gospel. But
he denies that the conference benefited or taught him anything. The fact
is he resisted those who wanted to force the practice of the Law upon the
Gentiles. They did not overcome him, he overcame them. "Your false
apostles lie, when they say that I circumcised Timothy, shaved my head in
Cenchrea, and went up to Jerusalem, at the request of the apostles. I went
to Jerusalem at the request of God. What is more, I won the indorsement of
the apostles. My opponents lost out."
The matter upon which the apostles deliberated in conference was this: Is
the observance of the Law requisite unto justification? Paul answered: "I
have preached faith in Christ to the Gentiles, and not the Law. If the
Jews want to keep the Law and be circumcised, very well, as long as they
do so from a right motive."
VERSE 2. But privately to them which were of reputation.
This is to say, "I conferred not only with the brethren, but with the
leaders among them."
VERSE 2. Lest by any means I should run, or had run, in vain.
Not that Paul himself ever thought he had run in vain. However, many did
think that Paul had preached the Gospel in vain, because he kept the
Gentiles free from the yoke of the Law. The opinion that obedience to the
Law was mandatory unto salvation was gaining ground. Paul meant to remedy
this evil. By this conference he hoped to establish the identity of his
Gospel with that of the other apostles, to stop the talk of his opponents
that he had been running around in vain.
VERSE 3. But neither Titus, who was with me, being a Greek, was
compelled to be circumcised.
The word "compelled" acquaints us with the outcome of the conference. It
was resolved that the Gentiles should not be compelled to be circumcised.
Paul did not condemn circumcision in itself. Neither by word nor deed did
he ever inveigh against circumcision. But he did protest against
circumcision being made a condition for salvation. He cited the case of
the Fathers. "The fathers were not justified by circumcision. It was to
them a sign and seal of righteousness. They looked upon circumcision as a
confession of their faith."
The believing Jews, however, could not get it through their heads that
circumcision was not necessary for salvation. They were encouraged in
their wrong attitude by the false apostles. The result was that the people
were up in arms against Paul and his doctrine.
Paul did not condemn circumcision as if it were a sin to receive it. But
he insisted, and the conference upheld him, that circumcision had no
bearing upon salvation and was therefore not to be forced upon the
Gentiles. The conference agreed that the Jews should be permitted to keep
their ancient customs for the time being, so long as they did not regard
those customs as conveying God's justification of the sinner.
The false apostles were dissatisfied with the verdict of the conference.
They did not want to rest circumcision and the practice of the Law in
Christian liberty. They insisted that circumcision was obligatory unto
salvation.
As the opponents of Paul, so our own adversaries [Luther's, the enemies of
the Reformation] contend that the traditions of the Fathers dare not be
neglected without loss of salvation. Our opponents will not agree with us
on anything. They defend their blasphemies. They go as far to enforce them
with the sword.
Paul's victory was complete. Titus, who was with Paul, was not compelled
to be circumcised, although he stood in the midst of the apostles when
this question of circumcision was debated. This was a blow to the false
apostles. With the living fact that Titus was not compelled to be
circumcised Paul was able to squelch his adversaries.
VERSES 4,5. And that because of false brethren unawares brought in,
who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ
Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage: To whom we gave place by
subjection, no, not for an hour; that the truth of the gospel might
continue with you.
Paul here explains his motive for going up to Jerusalem. He did not go to
Jerusalem to be instructed or confirmed in his Gospel by the other
apostles. He went to Jerusalem in order to preserve the true Gospel for
the Galatian churches and for all the churches of the Gentiles.
When Paul speaks of the truth of the Gospel he implies by contrast a false
gospel. The false apostles also had a gospel, but it was an untrue gospel.
"In holding out against them," says Paul, "I conserved the truth of the
pure Gospel."
Now the true Gospel has it that we are justified by faith alone, without
the deeds of the Law. The false gospel has it that we are justified by
faith, but not without the deeds of the Law. The false apostles preached a
conditional gospel.
So do the papists. They admit that faith is the foundation of salvation.
But they add the conditional clause that faith can save only when it is
furnished with good works. This is wrong. The true Gospel declares that
good works are the embellishment of faith, but that faith itself is the
gift and work of God in our hearts. Faith is able to justify, because it
apprehends Christ, the Redeemer.
Human reason can think only in terms of the Law. It mumbles: "This I have
done, this I have not done." But faith looks to Jesus Christ, the Son of
God, given into death for the sins of the whole world. To turn one's eyes
away from Jesus means to turn them to the Law.
True faith lays hold of Christ and leans on Him alone. Our opponents
cannot understand this. In their blindness they cast away the precious
pearl, Christ, and hang onto their stubborn works. They have no idea what
faith is. How can they teach faith to others?
Not satisfied with teaching an untrue gospel, the false apostles tried to
entangle Paul. "They went about," says Paul, "to spy out our liberty which
we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage."
When Paul saw through their scheme, he attacked the false apostles. He
says, "We did not let go of the liberty which we have in Christ Jesus. We
routed them by the judgment of the apostles, and we would not give in to
them, no, not an inch."
We too were willing to make all kinds of concessions to the papists. Yes,
we are willing to offer them more than we should. But we will not give up
the liberty of conscience which we have in Christ Jesus. We refuse to have
our conscience bound by any work or law, so that by doing this or that we
should be righteous, or leaving this or that undone we should be damned.
Since our opponents will not let it stand that only faith in Christ
justifies, we will not yield to them. On the question of justification we
must remain adamant, or else we shall lose the truth of the Gospel. It is
a matter of life and death. It involves the death of the Son of God, who
died for the sins of the world. If we surrender faith in Christ, as the
only thing that can justify us, the death and resurrection of Jesus are
without meaning; that Christ is the Savior of the world would be a myth.
God would be a liar, because He would not have fulfilled His promises. Our
stubbornness is right, because we want to preserve the liberty which we
have in Christ. Only by preserving our liberty shall we be able to retain
the truth of the Gospel inviolate.
Some will object that the Law is divine and holy. Let it be divine and
holy. The Law has no right to tell me that I must be justified by it. The
Law has the right to tell me that I should love God and my neighbor, that
I should live in chastity, temperance, patience, etc. The Law has no right
to tell me how I may be delivered from sin, death, and hell. It is the
Gospel's business to tell me that. I must listen to the Gospel. It tells
me, not what I must do, but what Jesus Christ, the Son of God, has done
for me.
To conclude, Paul refused to circumcise Titus for the reason that the
false apostles wanted to compel him to circumcise Titus. Paul refused to
accede to their demands. If they had asked it on the plea of brotherly
love, Paul would not have denied them. But because they demanded it on the
ground that it was necessary for salvation, Paul defied them, and
prevailed. Titus was not circumcised.
VERSE 6. But of those who seemed to be somewhat, whatsoever they
were, it maketh no matter to me.
This is a good point in Paul's refutation. Paul disparages the authority
and dignity of the true apostles. He says of them, "Which seemed to be
somewhat." The authority of the apostles was indeed great in all the
churches. Paul did not want to detract from their authority, but he had to
speak disparagingly of their authority in order to conserve the truth of
the Gospel, and the liberty of conscience.
The false apostles used this argument against Paul: "The apostles lived
with Christ for three years. They heard His sermons. They witnessed His
miracles. They themselves preached and performed miracles while Christ was
on earth. Paul never saw Jesus in the flesh. Now, whom ought you to
believe: Paul, who stands alone, a mere disciple of the apostles, one of
the last and least; or will you believe those grand apostles who were sent
and confirmed by Christ Himself long before Paul?"
What could Paul say to that? He answered: "What they say has no bearing on
the argument. If the apostles were angels from heaven, that would not
impress me. We are not now discussing the excellency of the apostles. We
are talking about the Word of God now, and the truth of the Gospel. That
Gospel is more excellent than all apostles."
VERSE 6. God accepteth no man's person.
Paul is quoting Moses: "Thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor
honor the person of the mighty." (Lev. 19:15) This quotation from Moses
ought to shut the mouths of the false apostles. "Don't you know that God
is no respecter of persons?" cries Paul. The dignity or authority of men
means nothing to God. The fact is that God often rejects just such who
stand in the odor of sanctity and in the aura of importance. In doing so
God seems unjust and harsh. But men need deterring examples. For it is a
vice with us to esteem personality more highly than the Word of God. God
wants us to exalt His Word and not men.
There must be people in high office, of course. But we are not to deify
them. The governor, the mayor, the preacher, the teacher, the scholar,
father, mother, are persons whom we are to love and revere, but not to the
extent that we forget God. Least we attach too much importance to the
person, God leaves with important persons offenses and sins, sometimes
astounding shortcomings, to show us that there is a lot of difference
between any person and God. David was a good king. But when the people
began to think too well of him, down he fell into horrible sins, adultery
and murder. Peter, excellent apostle that he was, denied Christ. Such
examples of which the Scriptures are full, ought to warn us not to repose
our trust in men. In the papacy appearance counts for everything. Indeed,
the whole papacy amounts to nothing more than a mere kowtowing of persons
and outward mummery. But God alone is to be feared and honored.
I would honor the Pope, I would love his person, if he would leave my
conscience alone, and not compel me to sin against God. But the Pope wants
to be adored himself, and that cannot be done without offending God. Since
we must choose between one or the other, let us choose God. The truth is
we are commissioned by God to resist the Pope, for it is written, "We
ought to obey God rather than men." (Acts 5:29)
We have seen how Paul refutes the argument of the false apostles
concerning the authority of the apostles. In order that the truth of the
Gospel may continue; in order that the Word of God and the righteousness
of faith may be kept pure and undefiled, let the apostles, let an angel
from heaven, let Peter, let Paul, let them all perish.
VERSE 6. For they who seemed to be somewhat in conference added
nothing to me.
The Apostle repeats: "I did not so confer with the apostles that they
taught me anything. What could they possibly teach me since Christ by His
revelation had taught me all things? It was but a conference, and no
disputation. I learned nothing, neither did I defend my cause. I only
stated what I had done, that I had preached to the Gentiles faith in
Christ, without the Law, and that in response to my preaching the Holy
Ghost came down upon the Gentiles. When the apostles heard this, they were
glad that I had taught the truth."
If Paul would not give in to the false apostles, much less ought we to
give in to our opponents. I know that a Christian should be humble, but
against the Pope I am going to be proud and say to him: "You, Pope, I will
not have you for my boss, for I am sure that my doctrine is divine." Such
pride against the Pope is imperative, for if we are not stout and proud we
shall never succeed in defending the article of the righteousness of
faith.
If the Pope would concede that God alone by His grace through Christ
justifies sinners, we would carry him in our arms, we would kiss his feet.
But since we cannot obtain this concession, we will give in to nobody, not
to all the angels in heaven, not to Peter, not to Paul, not to a hundred
emperors, not to a thousand popes, not to the whole world. If in this
matter we were to humble ourselves, they would take from us the God who
created us, and Jesus Christ who has redeemed us by His blood. Let this be
our resolution, that we will suffer the loss of all things, the loss of
our good name, of life itself, but the Gospel and our faith in Jesus
Christ—we will not stand for it that anybody take them from us.
VERSES 7, 8. But contrariwise, when they saw that the gospel of the
uncircumcision was committed unto me, as the gospel of the circumcision
was unto Peter; [For he that wrought effectually in Peter to the
apostleship of the circumcision, the same was mighty in me toward the
Gentiles.]
Here the Apostle claims for himself the same authority which the false
apostles attributed to the true apostles. Paul simply inverts their
argument. "To bolster their evil cause," says he, "the false apostles
quote the authority of the great apostles against me. I can quote the same
authority against them, for the apostles are on my side. They gave me the
right hand of fellowship. They approved my ministry. O my Galatians, do
not believe the counterfeit apostles!"
What does Paul mean by saying that the gospel of the uncircumcision was
committed unto him, and that of the circumcision to Peter? Did not Paul
preach to the Jews, while Peter preached to the Gentiles also? Peter
converted the Centurion. Paul's custom was to enter into the synagogues of
the Jews, there to preach the Gospel. Why then should he call himself the
apostle of the Gentiles, while he calls Peter the apostle of the
circumcision?
Paul refers to the fact that the other apostles remained in Jerusalem
until the destruction of the city became imminent. But Paul was especially
called the apostle of the Gentiles. Even before the destruction of
Jerusalem Jews dwelt here and there in the cities of the Gentiles. Coming
to a city, Paul customarily entered the synagogues of the Jews and first
brought to them as the children of the kingdom, the glad tidings that the
promises made unto the fathers were fulfilled in Jesus Christ. When the
Jews refused to hear these glad tidings, Paul turned to the Gentiles. He
was the apostle of the Gentiles in a special sense, as Peter was the
apostle of the Jews.
Paul reiterates that Peter, James, and John, the accepted pillars of the
Church, taught him nothing, nor did they commit unto him the office of
preaching the Gospel unto the Gentiles. Both the knowledge of the Gospel
and the commandment to preach it to the Gentiles, Paul received directly
from God. His case was parallel to that of Peter's, who was particularly
commissioned to preach the Gospel to the Jews.
The apostles had the same charge, the identical Gospel. Peter did not
proclaim a different Gospel, nor had he appointed his fellow apostles.
They were equals. They were all taught of God. None was greater than the
other, none could point to prerogatives above the other. To justify his
usurped primacy in the Church the Pope claims that Peter was the chief of
the apostles. This is an impudent falsehood.
VERSE 8. For he that wrought effectually in Peter.
With these words Paul refutes another argument of the false apostles.
"What reason have the false apostles to boast that the Gospel of Peter was
mighty, that he converted many, that he wrought great miracles, and that
his very shadow healed the sick? These reports are true enough. But where
did Peter acquire this power? God gave him the power. I have the same
power. I received my power, not from Peter, but from the same God, the
same Spirit who was mighty in Peter was mighty in me also." Luke
corroborates Paul's statement in the words: "And God wrought special
miracles by the hands of Paul, so that from his body were brought unto the
sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the
evil spirits went out of them." (Acts 19:11, 12.)
To conclude, Paul is not going to be inferior to the rest of the apostles.
Some secular writers put Paul's boasting down as carnal pride. But Paul
had no personal interest in his boasting. It was with him a matter of
faith and doctrine. The controversy was not about the glory of Paul, but
the glory of God, the Word of God, the true worship of God, true religion,
and the righteousness of faith.
VERSE 9. And when James, Cephas and John, who seemed to be pillars,
perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and
Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the
heathen, and they unto the circumcision.
"The fact is, when the apostles heard that I had received the charge to
preach the Gospel to the Gentiles from Christ; when they heard that God
had wrought many miracles through me; that great numbers of the Gentiles
had come to the knowledge of Christ through my ministry; when they heard
that the Gentiles had received the Holy Ghost without Law and
circumcision, by the simple preaching of faith; when they heard all this
they glorified God for His grace in me." Hence, Paul was justified in
concluding that the apostles were for him, and not against him.
VERSE 9. The right hands of fellowship.
As if the apostles had said to him: "We, Paul, do agree with you in all
things. We are companions in doctrine. We have the same Gospel with this
difference, that to you is committed the Gospel for the uncircumcised,
while the Gospel for the circumcision is committed unto us. But this
difference ought not to hinder our friendship, since we preach one and the
same Gospel."
VERSE 10. Only they would that we should remember the poor; the same
which I also was forward to do.
Next to the preaching of the Gospel, a true and faithful pastor will take
care of the poor. Where the Church is, there must be the poor, for the
world and the devil persecute the Church and impoverish many faithful
Christians.
Speaking of money, nobody wants to contribute nowadays to the maintenance
of the ministry, and the erection of schools. When it comes to
establishing false worship and idolatry, no cost is spared. True religion
is ever in need of money, while false religions are backed by wealth.
VERSE 11. But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the
face, because he was to be blamed.
Paul goes on in his refutation of the false apostles by saying that in
Antioch he withstood Peter in the presence of the whole congregation. As
he stated before, Paul had no small matter in hand, but the chief article
of the Christian religion. When this article is endangered, we must not
hesitate to resist Peter, or an angel from heaven. Paul paid no regard to
the dignity and position of Peter, when he saw this article in danger. It
is written: "He that loveth father or mother or his own life, more than
me, is not worthy of me." (Matt. 10:37.)
For defending the truth in our day, we are called proud and obstinate
hypocrites. We are not ashamed of these titles. The cause we are called to
defend, is not Peter's cause, or the cause of our parents, or that of the
government, or that of the world, but the cause of God. In defense of that
cause we must be firm and unyielding.
When he says, "to his face," Paul accuses the false apostles of slandering
him behind his back. In his presence they dared not to open their mouths.
He tells them, "I did not speak evil of Peter behind his back, but I
withstood him frankly and openly."
Others may debate here whether an apostle might sin. I claim that we ought
not to make Peter out as faultless. Prophets have erred. Nathan told David
that he should go ahead and build the Temple of the Lord. But his prophecy
was afterwards corrected by the Lord. The apostles erred in thinking of
the Kingdom of Christ as a worldly state. Peter had heard the command of
Christ, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every
creature." But if it had not been for the heavenly vision and the special
command of Christ, Peter would never have gone to the home of Cornelius.
Peter also erred in this matter of circumcision. If Paul had not publicly
censured him, all the believing Gentiles would have been compelled to
receive circumcision and accept the Jewish law. We are not to attribute
perfection to any man.
Luke reports "that the contention between Paul and Barnabas was so sharp
that they departed asunder one from the other." The cause of their
disagreement could hardly have been small since it separated these two,
who had been joined together for years in a holy partnership. Such
incidents are recorded for our consolation. After all, it is a comfort to
know that even saints might and do sin.
Samson, David, and many other excellent men, fell into grievous sins. Job
and Jeremiah cursed the day of their birth. Elijah and Jonah became weary
of life and prayed for death. Such offenses on the part of the saints, the
Scriptures record for the comfort of those who are near despair. No person
has ever sunk so low that he cannot rise again. On the other hand, no
man's standing is so secure that he may not fall. If Peter fell, I may
fall. If he rose again, I may rise again. We have the same gifts that they
had, the same Christ, the same baptism and the same Gospel, the same
forgiveness of sins. They needed these saving ordinances just as much as
we do.
VERSE 12. For before that certain came from James, he did eat with the
Gentiles.
The Gentiles who had been converted to faith in Christ, ate meats
forbidden by the Law. Peter, visiting some of these Gentiles, ate meat and
drank wine with them, although he knew that these things were forbidden in
the Law. Paul declared that he did likewise, that he became as a Jew to
the Jews, and to them that were without law, as without law. He ate and
drank with the Gentiles unconcerned about the Jewish Law. When he was with
the Jews, however, he abstained from all things forbidden in the Law, for
he labored to serve all men, that he "might by all means save some." Paul
does not reprove Peter for transgressing the Law, but for disguising his
attitude to the Law.
VERSE 12. But when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself,
fearing them which were of the circumcision.
Paul does not accuse Peter of malice or ignorance, but of lack of
principle, in that he abstained from meats, because he feared the Jews
that came from James. Peter's weak attitude endangered the principle of
Christian liberty. It is the deduction rather than the fact which Paul
reproves. To eat and to drink, or not to eat and drink, is immaterial. But
to make the deduction "If you eat, you sin; if you abstain you are
righteous"—this is wrong.
Meats may be refused for two reasons. First, they may be refused for the
sake of Christian love. There is no danger connected with a refusal of
meats for the sake of charity. To bear with the infirmity of a brother is
a good thing. Paul himself taught and exemplified such thoughtfulness.
Secondly, meats may be refused in the mistaken hope of thereby obtaining
righteousness. When this is the purpose of abstaining from meats, we say,
let charity go. To refrain from meats for this latter reason amounts to a
denial of Christ. If we must lose one or the other, let us lose a friend
and brother, rather than God, our Father.
Jerome, who understood not this passage, nor the whole epistle for that
matter, excuses Peter's action on the ground "that it was done in
ignorance." But Peter offended by giving the impression that he was
indorsing the Law. By his example he encouraged Gentiles and Jews to
forsake the truth of the Gospel. If Paul had not reproved him, there would
have been a sliding back of Christians into the Jewish religion, and a
return to the burdens of the Law.
It is surprising that Peter, excellent apostle that he was, should have
been guilty of such vacillation. In a former council at Jerusalem he
practically stood alone in defense of the truth that salvation is by
faith, without the Law. Peter at that time valiantly defended the liberty
of the Gospel. But now by abstaining from meats forbidden in the Law, he
went against his better judgment. You have no idea what danger there is in
customs and ceremonies. They so easily tend to error in works.
VERSE 13. And the other Jews dissembled likewise with him; insomuch
that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation.
It is marvelous how God preserved the Church by one single person. Paul
alone stood up for the truth, for Barnabas, his companion, was lost to
him, and Peter was against him. Sometimes one lone person can do more in a
conference than the whole assembly.
I mention this to urge all to learn how properly to differentiate between
the Law and the Gospel, in order to avoid dissembling. When it come to the
article of justification we must not yield, if we want to retain the truth
of the Gospel.
When the conscience is disturbed, do not seek advice from reason or from
the Law, but rest your conscience in the grace of God and in His Word, and
proceed as if you had never heard of the Law. The Law has its place and
its own good time. While Moses was in the mountain where he talked with
God face to face, he had no law, he made no law, he administered no law.
But when he came down from the mountain, he was a lawgiver. The conscience
must be kept above the Law, the body under the Law.
Paul reproved Peter for no trifle, but for the chief article of Christian
doctrine, which Peter's hypocrisy had endangered. For Barnabas and other
Jews followed Peter's example. It is surprising that such good men as
Peter, Barnabas, and others should fall into unexpected error, especially
in a matter which they knew so well. To trust in our own strength, our own
goodness, our own wisdom, is a perilous thing. Let us search the
Scriptures with humility, praying that we may never lose the light of the
Gospel. "Lord, increase our faith."
VERSE 14. But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to
the truth of the gospel.
No one except Paul had his eyes open. Consequently it was his duty to
reprove Peter and his followers for swerving from the truth of the Gospel.
It was no easy task for Paul to reprimand Peter. To the honor of Peter it
must be said that he took the correction. No doubt, he freely acknowledged
his fault.
The person who can rightly divide Law and Gospel has reason to thank God.
He is a true theologian. I must confess that in times of temptation I do
not always know how to do it. To divide Law and Gospel means to place the
Gospel in heaven, and to keep the Law on earth; to call the righteousness
of the Gospel heavenly, and the righteousness of the Law earthly; to put
as much difference between the righteousness of the Gospel and that of the
Law, as there is difference between day and night. If it is a question of
faith or conscience, ignore the Law entirely. If it is a question of
works, then lift high the lantern of works and the righteousness of the
Law. If your conscience is oppressed with a sense of sin, talk to your
conscience. Say: "You are now groveling in the dirt. You are now a
laboring ass. Go ahead, and carry your burden. But why don't you mount up
to heaven? There the Law cannot follow you!" Leave the ass burdened with
laws behind in the valley. But your conscience, let it ascend with Isaac
into the mountain.
In civil life obedience to the law is severely required. In civil life
Gospel, conscience, grace, remission of sins, Christ Himself, do not
count, but only Moses with the lawbooks. If we bear in mind this
distinction, neither Gospel nor Law shall trespass upon each other. The
moment Law and sin cross into heaven, i.e., your conscience, kick them
out. On the other hand, when grace wanders unto the earth, i.e., into the
body, tell grace: "You have no business to be around the dreg and dung of
this bodily life. You belong in heaven."
By his compromising attitude Peter confused the separation of Law and
Gospel. Paul had to do something about it. He reproved Peter, not to
embarrass him, but to conserve the difference between the Gospel which
justifies in heaven, and the Law which justifies on earth.
The right separation between Law and Gospel is very important to know.
Christian doctrine is impossible without it. Let all who love and fear
God, diligently learn the difference, not only in theory but also in
practice.
When your conscience gets into trouble, say to yourself: "There is a time
to die, and a time to live; a time to learn the Law, and a time to unlearn
the Law; a time to hear the Gospel, and a time to ignore the Gospel. Let
the Law now depart, and let the Gospel enter, for now is the right time to
hear the Gospel, and not the Law." However, when the conflict of
conscience is over and external duties must be performed, close your ears
to the Gospel, and open them wide to the Law.
VERSE 14. I said unto Peter before them all, If thou being a Jew, livest
after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest
thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews
To live as a Jew is nothing bad. To eat or not to eat pork, what
difference does it make? But to play the Jew, and for conscience' sake to
abstain from certain meats, is a denial of Christ. When Paul saw that
Peter's attitude tended to this, he withstood Peter and said to him: "You
know that the observance of the Law is not needed unto righteousness. You
know that we are justified by faith in Christ. You know that we may eat
all kinds of meats. Yet by your example you obligate the Gentiles to
forsake Christ, and to return to the Law. You give them reason to think
that faith is not sufficient unto salvation."
Peter did not say so, but his example said quite plainly that the
observance of the Law must be added to faith in Christ, if men are to be
saved. From Peter's example the Gentiles could not help but draw the
conclusion that the Law was necessary unto salvation. If this error had
been permitted to pass unchallenged, Christ would have lost out
altogether.
The controversy involved the preservation of pure doctrine. In such a
controversy Paul did not mind if anybody took offense.
VERSE 15. We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles.
"When we Jews compare ourselves with the Gentiles, we look pretty good. We
have the Law, we have good works. Our rectitude dates from our birth,
because the Jewish religion is natural to us. But all this does not make
us righteous before God." Peter and the others lived up to the
requirements of the Law. They had circumcision, the covenant, the
promises, the apostleship. But because of these advantages they were not
to think themselves righteous before God. None of these prerogatives spell
faith in Christ, which alone can justify a person. We do not mean to imply
that the Law is bad. We do not condemn the Law, circumcision, etc., for
their failure to justify us. Paul spoke disparagingly of these ordinances,
because the false apostles asserted that mankind is saved by them without
faith. Paul could not let this assertion stand, for without faith all
things are deadly.
VERSE 16. Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law,
but by the faith of Jesus Christ.
For the sake of argument let us suppose that you could fulfill the Law in
the spirit of the first commandment of God: "Thou shalt love the Lord, thy
God, with all thy heart." It would do you no good. A person simply is not
justified by the works of the Law.
The works of the Law, according to Paul, include the whole Law, judicial,
ceremonial, moral. Now, if the performance of the moral law cannot
justify, how can circumcision justify, when circumcision is part of the
ceremonial law?
The demands of the Law may be fulfilled before and after justification.
There were many excellent men among the pagans of old, men who never heard
of justification. They lived moral lives. But that fact did not justify
them. Peter, Paul, all Christians, live up to the Law. But that fact does
not justify them. "For I know nothing by myself," says Paul, "yet am I not
hereby justified." (I Cor. 4:4.)
The nefarious opinion of the papists, which attributes the merit of grace
and the remission of sins to works, must here be emphatically rejected.
The papists say that a good work performed before grace has been obtained,
is able to secure grace for a person, because it is no more than right
that God should reward a good deed. When grace has already been obtained,
any good work deserves everlasting life as a due payment and reward for
merit. For the first, God is no debtor, they say; but because God is good
and just, it is no more than right (they say) that He should reward a good
work by granting grace for the service. But when grace has already been
obtained, they continue, God is in the position of a debtor, and is in
duty bound to reward a good work with the gift of eternal life. This is
the wicked teaching of the papacy.
Now, if I could perform any work acceptable to God and deserving of grace,
and once having obtained grace my good works would continue to earn for me
the right and reward of eternal life, why should I stand in need of the
grace of God and the suffering and death of Christ? Christ would be of no
benefit to me. Christ's mercy would be of no use to me.
This shows how little insight the pope and the whole of his religious
coterie have into spiritual matters, and how little they concern
themselves with the spiritual health of their forlorn flocks. They cannot
believe that the flesh is unable to think, speak, or do anything except
against God. If they could see evil rooted in the nature of man, they
would never entertain such silly dreams about man's merit or worthiness.
With Paul we absolutely deny the possibility of self merit. God never yet
gave to any person grace and everlasting life as a reward for merit. The
opinions of the papists are the intellectual pipe-dreams of idle pates,
that serve no other purpose but to draw men away from the true worship of
God. The papacy is founded upon hallucinations.
The true way of salvation is this. First, a person must realize that he is
a sinner, the kind of a sinner who is congenitally unable to do any good
thing. "Whatsoever is not of faith, is sin." Those who seek to earn the
grace of God by their own efforts are trying to please God with sins. They
mock God, and provoke His anger. The first step on the way to salvation is
to repent.
The second part is this. God sent His only-begotten Son into the world
that we may live through His merit. He was crucified and killed for us. By
sacrificing His Son for us God revealed Himself to us as a merciful Father
who donates remission of sins, righteousness, and life everlasting for
Christ's sake. God hands out His gifts freely unto all men. That is the
praise and glory of His mercy.
The scholastics explain the way of salvation in this manner. When a person
happens to perform a good deed, God accepts it and as a reward for the
good deed God pours charity into that person. They call it "charity
infused." This charity is supposed to remain in the heart. They get wild
when they are told that this quality of the heart cannot justify a person.
They also claim that we are able to love God by our own natural strength,
to love God above all things, at least to the extent that we deserve
grace. And, say the scholastics, because God is not satisfied with a
literal performance of the Law, but expects us to fulfill the Law
according to the mind of the Lawgiver, therefore we must obtain from above
a quality above nature, a quality which they call "formal righteousness."
We say, faith apprehends Jesus Christ. Christian faith is not an inactive
quality in the heart. If it is true faith it will surely take Christ for
its object. Christ, apprehended by faith and dwelling in the heart,
constitutes Christian righteousness, for which God gives eternal life.
In contrast to the doting dreams of the scholastics, we teach this: First
a person must learn to know himself from the Law. With the prophet he will
then confess: "All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." And,
"there is none that doeth good, no, not one." And, "against thee, thee
only, have I sinned."
Having been humbled by the Law, and having been brought to a right
estimate of himself, a man will repent. He finds out that he is so
depraved, that no strength, no works, no merits of his own will ever
deliver him from his guilt. He will then understand the meaning of Paul's
words: "I am sold under sin"; and "they are all under sin."
At this state a person begins to lament: "Who is going to help me?" In due
time comes the Word of the Gospel, and says: "Son, thy sins are forgiven
thee. Believe in Jesus Christ who was crucified for your sins. Remember,
your sins have been imposed upon Christ."
In this way are we delivered from sin. In this way are we justified and
made heirs of everlasting life.
In order to have faith you must paint a true portrait of Christ. The
scholastics caricature Christ into a judge and tormentor. But Christ is no
law giver. He is the Lifegiver. He is the Forgiver of sins. You must
believe that Christ might have atoned for the sins of the world with one
single drop of His blood. Instead, He shed His blood abundantly in order
that He might give abundant satisfaction for our sins.
Here let me say, that these three things, faith, Christ, and imputation of
righteousness, are to be joined together. Faith takes hold of Christ. God
accounts this faith for righteousness.
This imputation of righteousness we need very much, because we are far
from perfect. As long as we have this body, sin will dwell in our flesh.
Then, too, we sometimes drive away the Holy Spirit; we fall into sin, like
Peter, David, and other holy men. Nevertheless we may always take recourse
to this fact, "that our sins are covered," and that "God will not lay them
to our charge." Sin is not held against us for Christ's sake. Where Christ
and faith are lacking, there is no remission or covering of sins, but only
condemnation.
After we have taught faith in Christ, we teach good works. "Since you have
found Christ by faith," we say, "begin now to work and do well. Love God
and your neighbor. Call upon God, give thanks unto Him, praise Him,
confess Him. These are good works. Let them flow from a cheerful heart,
because you have remission of sin in Christ."
When crosses and afflictions come our way, we bear them patiently. "For
Christ's yoke is easy, and His burden is light." When sin has been
pardoned, and the conscience has been eased of its dreadful load, a
Christian can endure all things in Christ.
To give a short definition of a Christian: A Christian is not somebody who
chalks(sp) sin, because of his faith in Christ. This doctrine brings
comfort to consciences in serious trouble. When a person is a Christian he
is above law and sin. When the Law accuses him, and sin wants to drive the
wits out of him, a Christian looks to Christ. A Christian is free. He has
no master except Christ. A Christian is greater than the whole world.
VERSE 16. Even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be
justified.
The true way of becoming a Christian is to be justified by faith in Jesus
Christ, and not by the works of the Law.
We know that we must also teach good works, but they must be taught in
their proper turn, when the discussion is concerning works and not the
article of justification.
Here the question arises by what means are we justified? We answer with
Paul, "By faith only in Christ are we pronounced righteous, and not by
works." Not that we reject good works. Far from it. But we will not allow
ourselves to be removed from the anchorage of our salvation.
The Law is a good thing. But when the discussion is about justification,
then is no time to drag in the Law. When we discuss justification we ought
to speak of Christ and the benefits He has brought us.
Christ is no sheriff. He is "the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of
the world." (John 1:29.)
VERSE 16. That we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by
the works of the Law.
We do not mean to say that the Law is bad. Only it is not able to justify
us. To be at peace with God, we have need of a far better mediator than
Moses or the Law. We must know that we are nothing. We must understand
that we are merely beneficiaries and recipients of the treasures of
Christ.
So far, the words of Paul were addressed to Peter. Now Paul turns to the
Galatians and makes this summary statement:
VERSE 16. For by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
By the term "flesh" Paul does not understand manifest vices. Such sins he
usually calls by their proper names, as adultery, fornication, etc. By
"flesh" Paul understands what Jesus meant in the third chapter of John,
"That which is born of the flesh is flesh". (John 3:6.) "Flesh" here means
the whole nature of man, inclusive of reason and instincts. "This flesh,"
says Paul, "is not justified by the works of the law."
The papists do not believe this. They say, "A person who performs this
good deed or that, deserves the forgiveness of his sins. A person who
joins this or that holy order, has the promise of everlasting life."
To me it is a miracle that the Church, so long surrounded by vicious
sects, has been able to survive at all. God must have been able to call a
few who in their failure to discover any good in themselves to cite
against the wrath and judgment of God, simply took to the suffering and
death of Christ, and were saved by this simple faith.
Nevertheless God has punished the contempt of the Gospel and of Christ on
the part of the papists, by turning them over to a reprobate state of mind
in which they reject the Gospel, and receive with gusto the abominable
rules, ordinances, and traditions of men in preference to the Word of God,
until they went so far as to forbid marriage. God punished them justly,
because they blasphemed the only Son of God.
This is, then, our general conclusion: "By the works of the law shall no
flesh be justified."
VERSE 17. But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves
also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God
forbid.
Either we are not justified by Christ, or we are not justified by the Law.
The fact is, we are justified by Christ. Hence, we are not justified by
the Law. If we observe the Law in order to be justified, or after having
been justified by Christ, we think we must further be justified by the
Law, we convert Christ into a legislator and a minister of sin.
"What are these false apostles doing?" Paul cries. "They are turning Law
into grace, and grace into Law. They are changing Moses into Christ, and
Christ into Moses. By teaching that besides Christ and His righteousness
the performance of the Law is necessary unto salvation, they put the Law
in the place of Christ, they attribute to the Law the power to save, a
power that belongs to Christ only."
The papists quote the words of Christ: "If thou wilt enter into life, keep
the commandments." (Matt. 19:17.) With His own words they deny Christ and
abolish faith in Him. Christ is made to lose His good name, His office,
and His glory, and is demoted to the status of a law enforcer, reproving,
terrifying, and chasing poor sinners around.
The proper office of Christ is to raise the sinner, and extricate him from
his sins.
Papists and Anabaptists deride us because we so earnestly require faith.
"Faith," they say, "makes men reckless." What do these law-workers know
about faith, when they are so busy calling people back from baptism, from
faith, from the promises of Christ to the Law?
With their doctrine these lying sects of perdition deface the benefits of
Christ to this day. They rob Christ of His glory as the Justifier of
mankind and cast Him into the role of a minister of sin. They are like the
false apostles. There is not a single one among them who knows the
difference between law and grace.
We can tell the difference. We do not here and now argue whether we ought
to do good works, or whether the Law is any good, or whether the Law ought
to be kept at all. We will discuss these questions some other time. We are
now concerned with justification. Our opponents refuse to make this
distinction. All they can do is to bellow that good works ought to be
done. We know that. We know that good works ought to be done, but we will
talk about that when the proper time comes. Now we are dealing with
justification, and here good works should not be so much as mentioned.
Paul's argument has often comforted me. He argues: "If we who have been
justified by Christ are counted unrighteous, why seek justification in
Christ at all? If we are justified by the Law, tell me, what has Christ
achieved by His death, by His preaching, by His victory over sin and
death? Either we are justified by Christ, or we are made worse sinners by
Him."
The Sacred Scriptures, particularly those of the New Testament, make
frequent mention of faith in Christ. "Whosoever believeth in him is saved,
shall not perish, shall have everlasting life, is not judged," etc. In
open contradiction to the Scriptures, our opponents misquote, "He that
believeth in Christ is condemned, because he has faith without works." Our
opponents turn everything topsy-turvy. They make Christ over into a
murderer, and Moses into a savior. Is not this horrible blasphemy?
VERSE 17. Is therefore Christ the minister of sin?
This is Hebrew phraseology, also used by Paul in II Corinthians, chapter
3. There Paul speaks of two ministers: The minister of the letter, and the
minister of the spirit; the minister of the Law, and the minister of
grace; the minister of death, and the minister of life. "Moses," says
Paul, "is the minister of the Law, of sin, wrath, death, and
condemnation."
Whoever teaches that good works are indispensable unto salvation, that to
gain heaven a person must suffer afflictions and follow the example of
Christ and of the saints, is a minister of the Law, of sin, wrath, and of
death, for the conscience knows how impossible it is for a person to
fulfill the Law. Why, the Law makes trouble even for those who have the
Holy Spirit. What will not the Law do in the case of the wicked who do not
even have the Holy Spirit?
The Law requires perfect obedience. It condemns all who do not accomplish
the will of God. But show me a person who is able to render perfect
obedience. The Law cannot justify. It can only condemn according to the
passage: "Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are
written in the book of the law to do them."
Paul has good reason for calling the minister of the Law the minister of
sin, for the Law reveals our sinfulness. The realization of sin in turn
frightens the heart and drives it to despair. Therefore all exponents of
the Law and of works deserve to be called tyrants and oppressors.
The purpose of the Law is to reveal sin. That this is the purpose of the
Law can be seen from the account of the giving of the Law as reported in
the nineteenth and twentieth chapters of Exodus. Moses brought the people
out of their tents to have God speak to them personally from a cloud. But
the people trembled with fear, fled, and standing aloof they begged Moses:
"Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest
we die." The proper office of the Law is to lead us out of our tents, in
other words, out of the security of our self-trust, into the presence of
God, that we may perceive His anger at our sinfulness.
All who say that faith alone in Christ does not justify a person, convert
Christ into a minister of sin, a teacher of the Law, and a cruel tyrant
who requires the impossible. All merit-seekers take Christ for a new
lawgiver.
In conclusion, if the Law is the minister of sin, it is at the same time
the minister of wrath and death. As the Law reveals sin it fills a person
with the fear of death and condemnation. Eventually the conscience wakes
up to the fact that God is angry. If God is angry with you, He will
destroy and condemn you forever. Unable to stand the thought of the wrath
and judgment of God, many a person commits suicide.
VERSE 17. God forbid.
Christ is not the minister of sin, but the Dispenser of righteousness and
the Giver of life. Christ is Lord over law, sin and death. All who believe
in Him are delivered from law, sin and death.
The Law drives us away from God, but Christ reconciles God unto us, for
"He is the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sins of the world." Now if
the sin of the world is taken away, it is taken away from me. If sin is
taken away, the wrath of God and His condemnation are also taken away. Let
us practice this blessed conviction.
VERSE 18. For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make
myself a transgressor.
"I have not preached to the end that I build again the things which I
destroyed. If I should do so, I would not only be laboring in vain, but I
would make myself guilty of a great wrong. By the ministry of the Gospel I
have destroyed sin, heaviness of heart, wrath, and death. I have abolished
the Law, so that it should not bother your conscience any more. Should I
now once again establish the Law, and set up the rule of Moses? This is
exactly what I should be doing, if I would urge circumcision and the
performance of the Law as necessary unto salvation. Instead of
righteousness and life, I would restore sin and death."
By the grace of God we know that we are justified through faith in Christ
alone. We do not mingle law and grace, faith and works. We keep them far
apart. Let every true Christian mark the distinction between law and
grace, and mark it well.
We must not drag good works into the article of justification as the monks
do who maintain that not only good works, but also the punishment which
evildoers suffer for their wicked deeds, deserve everlasting life. When a
criminal is brought to the place of execution, the monks try to comfort
him in this manner: "You want to die willingly and patiently, and then you
will merit remission of your sins and eternal life." What cruelty is this,
that a wretched thief, murderer, robber should be so miserably misguided
in his extreme distress, that at the very point of death he should be
denied the sweet promises of Christ, and directed to hope for pardon of
his sins in the willingness and patience with which he is about to suffer
death for his crimes? The monks are showing him the paved way to hell.
These hypocrites do not know the first thing about grace, the Gospel, or
Christ. They retain the appearance and the name of the Gospel and of
Christ for a decoy only. In their confessional writings faith or the merit
of Christ are never mentioned. In their writings they play up the merits
of man, as can readily be seen from the following form of absolution used
among the monks.
"God forgive thee, brother. The merit of the passion of our Lord Jesus
Christ, and of the blessed Saint Mary, always a virgin, and of all the
saints; the merit of thy order, the strictness of thy religion, the
humility of thy profession, the contrition of thy heart, the good works
thou hast done and shalt do for the love of our Lord Jesus Christ, be
available unto thee for the remission of thy sins, the increase of thy
worth and grace, and the reward of everlasting life. Amen."
True, the merit of Christ is mentioned in this formula of absolution. But
if you look closer you will notice that Christ's merit is belittled, while
monkish merits are aggrandized. They confess Christ with their lips, and
at the same time deny His power to save. I myself was at one time
entangled in this error. I thought Christ was a judge and had to be
pacified by a strict adherence to the rules of my order. But now I give
thanks unto God, the Father of all mercies, who has called me out of
darkness into the light of His glorious Gospel, and has granted unto me
the saving knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord.
We conclude with Paul, that we are justified by faith in Christ, without
the Law. Once a person has been justified by Christ, he will not be
unproductive of good, but as a good tree he will bring forth good fruit. A
believer has the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit will not permit a person
to remain idle, but will put him to work and stir him up to the love of
God, to patient suffering in affliction, to prayer, thanksgiving, to the
habit of charity towards all men.
VERSE 19. For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live
unto God.
This cheering form of speech is frequently met with in the Scriptures,
particularly in the writings of St. Paul, when the Law is set against the
Law, and sin is made to oppose sin, and death is arrayed against death,
and hell is turned loose against hell, as in the following quotations:
"Thou hast led captivity captive," Psalm 68:18. "O death, I will be thy
plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction," Hosea 13:14. "And for sin,
condemned sin in the flesh," Romans 8:3.
Here Paul plays the Law against the Law, as if to say: "The Law of Moses
condemns me; but I have another law, the law of grace and liberty which
condemns the accusing Law of Moses."
On first sight Paul seems to be advancing a strange and ugly heresy. He
says, "I am dead to the law, that I might live unto God." The false
apostles said the very opposite. They said, "If you do not live to the
law, you are dead unto God."
The doctrine of our opponents is similar to that of the false apostles in
Paul's day. Our opponents teach, "If you want to live unto God, you must
live after the Law, for it is written, Do this and thou shalt live." Paul,
on the other hand, teaches, "We cannot live unto God unless we are dead
unto the Law." If we are dead unto the Law, the Law can have no power over
us.
Paul does not only refer to the Ceremonial Law, but to the whole Law. We
are not to think that the Law is wiped out. It stays. It continues to
operate in the wicked. But a Christian is dead to the Law. For example,
Christ by His resurrection became free from the grave, and yet the grave
remains. Peter was delivered from prison, yet the prison remains. The Law
is abolished as far as I am concerned, when it has driven me into the arms
of Christ. Yet the Law continues to exist and to function. But it no
longer exists for me.
"I have nothing to do with the Law," cries Paul. He could not have uttered
anything more devastating to the prestige of the Law. He declares that he
does not care for the Law, that he does not intend ever to be justified by
the Law.
To be dead to the Law means to be free of the Law. What right, then, has
the Law to accuse me, or to hold anything against me? When you see a
person squirming in the clutches of the Law, say to him: "Brother, get
things straight. You let the Law talk to your conscience. Make it talk to
your flesh. Wake up, and believe in Jesus Christ, the Conqueror of Law and
sin. Faith in Christ will lift you high above the Law into the heaven of
grace. Though Law and sin remain, they no longer concern you, because you
are dead to the Law and dead to sin."
Blessed is the person who knows how to use this truth in times of
distress. He can talk. He can say: "Mr. Law, go ahead and accuse me as
much as you like. I know I have committed many sins, and I continue to sin
daily. But that does not bother me. You have got to shout louder, Mr. Law.
I am deaf, you know. Talk as much as you like, I am dead to you. If you
want to talk to me about my sins, go and talk to my flesh. Belabor that,
but don't talk to my conscience. My conscience is a lady and a queen, and
has nothing to do with the likes of you, because my conscience lives to
Christ under another law, a new and better law, the law of grace."
We have two propositions: To live unto the Law, is to die unto God. To die
unto the Law, is to live unto God. These two propositions go against
reason. No law-worker can ever understand them. But see to it that you
understand them. The Law can never justify and save a sinner. The Law can
only accuse, terrify, and kill him. Therefore to live unto the Law is to
die unto God. Vice versa, to die unto the Law is to live unto God. If you
want to live unto God, bury the Law, and find life through faith in Christ
Jesus.
We have enough arguments right here to conclude that justification is by
faith alone. How can the Law effect our justification, when Paul so
plainly states that we must be dead to the Law if we want to live unto
God? If we are dead to the Law and the Law is dead to us, how can it
possibly contribute anything to our justification? There is nothing left
for us but to be justified by faith alone.
This nineteenth verse is loaded with consolation. It fortifies a person
against every danger. It allows you to argue like this:
"I confess I have sinned."
"Then God will punish you."
"No, He will not do that."
"Why not? Does not the Law say so?"
"I have nothing to do with the Law."
"How so?"
"I have another law, the law of liberty."
"What do you mean—'liberty'?"
"The liberty of Christ, for Christ has made me free from the Law that
held me down. That Law is now in prison itself, held captive by grace
and liberty."
By faith in Christ a person may gain such sure and sound comfort, that he
need not fear the devil, sin, death, or any evil. "Sir Devil," he may say,
"I am not afraid of you. I have a Friend whose name is Jesus Christ, in
whom I believe. He has abolished the Law, condemned sin, vanquished death,
and destroyed hell for me. He is bigger than you, Satan. He has licked
you, and holds you down. You cannot hurt me." This is the faith that
overcomes the devil.
Paul manhandles the Law. He treats the Law as if it were a thief and a
robber He treats the Law as contemptible to the conscience, in order that
those who believe in Christ may take courage to defy the Law, and say:
"Mr. Law, I am a sinner. What are you going to do about it?"
Or take death. Christ is risen from death. Why should we now fear the
grave? Against my death I set another death, or rather life, my life in
Christ.
Oh, the sweet names of Jesus! He is called my law against the Law, my sin
against sin, my death against death. Translated, it means that He is my
righteousness, my life, my everlasting salvation. For this reason was He
made the law of the Law, the sin of sin, the death of death, that He might
redeem me from the curse of the Law. He permitted the Law to accuse Him,
sin to condemn Him, and death to take Him, to abolish the Law, to condemn
sin, and to destroy death for me.
This peculiar form of speech sounds much sweeter than if Paul had said: "I
through liberty am dead to the law." By putting it in this way, "I through
the law am dead to the law," he opposes one law with another law, and has
them fight it out.
In this masterly fashion Paul draws our attention away from the Law, sin,
death, and every evil, and centers it upon Christ.
VERSE 20. I am crucified with Christ.
Christ is Lord over the Law, because He was crucified unto the Law. I also
am lord over the Law, because by faith I am crucified with Christ.
Paul does not here speak of crucifying the flesh, but he speaks of that
higher crucifying wherein sin, devil, and death are crucified in Christ
and in me. By my faith in Christ I am crucified with Christ. Hence these
evils are crucified and dead unto me.
VERSE 20. Nevertheless I live.
"I do not mean to create the impression as though I did not live before
this. But in reality I first live now, now that I have been delivered from
the Law, from sin, and death. Being crucified with Christ and dead unto
the Law, I may now rise unto a new and better life."
We must pay close attention to Paul's way of speaking. He says that we are
crucified and dead unto the Law. The fact is, the Law is crucified and
dead unto us. Paul purposely speaks that way in order to increase the
portion of our comfort.
VERSE 20. Yet not I.
Paul explains what constitutes true Christian righteousness. True
Christian righteousness is the righteousness of Christ who lives in us. We
must look away from our own person. Christ and my conscience must become
one, so that I can see nothing else but Christ crucified and raised from
the dead for me. If I keep on looking at myself, I am gone.
If we lose sight of Christ and begin to consider our past, we simply go to
pieces. We must turn our eyes to the brazen serpent, Christ crucified, and
believe with all our heart that He is our righteousness and our life. For
Christ, on whom our eyes are fixed, in whom we live, who lives in us, is
Lord over Law, sin, death, and all evil.
VERSE 20. But Christ liveth in me.
"Thus I live," the Apostle starts out. But presently he corrects himself,
saying, "Yet not I, but Christ liveth in me." He is the form of my
perfection. He embellishes my faith.
Since Christ is now living in me, He abolishes the Law, condemns sin, and
destroys death in me. These foes vanish in His presence. Christ abiding in
me drives out every evil. This union with Christ delivers me from the
demands of the Law, and separates me from my sinful self. As long as I
abide in Christ, nothing can hurt me.
Christ domiciling in me, the old Adam has to stay outside and remain
subject to the Law. Think what grace, righteousness, life, peace, and
salvation there is in me, thanks to that inseparable conjunction between
Christ and me through faith!
Paul has a peculiar style, a celestial way of speaking. "I live," he says,
"I live not; I am dead, I am not dead; I am a sinner, I am not a sinner; I
have the Law, I have no Law." When we look at ourselves we find plenty of
sin. But when we look at Christ, we have no sin. Whenever we separate the
person of Christ from our own person, we live under the Law and not in
Christ; we are condemned by the Law, dead before God.
Faith connects you so intimately with Christ, that He and you become as it
were one person. As such you may boldly say: "I am now one with Christ.
Therefore Christ's righteousness, victory, and life are mine." On the
other hand, Christ may say: "I am that big sinner. His sins and his death
are mine, because he is joined to me, and I to him."
Whenever remission of sins is freely proclaimed, people misinterpret it
according to Romans 3:8, "Let us do evil, that good may come." As soon as
people hear that we are not justified by the Law, they reason maliciously:
"Why, then let us reject the Law. If grace abounds, where sin abounds, let
us abound in sin, that grace may all the more abound." People who reason
thus are reckless. They make sport of the Scriptures and slander the
sayings of the Holy Ghost.
However, there are others who are not malicious, only weak, who may take
offense when told that Law and good works are unnecessary for salvation.
These must be instructed as to why good works do not justify, and from
what motives good works must be done. Good works are not the cause, but
the fruit of righteousness. When we have become righteous, then first are
we able and willing to do good. The tree makes the apple; the apple does
not make the tree.
VERSE 20. And the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the
faith of the Son of God.
Paul does not deny the fact that he is living in the flesh. He performs
the natural functions of the flesh. But he says that this is not his real
life. His life in the flesh is not a life after the flesh.
"I live by the faith of the Son of God," he says. "My speech is no longer
directed by the flesh, but by the Holy Ghost. My sight is no longer
governed by the flesh, but by the Holy Ghost. My hearing is no longer
determined by the flesh, but by the Holy Ghost. I cannot teach, write,
pray, or give thanks without the instrumentality of the flesh; yet these
activities do not proceed from the flesh, but from God."
A Christian uses earthly means like any unbeliever. Outwardly they look
alike. Nevertheless there is a great difference between them. I may live
in the flesh, but I do not live after the flesh. I do my living now "by
the faith of the Son of God." Paul had the same voice, the same tongue,
before and after his conversion. Before his conversion his tongue uttered
blasphemies. But after his conversion his tongue spoke a spiritual,
heavenly language.
We may now understand how spiritual life originates. It enters the heart
by faith. Christ reigns in the heart with His Holy Spirit, who sees,
hears, speaks, works, suffers, and does all things in and through us over
the protest and the resistance of the flesh.
VERSE 20. Who loved me, and gave himself for me.
The sophistical papists assert that a person is able by natural strength
to love God long before grace has entered his heart, and to perform works
of real merit. They believe they are able to fulfill the commandments of
God. They believe they are able to do more than God expects of them, so
that they are in a position to sell their superfluous merits to laymen,
thereby saving themselves and others. They are saving nobody. On the
contrary, they abolish the Gospel, they deride, deny, and blaspheme
Christ, and call upon themselves the wrath of God. This is what they get
for living in their own righteousness, and not in the faith of the Son of
God.
The papists will tell you to do the best you can, and God will give you
His grace. They have a rhyme for it:
"God will no more require of man, Than of himself perform he can."
This may hold true in ordinary civic life. But the papists apply it to the
spiritual realm where a person can perform nothing but sin, because he is
sold under sin.
Our opponents go even further than that. They say, nature is depraved, but
the qualities of nature are untainted. Again we say: This may hold true in
everyday life, but not in the spiritual life. In spiritual matters a
person is by nature full of darkness, error, ignorance, malice, and
perverseness in will and in mind. In view of this, Paul declares that
Christ began and not we. "He loved me, and gave Himself for me. He found
in me no right mind and no good will. But the good Lord had mercy upon me.
Out of pure kindness He loved me, loved me so that He gave Himself for me,
that I should be free from the Law, from sin, devil, and death."
The words, "The Son of God who loved me, and gave Himself for me," are so
many thunderclaps and lightning bolts of protest from heaven against the
righteousness of the Law. The wickedness, error, darkness, ignorance in my
mind and my will were so great, that it was quite impossible for me to be
saved by any other means than by the inestimable price of Christ's death.
Let us count the price. When you hear that such an enormous price was paid
for you, will you still come along with your cowl, your shaven pate, your
chastity, your obedience, your poverty, your works, your merits? What do
you want with all these trappings? What good are the works of all men, and
all the pains of the martyrs, in comparison with the pains of the Son of
God dying on the Cross, so that there was not a drop of His precious
blood, but it was all shed for your sins. If you could properly evaluate
this incomparable price, you would throw all your ceremonies, vows, works,
and merits into the ash can. What awful presumption to imagine that there
is any work good enough to pacify God, when to pacify God required the
invaluable price of the death and blood of His own and only Son?
VERSE 20. For me.
Who is this "me"? I, wretched and damnable sinner, dearly beloved of the
Son of God. If I could by work or merit love the Son of God and come to
Him, why should He have sacrificed Himself for me? This shows how the
papists ignore the Scriptures, particularly the doctrine of faith. If they
had paid any attention at all to these words, that it was absolutely
necessary for the Son of God to be given into death for me, they would
never have invented so many hideous heresies.
I always say, there is no remedy against the sects, no power to resist
them, except this article of Christian righteousness. If we lose this
article we shall never be able to combat errors or sects. What business
have they to make such a fuss about works or merits? If I, a condemned
sinner, could have been purchased and redeemed by any other price, why
should the Son of God have given Himself for me? Just because there was no
other price in heaven and on earth big and good enough, was it necessary
for the Son of God to be delivered for me. This He did out of His great
love for me, for the Apostle says, "Who loved me."
Did the Law ever love me? Did the Law ever sacrifice itself for me? Did
the Law ever die for me? On the contrary, it accuses me, it frightens me,
it drives me crazy. Somebody else saved me from the Law, from sin and
death unto eternal life. That Somebody is the Son of God, to whom be
praise and glory forever.
Hence, Christ is no Moses, no tyrant, no lawgiver, but the Giver of grace,
the Savior, full of mercy. In short, He is no less than infinite mercy and
ineffable goodness, bountifully giving Himself for us. Visualize Christ in
these His true colors. I do not say that it is easy. Even in the present
diffusion of the Gospel light, I have much trouble to see Christ as Paul
portrays Him. So deeply has the diseased opinion that Christ is a lawgiver
sunk into my bones. You younger men are a good deal better off than we who
are old. You have never become infected with the nefarious errors on which
I suckled all my youth, until at the mention of the name of Christ I
shivered with fear. You, I say, who are young may learn to know Christ in
all His sweetness.
For Christ is Joy and Sweetness to a broken heart. Christ is a Lover of
poor sinners, and such a Lover that He gave Himself for us. Now if this is
true, and it is true, then are we never justified by our own
righteousness.
Read the words "me" and "for me" with great emphasis. Print this "me" with
capital letters in your heart, and do not ever doubt that you belong to
the number of those who are meant by this "me." Christ did not only love
Peter and Paul. The same love He felt for them He feels for us. If we
cannot deny that we are sinners, we cannot deny that Christ died for our
sins.
VERSE 21. I do not frustrate the grace of God.
Paul is now getting ready for the second argument of his Epistle, to the
effect that to seek justification by works of the Law, is to reject the
grace of God. I ask you, what sin can be more horrible than to reject the
grace of God, and to refuse the righteousness of Christ? It is bad enough
that we are wicked sinners and transgressors of all the commandments of
God; on top of that to refuse the grace of God and the remission of sins
offered unto us by Christ, is the worst sin of all, the sin of sins. That
is the limit. There is no sin which Paul and the other apostles detested
more than when a person despises the grace of God in Christ Jesus. Still
there is no sin more common. That is why Paul can get so angry at the
Antichrist, because he snubs Christ, rebuffs the grace of God, and refuses
the merit of Christ. What else would you call it but spitting in Christ's
face, pushing Christ to the side, usurping Christ's throne, and to say: "I
am going to justify you people; I am going to save you." By what means? By
masses, pilgrimages, pardons, merits, etc. For this is Antichrist's
doctrine: Faith is no good, unless it is reinforced by works. By this
abominable doctrine Antichrist has spoiled, darkened, and buried the
benefit of Christ, and in place of the grace of Christ and His Kingdom, he
has established the doctrine of works and the kingdom of ceremonies.
We despise the grace of God when we observe the Law for the purpose of
being justified. The Law is good, holy, and profitable, but it does not
justify. To keep the Law in order to be justified means to reject grace,
to deny Christ, to despise His sacrifice, and to be lost.
VERSE 21. For if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead
in vain.
Did Christ die, or did He not die? Was His death worth while, or was it
not? If His death was worth while, it follows that righteousness does not
come by the Law. Why was Christ born anyway? Why was He crucified? Why did
He suffer? Why did He love me and give Himself for me? It was all done to
no purpose if righteousness is to be had by the Law.
Or do you think that God spared not His Son, but delivered Him for us all,
for the fun of it? Before I would admit anything like that, I would
consign the holiness of the saints and of the angels to hell.
To reject the grace of God is a common sin, of which everybody is guilty
who sees any righteousness in himself or in his deeds. And the Pope is the
sole author of this iniquity. Not content to spoil the Gospel of Christ,
he has filled the world with his cursed traditions, e.g., his bulls and
indulgences.
We will always affirm with Paul that either Christ died in vain, or else
the Law cannot justify us. But Christ did not suffer and die in vain.
Hence, the Law does not justify.
If my salvation was so difficult to accomplish that it necessitated the
death of Christ, then all my works, all the righteousness of the Law, are
good for nothing. How can I buy for a penny what cost a million dollars?
The Law is a penny's worth when you compare it with Christ. Should I be so
stupid as to reject the righteousness of Christ which cost me nothing, and
slave like a fool to achieve the righteousness of the Law which God
disdains?
Man's own righteousness is in the last analysis a despising and rejecting
of the grace of God. No combination of words can do justice to such an
outrage. It is an insult to say that any man died in vain. But to say that
Christ died in vain is a deadly insult. To say that Christ died in vain is
to make His resurrection, His victory, His glory, His kingdom, heaven,
earth, God Himself, of no purpose and benefit whatever.
That is enough to set any person against the righteousness of the Law and
all the trimmings of men's own righteousness, the orders of monks and
friars, and their superstitions.
Who would not detest his own vows, his cowls, his shaven crown, his
bearded traditions, yes, the very Law of Moses, when he hears that for
such things he rejected the grace of God and the death of Christ. It seems
that such a horrible wickedness could not enter a man's heart, that he
should reject the grace of God, and despise the death of Christ. And yet
this atrocity is all too common. Let us be warned. Everyone who seeks
righteousness without Christ, either by works, merits, satisfactions,
actions, or by the Law, rejects the grace of God, and despises the death
of Christ.
CHAPTER 3
VERSE 1. O foolish Galatians.
THE Apostle Paul manifests his apostolic care for the Galatians. Sometimes
he entreats them, then again he reproaches them, in accordance with his
own advice to Timothy: "Preach the word; be instant in season, out of
season; reprove, rebuke, exhort."
In the midst of his discourse on Christian righteousness Paul breaks off,
and turns to address the Galatians. "O foolish Galatians," he cries. "I
have brought you the true Gospel, and you received it with eagerness and
gratitude. Now all of a sudden you drop the Gospel. What has got into
you?"
Paul reproves the Galatians rather sharply when he calls them "fools,
bewitched, and disobedient." Whether he is indignant or sorry, I cannot
say. He may be both. It is the duty of a Christian pastor to reprove the
people committed to his charge. Of course, his anger must not flow from
malice, but from affection and a real zeal for Christ.
There is no question that Paul is disappointed. It hurts him to think that
his Galatians showed so little stability. We can hear him say: "I am sorry
to hear of your troubles, and disappointed in you for the disgraceful part
you played." I say rather much on this point to save Paul from the charge
that he railed upon the churches, contrary to the spirit of the Gospel.
A certain distance and coolness can be noted in the title with which the
Apostle addresses the Galatians. He does not now address them as his
brethren, as he usually does. He addresses them as Galatians in order to
remind them of their national trait to be foolish.
We have here an example of bad traits that often cling to individual
Christians and entire congregations. Grace does not suddenly transform a
Christian into a new and perfect creature. Dregs of the old and natural
corruption remain. The Spirit of God cannot at once overcome human
deficiency. Sanctification takes time.
Although the Galatians had been enlightened by the Holy Spirit through the
preaching of faith, something of their national trait of foolishness plus
their original depravity clung to them. Let no man think that once he has
received faith, he can presently be converted into a faultless creature.
The leavings of old vices will stick to him, be he ever so good a
Christian.
VERSE 1. Who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth?
Paul calls the Galatians foolish and bewitched. In the fifth chapter he
mentions sorcery among the works of the flesh, declaring that witchcraft
and sorcery are real manifestations and legitimate activities of the
devil. We are all exposed to the influence of the devil, because he is the
prince and god of the world in which we live.
Satan is clever. He does not only bewitch men in a crude manner, but also
in a more artful fashion. He bedevils the minds of men with hideous
fallacies. Not only is he able to deceive the self-assured, but even those
who profess the true Christian faith. There is not one among us who is not
at times seduced by Satan into false beliefs.
This accounts for the many new battles we have to wage nowadays. But the
attacks of the old Serpent are not without profit to us, for they confirm
our doctrine and strengthen our faith in Christ. Many a time we were
wrestled down in these conflicts with Satan, but Christ has always
triumphed and always will triumph. Do not think that the Galatians were
the only ones to be bewitched by the devil. Let us realize that we too may
be seduced by Satan.
VERSE 1. Who hath bewitched you?
In this sentence Paul excuses the Galatians, while he blames the false
apostles for the apostasy of the Galatians.
As if he were saying: "I know your defection was not willful. The devil
sent the false apostles to you, and they tallied you into believing that
you are justified by the Law. With this our epistle we endeavor to undo
the damage which the false apostles have inflicted upon you."
Like Paul, we struggle with the Word of God against the fanatical
Anabaptists of our day; and our efforts are not entirely in vain. The
trouble is there are many who refuse to be instructed. They will not
listen to reason; they will not listen to the Scriptures, because they are
bewitched by the tricky devil who can make a lie look like the truth.
Since the devil has this uncanny ability to make us believe a lie until we
would swear a thousand times it were the truth, we must not be proud, but
walk in fear and humility, and call upon the Lord Jesus to save us from
temptation.
Although I am a doctor of divinity, and have preached Christ and fought
His battles for a long time, I know from personal experience how difficult
it is to hold fast to the truth. I cannot always shake off Satan. I cannot
always apprehend Christ as the Scriptures portray Him. Sometimes the devil
distorts Christ to my vision. But thanks be to God, who keeps us in His
Word, in faith, and in prayer.
The spiritual witchery of the devil creates in the heart a wrong idea of
Christ. Those who share the opinion that a person is justified by the
works of the Law, are simply bewitched. Their belief goes against faith
and Christ.
VERSE 1. That ye should not obey the truth.
Paul incriminates the Galatians in worse failure. "You are so bewitched
that you no longer obey the truth. I fear many of you have strayed so far
that you will never return to the truth."
The apostasy of the Galatians is a fine indorsement of the Law, all right.
You may preach the Law ever so fervently; if the preaching of the Gospel
does not accompany it, the Law will never produce true conversion and
heartfelt repentance. We do not mean to say that the preaching of the Law
is without value, but it only serves to bring home to us the wrath of God.
The Law bows a person down. It takes the Gospel and the preaching of faith
in Christ to raise and save a person.
VERSE 1. Before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth.
Paul's increasing severity becomes apparent as he reminds the Galatians
that they disobeyed the truth in defiance of the vivid description he had
given them of Christ. So vividly had he described Christ to them that they
could almost see and handle Him. As if Paul were to say: "No artist with
all his colors could have pictured Christ to you as vividly as I have
pictured Him to you by my preaching. Yet you permitted yourselves to be
seduced to the extent that you disobeyed the truth of Christ."
VERSE 1. Crucified among you.
"You have not only rejected the grace of God, you have shamefully
crucified Christ among you." Paul employs the same phraseology in Hebrews
6:6: "Seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him
to an open shame."
It should make any person afraid to hear Paul say that those who seek to
be justified by the Law, not only deny Christ, but also crucify Him anew.
If those who seek to be justified by the Law and its works are crucifiers
of Christ, what are they, I like to know, who seek salvation by the filthy
rags of their own work-righteousness?
Can there be anything more horrible than the papacy, an alliance of people
who crucify Christ in themselves, in the Church, and in the hearts of the
believers?
Of all the diseased and vicious doctrines of the papacy the worst is this:
"If you want to serve God you must earn your own remission of sins and
everlasting life, and in addition help others to obtain salvation by
giving them the benefit of your extra work-holiness." Monks, friars, and
all the rest of them brag that besides the ordinary requirements common to
all Christians, they do the works of supererogation, i.e., the performance
of more than is required. This is certainly a fiendish illusion.
No wonder Paul employs such sharp language in his effort to recall the
Galatians from the doctrine of the false apostles. He says to them: "Don't
you realize what you have done? You have crucified Christ anew because you
seek salvation by the Law."
True, Christ can no longer be crucified in person, but He is crucified in
us when we reject grace, faith, free remission of sins and endeavor to be
justified by our own works, or by the works of the Law.
The Apostle is incensed at the presumptuousness of any person who thinks
he can perform the Law of God to his own salvation. He charges that person
with the atrocity of crucifying anew the Son of God.
VERSE 2. This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the
works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
There is a touch of irony in these words of the Apostle. "Come on now, my
smart Galatians, you who all of a sudden have become doctors, while I seem
to be your pupil: Received ye the Holy Ghost by the works of the Law, or
by the preaching of the Gospel?" This question gave them something to
think about, because their own experience contradicted them.
"You cannot say that you received the Holy Spirit by the Law. As long as
you were servants of the Law, you never received the Holy Ghost. Nobody
ever heard of the Holy Ghost being given to anybody, be he doctor or
dunce, as a result of the preaching of the Law. In your own case, you have
not only learned the Law by heart, you have labored with all your might to
perform it. You most of all should have received the Holy Ghost by the
Law, if that were possible. You cannot show me that this ever happened.
But as soon as the Gospel came your way, you received the Holy Ghost by
the simple hearing of faith, before you ever had a chance to do a single
good deed." Luke verifies this statement of Paul in the Book of Acts:
"While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which
heard the word." (Acts 10:44.) "And as I began to speak, the Holy Ghost
fell on them, as on us at the beginning." (Acts 11:15.)
Try to appreciate the force of Paul's argument which is so often repeated
in the Book of Acts. That Book was written for the express purpose of
verifying Paul's assertion, that the Holy Ghost comes upon men, not in
response to the preaching of the Law, but in response to the preaching of
the Gospel. When Peter preached Christ at the first Pentecost, the Holy
Ghost fell upon the hearers, "and the same day there were added unto them
about three thousand souls." Cornelius received the Holy Ghost while Peter
was speaking of Christ. "The Holy Ghost fell on all of them which heard
the word." These are actual experiences that cannot very well be denied.
When Paul and Barnabas returned to Jerusalem and reported what they had
been able to accomplish among the Gentiles, the whole Church was
astonished, particularly when it heard that the uncircumcised Gentiles had
received the Holy Ghost by the preaching of faith in Christ.
Now as God gave the Holy Ghost to the Gentiles without the Law by the
simple preaching of the Gospel, so He gave the Holy Ghost also to the
Jews, without the Law, through faith alone. If the righteousness of the
Law were necessary unto salvation, the Holy Ghost would never have come to
the Gentiles, because they did not bother about the Law. Hence the Law
does not justify, but faith in Christ justifies.
How was it with Cornelius? Cornelius and his friends whom he had invited
over to his house, do nothing but sit and listen. Peter is doing the
talking. They just sit and do nothing. The Law is far removed from their
thoughts. They burn no sacrifices. They are not at all interested in
circumcision. All they do is to sit and listen to Peter. Suddenly the Holy
Ghost enters their hearts. His presence is unmistakable, "for they spoke
with tongues and magnified God."
Right here we have one more difference between the Law and the Gospel. The
Law does not bring on the Holy Ghost. The Gospel, however, brings on the
gift of the Holy Ghost, because it is the nature of the Gospel to convey
good gifts. The Law and the Gospel are contrary ideas. They have contrary
functions and purposes. To endow the Law with any capacity to produce
righteousness is to plagiarize the Gospel. The Gospel brings donations. It
pleads for open hands to take what is being offered. The Law has nothing
to give. It demands, and its demands are impossible.
Our opponents come back at us with Cornelius. Cornelius, they point out,
was "a devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave
much alms to the people and prayed God always." Because of these
qualifications, he merited the forgiveness of sins, and the gift of the
Holy Ghost. So reason our opponents.
I answer: Cornelius was a Gentile. You cannot deny it. As a Gentile he
was uncircumcised. As a Gentile he did not observe the Law. He never
gave the Law any thought. For all that, he was justified and received
the Holy Ghost. How can the Law avail anything unto righteousness?
Our opponents are not satisfied. They reply: "Granted that Cornelius was
a Gentile and did not receive the Holy Ghost by the Law, yet the text
plainly states that he was a devout man who feared God, gave alms, and
prayed. Don't you think he deserved the gift of the Holy Ghost?"I answer: Cornelius had the faith of the fathers who were saved by
faith in the Christ to come. If Cornelius had died before Christ, he
would have been saved because he believed in the Christ to come. But
because the Messiah had already come, Cornelius had to be apprized of
the fact. Since Christ has come we cannot be saved by faith in the
Christ to come, but we must believe that he has come. The object of
Peter's visit was to acquaint Cornelius with the fact that Christ was
no longer to be looked for, because He is here.
As to the contention of our opponents that Cornelius deserved grace and
the gift of the Holy Ghost, because he was devout and just, we say that
these attributes are the characteristics of a spiritual person who already
has faith in Christ, and not the characteristics of a Gentile or of
natural man. Luke first praises Cornelius for being a devout and
God-fearing man, and then Luke mentions the good works, the alms and
prayers of Cornelius. Our opponents ignore the sequence of Luke's words.
They pounce on this one sentence, "which gave much alms to the people,"
because it serves their assertion that merit precedes grace. The fact is
that Cornelius gave alms and prayed to God because he had faith. And
because of his faith in the Christ to come, Peter was delegated to preach
unto Cornelius faith in the Christ who had already come. This argument is
convincing enough. Cornelius was justified without the Law, therefore the
Law cannot justify.
Take the case of Naaman, the Syrian, who was a Gentile and did not belong
to the race of Moses. Yet his flesh was cleansed, the God of Israel was
revealed unto him, and he received the Holy Ghost. Naaman confessed his
faith: "Behold, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in
Israel." (II Kings 5:15.) Naaman does not do a thing. He does not busy
himself with the Law. He was never circumcised. That does not mean that
his faith was inactive. He said to the Prophet Elisha: "Thy servant will
henceforth offer neither burnt offering nor sacrifice unto other gods, but
unto the Lord. In this thing the Lord pardon thy servant, that when my
master goeth into the house of Rimmon to worship there, and he leaneth on
my hand, and I bow myself in the house of Rimmon: when I bow down myself
in the house of Rimmon, the Lord pardon thy servant in this thing." What
did the Prophet tell him? "Go in peace." The Jews do not like to hear the
prophet say this. "What," they exclaim, "should this heathen be justified
without the Law? Should he be made equal to us who are circumcised?"
Long before the time of Moses, God justified men without the Law. He
justified many kings of Egypt and Babylonia. He justified Job. Nineveh,
that great city, was justified and received the promise of God that He
would not destroy the city. Why was Nineveh spared? Not because it
fulfilled the Law, but because Nineveh believed the word of God. The
Prophet Jonah writes: "So the people of Nineveh believed God, and
proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth." They repented. Nowhere in the
Book of Jonah do you read that the Ninevites received the Law of Moses, or
that they were circumcised, or that they offered sacrifices.
All this happened long before Christ was born. If the Gentiles were
justified without the Law and quietly received the Holy Spirit at a time
when the Law was in full force, why should the Law count unto
righteousness now, now that Christ has fulfilled the Law?
And yet many devote much time and labor to the Law, to the decrees of the
fathers, and to the traditions of the Pope. Many of these specialists have
incapacitated themselves for any kind of work, good or bad, by their
rigorous attention to rules and laws. All the same, they could not obtain
a quiet conscience and peace in Christ. But the moment the Gospel of
Christ touches them, certainty comes to them, and joy, and a right
judgment.
I have good reason for enlarging upon this point. The heart of man finds
it difficult to believe that so great a treasure as the Holy Ghost is
gotten by the mere hearing of faith. The hearer likes to reason like this:
Forgiveness of sins, deliverance from death, the gift of the Holy Ghost,
everlasting life are grand things. If you want to obtain these priceless
benefits, you must engage in correspondingly great efforts. And the devil
says, "Amen."
We must learn that forgiveness of sins, Christ, and the Holy Ghost, are
freely granted unto us at the preaching of faith, in spite of our
sinfulness. We are not to waste time thinking how unworthy we are of the
blessings of God. We are to know that it pleased God freely to give us His
unspeakable gifts. If He offers His gifts free of charge, why not take
them? Why worry about our lack of worthiness? Why not accept gifts with
joy and thanksgiving?
Right away foolish reason is once more offended. It scolds us. "When you
say that a person can do nothing to obtain the grace of God, you foster
carnal security. People become shiftless and will do no good at all.
Better not preach this doctrine of faith. Rather urge the people to exert
and to exercise themselves in good works, so that the Holy Ghost will feel
like coming to them."
What did Jesus say to Martha when she was very "careful and troubled about
many things" and could hardly stand to see her sister Mary sitting at the
feet of Jesus, just listening? "Martha, Martha," Jesus said, "thou art
careful and troubled about many things: but one thing is needful; and Mary
hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her." A
person becomes a Christian not by working, but by hearing. The first step
to being a Christian is to hear the Gospel. When a person has accepted the
Gospel, let him first give thanks unto God with a glad heart, and then let
him get busy on the good works to strive for, works that really please
God, and not man-made and self-chosen works.
Our opponents regard faith as an easy thing, but I know from personal
experience how hard it is to believe. That the Holy Ghost is received by
faith, is quickly said, but not so quickly done.
All believers experience this difficulty. They would gladly embrace the
Word with a full faith, but the flesh deters them. You see, our reason
always thinks it is too easy and cheap to have righteousness, the Holy
Spirit, and life everlasting by the mere hearing of the Gospel.
VERSE 3. Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made
perfect by the flesh?
Paul now begins to warn the Galatians against a twofold danger. The first
danger is: "Are ye so foolish, that after ye have begun in the Spirit, ye
would now end in the flesh?"
"Flesh" stands for the righteousness of reason which seeks justification
by the accomplishment of the Law. I am told that I began in the spirit
under the papacy, but am ending up in the flesh because I got married. As
though single life were a spiritual life, and married life a carnal life.
They are silly. All the duties of a Christian husband, e.g., to love his
wife, to bring up his children, to govern his family, etc., are the very
fruits of the Spirit.
The righteousness of the Law which Paul also terms the righteousness of
the flesh is so far from justifying a person that those who once had the
Holy Spirit and lost Him, end up in the Law to their complete destruction.
VERSE 4. Have ye suffered so many things in vain?
The other danger against which the Apostle warns the Galatians is this:
"Have ye suffered so many things in vain?" Paul wants to say: "Consider
not only the good start you had and lost, but consider also the many
things you have suffered for the sake of the Gospel and for the name of
Christ. You have suffered the loss of your possessions, you have borne
reproaches, you have passed through many dangers of body and life. You
endured much for the name of Christ and you endured it faithfully. But now
you have lost everything, the Gospel, faith, and the spiritual benefit of
your sufferings for Christ's sake. What a miserable thing to endure so
many afflictions for nothing."
VERSE 4. If it be yet in vain.
The Apostle adds the afterthought: "If it be yet in vain. I do not despair
of all hope for you. But if you continue to look to the Law for
righteousness, I think you should be told that all your past true worship
of God and all the afflictions that you have endured for Christ's sake are
going to help you not at all. I do not mean to discourage you altogether.
I do hope you will repent and amend."
VERSE 5. He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh
miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the
hearing of faith?
This argument based on the experience of the Galatians, pleased the
Apostle so well that he returns to it after he had warned them against
their twofold danger. "You have not only received the Spirit by the
preaching of the Gospel, but by the same Gospel you were enabled to do
things." "What things?" we ask. Miracles. At least the Galatians had
manifested the striking fruits of faith which true disciples of the Gospel
manifested in those days. On one occasion the Apostle wrote: "The kingdom
of God is not in word, but in power." This "power" revealed itself not
only in readiness of speech, but in demonstrations of the supernatural
ability of the Holy Spirit.
When the Gospel is preached unto faith, hope, love, and patience, God
gives His wonder-working Spirit. Paul reminds the Galatians of this. "God
had not only brought you to faith by my preaching. He had also sanctified
you to bring forth the fruits of faith. And one of the fruits of your
faith was that you loved me so devotedly that you were willing to pluck
out your eyes for me." To love a fellow-man so devotedly as to be ready to
bestow upon him money, goods, eyes in order to secure his salvation, such
love is the fruit of the Holy Spirit.
"These products of the Spirit you enjoyed before the false apostles misled
you," the Apostle reminds the Galatians. "But you haven't manifested any
of these fruits under the regime of the Law. How does it come that you do
not grow the same fruits now? You no longer teach truly; you do not
believe boldly; you do not live well; you do not work hard; you do not
bear things patiently. Who has spoiled you that you no longer love me;
that you are not now ready to pluck out your eyes for me? What has
happened to cool your personal interest in me?"
The same thing happened to me. When I began to proclaim the Gospel, there
were many, very many who were delighted with our doctrine and had a good
opinion of us. And now? Now they have succeeded in making us so odious to
those who formerly loved us that they now hate us like poison.
Paul argues: "Your experience ought to teach you that the fruits of love
do not grow on the stump of the Law. You had not virtue prior to the
preaching of the Gospel and you have no virtues now under the regime of
the false apostles."
We, too, may say to those who misname themselves "evangelical" and flout
their new-found liberty: Have you put down the tyranny of the Pope and
obtained liberty in Christ through the Anabaptists and other fanatics? Or
have you obtained your freedom from us who preach faith in Christ Jesus?
If there is any honesty left in them they will have to confess that their
freedom dates from the preaching of the Gospel.
VERSE 6. Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him
for righteousness.
The Apostle next adduces the example of Abraham and reviews the testimony
of the Scriptures concerning faith. The first passage is taken from
Genesis 16:6: "And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for
righteousness." The Apostle makes the most of this passage. Abraham may
have enjoyed a good standing with men for his upright life, but not with
God. In the sight of God, Abraham was a condemned sinner. That he was
justified before God was not due to his own exertions, but due to his
faith. The Scriptures expressly state: "Abraham believed in the Lord; and
he counted it to him for righteousness."
Paul places the emphasis upon the two words: Abraham believed. Faith in
God constitutes the highest worship, the prime duty, the first obedience,
and the foremost sacrifice. Without faith God forfeits His glory, wisdom,
truth, and mercy in us. The first duty of man is to believe in God and to
honor Him with his faith. Faith is truly the height of wisdom, the right
kind of righteousness, the only real religion. This will give us an idea
of the excellence of faith.
To believe in God as Abraham did is to be right with God because faith
honors God. Faith says to God: "I believe what you say." When we pay
attention to reason, God seems to propose impossible matters in the
Christian Creed. To reason it seems absurd that Christ should offer His
body and blood in the Lord's Supper; that Baptism should be the washing of
regeneration; that the dead shall rise; that Christ the Son of God was
conceived in the womb of the Virgin Mary, etc. Reason shouts that all this
is preposterous. Are you surprised that reason thinks little of faith?
Reason thinks it ludicrous that faith should be the foremost service any
person can render unto God.
Let your faith supplant reason. Abraham mastered reason by faith in the
Word of God. Not as though reason ever yields meekly. It put up a fight
against the faith of Abraham. Reason protested that it was absurd to think
that Sarah who was ninety years old and barren by nature, should give
birth to a son. But faith won the victory and routed reason, that ugly
beast and enemy of God. Everyone who by faith slays reason, the world's
biggest monster, renders God a real service, a better service than the
religions of all races and all the drudgery of meritorious monks can
render.
Men fast, pray, watch, suffer. They intend to appease the wrath of God and
to deserve God's grace by their exertions. But there is no glory in it for
God, because by their exertions these workers pronounce God an unmerciful
slave driver, an unfaithful and angry Judge. They despise God, make a liar
out of Him, snub Christ and all His benefits; in short they pull God from
His throne and perch themselves on it.
Faith truly honors God. And because faith honors God, God counts faith for
righteousness.
Christian righteousness is the confidence of the heart in God through
Christ Jesus. Such confidence is accounted righteousness for Christ's
sake. Two things make for Christian righteousness: Faith in Christ, which
is a gift of God; and God's acceptance of this imperfect faith of ours for
perfect righteousness. Because of my faith in Christ, God overlooks my
distrust, the unwillingness of my spirit, my many other sins. Because the
shadow of Christ's wing covers me I have no fear that God will cover all
my sins and take my imperfections for perfect righteousness.
God "winks" at my sins and covers them up. God says: "Because you believe
in My Son I will forgive your sins until death shall deliver you from the
body of sin."
Learn to understand the constitution of your Christian righteousness.
Faith is weak, but it means enough to God that He will not lay sin to our
charge. He will not punish nor condemn us for it. He will forgive our sins
as though they amount to nothing at all. He will do it not because we are
worthy of such mercy. He will do it for Jesus' sake in whom we believe.
Paradoxically, a Christian is both right and wrong, holy and profane, an
enemy of God and a child of God. These contradictions no person can
harmonize who does not understand the true way of salvation. Under the
papacy we were told to toil until the feeling of guilt had left us. But
the authors of this deranged idea were frequently driven to despair in the
hour of death. It would have happened to me, if Christ had not mercifully
delivered me from this error.
We comfort the afflicted sinner in this manner: Brother, you can never be
perfect in this life, but you can be holy. He will say: "How can I be holy
when I feel my sins?" I answer: You feel sin? That is a good sign. To
realize that one is ill is a step, and a very necessary step, toward
recovery. "But how will I get rid of my sin?" he will ask. I answer: See
the heavenly Physician, Christ, who heals the broken-hearted. Do not
consult that Quackdoctor, Reason. Believe in Christ and your sins will be
pardoned. His righteousness will become your righteousness, and your sins
will become His sins.
On one occasion Jesus said to His disciples: "The Father loveth you." Why?
Not because the disciples were Pharisees, or circumcised, or particularly
attentive to the Law. Jesus said: "The Father loveth you, because ye have
loved me, and have believed that I came out from God. It pleased you to
know that the Father sent me into the world. And because you believed it
the Father loves you." On another occasion Jesus called His disciples evil
and commanded them to ask for forgiveness.
A Christian is beloved of God and a sinner. How can these two
contradictions be harmonized: I am a sinner and deserve God's wrath and
punishment, and yet the Father loves me? Christ alone can harmonize these
contradictions. He is the Mediator.
Do you now see how faith justifies without works? Sin lingers in us, and
God hates sin. A transfusion of righteousness therefore becomes vitally
necessary. This transfusion of righteousness we obtain from Christ because
we believe in Him.
VERSE 7. Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are
the children of Abraham.
This is the main point of Paul's argument against the Jews: The children
of Abraham are those who believe and not those who are born of Abraham's
flesh and blood. This point Paul drives home with all his might because
the Jews attached saving value to the genealogical fact: "We are the seed
and children of Abraham."
Let us begin with Abraham and learn how this friend of God was justified
and saved. Not because he left his country, his relatives, his father's
house; not because he was circumcised; not because he stood ready to
sacrifice his own son Isaac in whom he had the promise of posterity.
Abraham was justified because he believed. Paul's argumentation runs like
this: "Since this is the unmistakable testimony of Holy Writ, why do you
take your stand upon circumcision and the Law? Was not Abraham, your
father, of whom you make so much, justified and saved without circumcision
and the Law by faith alone?" Paul therefore concludes: "They which are of
faith, the same are the children of Abraham."
Abraham was the father of the faithful. In order to be a child of the
believing Abraham you must believe as he did. Otherwise you are merely the
physical offspring of the procreating Abraham, i.e., you were conceived
and born in sin unto wrath and condemnation.
Ishmael and Isaac were both the natural children of Abraham. By rights
Ishmael should have enjoyed the prerogatives of the firstborn, if physical
generation had any special value. Nevertheless he was left out in the cold
while Isaac was called. This goes to prove that the children of faith are
the real children of Abraham.
Some find fault with Paul for applying the term "faith" in Genesis 15:6 to
Christ. They think Paul's use of the term too wide and general. They think
its meaning should be restricted to the context. They claim Abraham's
faith had no more in it than a belief in the promise of God that he should
have seed.
We reply: Faith presupposes the assurance of God's mercy. This assurance
takes in the confidence that our sins are forgiven for Christ's sake.
Never will the conscience trust in God unless it can be sure of God's
mercy and promises in Christ. Now all the promises of God lead back to the
first promise concerning Christ: "And I will put enmity between thee and
the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head,
and thou shalt bruise his heel." The faith of the fathers in the Old
Testament era, and our faith in the New Testament are one and the same
faith in Christ Jesus, although times and conditions may differ. Peter
acknowledged this in the words: "Which neither our fathers nor we were
able to bear? But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus
Christ we shall be saved, even as they." (Acts l5: 10, 11.) And Paul
writes: "And did all drink the spiritual drink; for they drank of that
spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ." (I Cor.
10:4.) And Christ Himself declared: "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see
my day: and he saw it and was glad." (John 8:56.) The faith of the fathers
was directed at the Christ who was to come, while ours rests in the Christ
who has come. Time does not change the object of true faith, or the Holy
Spirit. There has always been and always will be one mind, one impression,
one faith concerning Christ among true believers whether they live in
times past, now, or in times to come. We too believe in the Christ to come
as the fathers did in the Old Testament, for we look for Christ to come
again on the last day to judge the quick and the dead.
VERSE 7. Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are
the children of Abraham.
Paul is saying: "You know from the example of Abraham and from the plain
testimony of the Scriptures that they are the children of Abraham, who
have faith in Christ, regardless of their nationality, regardless of the
Law, regardless of works, regardless of their parentage. The promise was
made unto Abraham, 'Thou shalt be a father of many nations'; again, 'And
in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.'" To prevent the Jews
from misinterpreting the word "nations," the Scriptures are careful to say
"many nations." The true children of Abraham are the believers in Christ
from all nations.
VERSE 8. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the
heathen through faith.
"Your boasting does not get you anywhere," says Paul to the Galatians,
"because the Sacred Scriptures foresaw and foretold long before the Law
was ever given, that the heathen should be justified by the blessed 'seed'
of Abraham and not by the Law. This promise was made four hundred and
thirty years before the Law was given. Because the Law was given so many
years after Abraham, it could not abolish the promised blessing." This
argument is strong because it is based on the exact factor of time. "Why
should you boast of the Law, my Galatians, when the Law came four hundred
and thirty years after the promise?"
The false apostles glorified the Law and despised the promise made unto
Abraham, although it antedated the Law by many years. It was after Abraham
was accounted righteous because of his faith that the Scriptures first
make mention of circumcision. "The Scriptures," says Paul, "meant to
forestall your infatuation for the righteousness of the Law by installing
the righteousness of faith before circumcision and the Law ever were
ordained."
VERSE 8. Preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall
all nations be blessed.
The Jews misconstrue this passage. They want the term "to bless" to mean
"to praise." They want the passage to read: In thee shall all the nations
of the earth be praised. But this is a perversion of the words of Holy
Writ. With the words "Abraham believed" Paul describes a spiritual
Abraham, renewed by faith and regenerated by the Holy Ghost, that he
should be the spiritual father of many nations. In that way all the
Gentiles could be given to him for an inheritance.
The Scriptures ascribe no righteousness to Abraham except through faith.
The Scriptures speak of Abraham as he stands before God, a man justified
by faith. Because of his faith God extends to him the promise: "In thee
shall all nations be blessed."
VERSE 9. So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful
Abraham.
The emphasis lies on the words "with faithful Abraham." Paul distinguishes
between Abraham and Abraham. There is a working and there is a believing
Abraham. With the working Abraham we have nothing to do. Let the Jews
glory in the generating Abraham; we glory in the believing Abraham of whom
the Scriptures say that he received the blessing of righteousness by
faith, not only for himself but for all who believe as he did. The world
was promised to Abraham because he believed. The whole world is blessed if
it believes as Abraham believed.
The blessing is the promise of the Gospel. That all nations are to be
blessed means that all nations are to hear the Gospel. All nations are to
be declared righteous before God through faith in Christ Jesus. To bless
simply means to spread abroad the knowledge of Christ's salvation. This is
the office of the New Testament Church which distributes the promised
blessing by preaching the Gospel, by administering the sacraments, by
comforting the broken-hearted, in short, by dispensing the benefits of
Christ.
The Jews exhibited a working Abraham. The Pope exhibits a working Christ,
or an exemplary Christ. The Pope quotes Christ's saying recorded in John
13:15, "I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to
you." We do not deny that Christians ought to imitate the example of
Christ; but mere imitation will not satisfy God. And bear in mind that
Paul is not now discussing the example of Christ, but the salvation of
Christ. That Abraham submitted to circumcision at the command of God, that
he was endowed with excellent virtues, that he obeyed God in all things,
was certainly admirable of him. To follow the example of Christ, to love
one's neighbor, to do good to them that persecute you, to pray for one's
enemies, patiently to bear the ingratitude of those who return evil for
good, is certainly praiseworthy. But praiseworthy or not, such virtues do
not acquit us before God. It takes more than that to make us righteous
before God. We need Christ Himself, not His example, to save us. We need a
redeeming, not an exemplary Christ, to save us. Paul is here speaking of
the redeeming Christ and the believing Abraham, not of the model Christ or
the sweating Abraham.
The believing Abraham is not to lie buried in the grave. He is to be
dusted off and brought out before the world. He is to be praised to the
sky for his faith. Heaven and earth ought to know about him and about his
faith in Christ. The working Abraham ought to look pretty small next to
the believing Abraham.
Paul's words contain the implication of contrast. When he quotes Scripture
to the effect that all nations that share the faith of faithful Abraham
are to be blessed, Paul means to imply the contrast that all nations are
accursed without faith in Christ.
VERSE 10. For as many as are of the works of the law are under the
curse.
The curse of God is like a flood that swallows everything that is not of
faith. To avoid the curse we must hold on to the promise of the blessing
in Christ.
The reader is reminded that all this has no bearing upon civil laws,
customs, or political matters. Civil laws and ordinances have their place
and purpose. Let every government enact the best possible laws. But civil
righteousness will never deliver a person from the condemnation of God's
Law.
I have good reason for calling your attention to this. People easily
mistake civil righteousness for spiritual righteousness. In civil life we
must, of course, pay attention to laws and deeds, but in the spiritual
life we must not think to be justified by laws and works, but always keep
in mind the promise and blessing of Christ, our only Savior.
According to Paul everything that is not of faith is sin. When our
opponents hear us repeat this statement of Paul, they make it appear as if
we taught that governments should not be honored, as if we favored
rebellion against the constituted authorities, as if we condemned all
laws. Our opponents do us a great wrong, for we make a clear-cut
distinction between civil and spiritual affairs.
Governmental laws and ordinances are blessings of God for this life only.
As for everlasting life, temporal blessings are not good enough.
Unbelievers enjoy more temporal blessings than the Christians. Civil or
legal righteousness may be good enough for this life but not for the life
hereafter. Otherwise the infidels would be nearer heaven than the
Christians, for infidels often excel in civil righteousness.
VERSE 10. For it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in
all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.
Paul goes on to prove from this quotation out of the Book of Deuteronomy
that all men who are under the Law are under the sentence of sin, of the
wrath of God, and of everlasting death. Paul produces his proof in a
roundabout way. He turns the negative statement, "Cursed is every one that
continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to
do them," into a positive statement, "As many as are of the works of the
law are under the curse." These two statements, one by Paul and the other
by Moses, appear to conflict. Paul declares, "Whosoever shall do the works
of the Law, is accursed." Moses declares, "Whosoever shall not do the
works of the Law, is accursed." How can these two contradictory statements
be reconciled? How can the one statement prove the other? No person can
hope to understand Paul unless he understands the article of
justification. These two statements are not at all inconsistent.
We must bear in mind that to do the works of the Law does not mean only to
live up to the superficial requirements of the Law, but to obey the spirit
of the Law to perfection. But where will you find the person who can do
that? Let him step forward and we will praise him.
Our opponents have their answer ready-made. They quote Paul's own
statement in Romans 2:13, "The doers of the law shall be justified." Very
well. But let us first find out who the doers of the law are. They call a
"doer" of the Law one who performs the Law in its literal sense. This is
not to "do" the Law. This is to sin. When our opponents go about to
perform the Law they sin against the first, the second, and the third
commandments, in fact they sin against the whole Law. For God requires
above all that we worship Him in spirit and in faith. In observing the Law
for the purpose of obtaining righteousness without faith in Christ these
law-workers go smack against the Law and against God. They deny the
righteousness of God, His mercy, and His promises. They deny Christ and
all His benefits.
In their ignorance of the true purpose of the Law the exponents of the Law
abuse the Law, as Paul says, Romans 10:3, "For they, being ignorant of
God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness,
have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God."
In their folly our opponents rush into the Scriptures, pick out a sentence
here and a sentence there about the Law and imagine they know all about
it. Their work-righteousness is plain idolatry and blasphemy against God.
No wonder they abide under the curse of God.
Because God saw that we could not fulfill the Law, He provided a way of
salvation long before the Law was ever given, a salvation that He promised
to Abraham, saying, "In thee shall all nations be blessed."
The very first thing for us to do is to believe in Christ. First, we must
receive the Holy Spirit, who enlightens and sanctifies us so that we can
begin to do the Law, i.e., to love God and our neighbor. Now, the Holy
Ghost is not obtained by the Law, but by faith in Christ. In the last
analysis, to do the Law means to believe in Jesus Christ. The tree comes
first, and then come the fruits.
The scholastics admit that a mere external and superficial performance of
the Law without sincerity and good will is plain hypocrisy. Judas acted
like the other disciples. What was wrong with Judas? Mark what Rome
answers, "Judas was a reprobate. His motives were perverse, therefore his
works were hypocritical and no good." Well, well. Rome does admit, after
all, that works in themselves do not justify unless they issue from a
sincere heart. Why do our opponents not profess the same truth in
spiritual matters? There, above all, faith must precede everything. The
heart must be purified by faith before a person can lift a finger to
please God.
There are two classes of doers of the Law, true doers and hypocritical
doers. The true doers of the Law are those who are moved by faith in
Christ to do the Law. The hypocritical doers of the Law are those who seek
to obtain righteousness by a mechanical performance of good works while
their hearts are far removed from God. They act like the foolish carpenter
who starts with the roof when he builds a house. Instead of doing the Law,
these law-conscious hypocrites break the Law. They break the very first
commandment of God by denying His promise in Christ. They do not worship
God in faith. They worship themselves.
No wonder Paul was able to foretell the abominations that Antichrist would
bring into the Church. That Antichrists would come, Christ Himself
prophesied, Matthew 24:5, "For many shall come in my name, saying, I am
Christ; and shall deceive many." Whoever seeks righteousness by works
denies God and makes himself God. He is an Antichrist because he ascribes
to his own works the omnipotent capability of conquering sin, death,
devil, hell, and the wrath of God. An Antichrist lays claim to the honor
of Christ. He is an idolater of himself. The law-righteous person is the
worst kind of infidel.
Those who intend to obtain righteousness by their own efforts do not say
in so many words: "I am God; I am Christ." But it amounts to that. They
usurp the divinity and office of Christ. The effect is the same as if they
said, "I am Christ; I am a Savior. I save myself and others." This is the
impression the monks give out.
The Pope is the Antichrist, because he is against Christ, because he takes
liberties with the things of God, because he lords it over the temple of
God.
I cannot tell you in words how criminal it is to seek righteousness before
God without faith in Christ, by the works of the Law. It is the
abomination standing in the holy place. It deposes the Creator and deifies
the creature.
The real doers of the Law are the true believers. The Holy Spirit enables
them to love God and their neighbor. But because we have only the
first-fruits of the Spirit and not the tenth-fruits, we do not observe the
Law perfectly. This imperfection of ours, however, is not imputed to us,
for Christ's sake.
Hence, the statement of Moses, "Cursed is every one that continueth not in
all things which are written in the book of the law to do them," is not
contrary to Paul. Moses requires perfect doers of the Law. But where will
you find them? Nowhere. Moses himself confessed that he was not a perfect
doer of the Law. He said to the Lord: "Pardon our iniquity and our sin."
Christ alone can make us innocent of any transgression. How so? First, by
the forgiveness of our sins and the imputation of His righteousness.
Secondly, by the gift of the Holy Ghost, who engenders new life and
activity in us.
Objections to the Doctrine of Faith Disproved
Here we shall take the time to enter upon the objections which our
opponents raise against the doctrine of faith. There are many passages in
the Bible that deal with works and the reward of works which our opponents
cite against us in the belief that these will disprove the doctrine of
faith which we teach.
The scholastics grant that according to the reasonable order of nature
being precedes doing. They grant that any act is faulty unless it proceeds
from a right motive. They grant that a person must be right before he can
do right. Why don't they grant that the right inclination of the heart
toward God through faith in Christ must precede works?
In the eleventh chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrews we find a catalogue
of various works and deeds of the saints of the Bible. David, who killed a
lion and a bear, and defeated Goliath, is mentioned. In the heroic deeds
of David the scholastic can discover nothing more than outward
achievement. But the deeds of David must be evaluated according to the
personality of David. When we understand that David was a man of faith,
whose heart trusted in the Lord, we shall understand why he could do such
heroic deeds. David said: "The Lord that delivered me out of the paw of
the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the
hand of this Philistine." Again: "Thou comest to me with a sword, and with
a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of
hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. This day
will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take
thine head from thee." (I Samuel 17:37, 45, 46.) Before David could
achieve a single heroic deed he was already a man beloved of God, strong
and constant in faith.
Of Abel it is said in the same Epistle: "By faith Abel offered unto God a
more excellent sacrifice than Cain." When the scholastics come upon the
parallel passage in Genesis 4:4 they get no further than the words: "And
the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering." "Aha!" they cry.
"See, God has respect to offerings. Works do justify." With mud in their
eyes they cannot see that the text says in Genesis that the Lord had
respect to the person of Abel first. Abel pleased the Lord because of his
faith. Because the person of Abel pleased the Lord, the offering of Abel
pleased the Lord also. The Epistle to the Hebrews expressly states: "By
faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice."
In our dealings with God the work is worth nothing without faith, for
"without faith it is impossible to please him." (Hebrews 11:6.) The
sacrifice of Abel was better than the sacrifice of Cain, because Abel had
faith. As to Cain he had no faith or trust in God's grace, but strutted
about in his own fancied worth. When God refused to recognize Cain's
worth, Cain got angry at God and at Abel. The Holy Spirit speaks of faith
in different ways in the Sacred Scriptures. Sometimes He speaks of faith
independently of other matters. When the Scriptures speak of faith in the
absolute or abstract, faith refers to justification directly. But when the
Scripture speaks of rewards and works it speaks of compound or relative
faith. We will furnish some examples. Galatians 5:6, "Faith which worketh
by love." Leviticus 18:5, "Which if a man do, he shall live in them."
Matthew 19:17, "If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments."
Psalm 37:27, "Depart from evil, and do good." In these and other passages
where mention is made of doing, the Scriptures always speak of a faithful
doing, a doing inspired by faith. "Do this and thou shalt live," means:
First have faith in Christ, and Christ will enable you to do and to live.
In the Word of God all things that are attributed to works are
attributable to faith. Faith is the divinity of works. Faith permeates all
the deeds of the believer, as Christ's divinity permeated His humanity.
Abraham was accounted righteous because faith pervaded his whole
personality and his every action.
When you read how the fathers, prophets, and kings accomplished great
deeds, remember to explain them as the Epistle to the Hebrews accounts for
them: "Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained
promises, stopped the mouths of lions." (Hebrews 11:33.) In this way will
we correctly interpret all those passages that seem to support the
righteousness of works. The Law is truly observed only through faith.
Hence, every "holy," "moral" law-worker is accursed.
Supposing that this explanation will not satisfy the scholastics,
supposing that they should completely wrap me up in their arguments (they
cannot do it), I would rather be wrong and give all credit to Christ
alone. Here is Christ. Paul, Christ's apostle, declares that "Christ hath
redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us." (Gal.
3:13.) I hear with my own ears that I cannot be saved except by the blood
and death of Christ. I conclude, therefore, that it is up to Christ to
overcome my sins, and not up to the Law, or my own efforts. If He is the
price of my redemption, if He was made sin for my justification, I don't
give a care if you quote me a thousand Scripture passages for the
righteousness of works against the righteousness of faith. I have the
Author and Lord of the Scriptures on my side. I would rather believe Him
than all that riffraff of "pious" law-workers.
VERSE 11. But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God,
it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.
The Apostle draws into his argument the testimony of the Prophet Habakkuk:
"The just shall live by his faith." This passage carries much weight
because it eliminates the Law and the deeds of the Law as factors in the
process of our justification.
The scholastics misconstrue this passage by saying: "The just shall live
by faith, if it is a working faith, or a faith formed and performed by
charitable works." Their annotation is a forgery. To speak of formed or
unformed faith, a sort of double faith, is contrary to the Scriptures. If
charitable works can form and perfect faith I am forced to say eventually
that charitable deeds constitute the essential factor in the Christian
religion. Christ and His benefits would be lost to us.
VERSE 12. And the law is not of faith.
In direct opposition to the scholastics Paul declares: "The law is not of
faith." What is this charity the scholastics talk so much about? Does not
the Law command charity? The fact is the Law commands nothing but charity,
as we may gather from the following Scripture passages: "Thou shalt love
the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all
thy might" (Deut. 6:5.) "Strewing mercy unto thousands of them that love
me, and keep my commandments." (Exodus 20:6.) "On these two commandments
hang all the law and the prophets." (Matt. 22:40.) If the law requires
charity, charity is part of the Law and not of faith. Since Christ has
displaced the Law which commands charity, it follows that charity has been
abrogated with the Law as a factor in our justification, and only faith is
left.
VERSE 12. But, The man that doeth them shall live in them.
Paul undertakes to explain the difference between the righteousness of the
Law and the righteousness of faith. The righteousness of the Law is the
fulfillment of the Law according to the passage: "The man that doeth them
shall live in them." The righteousness of faith is to believe the Gospel
according to the passage: "The just shall live by faith." The Law is a
statement of debit, the Gospel a statement of credit. By this distinction
Paul explains why charity which is the commandment of the Law cannot
justify, because the Law contributes nothing to our justification.
Indeed, works do follow after faith, but faith is not therefore a
meritorious work. Faith is a gift. The character and limitations of the
Law must be rigidly maintained.
When we believe in Christ we live by faith. When we believe in the Law we
may be active enough but we have no life. The function of the Law is not
to give life; the function of the Law is to kill. True, the Law says: "The
man that doeth them shall live in them." But where is the person who can
do "them," i.e., love God with all his heart, soul, and mind, and his
neighbor as himself?
Paul has nothing against those who are justified by faith and therefore
are true doers of the Law. He opposes those who think they can fulfill the
Law when in reality they can only sin against the Law by trying to obtain
righteousness by the Law. The Law demands that we fear, love, and worship
God with a true faith. The law-workers fail to do this. Instead, they
invent new modes of worship and new kinds of works which God never
commanded. They provoke His anger according to the passage: "But in vain
they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men."
(Matthew 15:9.) Hence, the law-righteous workers are downright rebels
against God, and idolaters who constantly sin against the first
commandment. In short, they are no good at-all though outwardly they seem
to be extremely solicitous of the honor of God.
We who are justified by faith as the saints of old, may be under the Law,
but we are not under the curse of the Law because sin is not imputed to us
for Christ's sake. If the Law cannot be fulfilled by the believers, if sin
continues to cling to them despite their love for God, what can you expect
of people who are not yet justified by faith, who are still enemies of God
and His Word, like the unbelieving law-workers? It goes to show how
impossible it is for those who have not been justified by faith to fulfill
the Law.
VERSE 13. Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being
made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth
on a tree.
Jerome and his present-day followers rack their miserable brains over this
comforting passage in an effort to save Christ from the fancied insult of
being called a curse. They say: "This quotation from Moses does not apply
to Christ. Paul is taking liberties with Moses by generalizing the
statements in Deuteronomy 21:23. Moses has 'he that is hanged.' Paul puts
it 'every one that hangeth.' On the other hand, Paul omits the words 'of
God' in his quotation from Moses: 'For he that is hanged is accursed of
God.' Moses speaks of a criminal who is worthy of death." "How," our
opponents ask, "can this passage be applied to the holy Christ as if He
were accursed of God and worthy to be hanged?" This piece of exegesis may
impress the naive as a zealous attempt to defend the honor and glory of
Christ. Let us see what Paul has in mind.
Paul does not say that Christ was made a curse for Himself. The accent is
on the two words "for us." Christ is personally innocent. Personally, He
did not deserve to be hanged for any crime of His own doing. But because
Christ took the place of others who were sinners, He was hanged like any
other transgressor. The Law of Moses leaves no loopholes. It says that a
transgressor should be hanged. Who are the other sinners? We are. The
sentence of death and everlasting damnation had long been pronounced over
us. But Christ took all our sins and died for them on the Cross. "He was
numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made
intercession for the transgressors." (Isaiah 53:12.)
All the prophets of old said that Christ should be the greatest
transgressor, murderer, adulterer, thief, blasphemer that ever was or ever
could be on earth. When He took the sins of the whole world upon Himself,
Christ was no longer an innocent person. He was a sinner burdened with the
sins of a Paul who was a blasphemer; burdened with the sins of a Peter who
denied Christ; burdened with the sins of a David who committed adultery
and murder, and gave the heathen occasion to laugh at the Lord. In short,
Christ was charged with the sins of all men, that He should pay for them
with His own blood. The curse struck Him. The Law found Him among sinners.
He was not only in the company of sinners. He had gone so far as to invest
Himself with the flesh and blood of sinners. So the Law judged and hanged
Him for a sinner.
In separating Christ from us sinners and holding Him up as a holy
exemplar, errorists rob us of our best comfort. They misrepresent Him as a
threatening tyrant who is ready to slaughter us at the slightest
provocation.
I am told that it is preposterous and wicked to call the Son of God a
cursed sinner. I answer: If you deny that He is a condemned sinner, you
are forced to deny that Christ died. It is not less preposterous to say,
the Son of God died, than to say, the Son of God was a sinner.
John the Baptist called Him "the lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of
the world." Being the unspotted Lamb of God, Christ was personally
innocent. But because He took the sins of the world His sinlessness was
defiled with the sinfulness of the world. Whatever sins I, you, all of us
have committed or shall commit, they are Christ's sins as if He had
committed them Himself. Our sins have to be Christ's sins or we shall
perish forever.
Isaiah declares of Christ: "The Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us
all." We have no right to minimize the force of this declaration. God does
not amuse Himself with words. What a relief for a Christian to know that
Christ is covered all over with my sins, your sins, and the sins of the
whole world.
The papists invented their own doctrine of faith. They say charity creates
and adorns their faith. By stripping Christ of our sins, by making Him
sinless, they cast our sins back at us, and make Christ absolutely
worthless to us. What sort of charity is this? If that is a sample of
their vaunted charity we want none of it.
Our merciful Father in heaven saw how the Law oppressed us and how
impossible it was for us to get out from under the curse of the Law. He
therefore sent His only Son into the world and said to Him: "You are now
Peter, the liar; Paul, the persecutor; David, the adulterer; Adam, the
disobedient; the thief on the cross. You, My Son, must pay the world's
iniquity." The Law growls: "All right. If Your Son is taking the sin of
the world, I see no sins anywhere else but in Him. He shall die on the
Cross." And the Law kills Christ. But we go free.
The argument of the Apostle against the righteousness of the Law is
impregnable. If Christ bears our sins, we do not bear them. But if Christ
is innocent of our sins and does not bear them, we must bear them, and we
shall die in our sins. "But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory
through our Lord Jesus Christ."
Let us see how Christ was able to gain the victory over our enemies. The
sins of the whole world, past, present, and future, fastened themselves
upon Christ and condemned Him. But because Christ is God He had an
everlasting and unconquerable righteousness. These two, the sin of the
world and the righteousness of God, met in a death struggle. Furiously the
sin of the world assailed the righteousness of God. Righteousness is
immortal and invincible. On the other hand, sin is a mighty tyrant who
subdues all men. This tyrant pounces on Christ. But Christ's righteousness
is unconquerable. The result is inevitable. Sin is defeated and
righteousness triumphs and reigns forever.
In the same manner was death defeated. Death is emperor of the world. He
strikes down kings, princes, all men. He has an idea to destroy all life.
But Christ has immortal life, and life immortal gained the victory over
death. Through Christ death has lost her sting. Christ is the Death of
death.
The curse of God waged a similar battle with the eternal mercy of God in
Christ. The curse meant to condemn God's mercy. But it could not do it
because the mercy of God is everlasting. The curse had to give way. If the
mercy of God in Christ had lost out, God Himself would have lost out,
which, of course, is impossible.
"Christ," says Paul, "spoiled principalities and powers, He made a show of
them openly, triumphing over them in it." (Col. 2:15.) They cannot harm
those who hide in Christ. Sin, death, the wrath of God, hell, the devil
are mortified in Christ. Where Christ is near the powers of evil must keep
their distance. St. John says: "And this is the victory that overcometh
the world, even our faith." (I John 5:4.)
You may now perceive why it is imperative to believe and confess the
divinity of Christ. To overcome the sin of a whole world, and death, and
the wrath of God was no work for any creature. The power of sin and death
could be broken only by a greater power. God alone could abolish sin,
destroy death, and take away the curse of the Law. God alone could bring
righteousness, life, and mercy to light. In attributing these achievements
to Christ the Scriptures pronounce Christ to be God forever. The article
of justification is indeed fundamental. If we remain sound in this one
article, we remain sound in all the other articles of the Christian faith.
When we teach justification by faith in Christ we confess at the same time
that Christ is God.
I cannot get over the blindness of the Pope's theologians. To imagine that
the mighty forces of sin, death, and the curse can be vanquished by the
righteousness of man's paltry works, by fasting, pilgrimages, masses,
vows, and such gewgaws. These blind leaders of the blind turn the poor
people over to the mercy of sin, death, and the devil. What chance has a
defenseless human creature against these powers of darkness? They train
sinners who are ten times worse than any thief, whore, murderer. The
divine power of God alone can destroy sin and death, and create
righteousness and life.
When we hear that Christ was made a curse for us, let us believe it with
joy and assurance. By faith Christ changes places with us. He gets our
sins, we get His holiness.
By faith alone can we become righteous, for faith invests us with the
sinlessness of Christ. The more fully we believe this, the fuller will be
our joy. If you believe that sin, death, and the curse are void, why, they
are null, zero. Whenever sin and death make you nervous write it down as
an illusion of the devil. There is no sin now, no curse, no death, no
devil because Christ has done away with them. This fact is sure. There is
nothing wrong with the fact. The defect lies in our lack of faith.
In the Apostolic Creed we confess: "I believe in the holy Christian
Church." That means, I believe that there is no sin, no curse, no evil in
the Church of God. Faith says: "I believe that." But if you want to
believe your eyes you will find many shortcomings and offenses in the
members of the holy Church. You see them succumb to temptation, you see
them weak in faith, you see them giving way to anger, envy, and other evil
dispositions. "How can the Church be holy?" you ask. It is with the
Christian Church as it is with the individual Christian. If I examine
myself I find enough unholiness to shock me. But when I look at Christ in
me I find that I am altogether holy. And so it is with the Church.
Holy Writ does not say that Christ was under the curse. It says directly
that Christ was made a curse. In II Corinthians 5:21 Paul writes: "For he
(God) hath made him (Christ) to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we
might be made the righteousness of God in him." Although this and similar
passages may be properly explained by saying that Christ was made a
sacrifice for the curse and for sin, yet in my judgment it is better to
leave these passages stand as they read: Christ was made sin itself;
Christ was made the curse itself. When a sinner gets wise to himself he
does not only feel miserable, he feels like misery personified; he does
not only feel like a sinner, he feels like sin itself.
To finish with this verse: All evils would have overwhelmed us, as they
shall overwhelm the unbelievers forever, if Christ had not become the
great transgressor and guilty bearer of all our sins. The sins of the
world got Him down for a moment. They came around Him like water. Of
Christ, the Old Testament Prophet complained: "Thy fierce wrath goeth over
me; thy terrors have cut me off." (Psalm 88 16.) By Christ's salvation we
have been delivered from the terrors of God to a life of eternal felicity.
VERSE 14. That the blessing of Abraham might come, on the Gentiles
through Jesus Christ.
Paul always keeps this text before him: "In thy seed shall all the nations
of the earth be blessed." The blessing promised unto Abraham could come
upon the Gentiles only by Christ, the seed of Abraham. To become a
blessing unto all nations Christ had to be made a curse to take away the
curse from the nations of the earth. The merit that we plead, and the work
that we proffer is Christ who was made a curse for us.
Let us become expert in the art of transferring our sins, our death, and
every evil from ourselves to Christ; and Christ's righteousness and
blessing from Christ to ourselves.
VERSE 14. That we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
"The promise of the Spirit" is Hebrew for "the promised Spirit." The
Spirit spells freedom from the Law, sin, death, the curse, hell, and the
judgment of God. No merits are mentioned in connection with this promise
of the Spirit and all the blessings that go with Him. This Spirit of many
blessings is received by faith alone. Faith alone builds on the promises
of God, as Paul says in this verse.
Long ago the prophets visualized the happy changes Christ would effect in
all things. Despite the fact that the Jews had the Law of God they never
ceased to look longingly for Christ. After Moses no prophet or king added
a single law to the Book. Any changes or additions were deferred to the
time of Christ's coming. Moses told the people: "The Lord thy God will
raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like
unto me; unto him ye shall hearken." (Deut. 18:15.)
God's people of old felt that the Law of Moses could not be improved upon
until the Messiah would bring better things than the Law, i.e., grace and
remission of sins.
VERSE 15. Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; Though it be but
a man's covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or
addeth thereto.
After the preceding, well-taken argument, Paul offers another based on the
similarity between a man's testament and God's testament. A man's
testament seems too weak a premise for the Apostle to argue from in
confirmation of so important a matter as justification. We ought to prove
earthly things by heavenly things, and not heavenly things by earthly
things. But where the earthly thing is an ordinance of God we may use it
to prove divine matters. In Matthew 7:11 Christ Himself argued from
earthly to heavenly things when He said: "If ye then, being evil, know how
to give good gifts to your children; how much more shall your Father which
is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?"
To come to Paul's argument. Civil law, which is God's ordinance, prohibits
tampering with any testament of man. Any person's last will and testament
must be respected. Paul asks: "Why is it that man's last will is
scrupulously respected and not God's testament? You would not think of
breaking faith with a man's testament. Why do you not keep faith with
God's testament?"
The Apostle says that he is speaking after the manner of men. He means to
say: "I will give you an illustration from the customs of men. If a man's
last will is respected, and it is, how much more ought the testament of
God be honored: 'In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be
blessed.' When Christ died, this testament was sealed by His blood. After
His death the testament was opened, it was published to the nations. No
man ought to alter God's testament as the false apostles do who substitute
the Law and traditions of men for the testament of God."
As the false prophets tampered with God's testament in the days of Paul,
so many do in our day. They will observe human laws punctiliously, but the
laws of God they transgress without the flicker of an eyelid. But the time
will come when they will find out that it is no joke to pervert the
testament of God.
VERSE 16. Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He
saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed,
which is Christ.
The word testament is another name for the promise that God made unto
Abraham concerning Christ. A testament is not a law, but an inheritance.
Heirs do not look for laws and assessments when they open a last will;
they look for grants and favors. The testament which God made out to
Abraham did not contain laws. It contained promises of great spiritual
blessings.
The promises were made in view of Christ, in one seed, not in many seeds.
The Jews will not accept this interpretation. They insist that the
singular "seed" is put for the plural "seeds." We prefer the
interpretation of Paul, who makes a fine case for Christ and for us out of
the singular "seed," and is after all inspired to do so by the Holy Ghost.
VERSE 17. And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before
of God in Christ, the law which was four hundred and thirty years
after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect.
The Jews assert that God was not satisfied with His promises, but after
four hundred and thirty years He gave the Law. "God," they say, "must have
mistrusted His own promises, and considered them inadequate for salvation.
Therefore He added to His promises something better, the Law. The Law,"
they say, "canceled the promises."
Paul answers: "The Law was given four hundred and thirty years after the
promise was made to Abraham. The Law could not cancel the promise because
the promise was the testament of God, confirmed by God in Christ many
years before the Law. What God has once promised He does not take back.
Every promise of God is a ratified promise."
Why was the Law added to the promise? Not to serve as a medium by which
the promise might be obtained. The Law was added for these reasons: That
there might be in the world a special people, rigidly controlled by the
Law, a people out of which Christ should be born in due time; and that men
burdened by many laws might sigh and long for Him, their Redeemer, the
seed of Abraham. Even the ceremonies prescribed by the Law foreshadowed
Christ. Therefore the Law was never meant to cancel the promise of God.
The Law was meant to confirm the promise until the time should come when
God would open His testament in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
God did well in giving the promise so many years before the Law, that it
may never be said that righteousness is granted through the Law and not
through the promise. If God had meant for us to be justified by the Law,
He would have given the Law four hundred and thirty years before the
promise, at least He would have given the Law at the same time He gave the
promise. But He never breathed a word about the Law until four hundred
years after. The promise is therefore better than the Law. The Law does
not cancel the promise, but faith in the promised Christ cancels the Law.
The Apostle is careful to mention the exact number of four hundred and
thirty years. The wide divergence in the time between the promise and the
Law helps to clinch Paul's argument that righteousness is not obtained by
the Law.
Let me illustrate. A man of great wealth adopts a strange lad for his son.
Remember, he does not owe the lad anything. In due time he appoints the
lad heir to his entire fortune. Several years later the old man asks the
lad to do something for him. And the young lad does it. Can the lad then
go around and say that he deserved the inheritance by his obedience to the
old man's request? How can anybody say that righteousness is obtained by
obedience to the Law when the Law was given four hundred and thirty years
after God's promise of the blessing?
One thing is certain, Abraham was never justified by the Law, for the
simple reason that the Law was not in his day. If the Law was non-existent
how could Abraham obtain righteousness by the Law? Abraham had nothing
else to go by but the promise. This promise he believed and that was
counted unto him for righteousness. If the father obtained righteousness
through faith, the children get it the same way.
We use the argument of time also. We say our sins were taken away by the
death of Christ fifteen hundred years ago, long before there were any
religious orders, canons, or rules of penance, merits, etc. What did
people do about their sins before these new inventions were hatched up?
Paul finds his arguments for the righteousness of faith everywhere. Even
the element of time serves to build his case against the false apostles.
Let us fortify our conscience with similar arguments. They help us in the
trials of our faith. They turn our attention from the Law to the promises,
from sin to righteousness; from death to life.
It is not for nothing that Paul bears down on this argument. He foresaw
this confusion of the promise and the Law creeping into the Church.
Accustom yourself to separate Law and Gospel even in regard to time. When
the Law comes to pay your conscience a visit, say: "Mister Law, you come
too soon. The four hundred and thirty years aren't up yet. When they are
up, you come again. Won't you?"
VERSE 18. For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of
promise.
In Romans 4:14, the Apostle writes: "For if they which are made of the law
be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect." It
cannot be otherwise. That the Law is something entirely different from the
promise is plain. The Law thunders: "Thou shalt, thou shalt not." The
promise of the "seed" pleads: "Take this gift of God." If the inheritance
of the gifts of God were obtained by the Law, God would be a liar. We
would have the right to ask Him: "Why did you make this promise in the
first place: 'In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed'?
Why did you not say: 'In thy works thou shalt be blessed'?"
VERSE 18. But God gave it to Abraham by promise.
So much is certain, before the Law ever existed, God gave Abraham the
inheritance or blessing by the promise. In other words, God granted unto
Abraham remission of sins, righteousness, salvation, and everlasting life.
And not only to Abraham but to all believers, because God said: "In thy
seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed." The blessing was
given unconditionally. The Law had no chance to butt in because Moses was
not yet born. "How then can you say that righteousness is obtained by the
Law?"
The Apostle now goes to work to explain the province and purpose of the
Law.
VERSE 19. Wherefore then serveth the law?
The question naturally arises: If the Law was not given for righteousness
or salvation, why was it given? Why did God give the Law in the first
place if it cannot justify a person?
The Jews believed if they kept the Law they would be saved. When they
heard that the Gospel proclaimed a Christ who had come into the world to
save sinners and not the righteous; when they heard that sinners were to
enter the kingdom of heaven before the righteous, the Jews were very much
put out. They murmured: "These last have wrought but one hour, and thou
hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the
day." (Matthew 20:12.) They complained that the heathen who at one time
had been worshipers of idols obtained grace without the drudgery of the
Law that was theirs.
Today we hear the same complaints. "What was the use of our having lived
in a cloister, twenty, thirty, forty years; what was the sense of having
vowed chastity, poverty, obedience; what good are all the masses and
canonical hours that we read; what profit is there in fasting, praying,
etc., if any man or woman, any beggar or scour woman is to be made equal
to us, or even be considered more acceptable unto God than we?"
Reason takes offense at the statement of Paul: "The law was added because
of transgressions." People say that Paul abrogated the Law, that he is a
radical, that he blasphemed God when he said that. People say: "We might
as well live like wild people if the Law does not count. Let us abound in
sin that grace may abound. Let us do evil that good may come of it."
What are we to do? Such scoffing distresses us, but we cannot stop it.
Christ Himself was accused of being a blasphemer and rebel. Paul and all
the other apostles were told the same things. Let the scoffers slander us,
let them spare us not. But we must not on their account keep silent. We
must speak frankly in order that afflicted consciences may find surcease.
Neither are we to pay any attention to the foolish and ungodly people for
abusing our doctrine. They are the kind that would scoff, Law or no Law.
Our first consideration must be the comfort of troubled consciences, that
they may not perish with the multitudes.
When he saw that some were offended at his doctrine, while others found in
it encouragement to live after the flesh, Paul comforted himself with the
thought that it was his duty to preach the Gospel to the elect of God, and
that for their sake he must endure all things. Like Paul we also do all
these things for the sake of God's elect. As for the scoffers and
skeptics, I am so disgusted with them that in all my life I would not open
my mouth for them once. I wish that they were back there where they belong
under the iron heel of the Pope.
People foolish but wise in their conceits jump to the conclusion: If the
Law does not justify, it is good for nothing. How about that? Because
money does not justify, would you say that money is good for nothing?
Because the eyes do not justify, would you have them taken out? Because
the Law does not justify it does not follow that the Law is without value.
We must find and define the proper purpose of the Law. We do not offhand
condemn the Law because we say it does not justify.
We say with Paul that the Law is good if it is used properly. Within its
proper sphere the Law is an excellent thing. But if we ascribe to the Law
functions for which it was never intended, we pervert not only the Law but
also the Gospel. It is the universal impression that righteousness is
obtained through the deeds of the Law. This impression is instinctive and
therefore doubly dangerous. Gross sins and vices may be recognized or else
repressed by the threat of punishment. But this sin, this opinion of man's
own righteousness refuses to be classified as sin. It wants to be esteemed
as high-class religion. Hence, it constitutes the mighty influence of the
devil over the entire world. In order to point out the true office of the
Law, and thus to stamp out that false impression of the righteousness of
the Law, Paul answers the question: "Wherefore then serveth the Law?" with
the words:
VERSE 19. It was added because of transgressions.
All things differ. Let everything serve its unique purpose. Let the sun
shine by day, the moon and the stars by night. Let the sea furnish fish,
the earth grain, the woods trees, etc. Let the Law also serve its unique
purpose. It must not step out of character and take the place of anything
else. What is the function of the Law? "Transgression," answers the
Apostle.
The Twofold Purpose of the Law
The Law has a twofold purpose. One purpose is civil. God has ordained
civil laws to punish crime. Every law is given to restrain sin. Does it
not then make men righteous? No. In refraining from murder, adultery,
theft, or other sins, I do so under compulsion because I fear the jail,
the noose, the electric chair. These restrain me as iron bars restrain a
lion and a bear. Otherwise they would tear everything to pieces. Such
forceful restraint cannot be regarded as righteousness, rather as an
indication of unrighteousness. As a wild beast is tied to keep it from
running amuck, so the Law bridles mad and furious man to keep him from
running wild. The need for restraint shows plainly enough that those who
need the Law are not righteous, but wicked men who are fit to be tied. No,
the Law does not justify.
The first purpose of the Law, accordingly, is to restrain the wicked.
The devil gets people into all kinds of scrapes. Therefore God
instituted governments, parents, laws, restrictions, and civil
ordinances. At least they help to tie the devil's hands so that he does
not rage up and down the earth. This civil restraint by the Law is
intended by God for the preservation of all things, particularly for the
good of the Gospel that it should not be hindered too much by the
tumult of the wicked. But Paul is not now treating of this civil use
and function of the Law.The second purpose of the Law is spiritual and divine. Paul describes
this spiritual purpose of the Law in the words, "Because of
transgressions," i.e., to reveal to a person his sin, blindness, misery,
his ignorance, hatred, and contempt of God, his death, hell, and
condemnation.
This is the principal purpose of the Law and its most valuable
contribution. As long as a person is not a murderer, adulterer, thief, he
would swear that he is righteous. How is God going to humble such a person
except by the Law? The Law is the hammer of death, the thunder of hell,
and the lightning of God's wrath to bring down the proud and shameless
hypocrites. When the Law was instituted on Mount Sinai it was accompanied
by lightning, by storms, by the sound of trumpets, to tear to pieces that
monster called self-righteousness. As long as a person thinks he is right
he is going to be incomprehensibly proud and presumptuous. He is going to
hate God, despise His grace and mercy, and ignore the promises in Christ.
The Gospel of the free forgiveness of sins through Christ will never
appeal to the self-righteous.
This monster of self-righteousness, this stiff-necked beast, needs a big
axe. And that is what the Law is, a big axe. Accordingly, the proper use
and function of the Law is to threaten until the conscience is scared
stiff.
The awful spectacle at Mount Sinai portrayed the proper use of the Law.
When the children of Israel came out of Egypt a feeling of singular
holiness possessed them. They boasted: "We are the people of God. All that
the Lord hath spoken we will do." (Ex. 19:8) This feeling of holiness was
heightened when Moses ordered them to wash their clothes, to refrain from
their wives, and to prepare themselves all around. The third day came and
Moses led the people out of their tents to the foot of the mountain into
the presence of the Lord. What happened? When the children of Israel saw
the whole mountain burning and smoking, the black clouds rent by fierce
lightning flashing up and down in the inky darkness, when they heard the
sound of the trumpet blowing louder and longer, shattered by the roll of
thunder, they were so frightened that they begged Moses: "Speak thou with
us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die." (Ex.
20:19.) I ask you, what good did their scrubbing, their snow-white
clothes, and their continence do them? No good at all. Not a single one
could stand in the presence of the glorious Lord. Stricken by the terror
of God, they fled back into their tents, as if the devil were after them.
The Law is meant to produce the same effect today which it produced at
Mount Sinai long ago. I want to encourage all who fear God, especially
those who intend to become ministers of the Gospel, to learn from the
Apostle the proper use of the Law. I fear that after our time the right
handling of the Law will become a lost art. Even now, although we
continually explain the separate functions of the Law and the Gospel, we
have those among us who do not understand how the Law should be used. What
will it be like when we are dead and gone?
We want it understood that we do not reject the Law as our opponents
claim. On the contrary, we uphold the Law. We say the Law is good if it is
used for the purposes for which it was designed, to check civil
transgression, and to magnify spiritual transgressions. The Law is also a
light like the Gospel. But instead of revealing the grace of God,
righteousness, and life, the Law brings sin, death, and the wrath of God
to light. This is the business of the Law, and here the business of the
Law ends, and should go no further.
The business of the Gospel, on the other hand, is to quicken, to comfort,
to raise the fallen. The Gospel carries the news that God for Christ's
sake is merciful to the most unworthy sinners, if they will only believe
that Christ by His death has delivered them from sin and everlasting death
unto grace, forgiveness, and everlasting life. By keeping in mind the
difference between the Law and the Gospel we let each perform its special
task. Of this difference between the Law and the Gospel nothing can be
discovered in the writings of the monks or scholastics, nor for that
matter in the writings of the ancient fathers. Augustine understood the
difference somewhat. Jerome and others knew nothing of it. The silence in
the Church concerning the difference between the Law and the Gospel has
resulted in untold harm. Unless a sharp distinction is maintained between
the purpose and function of the Law and the Gospel, the Christian doctrine
cannot be kept free from error.
VERSE 19. It was added because of transgressions.
In other words, that transgressions might be recognized as such and thus
increased. When sin, death, and the wrath of God are revealed to a person
by the Law, he grows impatient, complains against God, and rebels. Before
that he was a very holy man; he worshipped and praised God; he bowed his
knees before God and gave thanks, like the Pharisee. But now that sin and
death are revealed to him by the Law he wishes there were no God. The Law
inspires hatred of God. Thus sin is not only revealed by the Law; sin is
actually increased and magnified by the Law.
The Law is a mirror to show a person what he is like, a sinner who is
guilty of death, and worthy of everlasting punishment. What is this
bruising and beating by the hand of the Law to accomplish? This, that we
may find the way to grace. The Law is an usher to lead the way to grace.
God is the God of the humble, the miserable, the afflicted. It is His
nature to exalt the humble, to comfort the sorrowing, to heal the
broken-hearted, to justify the sinners, and to save the condemned. The
fatuous idea that a person can be holy by himself denies God the pleasure
of saving sinners. God must therefore first take the sledge-hammer of the
Law in His fists and smash the beast of self-righteousness and its brood
of self-confidence, self-wisdom, self-righteousness, and self-help. When
the conscience has been thoroughly frightened by the Law it welcomes the
Gospel of grace with its message of a Savior who came into the world, not
to break the bruised reed, nor to quench the smoking flax, but to preach
glad tidings to the poor, to heal the broken-hearted, and to grant
forgiveness of sins to all the captives.
Man's folly, however, is so prodigious that instead of embracing the
message of grace with its guarantee of the forgiveness of sin for Christ's
sake, man finds himself more laws to satisfy his conscience. "If I live,"
says he, "I will mend my life. I will do this, I will do that." Man, if
you don't do the very opposite, if you don't send Moses with the Law back
to Mount Sinai and take the hand of Christ, pierced for your sins, you
will never be saved.
When the Law drives you to the point of despair, let it drive you a little
farther, let it drive you straight into the arms of Jesus who says: "Come
unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you
rest."
VERSE 19. Till the seed should come to whom the promise was made.
The Law is not to have its say indefinitely. We must know how long the Law
is to put in its licks. If it hammers away too long, no person would and
could be saved. The Law has a boundary beyond which it must not go. How
long ought the Law to hold sway? "Till the seed should come to whom the
promise was made." That may be taken literally to mean until the time of
the Gospel. "From the days of John the Baptist," says Jesus, "until now
the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by
force. For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John." (Matthew
11:12, 13.) When Christ came the Law and the ceremonies of Moses ceased.
Spiritually, it means that the Law is not to operate on a person after he
has been humbled and frightened by the exposure of his sins and the wrath
of God. We must then say to the Law: "Mister Law, lay off him. He has had
enough. You scared him good and proper." Now it is the Gospel's turn. Now
let Christ with His gracious lips talk to him of better things, grace,
peace, forgiveness of sins, and eternal life.
VERSE 19. And it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.
The Apostle digresses a little from his immediate theme. Something
occurred to him and he throws it in by the way. It occurred to him that
the Law differs from the Gospel in another respect, in respect to
authorship. The Law was delivered by the angels, but the Gospel by the
Lord Himself. Hence, the Gospel is superior to the Law, as the word of a
lord is superior to the word of his servant.
The Law was handed down by a being even inferior to the angels, by a
middleman named Moses. Paul wants us to understand that Christ is the
mediator of a better testament than mediator Moses of the Law. Moses led
the people out of their tents to meet God. But they ran away. That is how
good a mediator Moses was.
Paul says: "How can the Law justify when that whole sanctified people of
Israel and even mediator Moses trembled at the voice of God? What kind of
righteousness do you call that when people run away from it and hate it
the worst way? If the Law could justify, people would love the Law. But
look at the children of Israel running away from it."
The flight of the children of Israel from Mount Sinai indicates how people
feel about the Law. They don't like it. If this were the only argument to
prove that salvation is not by the Law, this one Bible history would do
the work. What kind of righteousness is this law-righteousness when at the
commencement exercises of the Law Moses and the scrubbed people run away
from it so fast that an iron mountain, the Red Sea even, could not have
stopped them until they were back in Egypt once again? If they could not
hear the Law, how could they ever hope to perform the Law?
If all the world had stood at the mountain, all the world would have hated
the Law and fled from it as the children of Israel did. The whole world is
an enemy of the Law. How, then, can anyone be justified by the Law when
everybody hates the Law and its divine author?
All this goes to show how little the scholastics know about the Law. They
do not consider its spiritual effect and purpose, which is not to justify
or to pacify afflicted consciences, but to increase sin, to terrify the
conscience, and to produce wrath. In their ignorance the papists spout
about man's good will and right judgment, and man's capacity to perform
the Law of God. Ask the people of Israel who were present at the
presentation of the Law on Mount Sinai whether what the scholastics say is
true. Ask David, who often complains in the Psalms that he was cast away
from God and in hell, that he was frantic about his sin, and sick at the
thought of the wrath and judgment of God. No, the Law does not justify.
VERSE 20. Now a mediator is not a mediator of one.
Here the Apostle briefly compares the two mediators: Moses and Christ. "A
mediator," says Paul, "is not a mediator of one." He is necessarily a
mediator of two: The offender and the offended. Moses was such a mediator
between the Law and the people who were offended at the Law. They were
offended at the Law because they did not understand its purpose. That was
the veil which Moses put over his face. The people were also offended at
the Law because they could not look at the bare face of Moses. It shone
with the glory of God. When Moses addressed the people he had to cover his
face with that veil of his. They could not listen to their mediator Moses
without another mediator, the veil. The Law had to change its face and
voice. In other words, the Law had to be made tolerable to the people.
Thus covered, the Law no longer spoke to the people in its undisguised
majesty. It became more tolerable to the conscience. This explains why men
fail to understand the Law properly, with the result that they become
secure and presumptuous hypocrites. One of two things has to be done:
Either the Law must be covered with a veil and then it loses its full
effectiveness, or it must be unveiled and then the full blast of its force
kills. Man cannot stand the Law without a veil over it. Hence, we are
forced either to look beyond the Law to Christ, or we go through life as
shameless hypocrites and secure sinners.
Paul says: "A mediator is not a mediator of one." Moses could not be a
mediator of God only, for God needs no mediator. Again, Moses could not be
a mediator of the people only. He was a mediator between God and the
people. It is the office of a mediator to conciliate the party that is
offended and to placate the party that is the offender. However, Moses'
mediation consisted only in changing the tone of the Law to make it more
tolerable to the people. Moses was merely a mediator of the veil. He could
not supply the ability to perform the Law.
What do you suppose would have happened if the Law had been given without
a mediator and the people had been denied the services of a go-between?
The people would have perished, or in case they had escaped they would
have required the services of another mediator to preserve them alive and
to keep the Law in force. Moses came along and he was made the mediator.
He covered his face with a veil. But that is as much as he could do. He
could not deliver men's consciences from the terror of the Law. The sinner
needs a better mediator.
That better mediator is Jesus Christ. He does not change the voice of the
Law, nor does He hide the Law with a veil. He takes the full blast of the
wrath of the Law and fulfills its demands most meticulously.
Of this better Mediator Paul says: "A mediator is not a mediator of one."
We are the offending party; God is the party offended. The offense is of
such a nature that God cannot pardon it. Neither can we render adequate
satisfaction for our offenses. There is discord between God and us. Could
not God revoke His Law? No. How about running away from God? It cannot be
done. It took Christ to come between us and God and to reconcile God to
us. How did Christ do it? "Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that
was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way,
nailing it to his cross." (Col. 2:14.)
This one word, "mediator," is proof enough that the Law cannot justify.
Otherwise we should not need a mediator.
In Christian theology the Law does not justify. In fact it has the
contrary effect. The Law alarms us, it magnifies our sins until we begin
to hate the Law and its divine Author. Would you call this being justified
by the Law?
Can you imagine a more arrant outrage than to hate God and to abhor His
Law? What an excellent Law it is. Listen: "I am the Lord thy God, which
have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
Thou shalt have no other gods...showing mercy unto thousands... honor thy
father and thy mother; that thy days may be long upon the land..." (Ex.
20:2, 3, 6, 12.) Are these not excellent laws, perfect wisdom? "Let not
God speak with us, lest we die," cried the children of Israel. Is it not
amazing that a person should refuse to hear things that are good for him?
Any person would be glad to hear, I should think, that he has a gracious
God who shows mercy unto thousands. Is it not amazing that people hate the
Law that promotes their safety and welfare, e.g., "Thou shalt not kill;
thou shalt not commit adultery; thou shalt not steal"?
The Law can do nothing for us except to arouse the conscience. Before the
Law comes to me I feel no sin. But when the Law comes, sin, death, and
hell are revealed to me. You would not call this being made righteous. You
would call it being condemned to death and hell-fire.
VERSE 20. But God is one.
God does not offend anybody, therefore He needs no mediator. But we offend
God, therefore we need a mediator. And we need a better mediator than
Moses. We need Christ.
VERSE 21. Is the law then against the promises of God?
Before he digressed Paul stated that the Law does not justify. Shall we
then discard the Law? No, no. It supplies a certain need. It supplies men
with a needed realization of their sinfulness. Now arises another
question: If the Law does no more than to reveal sin, does it not oppose
the promises of God? The Jews believed that by the restraint and
discipline of the Law the promises of God would be hastened, in fact
earned by them.
Paul answers: "Not so. On the contrary, if we pay too much attention to
the Law the promises of God will be slowed up. How can God fulfill His
promises to a people that hates the Law?"
VERSE 21. God forbid.
God never said to Abraham: "In thee shall all the nations of the earth be
blessed because thou hast kept the Law." When Abraham was still
uncircumcised and without the Law or any law, indeed, when he was still an
idol worshiper, God said to him: "Get thee out of thy country, etc.; I am
thy shield, etc.; In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be
blessed." These are unconditional promises which God freely made to
Abraham without respect to works.
This is aimed especially at the Jews who think that the promises of God
are impeded by their sins. Paul says: "The Lord is not slack concerning
His promises because of our sins, or hastens His promises because of any
merit on our part." God's promises are not influenced by our attitudes.
They rest in His goodness and mercy.
Just because the Law increases sin, it does not therefore obstruct the
promises of God. The Law confirms the promises, in that it prepares a
person to look for the fulfillment of the promises of God in Christ.
The proverb has it that Hunger is the best cook. The Law makes afflicted
consciences hungry for Christ. Christ tastes good to them. Hungry hearts
appreciate Christ. Thirsty souls are what Christ wants. He invites them:
"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you
rest." Christ's benefits are so precious that He will dispense them only
to those who need them and really desire them.
VERSE 21. For if there had been a law given which could have given
life, verily righteousness should have been by the law.
The Law cannot give life. It kills. The Law does not justify a person
before God; it increases sin. The Law does not secure righteousness; it
hinders righteousness. The Apostle declares emphatically that the Law of
itself cannot save.
Despite the intelligibility of Paul's statement, our enemies fail to grasp
it. Otherwise they would not emphasize free will, natural strength, the
works of supererogation, etc. To escape the charge of forgery they always
have their convenient annotation handy, that Paul is referring only to the
ceremonial and not to the moral law. But Paul includes all laws. He
expressly says: "If there had been a law given."
There is no law by which righteousness may be obtained, not a single one.
Why not?
VERSE 22. But the Scripture hath concluded all under sin.
Where? First in the promises concerning Christ in Genesis 3:15 and in
Genesis 22:18, which speak of the seed of the woman and the seed of
Abraham. The fact that these promises were made unto the fathers
concerning Christ implies that the fathers were subject to the curse of
sin and eternal death. Otherwise why the need of promises?
Next, Holy Writ "concludes" all under sin in this passage from Paul: "For
as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse." Again, in the
passage which the Apostle quotes from Deuteronomy 27:26, "Cursed is every
one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the
law to do them." This passage clearly submits all men to the curse, not
only those who sin openly against the Law, but also those who sincerely
endeavor to perform the Law, inclusive of monks, friars, hermits, etc.
The conclusion is inevitable: Faith alone justified without works. If the
Law itself cannot justify, much less can imperfect performance of the Law
or the works of the Law, justify.
VERSE 22. That the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to
them that believe.
The Apostle stated before that "the Scripture hath concluded all under
sin." Forever? No, only until the promise should be fulfilled. The
promise, you will recall, is the inheritance itself or the blessing
promised to Abraham, deliverance from the Law, sin, death, and the devil,
and the free gift of grace, righteousness, salvation, and eternal life.
This promise, says Paul, is not obtained by any merit, by any law, or by
any work. This promise is given. To whom? To those who believe. In whom?
In Jesus Christ.
VERSE 23. But before faith came.
The Apostle proceeds to explain the service which the Law is to render.
Previously Paul had said that the Law was given to reveal the wrath and
death of God upon all sinners. Although the Law kills, God brings good out
of evil. He uses the Law to bring life. God saw that the universal
illusion of self-righteousness could not be put down in any other way but
by the Law. The Law dispels all self-illusions. It puts the fear of God in
a man. Without this fear there can be no thirst for God's mercy. God
accordingly uses the Law for a hammer to break up the illusion of
self-righteousness, that we should despair of our own strength and efforts
at self-justification.
VERSE 23. But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up
unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.
The Law is a prison to those who have not as yet obtained grace. No
prisoner enjoys the confinement. He hates it. If he could he would smash
the prison and find his freedom at all cost. As long as he stays in prison
he refrains from evil deeds. Not because he wants to, but because he has
to. The bars and the chains restrain him. He does not regret the crime
that put him in jail. On the contrary, he is mighty sore that he cannot
rob and kill as before. If he could escape he would go right back to
robbing and killing.
The Law enforces good behavior, at least outwardly. We obey the Law
because if we don't we will be punished. Our obedience is inspired by
fear. We obey under duress and we do it resentfully. Now what kind of
righteousness is this when we refrain from evil out of fear of punishment?
Hence, the righteousness of the Law is at bottom nothing but love of sin
and hatred of righteousness.
All the same, the Law accomplishes this much, that it will outwardly at
least and to a certain extent repress vice and crime.
But the Law is also a spiritual prison, a veritable hell. When the Law
begins to threaten a person with death and the eternal wrath of God, a man
just cannot find any comfort at all. He cannot shake off at will the
nightmare of terror which the Law stirs up in his conscience. Of this
terror of the Law the Psalms furnish many glimpses.
The Law is a civil and a spiritual prison. And such it should be. For that
the Law is intended. Only the confinement in the prison of the Law must
not be unduly prolonged. It must come to an end. The freedom of faith must
succeed the imprisonment of the Law.
Happy the person who knows how to utilize the Law so that it serves the
purposes of grace and of faith. Unbelievers are ignorant of this happy
knowledge. When Cain was first shut up in the prison of the Law he felt no
pang at the fratricide he had committed. He thought he could pass it off
as an incident with a shrug of the shoulder. "Am I my brother's keeper?"
he answered God flippantly. But when he heard the ominous words, "What
hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the
ground," Cain began to feel his imprisonment. Did he know how to get out
of prison? No. He failed to call the Gospel to his aid. He said: "My
punishment is greater than I can bear." He could only think of the prison.
He forgot that he was brought face to face with his crime so that he
should hurry to God for mercy and for pardon. Cain remained in the prison
of the Law and despaired.
As a stone prison proves a physical handicap, so the spiritual prison of
the Law proves a chamber of torture. But this it should only be until
faith be revealed. The silly conscience must be educated to this. Talk to
your conscience. Say: "Sister, you are now in jail all right. But you
don't have to stay there forever. It is written that we are 'shut up unto
faith which should afterwards be revealed.' Christ will lead you to
freedom. Do not despair like Cain, Saul, or Judas. They might have gone
free if they had called Christ to their aid. Just take it easy, Sister
Conscience. It's good for you to be locked up for a while. It will teach
you to appreciate Christ."
How anybody can say that he by nature loves the Law is beyond me. The Law
is a prison to be feared and hated. Any unconverted person who says he
loves the Law is a liar. He does not know what he is talking about. We
love the Law about as well as a murderer loves his gloomy cell, his
straight-jacket, and the iron bars in front of him. How then can the Law
justify us?
VERSE 23. Shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.
We know that Paul has reference to the time of Christ's coming. It was
then that faith and the object of faith were fully revealed. But we may
apply the historical fact to our inner life. When Christ came He abolished
the Law and brought liberty and life to light. This He continues to do in
the hearts of the believers. The Christian has a body in whose members, as
Paul says, sin dwells and wars. I take sin to mean not only the deed but
root, tree, fruit, and all. A Christian may perhaps not fall into the
gross sins of murder, adultery, theft, but he is not free from impatience,
complaints, hatreds, and blasphemy of God. As carnal lust is strong in a
young man, in a man of full age the desire for glory, and in an old man
covetousness, so impatience, doubt, and hatred of God often prevail in the
hearts of sincere Christians. Examples of these sins may be garnered from
the Psalms, Job, Jeremiah, and all the Sacred Scriptures.
Accordingly each Christian continues to experience in his heart times of
the Law and times of the Gospel. The times of the Law are discernible by
heaviness of heart, by a lively sense of sin, and a feeling of despair
brought on by the Law. These periods of the Law will come again and again
as long as we live. To mention my own case. There are many times when I
find fault with God and am impatient with Him. The wrath and the judgment
of God displease me, my wrath and impatience displease Him. Then is the
season of the Law, when "the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the
Spirit against the flesh."
The time of grace returns when the heart is enlivened by the promise of
God's mercy. It soliloquizes: "Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why
art thou disquieted within me? Can you see nothing but law, sin, death,
and hell? Is there no grace, no forgiveness, no joy, peace, life, heaven,
no Christ and God? Trouble me no more, my soul. Hope in God who has not
spared His own dear Son but has given Him into death for thy sins." When
the Law carries things too far, say: "Mister Law, you are not the whole
show. There are other and better things than you. They tell me to trust in
the Lord."
There is a time for the Law and a time for grace. Let us study to be good
timekeepers. It is not easy. Law and grace may be miles apart in essence,
but in the heart, they are pretty close together. In the heart fear and
trust, sin and grace, Law and Gospel cross paths continually.
Whether reason hears that justification before God is obtained by grace
alone, it draws the inference that the Law is without value. The doctrine
of the Law must therefore be studied carefully lest we either reject the
Law altogether, or are tempted to attribute to the Law a capacity to save.
There are three ways in which the Law may be abused. First, by the
self-righteous hypocrites who fancy that they can be justified by the Law.
Secondly, by those who claim that Christian liberty exempts a Christian
from the observance of the Law. "These," says Peter, "use their liberty
for a cloak of maliciousness," and bring the name and the Gospel of Christ
into ill repute. Thirdly, the Law is abused by those who do not understand
that the Law is meant to drive us to Christ. When the Law is properly used
its value cannot be too highly appraised. It will take me to Christ every
time.
VERSE 24. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto
Christ.
This simile of the schoolmaster is striking. Schoolmasters are
indispensable. But show me a pupil who loves his schoolmaster. How little
love is lost upon them the Jews showed by their attitude toward Moses.
They would have been glad to stone Moses to death. (Ex. 17:4.) You cannot
expect anything else. How can a pupil love a teacher who frustrates his
desires? And if the pupil disobeys, the schoolmaster whips him, and the
pupil has to like it and even kiss the rod with which he was beaten. Do
you think the schoolboy feels good about it? As soon as the teacher turns
his back, the pupil breaks the rod and throws it into the fire. And if he
were stronger than the teacher he would not take the beatings, but beat up
the teacher. All the same, teachers are indispensable, otherwise the
children would grow up without discipline, instruction, and training.
But how long are the scolding and the whippings of the schoolmaster to
continue? Only for a time, until the boy has been trained to be a worthy
heir of his father. No father wants his son to be whipped all the time.
The discipline is to last until the boy has been trained to be his
father's worthy successor.
The Law is such a schoolmaster. Not for always, but until we have been
brought to Christ. The Law is not just another schoolmaster. The Law is a
specialist to bring us to Christ. What would you think of a schoolmaster
who could only torment and beat a child? Yet of such schoolmasters there
were plenty in former times, regular bruisers. The Law is not that kind of
a schoolmaster. It is not to torment us always. With its lashings it is
only too anxious to drive us to Christ. The Law is like the good
schoolmaster who trains his children to find pleasure in doing things they
formerly detested.
VERSE 24. That we might be justified by faith.
The Law is not to teach us another Law. When a person feels the full force
of the Law he is likely to think: I have transgressed all the commandments
of God; I am guilty of eternal death. If God will spare me I will change
and live right from now on. This natural but entirely wrong reaction to
the Law has bred the many ceremonies and works devised to earn grace and
remission of sins.
The Law means to enlarge my sins, to make me small, so that I may be
justified by faith in Christ. Faith is neither law nor word; but
confidence in Christ "who is the end of the law." How so is Christ the end
of the Law? Not in this way that He replaced the old Law with new laws.
Nor is Christ the end of the Law in a way that makes Him a hard judge who
has to be bribed by works as the papists teach. Christ is the end or
finish of the Law to all who believe in Him. The Law can no longer accuse
or condemn them.
But what does the Law accomplish for those who have been justified by
Christ? Paul answers this question next.
VERSE 25. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a
schoolmaster.
The Apostle declares that we are free from the Law. Christ fulfilled the
Law for us. We may live in joy and safety under Christ. The trouble is,
our flesh will not let us believe in Christ with all our heart. The fault
lies not with Christ, but with us. Sin clings to us as long as we live and
spoils our happiness in Christ. Hence, we are only partly free from the
Law. "With the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the
law of sin." (Romans 7:25.)
As far as the conscience is concerned it may cheerfully ignore the Law.
But because sin continues to dwell in the flesh, the Law waits around to
molest our conscience. More and more, however, Christ increases our faith
and in the measure in which our faith is increased, sin, Law, and flesh
subside.
If anybody objects to the Gospel and the sacraments on the ground that
Christ has taken away our sins once and for always, you will know what to
answer. You will answer: Indeed, Christ has taken away my sins. But my
flesh, the world, and the devil interfere with my faith. The little light
of faith in my heart does not shine all over me at once. It is a gradual
diffusion. In the meanwhile I console myself with the thought that
eventually my flesh will be made perfect in the resurrection.
VERSE 26. For we are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
Paul as a true apostle of faith always has the word "faith" on the tip of
his tongue. By faith, says he, we are the children of God. The Law cannot
beget children of God. It cannot regenerate us. It can only remind us of
the old birth by which we were born into the kingdom of the devil. The
best the Law can do for us is to prepare us for a new birth through faith
in Christ Jesus. Faith in Christ regenerates us into the children of God.
St. John bears witness to this in his Gospel: "As many as received him, to
them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on
his name." (John 1:12.) What tongue of man or angel can adequately extol
the mercy of God toward us miserable sinners in that He adopted us for His
own children and fellow-heirs with His Son by the simple means of faith in
Christ Jesus!
VERSE 27. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have
put on Christ.
To "put on Christ" may be understood in two ways, according to the Law and
according to the Gospel. According to the Law as in Romans 13:14, "Put ye
on the Lord Jesus Christ," which means to follow the example of Christ.
To put on Christ according to the Gospel means to clothe oneself with the
righteousness, wisdom, power, life, and Spirit of Christ. By nature we are
clad in the garb of Adam. This garb Paul likes to call "the old man."
Before we can become the children of God this old man must be put off, as
Paul says, Ephesians 4:29. The garment of Adam must come off like soiled
clothes. Of course, it is not as simple as changing one's clothes. But God
makes it simple. He clothes us with the righteousness of Christ by means
of Baptism, as the Apostle says in this verse: "As many of you as have
been baptized into Christ have put on Christ." With this change of
garments a new birth, a new life stirs in us. New affections toward God
spring up in the heart. New determinations affect our will. All this is to
put on Christ according to the Gospel. Needless to say, when we have put
on the robe of the righteousness of Christ we must not forget to put on
also the mantle of the imitation of Christ.
VERSE 28. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor
free, there is neither male nor female; for ye are all one in Christ
Jesus.
The list might be extended indefinitely: There is neither preacher nor
hearer, neither teacher nor scholar, neither master nor servant, etc. In
the matter of salvation, rank, learning, righteousness, influence count
for nothing.
With this statement Paul deals a death blow to the Law. When a person has
put on Christ nothing else matters. Whether a person is a Jew, a
punctilious and circumcised observer of the Law of Moses, or whether a
person is a noble and wise Greek does not matter. Circumstances, personal
worth, character, achievements have no bearing upon justification. Before
God they count for nothing. What counts is that we put on Christ.
Whether a servant performs his duties well; whether those who are in
authority govern wisely; whether a man marries, provides for his family,
and is an honest citizen; whether a woman is chaste, obedient to her
husband, and a good mother: all these advantages do not qualify a person
for salvation. These virtues are commendable, of course; but they do not
count points for justification. All the best laws, ceremonies, religions,
and deeds of the world cannot take away sin guilt, cannot dispatch death,
cannot purchase life.
There is much disparity among men in the world, but there is no such
disparity before God. "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of
God." (Romans 3:23.) Let the Jews, let the Greeks, let the whole world
keep silent in the presence of God. Those who are justified are justified
by Christ. Without faith in Christ the Jew with his laws, the monk with
his holy orders, the Greek with his wisdom, the servant with his
obedience, shall perish forever.
VERSE 28. For ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
There is much imparity among men in the world. And it is a good thing. If
the woman would change places with the man, if the son would change places
with the father, the servant with the master, nothing but confusion would
result. In Christ, however, all are equal. We all have one and the same
Gospel, "one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all," one Christ
and Savior of all. The Christ of Peter, Paul, and all the saints is our
Christ. Paul can always be depended on to add the conditional clause, "In
Christ Jesus." If we lose sight of Christ, we lose out.
VERSE 29. And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs
according to the promise.
"If ye be Christ's" means, if you believe in Christ. If you believe in
Christ, then are you the children of Abraham indeed. Through our faith in
Christ Abraham gains paternity over us and over the nations of the earth
according to the promise: "In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth
be blessed." Through faith we belong to Christ and Christ to us.
CHAPTER 4
VERSE 1. Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth
nothing from a servant, though he be Lord of all;VERSE 2. But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed
of the father.
THE Apostle had apparently finished his discourse on justification when
this illustration of the youthful heir occurred to him. He throws it in
for good measure. He knows that plain people are sooner impressed by an
apt illustration than by learned discussion.
"I want to give you another illustration from everyday life," he writes to
the Galatians. "As long as an heir is under age he is treated very much
like a servant. He is not permitted to order his own affairs. He is kept
under constant surveillance. Such discipline is good for him, otherwise he
would waste his inheritance in no time. This discipline, however, is not
to last forever. It is to last only until 'the time appointed of the
father.'"
VERSE 3. Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage
under the elements of the world.
As children of the Law we were treated like servants and prisoners. We
were oppressed and condemned by the Law. But the tyranny of the Law is not
to last forever. It is to last only until "the time appointed of the
father," until Christ came and redeemed us.
VERSE 3. Under the elements of the world.
By the elements of the world the Apostle does not understand the physical
elements, as some have thought. In calling the Law "the elements of the
world" Paul means to say that the Law is something material, mundane,
earthly. It may restrain evil, but it does not deliver from sin. The Law
does not justify; it does not bring a person to heaven. I do not obtain
eternal life because I do not kill, commit adultery, steal, etc. Such mere
outward decency does not constitute Christianity. The heathen observe the
same restraints to avoid punishment or to secure the advantages of a good
reputation. In the last analysis such restraint is simple hypocrisy. When
the Law exercises its higher function it accuses and condemns the
conscience. All these effects of the Law cannot be called divine or
heavenly. These effects are elements of the world.
In calling the Law the elements of the world Paul refers to the whole Law,
principally to the ceremonial law which dealt with external matters, as
meat, drink, dress, places, times, feasts, cleansings, sacrifices, etc.
These are mundane matters which cannot save the sinner. Ceremonial laws
are like the statutes of governments dealing with purely civil matters, as
commerce, inheritance, etc. As for the pope's church laws forbidding
marriage and meats, Paul calls them elsewhere the doctrines of devils. You
would not call such laws elements of heaven.
The Law of Moses deals with mundane matters. It holds the mirror to the
evil which is in the world. By revealing the evil that is in us it creates
a longing in the heart for the better things of God. The Law forces us
into the arms of Christ, "who is the end of the law for righteousness to
every one that believeth." (Romans 1:4.) Christ relieves the conscience of
the Law. In so far as the Law impels us to Christ it renders excellent
service.
I do not mean to give the impression that the Law should be despised.
Neither does Paul intend to leave that impression. The Law ought to be
honored. But when it is a matter of justification before God, Paul had to
speak disparagingly of the Law, because the Law has nothing to do with
justification. If it thrusts its nose into the business of justification
we must talk harshly to the Law to keep it in its place. The conscience
ought not to be on speaking terms with the Law. The conscience ought to
know only Christ. To say this is easy, but in times of trial, when the
conscience writhes in the presence of God, it is not so easy to do. As
such times we are to believe in Christ as if there were no Law or sin
anywhere, but only Christ. We ought to say to the Law: "Mister Law, I do
not get you. You stutter so much. I don't think that you have anything to
say to me."
When it is not a question of salvation or justification with us, we are to
think highly of the Law and call it "holy, just, and good." (Romans 7:12)
The Law is of no comfort to a stricken conscience. Therefore it should not
be allowed to rule in our conscience, particularly in view of the fact
that Christ paid so great a price to deliver the conscience from the
tyranny of the Law. Let us understand that the Law and Christ are
impossible bedfellows. The Law must leave the bed of the conscience, which
is so narrow that it cannot hold two, as Isaiah says, chapter 28, verse
20.
Only Paul among the apostles calls the Law "the elements of the world,
weak and beggarly elements, the strength of sin, the letter that killeth,"
etc. The other apostles do not speak so slightingly of the Law. Those who
want to be first-class scholars in the school of Christ want to pick up
the language of Paul. Christ called him a chosen vessel and equipped with
a facility of expression far above that of the other apostles, that he as
the chosen vessel should establish the doctrine of justification in
clear-cut words.
VERSES 4, 5. But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent
forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them
that were under the law.
"The fullness of the time" means when the time of the Law was fulfilled
and Christ was revealed. Note how Paul explains Christ. "Christ," says he,
"is the Son of God and the son of a woman. He submitted Himself under the
Law to redeem us who were under the Law." In these words the Apostle
explains the person and office of Christ. His person is divine and human.
"God sent forth His Son, made of a woman." Christ therefore is true God
and true man. Christ's office the Apostle describes in the words: "Made
under the law, to redeem them that were under the law."
Paul calls the Virgin Mary a woman. This has been frequently deplored even
by some of the ancient fathers who felt that Paul should have written
"virgin" instead of woman. But Paul is now treating of faith and Christian
righteousness, of the person and office of Christ, not of the virginity of
Mary. The inestimable mercy of God is sufficiently set forth by the fact
that His Son was born of a woman. The more general term "woman" indicates
that Christ was born a true man. Paul does not say that Christ was born of
man and woman, but only of woman. That he has a virgin in mind is obvious.
This passage furthermore declares that Christ's purpose in coming was the
abolition of the Law, not with the intention of laying down new laws, but
"to redeem them that were under the law." Christ himself declared: "I
judge no man." (John 8:15.) Again, "I came not to judge the world, but to
save the world." (John 12:47.) In other words: "I came not to bring more
laws, or to judge men according to the existing Law. I have a higher and
better office. I came to judge and to condemn the Law, so that it may no
more judge and condemn the world."
How did Christ manage to redeem us? "He was made under the law." When
Christ came He found us all in prison. What did He do about it? Although
He was the Lord of the Law, He voluntarily placed Himself under the Law
and permitted it to exercise dominion over Him, indeed to accuse and to
condemn Him. When the Law takes us into judgment it has a perfect right to
do so. "For we are by nature the children of wrath, even as others." (Eph.
2:3.) Christ, however, "did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth."
(I Pet. 2:22.) Hence the Law had no jurisdiction over Him. Yet the Law
treated this innocent, just, and blessed Lamb of God as cruelly as it
treated us. It accused Him of blasphemy and treason. It made Him guilty of
the sins of the whole world. It overwhelmed him with such anguish of soul
that His sweat was as blood. The Law condemned Him to the shameful death
on the Cross.
It is truly amazing that the Law had the effrontery to turn upon its
divine Author, and that without a show of right. For its insolence the Law
in turn was arraigned before the judgment seat of God and condemned.
Christ might have overcome the Law by an exercise of His omnipotent
authority over the Law. Instead, He humbled Himself under the Law for and
together with them that were under the Law. He gave the Law license to
accuse and condemn Him. His present mastery over the Law was obtained by
virtue of His Sonship and His substitutionary victory.
Thus Christ banished the Law from the conscience. It dare no longer banish
us from God. For that matter,—the Law continues to reveal sin. It
still raises its voice in condemnation. But the conscience finds quick
relief in the words of the Apostle: "Christ has redeemed us from the law."
The conscience can now hold its head high and say to the Law: "You are not
so holy yourself. You crucified the Son of God. That was an awful thing
for you to do. You have lost your influence forever."
The words, "Christ was made under the law," are worth all the attention we
can bestow on them. They declare that the Son of God did not only fulfill
one or two easy requirements of the Law, but that He endured all the
tortures of the Law. The Law brought all its fright to bear upon Christ
until He experienced anguish and terror such as nobody else ever
experienced. His bloody sweat. His need of angelic comfort, His tremulous
prayer in the garden, His lamentation on the Cross, "My God, my God, why
hast thou forsaken me?" bear eloquent witness to the sting of the Law. He
suffered "to redeem them that were under the law."
The Roman conception of Christ as a mere lawgiver more stringent than
Moses, is quite contrary to Paul's teaching. Christ, according to Paul,
was not an agent of the Law but a patient of the Law. He was not a
law-giver, but a law-taker.
True enough, Christ also taught and expounded the Law. But it was
incidental. It was a sideline with Him. He did not come into the world for
the purpose of teaching the Law, as little as it was the purpose of His
coming to perform miracles. Teaching the Law and performing miracles did
not constitute His unique mission to the world. The prophets also taught
the Law and performed miracles. In fact, according to the promise of
Christ, the apostles performed greater miracles than Christ Himself. (John
14:12.) The true purpose of Christ's coming was the abolition of the Law,
of sin, and of death.
If we think of Christ as Paul here depicts Him, we shall never go wrong.
We shall never be in danger of misconstruing the meaning of the Law. We
shall understand that the Law does not justify. We shall understand why a
Christian observes laws: For the peace of the world, out of gratitude to
God, and for a good example that others may be attracted to the Gospel.
VERSE 5. That we might receive the adoption of sons.
Paul still has for his text Genesis 22:18, "In thy seed shall all the
nations of the earth be blessed." In the course of his Epistle he calls
this promise of the blessing righteousness, life, deliverance from the
Law, the testament, etc. Now he also calls the promise of blessing "the
adoption of sons," the inheritance of everlasting life.
What ever induced God to adopt us for His children and heirs? What claim
can men who are subservient to sin, subject to the curse of the Law, and
worthy of everlasting death, have on God and eternal life? That God
adopted us is due to the merit of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who
humbled Himself under the Law and redeemed us law-ridden sinners.
VERSE 6. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his
Son into your hearts.
In the early Church the Holy Spirit was sent forth in visible form. He
descended upon Christ in the form of a dove (Matt. 3:16), and in the
likeness of fire upon the apostles and other believers. (Acts 2:3.) This
visible outpouring of the Holy Spirit was necessary to the establishment
of the early Church, as were also the miracles that accompanied the gift
of the Holy Ghost. Paul explained the purpose of these miraculous gifts of
the Spirit in I Corinthians 14:22, "Tongues are for a sign, not to them
that believe, but to them that believe not." Once the Church had been
established and properly advertised by these miracles, the visible
appearance of the Holy Ghost ceased.
Next, the Holy Ghost is sent forth into the hearts of the believers, as
here stated, "God sent the Spirit of his Son into your hearts." This
sending is accomplished by the preaching of the Gospel through which the
Holy Spirit inspires us with fervor and light, with new judgment, new
desires, and new motives. This happy innovation is not a derivative of
reason or personal development, but solely the gift and operation of the
Holy Ghost.
This renewal by the Holy Spirit may not be conspicuous to the world, but
it is patent to us by our better judgment, our improved speech, and our
unashamed confession of Christ. Formerly we did not confess Christ to be
our only merit, as we do now in the light of the Gospel. Why, then, should
we feel bad if the world looks upon us as ravagers of religion and
insurgents against constituted authority? We confess Christ and our
conscience approves of it. Then, too, we live in the fear of God. If we
sin, we sin not on purpose, but unwittingly, and we are sorry for it. Sin
sticks in our flesh, and the flesh gets us into sin even after we have
been imbued by the Holy Ghost. Outwardly there is no great difference
between a Christian and any honest man. The activities of a Christian are
not sensational. He performs his duty according to his vocation. He takes
good care of his family, and is kind and helpful to others. Such homely,
everyday performances are not much admired. But the setting-up exercises
of the monks draw great applause. Holy works, you know. Only the acts of a
Christian are truly good and acceptable to God, because they are done in
faith, with a cheerful heart, out of gratitude to Christ.
We ought to have no misgivings about whether the Holy Ghost dwells in us.
We are "the temple of the Holy Ghost." (I Cor. 3:16.) When we have a love
for the Word of God, and gladly hear, talk, write, and think of Christ, we
are to know that this inclination toward Christ is the gift and work of
the Holy Ghost. Where you come across contempt for the Word of God, there
is the devil. We meet with such contempt for the Word of God mostly among
the common people. They act as though the Word of God does not concern
them. Wherever you find a love for the Word, thank God for the Holy Spirit
who infuses this love into the hearts of men. We never come by this love
naturally, neither can it be enforced by laws. It is the gift of the Holy
Spirit.
The Roman theologians teach that no man can know for a certainty whether
he stands in the favor of God or not. This teaching forms one of the chief
articles of their faith. With this teaching they tormented men's
consciences, excommunicated Christ from the Church, and limited the
operations of the Holy Ghost.
St. Augustine observed that "every man is certain of his faith, if he has
faith." This the Romanists deny. "God forbid," they exclaim piously, "that
I should ever be so arrogant as to think that I stand in grace, that I am
holy, or that I have the Holy Ghost." We ought to feel sure that we stand
in the grace of God, not in view of our own worthiness, but through the
good services of Christ. As certain as we are that Christ pleases God, so
sure ought we to be that we also please God, because Christ is in us. And
although we daily offend God by our sins, yet as often as we sin, God's
mercy bends over us. Therefore sin cannot get us to doubt the grace of
God. Our certainty is of Christ, that mighty Hero who overcame the Law,
sin, death, and all evils. So long as He sits at the right hand of God to
intercede for us, we have nothing to fear from the anger of God.
This inner assurance of the grace of God is accompanied by outward
indications such as gladly to hear, preach, praise, and to confess Christ,
to do one's duty in the station in which God has placed us, to aid the
needy, and to comfort the sorrowing. These are the affidavits of the Holy
Spirit testifying to our favorable standing with God.
If we could be fully persuaded that we are in the good grace of God, that
our sins are forgiven, that we have the Spirit of Christ, that we are the
beloved children of God, we would be ever so happy and grateful to God.
But because we often feel fear and doubt we cannot come to that happy
certainty.
Train your conscience to believe that God approves of you. Fight it out
with doubt. Gain assurance through the Word of God. Say: "I am all right
with God. I have the Holy Ghost. Christ, in whom I do believe, makes me
worthy. I gladly hear, read, sing, and write of Him. I would like nothing
better than that Christ's Gospel be known throughout the world and that
many, many be brought to faith in Him."
VERSE 6. Crying, Abba, Father.
Paul might have written, "God sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your
hearts, calling Abba, Father." Instead, he wrote, "Crying, Abba, Father."
In the eighth chapter of the Epistle to the Romans the Apostle describes
this crying of the Spirit as "groanings which cannot be uttered." He
writes in the 26th verse: "Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our
infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the
Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be
uttered."
The fact that the Spirit of Christ in our hearts cries unto God and makes
intercession for us with groanings should reassure us greatly. However,
there are many factors that prevent such full reassurance on our part. We
are born in sin. To doubt the good will of God is an inborn suspicion of
God with all of us. Besides, the devil, our adversary, goeth about seeking
to devour us by roaring: "God is angry at you and is going to destroy you
forever." In all these difficulties we have only one support, the Gospel
of Christ. To hold on to it, that is the trick. Christ cannot be perceived
with the senses. We cannot see Him. The heart does not feel His helpful
presence. Especially in times of trials a Christian feels the power of
sin, the infirmity of his flesh, the goading darts of the devil, the agues
of death, the scowl and judgment of God. All these things cry out against
us. The Law scolds us, sin screams at us, death thunders at us, the devil
roars at us. In the midst of the clamor the Spirit of Christ cries in our
hearts: "Abba, Father." And this little cry of the Spirit transcends the
hullabaloo of the Law, sin, death, and the devil, and finds a hearing with
God.
The Spirit cries in us because of our weakness. Because of our infirmity
the Holy Ghost is sent forth into our hearts to pray for us according to
the will of God and to assure us of the grace of God.
Let the Law, sin, and the devil cry out against us until their outcry
fills heaven and earth. The Spirit of God outcries them all. Our feeble
groans, "Abba, Father," will be heard of God sooner than the combined
racket of hell, sin, and the Law.
We do not think of our groanings as a crying. It is so faint we do not
know we are groaning. "But he," says Paul, "that searcheth the hearts
knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit." (Romans 8:27.) To this Searcher
of hearts our feeble groaning, as it seems to us, is a loud shout for help
in comparison with which the howls of hell, the din of the devil, the
yells of the Law, the shouts of sin are like so many whispers.
In the fourteenth chapter of Exodus the Lord addresses Moses at the Red
Sea: "Wherefore criest thou unto me?" Moses had not cried unto the Lord.
He trembled so he could hardly talk. His faith was at low ebb. He saw the
people of Israel wedged between the Sea and the approaching armies of
Pharaoh. How were they to escape? Moses did not know what to say. How then
could God say that Moses was crying to Him? God heard the groaning heart
of Moses and the groans to Him sounded like loud shouts for help. God is
quick to catch the sigh of the heart.
Some have claimed that the saints are without infirmities. But Paul says:
"The Spirit helpeth our infirmities, and maketh intercession for us with
groanings which cannot be uttered." We need the help of the Holy Spirit
because we are weak and infirm. And the Holy Spirit never disappoints us.
Confronted by the armies of Pharaoh, retreat cut off by the waters of the
Red Sea, Moses was in a bad spot. He felt himself to blame. The devil
accused him: "These people will all perish, for they cannot escape. And
you are to blame because you led the people out of Egypt. You started all
this." And then the people started in on Moses. "Because there were no
graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? For it
had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in
the wilderness." (Ex. 14:11, 12.) But the Holy Ghost was in Moses and made
intercession for him with unutterable groanings, sighings unto the Lord:
"O Lord, at Thy commandment have I led forth this people. So help me now."
The Spirit intercedes for us not in many words or long prayers, but with
groanings, with little sounds like "Abba." Small as this word is, it says
ever so much. It says: "My Father, I am in great trouble and you seem so
far away. But I know I am your child, because you are my Father for
Christ's sake. I am loved by you because of the Beloved." This one little
word "Abba" surpasses the eloquence of a Demosthenes and a Cicero.
I have spent much time on this verse in order to combat the cruel teaching
of the Roman church, that a person ought to be kept in a state of
uncertainty concerning his status with God. The monasteries recruit the
youth on the plea that their "holy" orders will assuredly recruit them for
heaven. But once inside the monastery the recruits are told to doubt the
promises of God.
In support of their error the papists quote the saying of Solomon: "The
righteous, and the wise, and their works, are in the hand of God: no man
knoweth either love or hatred by all that is before them." (Eccles. 9:1.)
They take this hatred to mean the wrath of God to come. Others take it to
mean God's present anger. None of them seem to understand this passage
from Solomon. On every page the Scriptures urge us to believe that God is
merciful, loving, and patient; that He is faithful and true, and that He
keeps His promises. All the promises of God were fulfilled in the gift of
His only-begotten Son, that "whosoever believeth in him should not perish,
but have everlasting life." The Gospel is reassurance for sinners. Yet
this one saying from Solomon, misinterpreted at that, is made to count for
more than all the many promises of all the Scriptures.
If our opponents are so uncertain about their status with God, and even go
so far as to say that the conscience ought to be kept in a state of doubt,
why is it that they persecute us as vile heretics? When it comes to
persecuting us they do not seem to be in doubt and uncertainty one minute.
Let us not fail to thank God for delivering us from the doctrine of doubt.
The Gospel commands us to look away from our own good works to the
promises of God in Christ, the Mediator. The pope commands us to look away
from the promises of God in Christ to our own merit. No wonder they are
the eternal prey of doubt and despair. We depend upon God for salvation.
No wonder that our doctrine is certified, because it does not rest in our
own strength, our own conscience, our own feelings, our own person, our
own works. It is built on a better foundation. It is built on the promises
and truth of God.
Besides, the passage from Solomon does not treat of the hatred and love of
God towards men. It merely rebukes the ingratitude of men. The more
deserving a person is, the less he is appreciated. Often those who should
be his best friends, are his worst enemies. Those who least deserve the
praise of the world, get most. David was a holy man and a good king.
Nevertheless he was chased from his own country. The prophets, Christ, the
apostles, were slain. Solomon in this passage does not speak of the love
and hatred of God, but of love and hatred among men. As though Solomon
wanted to say: "There are many good and wise men whom God uses for the
advancement of mankind. Seldom, if ever, are their efforts crowned with
gratitude. They are usually repaid with hatred and ingratitude."
We are being treated that way. We thought we would find favor with men for
bringing them the Gospel of peace, life, and eternal salvation. Instead of
favor, we found fury. At first, yes, many were delighted with our doctrine
and received it gladly. We counted them as our friends and brethren, and
were happy to think that they would help us in sowing the seed of the
Gospel. But they revealed themselves as false brethren and deadly enemies
of the Gospel. If you experience the ingratitude of men, don't let it get
you down. Say with Christ: "They hated me without cause." And, "For my
love they are my adversaries; but I give myself unto prayer." (Ps. 109:4.)
Let us never doubt the mercy of God in Christ Jesus, but make up our minds
that God is pleased with us, that He looks after us, and that we have the
Holy Spirit who prays for us.
VERSE 7. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son.
This sentence clinches Paul's argument. He says: "With the Holy Spirit in
our hearts crying, 'Abba, Father,' there can be no doubt that God has
adopted us for His children and that our subjection to the Law has come to
an end." We are now the free children of God. We may now say to the Law:
"Mister Law, you have lost your throne to Christ. I am free now and a son
of God. You cannot curse me any more." Do not permit the Law to lie in
your conscience. Your conscience belongs to Christ. Let Christ be in it
and not the Law.
As the children of God we are the heirs of His eternal heaven. What a
wonderful gift heaven is, man's heart cannot conceive, much less describe.
Until we enter upon our heavenly inheritance we are only to have our
little faith to go by. To man's reason our faith looks rather forlorn. But
because our faith rests on the promises of the infinite God, His promises
are also infinite, so much so that nothing can accuse or condemn us.
VERSE 7. And if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.
A son is an heir, not by virtue of high accomplishments, but by virtue of
his birth. He is a mere recipient. His birth makes him an heir, not his
labors. In exactly the same way we obtain the eternal gifts of
righteousness, resurrection, and everlasting life. We obtain them not as
agents, but as beneficiaries. We are the children and heirs of God through
faith in Christ. We have Christ to thank for everything.
We are not the heirs of some rich and mighty man, but heirs of God, the
almighty Creator of all things. If a person could fully appreciate what it
means to be a son and heir of God, he would rate the might and wealth of
nations small change in comparison with his heavenly inheritance. What is
the world to him who has heaven? No wonder Paul greatly desired to depart
and to be with Christ. Nothing would be more welcome to us than early
death, knowing that it would spell the end of all our miseries and the
beginning of all our happiness. Yes, if a person could perfectly believe
this he would not long remain alive. The anticipation of his joy would
kill him.
But the law of the members strives against the law of the mind, and makes
perfect joy and faith impossible. We need the continued help and comfort
of the Holy Spirit. We need His prayers. Paul himself cried out: "O
wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?"
The body of this death spoiled the joy of his spirit. He did not always
entertain the sweet and glad expectation of his heavenly inheritance. He
often felt miserable.
This goes to show how hard it is to believe. Faith is feeble, because the
flesh wars against the spirit. If we could have perfect faith, our
loathing for this life in the world would be complete. We would not be so
careful about this life. We would not be so attached to the world and the
things of the world. We would not feel so good when we have them; we would
not feel so bad when we lose them. We would be far more humble and patient
and kind. But our faith is weak, because our spirit is weak. In this life
we can have only the first-fruits of the Spirit, as Paul says.
VERSE 7. Through Christ.
The Apostle always has Christ on the tip of his tongue. He foresaw that
nothing would be less known in the world some day than the Gospel of
Christ. Therefore he talks of Christ continually. As often as he speaks of
righteousness, grace, the promise, the adoption, and the inheritance of
heaven, he adds the words, "In Christ," or "Through Christ," to show that
these blessings are not to be had by the Law, or the deeds of the Law,
much less by our own exertions, or by the observance of human traditions,
but only by and through and in Christ.
VERSES 8 and 9. Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service
unto them which by nature are no gods. But now, after that ye have
known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak
and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?
This concludes Paul's discourse on justification. From now to the end of
the Epistle the Apostle writes mostly of Christian conduct. But before he
follows up his doctrinal discourse with practical precepts he once more
reproves the Galatians. He is deeply displeased with them for
relinquishing their divine doctrine. He tells them: "You have taken on
teachers who intend to recommit you to the Law. By my doctrine I called
you out of the darkness of ignorance into the wonderful light of the
knowledge of God. I led you out of bondage into the freedom of the sons of
God, not by the prescription of laws, but by the gift of heavenly and
eternal blessings through Christ Jesus. How could you so soon forsake the
light and return to darkness? How could you so quickly stray from grace
into the Law, from freedom into bondage?"
The example of the Galatians, of Anabaptists, and other sectarians in our
day bears testimony to the ease with which faith may be lost. We take
great pains in setting forth the doctrine of faith by preaching and by
writing. We are careful to apply the Gospel and the Law in their proper
turn. Yet we make little headway because the devil seduces people into
misbelief by taking Christ out of their sight and focusing their eyes upon
the Law.
But why does Paul accuse the Galatians of reverting to the weak and
beggarly elements of the Law when they never had the Law? Why does he not
say to them: "At one time you Galatians did not know God. You then served
idols that were no gods. But now that you have come to know the true God,
why do you go back to the worship of idols?" Paul seems to identify their
defection from the Gospel to the Law with their former idolatry. Indeed he
does. Whoever gives up the article of justification does not know the true
God. It is one and the same thing whether a person reverts to the Law or
to the worship of idols. When the article of justification is lost,
nothing remains except error, hypocrisy, godlessness, and idolatry.
God will and can be known in no other way than in and through Christ
according to the statement of John 1:18, "The only begotten Son, which is
in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him." Christ is the only
means whereby we can know God and His will. In Christ we perceive that God
is not a cruel judge, but a most loving and merciful Father who to bless
and to save us "spared not his own Son, but gave him up for us all." This
is truly to know God.
Those who do not know God in Christ arrive at this erroneous conclusion:
"I will serve God in such and such a way. I will join this or that order.
I will be active in this or that charitable endeavor. God will sanction my
good intentions and reward me with everlasting life. For is He not a
merciful and generous Father who gives good things even to the unworthy
and ungrateful? How much more will He grant unto me everlasting life as a
due payment in return for my many good deeds and merits." This is the
religion of reason. This is the natural religion of the world. "The
natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God." (I Cor. 2:14.)
"There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God."
(Romans 3:11.) Hence, there is really no difference between a Jew, a
Mohammedan, and any other old or new heretic. There may be a difference of
persons, places, rites, religions, ceremonies, but as far as their
fundamental beliefs are concerned they are all alike.
Is it therefore not extreme folly for Rome and the Mohammedans to fight
each other about religion? How about the monks? Why should one monk want
to be accounted more holy than another monk because of some silly
ceremony, when all the time their basic beliefs are asnmuch alike as one
egg is like the other? They all imagine, if we do this or that work, God
will have mercy on us; if not, God will be angry.
God never promised to save anybody for his religious observance of
ceremonies and ordinances. Those who rely upon such things do serve a god,
but it is their own invention of a god, and not the true God. The true God
has this to say: No religion pleases Me whereby the Father is not
glorified through His Son Jesus. All who give their faith to this Son of
Mine, to them I am God and Father. I accept, justify, and save them. All
others abide under My curse because they worship creatures instead of Me.
Without the doctrine of justification there can be only ignorance of God.
Those who refuse to be justified by Christ are idolaters. They remain
under the Law, sin, death, and the power of the devil. Everything they do
is wrong.
Nowadays there are many such idolaters who want to be counted among the
true confessors of the Gospel. They may even teach that men are delivered
from their sins by the death of Christ. But because they attach more
importance to charity than to faith in Christ they dishonor Him and
pervert His Word. They do not serve the true God, but an idol of their own
invention. The true God has never yet smiled upon a person for his charity
or virtues, but only for the sake of Christ's merits.
The objection is frequently raised that the Bible commands that we should
love God with all our heart. True enough. But because God commands it, it
does not follow that we do it. If we could love God with all our heart we
should undoubtedly be justified by our obedience, for it is written,
"Which if a man do, he shall live in them." (Lev. 18:5.) But now comes the
Gospel and says: "Because you do not do these things, you cannot live in
them." The words, "Thou shalt love the Lord, thy God," require perfect
obedience, perfect fear, perfect trust, and perfect love. But where are
the people who can render perfection? Hence, this commandment, instead of
justifying men, only accuses and condemns them. "Christ is the end of the
law for righteousness to every one that believeth" (Romans 10:1.)
How may these two contradictory statements of the Apostle, "Ye knew not
God," and "Ye worshipped God," be reconciled? I answer: By nature all men
know that there is a God, "because that which may be known of God is
manifest in them, for God hath showed it unto them. For the invisible
things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen." (Romans
1:19, 20.) Furthermore, the different religions to be found among all
nations at all times bear witness to the fact that all men have a certain
intuitive knowledge of God.
If all men know God how can Paul say that the Galatians did not know God
prior to the hearing of the Gospel? I answer: There is a twofold knowledge
of God, general and particular. All men have the general and instinctive
recognition that there is a God who created heaven and earth, who is just
and holy, and who punishes the wicked. How God feels about us, what His
intentions are, what He will do for us, or how He will save us, that men
cannot know instinctively. It must be revealed to them. I may know a
person by sight, and still not know him, because I do not know how he
feels about me. Men know instinctively that there is a God. But what His
will is toward them, they do not know. It is written: "There is none that
understandeth God." (Romans 3:11.) Again, "No man hath seen God." (John
1:18.) Now, what good does it do you if you know that there is a God, if
you do not know how He feels about you, or what He wants of you? People
have done a good deal of guessing. The Jew imagines he is doing the will
of God if he concentrates on the Law of Moses. The Mohammedan thinks his
Koran is the will of God. The monk fancies he is doing the will of God if
he performs his vows. But they deceive themselves and become "vain in
their imaginations," as Paul says, Romans 1:21. Instead of worshipping the
true God, they worship the vain imaginations of their foolish hearts.
What Paul means by saying to the Galatians, "When ye knew not God," is
simply this: "There was a time when you did not know the will of God in
Christ, but you worshipped gods of your own invention, thinking that you
had to perform this or that labor." Whether you understand the "elements
of the world" to mean the Law of Moses, or the religions of the heathen
nations, it makes no difference. Those who lapse from the Gospel to the
Law are no better off than those who lapse from grace into idolatry.
Without Christ all religion is idolatry. Without Christ men will entertain
false ideas about God, call their ideas what you like, the laws of Moses,
the ordinances of the Pope, the Koran of the Mohammedans, or what have
you.
VERSE 9. But now, after that ye have known God.
"Is it not amazing," cries Paul, "that you Galatians who knew God
intimately by the hearing of the Gospel, should all of a sudden revert
from the true knowledge of His will in which I thought you were confirmed,
to the weak and beggarly elements of the Law which can only enslave you
again?"
VERSE 9. Or rather are known of God.
The Apostle turns the foregoing sentence around. He fears the Galatians
have lost God altogether. "Alas," he cries, "have you come to this, that
you no longer know God? What else am I to think? Nevertheless, God knows
you." Our knowledge of God is rather passive than active. God knows us
better than we know God. "Ye are known of God" means that God brings His
Gospel to our attention, and endows us with faith and the Holy Spirit.
Even in these words the Apostle denies the possibility of our knowing God
by the performance of the Law. "No man knoweth who the Father is, but the
Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him." (Luke 10:22.) "By his
knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their
iniquities." (Isaiah 53:11.)
The Apostle frankly expresses his surprise to the Galatians that they who
had known God intimately through the Gospel, should so easily be persuaded
by the false apostles to return to the weak and beggarly elements of the
Law. I would not be surprised to see my church perverted by some fanatic
through one or two sermons. We are no better than the apostles who had to
witness the subversion of the churches which they had planted with their
own hands. Nevertheless, Christ will reign to the end of the world, and
that miraculously, as He did during the Dark Ages.
Paul seems to think rather ill of the Law. He calls it the elements of the
world, the weak and beggarly elements of the world. Was it not irreverent
for him to speak that way about the holy Law of God? The Law ought to
prepare the way of Christ into the hearts of men. That is the true purpose
and function of the Law. But if the Law presumes to usurp the place and
function of the Gospel, it is no longer the holy Law of God, but a
pseudo-Gospel.
If you care to amplify this matter you may add the observation that the
Law is a weak and beggarly element because it makes people weak and
beggarly. The Law has no power and affluence to make men strong and rich
before God. To seek to be justified by the Law amounts to the same thing
as if a person who is already weak and feeble should try to find strength
in weakness, or as if a person with the dropsy should seek a cure by
exposing himself to the pestilence, or as if a leper should go to a leper,
and a beggar to a beggar to find health and wealth.
Those who seek to be justified by the Law grow weaker and more destitute
right along. They are weak and bankrupt to begin with. They are by nature
the children of wrath. Yet for salvation they grasp at the straw of the
Law. The Law can only aggravate their weakness and poverty. The Law makes
them ten times weaker and poorer than they were before.
I and many others have experienced the truth of this. I have known monks
who zealously labored to please God for salvation, but the more they
labored the more impatient, miserable, uncertain, and fearful they became.
What else can you expect? You cannot grow strong through weakness and rich
through poverty. People who prefer the Law to the Gospel are like Aesop's
dog who let go of the meat to snatch at the shadow of the water. There is
no satisfaction in the Law. What satisfaction can there be in collecting
laws with which to torment oneself and others? One law breeds ten more
until their number is legion.
Who would have thought it possible that the Galatians, taught as they were
by that efficient apostle and teacher, Paul, could so quickly be led
astray by the false apostles? To fall away from the Gospel is an easy
matter because few people appreciate what an excellent treasure the
knowledge of Christ really is. People are not sufficiently exercised in
their faith by afflictions. They do not wrestle against sin. They live in
security without conflict. Because they have never been tried in the
furnace of affliction they are not properly equipped with the armor of God
and know not how to use the sword of the Spirit. As long as they are being
shepherded by faithful pastors, all is well. But when their faithful
shepherds are gone and wolves disguised as sheep break into the fold, back
they go to the weak and beggarly elements of the Law.
Whoever goes back to the Law loses the knowledge of the truth, fails in
the recognition of his sinfulness, does not know God, nor the devil, nor
himself, and does not understand the meaning and purpose of the Law.
Without the knowledge of Christ a man will always argue that the Law is
necessary for salvation, that it will strengthen the weak and enrich the
poor. Wherever this opinion holds sway the promises of God are denied,
Christ is demoted, hypocrisy and idolatry are established.
VERSE 9. Whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage.
The Apostle pointedly asks the Galatians whether they desire to be in
bondage again to the Law. The Law is weak and poor, the sinner is weak and
poor—two feeble beggars trying to help each other. They cannot do
it. They only wear each other out. But through Christ a weak and poor
sinner is revived and enriched unto eternal life.
VERSE 10. Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years.
The Apostle Paul knew what the false apostles were teaching the Galatians:
The observance of days, and months, and times, and years. The Jews had
been obliged to keep holy the Sabbath Day, the new moons, the feast of the
passover, the feast of tabernacles, and other feasts. The false apostles
constrained the Galatians to observe these Jewish feasts under threat of
damnation. Paul hastens to tell the Galatians that they were exchanging
their Christian liberty for the weak and beggarly elements of the world.
VERSE 11. I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labor in
vain.
It grieves the Apostle to think that he might have preached the Gospel to
the Galatians in vain. But this statement expresses more than grief.
Behind his apparent disappointment at their failure lurks the sharp
reprimand that they had forsaken Christ and that they were proving
themselves to be obstinate unbelievers. But he does not openly condemn
them for fear that oversharp criticism might alienate them altogether. He
therefore changes the tone of his voice and speaks kindly to them.
VERSE 12. Be as I am; for I am as ye are.
Up to this point Paul has been occupied with the doctrinal aspect of the
apostasy of the Galatians. He did not conceal his disappointment at their
lack of stability. He had rebuked them. He had called them fools,
crucifiers of Christ, etc. Now that the more important part of his Epistle
has been finished, he realizes that he has handled the Galatians too
roughly. Anxious lest he should do more harm than good, he is careful to
let them see that his criticism proceeds from affection and a true
apostolic concern for their welfare. He is eager to mitigate his sharp
words with gentle sentiments in order to win them again.
Like Paul, all pastors and ministers ought to have much sympathy for their
poor straying sheep, and instruct them in the spirit of meekness. They
cannot be straightened out in any other way. Oversharp criticism provokes
anger and despair, but no repentance. And here let us note, by the way,
that true doctrine always produces concord. When men embrace errors, the
tie of Christian love is broken.
At the beginning of the Reformation we were honored as the true ministers
of Christ. Suddenly certain false brethren began to hate us. We had given
them no offense, no occasion to hate us. They knew then as they know now
that ours is the singular desire to publish the Gospel of Christ
everywhere. What changed their attitude toward us? False doctrine. Seduced
into error by the false apostles, the Galatians refused to acknowledge St.
Paul as their pastor. The name and doctrine of Paul became obnoxious to
them. I fear this Epistle recalled very few from their error.
Paul knew that the false apostles would misconstrue his censure of the
Galatians to their own advantage and say: "So this is your Paul whom you
praise so much. What sweet names he is calling you in his letter. When he
was with you he acted like a father, but now he acts like a dictator."
Paul knew what to expect of the false apostles and therefore he is
worried. He does not know what to say. It is hard for a man to defend his
cause at a distance, especially when he has reason to think that he
personally has fallen into disfavor.
VERSE 12. Be as I am; for I am as ye are.
In beseeching the Galatians to be as he is, Paul expresses the hope that
they might hold the same affection for him that he holds for them.
"Perhaps I have been a little hard with you. Forgive it. Do not judge my
heart according to my words."
We request the same consideration for ourselves. Our way of writing is
incisive and straightforward. But there is no bitterness in our heart. We
seek the honor of Christ and the welfare of men. We do not hate the Pope
as to wish him ill. We do not desire the death of our false brethren. We
desire that they may turn from their evil ways to Christ and be saved with
us. A teacher chastises the pupil to reform him. The rod hurts, but
correction is necessary. A father punishes his son because he loves his
son. If he did not love the lad he would not punish him but let him have
his own way in everything until he comes to harm. Paul beseeches the
Galatians to look upon his correction as a sign that he really cared for
them. "Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but
grievous; nevertheless, afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of
righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby." (Heb. 12:11.)
Although Paul seeks to soften the effect of his reproachful words, he does
not take them back. When a physician administers a bitter potion to a
patient, he does it to cure the patient. The fact that the medicine is
bitter is no fault of the physician. The malady calls for a bitter
medicine. Paul wants the Galatians to judge his words according to the
situation that made them necessary.
VERSE 12. Brethren, I beseech you...Ye have not injured me at all.
Would you call it beseeching the Galatians to call them "bewitched,"
"disobedient," "crucifiers of Christ"? The Apostle calls it an earnest
beseeching. And so it is. When a father corrects his son it means as if he
were saying, "My son, I beseech you, be a good boy."
VERSE 12. Ye have not injured me at all.
"I am not angry with you," says Paul. "Why should I be angry with you,
since you have done me no injury at all?"
To this the Galatians reply: "Why, then, do you say that we are perverted,
that we have forsaken the true doctrine, that we are foolish, bewitched,
etc., if you are not angry? We must have offended you somehow."
Paul answers: "You Galatians have not injured me. You have injured
yourselves. I chide you not because I wish you ill. I have no reason to
wish you ill. God is my witness, you have done me no wrong. On the
contrary, you have been very good to me. The reason I write to you is
because I love you."
The bitter potion must be sweetened with honey and sugar to make it
palatable. When parents have punished their children they give them
apples, pears, and other good things to show them that they mean well.
VERSES 13, 14. Ye know how through infirmity of the flesh I preached the
gospel unto you at the first. And my temptation which was in my flesh ye
despised not, nor rejected; but received me as an angel of God, even as
Christ Jesus.
"You Galatians were very good to me. When I began to preach the Gospel to
you in the infirmity of my flesh and in great temptation you were not at
all offended. On the contrary, you were so loving, so kind, so friendly
towards me, you received me like an angel, like Jesus Himself."
Indeed, the Galatians are to be commended for receiving the Gospel from a
man as unimposing and afflicted all around as Paul was. Wherever he
preached the Gospel, Jews and Gentiles raved against him. All the
influential and religious people of his day denounced him. But the
Galatians did not mind it. That was greatly to their honor. And Paul does
not neglect to praise them for it. This praise Paul bestows on none of the
other churches to which he wrote.
St. Jerome and others of the ancient fathers allege this infirmity of
Paul's to have been some physical defect, or concupiscence. Jerome and the
other diagnosticians lived at a time when the Church enjoyed peace and
prosperity, when the bishops increased in wealth and standing, when
pastors and bishops no longer sat over the Word of God. No wonder they
failed to understand Paul.
When Paul speaks of the infirmity of his flesh he does not mean some
physical defect or carnal lust, but the sufferings and afflictions which
he endured in his body. What these infirmities were he himself explains in
II Corinthians 12:9, 10: "Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my
infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take
pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions,
in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong."
And in the eleventh chapter of the same Epistle the Apostle writes: "In
labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent,
in deaths oft. Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one.
Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered
shipwreck," etc. (II Cor. 11:23-25.) By the infirmity of his flesh Paul
meant these afflictions and not some chronic disease. He reminds the
Galatians how he was always in peril at the hands of the Jews, Gentiles,
and false brethren, how he suffered hunger and want.
Now, the afflictions of the believers always offend people. Paul knew it
and therefore has high praise for the Galatians because they overlooked
his afflictions and received him like an angel. Christ forewarned the
faithful against the offense of the Cross, saying: "Blessed is he,
whosoever shall not be offended in me." (Matt. 11:6.) Surely it is no easy
thing to confess Him Lord of all and Savior of the world who was a
reproach of men, and despised of the people, and the laughing stock of the
world. (Ps. 22:7.) I say, to value this poor Christ, so spitefully
scorned, spit upon, scourged, and crucified, more than the riches of the
richest, the strength of the strongest, the wisdom of the wisest, is
something. It is worth being called blessed.
Paul not only had outward afflictions but also inner, spiritual
afflictions. He refers to these in II Corinthians 7:6, "Without were
fightings, within were fears." In his letter to the Philippians Paul makes
mention of the restoration of Epaphroditus as a special act of mercy on
the part of God, "lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow."
Considering the many afflictions of Paul, we are not surprised to hear him
loudly praising the Galatians for not being offended at him as others
were. The world thinks us mad because we go about to comfort, to help, to
save others while we ourselves are in distress. People tell us:
"Physician, heal thyself." (Luke 4:23.)
The Apostle tells the Galatians that he will keep their kindness in
perpetual remembrance. Indirectly, he also reminds them how much they had
loved him before the invasion of the false apostles, and gives them a hint
that they should return to their first love for him.
VERSE 15. Where is then the blessedness ye spake of?
"How much happier you used to be. And how you Galatians used to tell me
that you were blessed. And how much did I not praise and commend you
formerly." Paul reminds them of former and better times in an effort to
mitigate his sharp reproaches, lest the false apostles should slander him
and misconstrue his letter to his disadvantage and to their own advantage.
Such snakes in the grass are equal to anything. They will pervert words
spoken from a sincere heart and twist them to mean just the opposite of
what they were intended to convey. They are like spiders that suck venom
out of sweet and fragrant flowers. The poison is not in the flowers, but
it is the nature of the spider to turn what is good and wholesome into
poison.
VERSE 15. For I bear you record, that, if it had been possible, ye
would have plucked out your own eyes, and have given them to me.
The Apostle continues his praise of the Galatians. "You did not only treat
me very courteously. If it had been necessary you would have plucked out
your eyes and sacrificed your lives for me." And in very fact the
Galatians sacrificed their lives for Paul. By receiving and maintaining
Paul they called upon their own heads the hatred and malice of all the
Jews and Gentiles.
Nowadays the name of Luther carries the same stigma. Whoever praises
Luther is a worse sinner than an idolater, perjurer, or thief.
VERSE 16. Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the
truth?
Paul's reason for praising the Galatians is to avoid giving them the
impression as if he were their enemy because he had reprimanded them.
A true friend will admonish his erring brother, and if the erring brother
has any sense at all he will thank his friend. In the world truth produces
hatred. Whoever speaks the truth is counted an enemy. But among friends it
is not so, much less among Christians. The Apostle wants his Galatians to
know that just because he had told them the truth they are not to think
that he dislikes them. "I told you the truth because I love you."
VERSE 17. They zealously affect you, but not well.
Paul takes the false apostles to task for their flattery. Satan's
satellites softsoap the people. Paul calls it "by good words and fair
speeches to deceive the hearts of the simple." (Romans 16:18.)
They tell me that by my stubbornness in this doctrine of the Sacrament I
am destroying the harmony of the church. They say it would be better if we
would make some slight concession rather than cause such commotion and
controversy in the Church regarding an article which is not even one of
the fundamental doctrines. My reply is, cursed be any love or harmony
which demands for its preservation that we place the Word of God in
jeopardy!
VERSE 17. Yea, they would exclude you, that ye might affect them.
"Do you Galatians know why the false apostles are so zealous about you?
They expect you to reciprocate. And that would leave me out. If their zeal
were right they would not mind your loving me. But they hate my doctrine
and want to stamp it out. In order to bring this to pass they go about to
alienate your hearts from me and to make me obnoxious to you." In this way
Paul brings the false apostles into suspicion. He questions their motives.
He maintains that their zeal is mere pretense to deceive the Galatians.
Our Savior Christ also warned us, saying: "Beware of false prophets, which
come to you in sheep's clothing." (Matt. 7:15.)
Paul was considerably disturbed by the commissions and changes that
followed in the wake of his preaching. He was accused of being "a
pestilent fellow, a mover of sedition among all the Jews throughout the
world." (Acts 24:5.) In Philippi the townspeople cried that he troubled
their city and taught customs which were not lawful for them to receive.
(Acts 16:20, 21.)
All troubles, calamities, famines, wars were laid to the charge of the
Gospel of the apostles. However, the apostles were not deterred by such
calumnies from preaching the Gospel. They knew that they "ought to obey
God rather than men," and that it was better for the world to be upset
than to be ignorant of Christ.
Do you think for a moment that these reactions did not worry the apostles?
They were not made of iron. They foresaw the revolutionary character of
the Gospel. They also foresaw the dissensions that would creep into the
Church. It was bad news for Paul when he heard that the Corinthians were
denying the resurrection of the dead, that the churches he had planted
were experiencing all kinds of difficulties, and that the Gospel was being
supplanted by false doctrines.
But Paul also knew that the Gospel was not to blame. He did not resign his
office because he knew that the Gospel he preached was the power of God
unto salvation to every one that believes.
The same criticism which was leveled at the apostles is leveled at us. The
doctrine of the Gospel, we are told, is the cause of all the present
unrest in the world. There is no wrong that is not laid to our charge. But
why? We do not spread wicked lies. We preach the glad tidings of Christ.
Our opponents will bear us out when we say that we never fail to urge
respect for the constituted authorities, because that is the will of God.
All of these vilifications cannot discourage us. We know that there is
nothing the devil hates worse than the Gospel. It is one of his little
tricks to blame the Gospel for every evil in the world. Formerly, when the
traditions of the fathers were taught in the Church, the devil was not
excited as he is now. It goes to show that our doctrine is of God, else
"behemoth would lie under shady trees, in the covert of the reed, and
fens." The fact that he is again walking about as a roaring lion to stir
up riots and disorders is a sure sign that he has begun to feel the effect
of our preaching.
VERSE 18. But it is good to be zealously affected always in a good
thing, and not only when I am present with you.
"When I was present with you, you loved me, although I preached the Gospel
to you in the infirmity of my flesh. The fact that I am now absent from
you ought not to change your attitude towards me. Although I am absent in
the flesh, I am with you in spirit and in my doctrine which you ought to
retain by all means because through it you received the Holy Spirit."
VERSE 19. My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until
Christ be formed in you.
With every single word the Apostle seeks to regain the confidence of the
Galatians. He now calls them lovingly his little children. He adds the
simile: "Of whom I travail in birth again." As parents reproduce their
physical characteristics in their children, so the apostles reproduced
their faith in the hearts of the hearers, until Christ was formed in them.
A person has the form of Christ when he believes in Christ to the
exclusion of everything else. This faith in Christ is engendered by the
Gospel as the Apostle declares in I Corinthians 4:15: "In Christ Jesus I
have begotten you through the Gospel"; and in II Corinthians 3:3, "Ye are
the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the
Spirit of the living God." The Word of God falling from the lips of the
apostle or minister enters into the heart of the hearer. The Holy Ghost
impregnates the Word so that it brings forth the fruit of faith. In this
manner every Christian pastor is a spiritual father who forms Christ in
the hearts of his hearers.
At the same time Paul indicts the false apostles. He says: "I have
begotten you Galatians through the Gospel, giving you the form of Christ.
But these false apostles are giving you a new form, the form of Moses."
Note the Apostle does not say, "Of whom I travail in birth again until I
be formed in you," but "until Christ be formed in you." The false apostles
had torn the form of Christ out of the hearts of the Galatians and
substituted their own form. Paul endeavors to reform them, or rather
reform Christ in them.
VERSE 20. I desire to be present with you now, and to change my voice.
A common saying has it that a letter is a dead messenger. Something is
lacking in all writing. You can never be sure how the written page will
affect the reader, because his mood, his circumstances, his affections are
so changeable. It is different with the spoken word. If it is harsh and
ill-timed it can always be remodeled. No wonder the Apostle expresses the
wish that he could speak to the Galatians in person. He could change his
voice according to their attitude. If he saw that they were repentant he
could soften the tone of his voice. If he saw that they were stubborn he
could speak to them more earnestly. This way he did not know how to deal
with them by letter. If his Epistle is too severe it will do more damage
than good. If it is too gentle, it will not correct conditions. But if he
could be with them in person he could change his voice as the occasion
demanded.
VERSE 20. For I stand in doubt of you.
"I do not know how to take you. I do not know how to approach you by
letter." In order to make sure that he leaves no stone unturned in his
effort to recall them to the Gospel of Christ, he chides, entreats,
praises, and blames the Galatians, trying every way to hit the right note
and tone of voice.
VERSE 21. Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear
the law?
Here Paul would have closed his Epistle because he did not know what else
to say. He wishes he could see the Galatians in person and straighten out
their difficulties. But he is not sure whether the Galatians have fully
understood the difference between the Gospel and the Law. To make sure, he
introduces another illustration. He knows people like illustrations and
stories. He knows that Christ Himself made ample use of parables.
Paul is an expert at allegories. They are dangerous things. Unless a
person has a thorough knowledge of Christian doctrine he had better leave
allegories alone.
The allegory which Paul is about to bring is taken from the Book of
Genesis which he calls the Law. True, that book contains no mention of the
Law. Paul simply follows the custom of the Jews who included the first
book of Moses in the collective term, "Law." Jesus even included the
Psalms.
VERSES 22, 23. For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one
by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman. But he who was of the
bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was
by promise.
This is Paul's allegory. Abraham had two sons: Ishmael by Hagar, and Isaac
by Sarah. They were both the true sons of Abraham, with this difference,
that Ishmael was born after the flesh, i.e., without the commandment and
promise of God, while Isaac was born according to the promise.
With the permission of Sarah, Abraham took Hagar, Sarah's bondwoman, to
wife. Sarah knew that God had promised to make her husband Abraham the
father of a nation, and she hoped that she would be the mother of this
promised nation. But with the passage of the years her hope died out. In
order that the promise of God should not be annulled by her barrenness
this holy woman resigned her right and honor to her maid. This was no easy
thing for her to do. She abased herself. She thought: "God is no liar.
What He has promised He will perform. But perhaps God does not want me to
be the mother of Abraham's posterity. Perhaps He prefers Hagar for the
honor."
Ishmael was thus born without a special word or promise of God, at the
mere request of Sarah. God did not command Abraham to take Hagar, nor did
God promise to bless the coalition. It is evident that Ishmael was the son
of Abraham after the flesh, and not after the promise.
In the ninth chapter of the Epistle to the Romans St. Paul advances the
same argument which he amplifies into an allegory in writing to the
Galatians. There he argues that all the children of Abraham are not the
children of God. For Abraham had two kinds of children, children born of
the promise, like Isaac, and other children born without the promise, as
Ishmael. With this argument Paul squelched the proud Jews who gloried that
they were the children of God because they were the seed and the children
of Abraham. Paul makes it clear enough that it takes more than an
Abrahamic pedigree to be a child of God. To be a child of God requires
faith in Christ.
VERSE 24. Which things are an allegory.
Allegories are not very convincing, but like pictures they visualize a
matter. If Paul had not brought in advance indisputable arguments for the
righteousness of faith over against the righteousness of works this
allegory would do little good. Having first fortified his case with
invincible arguments, he can afford to inject this allegory to add
impressiveness and beauty to his presentation.
VERSES 24, 25. For these are the two covenants; the one from the mount
Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar. For this Agar is mount
Sinai in Arabia.
In this allegory Abraham represents God. Abraham had two sons, born
respectively of Hagar and Sarah. The two women represent the two
Testaments. The Old Testament is Mount Sinai, the bondwoman, Hagar. The
Arabians call Mount Sinai Agar. It may be that the similarity of these two
names gave Paul his idea for this allegory. As Hagar bore Abraham a son
who was not an heir but a servant, so Sinai, the Law, the allegorical
Hagar, bore God a carnal and servile people of the Law without promise.
The Law has a promise but it is a conditional promise, depending upon
whether people fulfill the Law.
The Jews regarded the conditional promises of the Law as if they were
unconditional. When the prophets foretold the destruction of Jerusalem,
the Jews stoned them as blasphemers of God. They never gave it any thought
that there was a condition attached to the Law which reads: "If you keep
the commandments it shall be well with thee."
VERSE 25. And answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage
with her children.
A little while ago Paul called Mount Sinai, Hagar. He would now gladly
make Jerusalem the Sarah of the New Testament, but he cannot. The earthly
Jerusalem is not Sarah, but a part of Hagar. Hagar lives there in the home
of the Law, the Temple, the priesthood, the ceremonies, and whatever else
was ordained in the Law at Mount Sinai.
I would have been tempted to call Jerusalem, Sarah, or the New Testament.
I would have been pleased with this turn of the allegory. It goes to show
that not everybody has the gift of allegory. Would you not think it
perfectly proper to call Sinai Hagar and Jerusalem Sarah? True, Paul does
call Sarah Jerusalem. But he has the spiritual and heavenly Jerusalem in
mind, not the earthly Jerusalem. Sarah represents that spiritual Jerusalem
where there is no Law but only the promise, and where the inhabitants are
free.
To show that the Law has been quite abolished, the earthly Jerusalem was
completely destroyed with all her ornaments, temples, and ceremonies.
VERSE 26. But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of
us all.
The earthly Jerusalem with its ordinances and laws represents Hagar and
her offspring. They are slaves to the Law, sin and death. But the heavenly
Jerusalem is Sarah, the free woman. This heavenly Jerusalem is the Church,
that is to say the number of all believers throughout the world, having
one and the same Gospel, one and the same faith in Christ, one and the
same Holy Ghost, and the same sacraments.
Do not mistake this one word "above" to refer to the triumphant Church in
heaven, but to the militant Church on earth. In Philippians 3:20, the
Apostle uses the phrase: "Our conversation is in heaven," not locally in
heaven, but in spirit. When a believer accepts the heavenly gifts of the
Gospel he is in heaven. So also in Ephesians 1:3, "Who hath blessed us
with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ." Jerusalem here
means the universal Christian Church on earth.
Sarah, the Church, as the bride of Christ bears free children who are not
subject to the Law.
VERSE 27. For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not;
break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath
many more children than she which hath an husband.
Paul quotes the allegorical prophecy of Isaiah to the effect that the
mother of many children must die desolately, while the barren woman shall
have an abundance of children. (Isaiah 54:1.) He applies this prophecy to
Hagar and Sarah, to the Law and the Gospel. The Law as the husband of the
fruitful woman procreates many children. For men of all ages have had the
idea that they are right when they follow after the Law and outwardly
perform its requirements.
Although the Law has many children, they are not free. They are slaves. As
servants they cannot have a share in the inheritance, but are driven from
the house as Ishmael was cast out of the house of Abraham. In fact the
servants of the Law are even now barred from the kingdom of light and
liberty, for "he that believeth not, is condemned already." (John 3:18.)
As the servants of the Law they remain under the curse of the Law, under
sin and death, under the power of the devil, and under the wrath and
judgment of God.
On the other hand, Sarah, the free Church, seems barren. The Gospel of the
Cross which the Church proclaims does not have the appeal that the Law has
for men, and therefore it does not find many adherents. The Church does
not look prosperous. Unbelievers have always predicted the death of the
Church. The Jews were quite certain that the Church would not long endure.
They said to Paul: "As concerning this sect, we know that everywhere it is
spoken against." (Acts 28:22.) No matter how barren and forsaken, how weak
and desolate the Church may seem, she alone is really fruitful before God.
By the Gospel she procreates an infinite number of children that are free
heirs of everlasting life.
The Law, "the old husband," is really dead. But not all people know it, or
want to know it. They labor and bear the burden and the heat of the day,
and bring forth many children, children that are bastards like themselves,
children born to be put out of the house like Ishmael to perish forever.
Accursed be that doctrine, life, and religion which endeavors to obtain
righteousness before God by the Law and its creeds.
The scholastics think that the judicial and ceremonial laws of Moses were
abolished by the coming of Christ, but not the moral law. They are blind.
When Paul declares that we are delivered from the curse of the Law he
means the whole Law, particularly the moral law which more than the other
laws accuses, curses, and condemns the conscience. The Ten Commandments
have no right to condemn that conscience in which Jesus dwells, for Jesus
has taken from the Ten Commandments the right and power to curse us.
Not as if the conscience is now insensitive to the terrors of the Law, but
the Law cannot drive the conscience to despair. "There is now no
condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus." (Romans 8:1.) "If the Son
shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed." (John 8:36.)
You will complain: "But I am not doing anything." That is right. You
cannot do a thing to be delivered from the tyranny of the Law. But listen
to the glad tidings which the Holy Ghost brings to you in the words of the
prophet: "Rejoice, thou barren." As Christ is greater than the Law, so
much more excellent is the righteousness of Christ than the righteousness
of the Law.
In one more respect the Law has been abolished. The civil laws of Moses do
not concern us, and should not be put back in force. That does not mean
that we are exempt from obedience to the civil laws under which we live.
On the contrary, the Gospel commands Christians to obey government "not
only for wrath, but also for conscience sake." (Romans 13:5.)
Neither do the ordinances of Moses or those of the Pope concern us. But
because life cannot go on without some ordinances, the Gospel permits
regulations to be made in the Church in regard to special days, times,
places, etc., in order that the people may know upon what day, at what
hour, and in what place to assemble for the Word of God. Such directions
are desirable that "all things be done decently and in order." (I Cor.
14:40.) These directions may be changed or omitted altogether, as long as
no offense is given to the weak.
Paul, however, refers particularly to the abolition of the moral law. If
faith alone in Christ justifies, then the whole Law is abolished without
exception. And this the Apostle proves by the testimony of Isaiah, who
bids the barren to rejoice because she will have many children, whereas
she that has a husband and many children will be forsaken.
Isaiah calls the Church barren because her children are born without
effort by the Word of faith through the Spirit of God. It is a matter of
birth, not of exertion. The believer too works, but not in an effort to
become a son and an heir of God. He is that before he goes to work. He is
born a son and an heir. He works for the glory of God and the welfare of
his fellowmen.
VERSE 28. Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.
The Jews claimed to be the children of God because they were the children
of Abraham. Jesus answered them, John 8:39, 40, "If ye were Abraham's
children, ye would do the works of Abraham. But now ye seek to kill me, a
man that hath told you the truth." And in verse 42: "If God were your
Father, ye would love me." In other words: "You are not the children of
God. If you were, you would know and love me. Brothers born and living
together in the same house recognize each other. You do not recognize me.
You are of your father, the devil."
We are not like these Jews, the children of the bondwoman, the Law, who
were cast out of the house by Jesus. We are children of the promise like
Isaac, born of grace and faith unto an everlasting inheritance.
VERSE 29. But as that he that was born after the flesh persecuted him
that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now.
This is a cheering thought. We who are born of the Gospel, and live in
Christ, and rejoice in our inheritance, have Ishmael for our enemy. The
children of the Law will always persecute the children of the Gospel. This
is our daily experience. Our opponents tell us that everything was at
peace before the Gospel was revived by us. Since then the whole world has
been upset. People blame us and the Gospel for everything, for the
disobedience of subjects to their rulers, for wars, plagues, and famines,
for revolutions, and every other evil that can be imagined. No wonder our
opponents think they are doing God a favor by hating and persecuting us.
Ishmael will persecute Isaac.
We invite our opponents to tell us what good things attended the preaching
of the Gospel by the apostles. Did not the destruction of Jerusalem follow
on the heels of the Gospel? And how about the overthrow of the Roman
Empire? Did not the whole world seethe with unrest as the Gospel was
preached in the whole world? We do not say that the Gospel instigated
these upheavals. The iniquity of man did it.
Our opponents blame our doctrine for the present turmoil. But ours is a
doctrine of grace and peace. It does not stir up trouble. Trouble starts
when the people, the nations and their rulers of the earth rage and take
counsel together against the Lord, and against His anointed. (Psalm 2.)
But all their counsels shall be brought to naught. "He that sitteth in the
heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision." (Psalm 2:4.)
Let them cry out against us as much as they like. We know that they are
the cause of all their own troubles.
As long as we preach Christ and confess Him to be our Savior, we must be
content to be called vicious trouble makers. "These that have turned the
world upside down are come hither also; and these all do contrary to the
decrees of Caesar," so said the Jews of Paul and Silas. (Acts 17:6, 7.) Of
Paul they said: "We have found this man a pestilent fellow, and a mover of
sedition among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the
sect of the Nazarenes." The Gentiles uttered similar complaints: "These
men do exceedingly trouble our city."
This man Luther is also accused of being a pestilent fellow who troubles
the papacy and the Roman empire. If I would keep silent, all would be
well, and the Pope would no more persecute me. The moment I open my mouth
the Pope begins to fume and to rage. It seems we must choose between
Christ and the Pope. Let the Pope perish.
Christ foresaw the reaction of the world to the Gospel. He said: "I am
come to send fire on the earth, and what will I, if it be already
kindled?" (Luke 12:49.)
Do not take the statement of our opponents seriously, that no good can
come of the preaching of the Gospel. What do they know? They would not
recognize the fruits of the Gospel if they saw them.
At any rate, our opponents cannot accuse us of adultery, murder, theft,
and such crimes. The worst they can say about us is that we have the
Gospel. What is wrong with the Gospel? We teach that Christ, the Son of
God, has redeemed us from sin and everlasting death. This is not our
doctrine. It belongs to Christ. If there is anything wrong with it, it is
not our fault. If they want to condemn Christ for being our Savior and
Redeemer, that is their lookout. We are mere onlookers, watching to see
who will win the victory, Christ or His opponents.
On one occasion Jesus remarked: "If ye were of the world, the world would
love his own, but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you
out of the world, therefore the world hateth you." (John 15:19.) In other
words: "I am the cause of all your troubles. I am the one for whose sake
you are killed. If you did not confess my name, the world would not hate
you. The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me,
they will also persecute you."
Christ takes all the blame. He says: "You have not incurred the hatred and
persecutions of the world. I have. But be of good cheer; I have overcome
the world."
VERSE 30. Nevertheless what saith the Scripture? Cast out the
bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir
with the son of the free woman.
Sarah's demand that the bondwoman and her son be cast out of the house was
undoubtedly a blow to Abraham. He felt sorry for his son Ishmael. The
Scripture explicitly states Abraham's grief in the words: "And the thing
was very grievous in Abraham's sight, because of his son." (Gen. 21:11.)
But God approved Sarah's action and said to Abraham: "Let it not be
grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in
all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac
shall thy seed be called." (Gen. 21:12.)
The Holy Ghost contemptuously calls the admirers of the Law the children
of the bondwoman. "If you do not know your mother, I will tell you what
kind of a woman she is. She is a slave. And you are slaves. You are slaves
of the Law and therefore slaves of sin, death, and everlasting damnation.
You are not fit to be heirs. You are put out of the house."
This is the sentence which God pronounces upon the Ishmaelites, the
papists, and all others who trust in their own merits, and persecute the
Church of Christ. Because they are slaves and persecutors of the children
of the free woman, they shall be cast out of the house of God forever.
They shall have no inheritance with the children of the promise. This
sentence stands forever.
This sentence affects not only those popes, cardinals bishops, and monks
who were notoriously wicked and made their bellies their Gods. It strikes,
also, those who lived in all sincerity to please God and to merit the
forgiveness of their sins through a life of self-denial. Even these will
be cast out, because they are children of the bondwoman.
Our opponents do not defend their own moral delinquency. The better ones
deplore and abhor it. But they defend and uphold their doctrine of works
which is of the devil. Our quarrel is not with those who live in manifest
sins. Our quarrel is with those among them who think they live like
angels, claiming that they do not only perform the Ten Commandments of
God, but also the sayings of Christ, and many good works that God does not
expect of them. We quarrel with them because they refuse to have Jesus'
merit count alone for righteousness.
St. Bernard was one of the best of the medieval saints. He lived a chaste
and holy life. But when it came to dying he did not trust in his chaste
life for salvation. He prayed: "I have lived a wicked life. But Thou, Lord
Jesus, hast a heaven to give unto me. First, because Thou art the Son of
God. Secondly, because Thou hast purchased heaven for me by Thy suffering
and death. Thou givest heaven to me, not because I earned it, but because
Thou hast earned it for me." If any of the Romanists are saved it is
because they forget their good deeds and merits and feel like Paul: "Not
having mine own righteousness which is of the law, but that which is
through the faith of Christ." (Phil. 3:9.)
VERSE 31. So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but
of the free.
With this sentence the Apostle Paul concludes his allegory of the barren
Church. This sentence forms a clear rejection of the righteousness of the
Law and a confirmation of the doctrine of justification. In the next
chapter Paul lays special stress upon the freedom which the children of
the free woman enjoy. He treats of Christian liberty, the knowledge of
which is very necessary. The liberty which Christ purchased for us is a
bulwark to us in our battle against spiritual tyranny. Therefore we must
carefully study this doctrine of Christian liberty, not only for the
confirmation of the doctrine of justification, but also for the comfort
and encouragement of those who are weak in faith.
CHAPTER 5
IN this chapter the Apostle Paul presents the doctrine of Christian
liberty in a final effort to persuade the Galatians to give up the
nefarious doctrine of the false apostles. To accomplish his purpose he
adduces threats and promises, trying in every way possible to keep them in
the liberty which Christ purchased for them.
VERSE 1. Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made
us free.
"Be steadfast, not careless. Lie not down and sleep, but stand up. Be
watchful. Hold fast the liberty wherewith Christ hath made you free."
Those who loll cannot keep this liberty. Satan hates the light of the
Gospel. When it begins to shine a little he fights against it with might
and main.
What liberty does Paul mean? Not civil liberty (for which we have the
government to thank), but the liberty which Christ has procured for us.
At one time the emperor was compelled to grant to the bishop of Rome
certain immunities and privileges. This is civil liberty. That liberty
exempts the clergy from certain public charges. Then there is also another
kind of "liberty," when people obey neither the laws of God nor the laws
of men, but do as they please. This carnal liberty the people want in our
day. We are not now speaking of this liberty. Neither are we speaking of
civil liberty.
Paul is speaking of a far better liberty, the liberty "wherewith Christ
hath made us free," not from material bonds, not from the Babylonian
captivity, not from the tyranny of the Turks, but from the eternal wrath
of God.
Where is this liberty?
In the conscience.
Our conscience is free and quiet because it no longer has to fear the
wrath of God. This is real liberty, compared with which every other kind
of liberty is not worth mentioning. Who can adequately express the boon
that comes to a person when he has the heart-assurance that God will
nevermore be angry with him, but will forever be merciful to him for
Christ's sake? This is indeed a marvelous liberty, to have the sovereign
God for our Friend and Father who will defend, maintain, and save us in
this life and in the life to come.
As an outgrowth of this liberty, we are at the same time free from the
Law, sin, death, the power of the devil, hell, etc. Since the wrath of God
has been assuaged by Christ no Law, sin, or death may now accuse and
condemn us. These foes of ours will continue to frighten us, but not too
much. The worth of our Christian liberty cannot be exaggerated.
Our conscience must be trained to fall back on the freedom purchased for
us by Christ. Though the fears of the Law, the terrors of sin, the horror
of death assail us occasionally, we know that these feelings shall not
endure, because the prophet quotes God as saying: "In a little wrath I hid
my face from thee for a moment: but with everlasting kindness will I have
mercy on thee." (Isa. 54:8.)
We shall appreciate this liberty all the more when we bear in mind that it
was Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who purchased it with His own blood.
Hence, Christ's liberty is given us not by the Law, or for our own
righteousness, but freely for Christ's sake. In the eighth chapter of the
Gospel of St. John, Jesus declares: "If the Son shall make you free, ye
shall be free indeed." He only stands between us and the evils which
trouble and afflict us and which He has overcome for us.
Reason cannot properly evaluate this gift. Who can fully appreciate the
blessing of the forgiveness of sins and of everlasting life? Our opponents
claim that they also possess this liberty. But they do not. When they are
put to the test all their self-confidence slips from them. What else can
they expect when they trust in works and not in the Word of God?
Our liberty is founded on Christ Himself, who sits at the right hand of
God and intercedes for us. Therefore our liberty is sure and valid as long
as we believe in Christ. As long as we cling to Him with a steadfast faith
we possess His priceless gifts. But if we are careless and indifferent we
shall lose them. It is not without good reason that Paul urges us to watch
and to stand fast. He knew that the devil delights in taking this liberty
away from us.
VERSE 1. And be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
Because reason prefers the righteousness of the Law to the righteousness
of faith, Paul calls the Law a yoke, a yoke of bondage. Peter also calls
it a yoke. "Why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples
which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?" (Acts 15:10.)
In this passage Paul again disparages the pernicious notion that the Law
is able to make men righteous before God, a notion deeply rooted in man's
reason. All mankind is so wrapped up in this idea that it is hard to drag
it out of people. Paul compares those who seek to be justified by the Law
to oxen that are hitched to the yoke. Like oxen that toil in the yoke all
day, and in the evening are turned out to graze along the dusty road, and
at last are marked for slaughter when they no longer can draw the burden,
so those who seek to be justified by the Law are "entangled with the yoke
of bondage," and when they have grown old and broken-down in the service
of the Law they have earned for their perpetual reward God's wrath and
everlasting torment.
We are not now treating of an unimportant matter. It is a matter that
involves everlasting liberty or everlasting slavery. For as a liberation
from God's wrath through the kind office of Christ is not a passing boon,
but a permanent blessing, so also the yoke of the Law is not a temporary
but an everlasting affliction.
Rightly are the doers of the Law called devil's martyrs. They take more
pains to earn hell than the martyrs of Christ to obtain heaven. Theirs is
a double misfortune. First they torture themselves on earth with
self-inflicted penances and finally when they die they gain the reward of
eternal damnation.
VERSE 2. Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ
shall profit you nothing.
Paul is incensed at the thought of the tyranny of the Law. His antagonism
to the Law is a personal matter with him. "Behold, I, Paul," he says, "I
who have received the Gospel not from men, but by the revelation of Jesus
Christ: I who have been commissioned from above to preach the Gospel to
you: I Paul say to you, If you submit to circumcision Christ will profit
you nothing." Paul emphatically declares that for the Galatians to be
circumcised would mean for them to lose the benefits of Christ's suffering
and death. This passage may well serve as a criterion for all the
religions. To teach that besides faith in Christ other devices like works,
or the observance of rules, traditions, or ceremonies are necessary for
the attainment of righteousness and everlasting life, is to make Christ
and His salvation of no benefit to anybody.
This passage is an indictment of the whole papacy. All priests, monks, and
nuns—and I am now speaking of the best of them—who repose
their hope for salvation in their own works, and not in Christ, whom they
imagine to be an angry judge, hear this sentence pronounced against them
that Christ shall profit them nothing. If one can earn the forgiveness of
sins and everlasting life through one's own efforts to what purpose was
Christ born? What was the purpose of His suffering and death, His
resurrection, His victory over sin, death, and the devil, if men may
overcome these evils by their own endeavor? Tongue cannot express, nor
heart conceive what a terrible thing it is to make Christ worthless.
The person who is not moved by these considerations to leave the Law and
the confidence in his own righteousness for the liberty in Christ, has a
heart that is harder than stone and iron.
Paul does not condemn circumcision in itself. Circumcision is not
injurious to the person who does not ascribe any particular importance to
it. Neither are works injurious provided a person does not attach any
saving value to them. The Apostle does not say that works are
objectionable, but to build one's hopes for righteousness on works is
disastrous, for that makes Christ good for nothing.
Let us bear this in mind when the devil accuses our conscience. When that
dragon accuses us of having done no good at all, but only evil, say to
him: "You trouble me with the remembrance of my past sins; you remind me
that I have done no good. But this does not bother me, because if I were
to trust in my own good deeds, or despair because I have done no good
deeds, Christ would profit me neither way. I am not going to make him
unprofitable to me. This I would do, if I should presume to purchase for
myself the favor of God and everlasting life by my good deeds, or if I
should despair of my salvation because of my sins."
VERSE 3. For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he
is a debtor to do the whole law.
The first fault with circumcision is that it makes Christ unprofitable.
The second fault is that it obligates those who are circumcised to observe
the whole Law. Paul is so very much in earnest about this matter that he
confirms it with an oath. "I testify," he says, "I swear by the living
God." Paul's statement may be explained negatively to mean: "I testify to
every man who is being circumcised that he cannot perform the Law in any
point. In the very act of circumcision he is not being circumcised, and in
the very act of fulfilling the Law he fulfills it not." This seems to be
the simple meaning of Paul's statement. Later on in the sixth chapter he
explicitly states, "They themselves which are circumcised keep not the
law. The fact that you are circumcised does not mean you are righteous and
free from the Law. The truth is that by circumcision you have become
debtors and servants of the Law. The more you endeavor to perform the Law,
the more you will become tangled up in the yoke of the Law."
The truth of this I have experienced in myself and in others. I have seen
many work themselves down to the bones in their hungry effort to obtain
peace of conscience. But the harder they tried the more they worried.
Especially in the presence of death they were so uneasy that I have seen
murderers die with better grace and courage.
This holds true also in regard to the church regulations. When I was a
monk I tried ever so hard to live up to the strict rules of my order. I
used to make a list of my sins, and I was always on the way to confession,
and whatever penances were enjoined upon me I performed religiously. In
spite of it all, my conscience was always in a fever of doubt. The more I
sought to help my poor stricken conscience the worse it got. The more I
paid attention to the regulations the more I transgressed them.
Hence those that seek to be justified by the Law are much further away
from the righteousness of life than the publicans, sinners, and harlots.
They know better than to trust in their own works. They know that they
cannot ever hope to obtain forgiveness by their sins.
Paul's statement in this verse may be taken to mean that those who submit
to circumcision are thereby submitting to the whole Law. To obey Moses in
one point requires obedience to him in all points. It does no good to say
that only circumcision is necessary, and not the rest of Moses' laws. The
same reasons that obligate a person to accept circumcision also obligate a
person to accept the whole Law. Thus to acknowledge the Law is tantamount
to declaring that Christ is not yet come. And if Christ is not yet come,
then all the Jewish ceremonies and laws concerning meats, places, and
times are still in force, and Christ must be awaited as one who is still
to come. The whole Scripture, however, testifies that Christ has come,
that by His death He has abolished the Law, and that He has fulfilled all
things which the prophets have foretold about Him.
Some would like to subjugate us to certain parts of the Mosaic Law. But
this is not to be permitted under any circumstances. If we permit Moses to
rule over us in one thing, we must obey him in all things.
VERSE 4. Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are
justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.
Paul in this verse discloses that he is not speaking so much of
circumcision as the trust which men repose in the outward act. We can hear
him say: "I do not condemn the Law in itself; what I condemn is that men
seek to be justified by the Law, as if Christ were still to come, or as if
He alone were unable to justify sinners. It is this that I condemn,
because it makes Christ of no effect. It makes you void of Christ so that
Christ is not in you, nor can you be partakers of the knowledge, the
spirit, the fellowship, the liberty, the life, or the achievements of
Christ. You are completely separated from Him, so much so that He has
nothing to do with you any more, or for that matter you with Him." Can
anything worse be said against the Law? If you think Christ and the Law
can dwell together in your heart, you may be sure that Christ dwells not
in your heart. For if Christ is in your heart He neither condemns you, nor
does He ever bid you to trust in your own good works. If you know Christ
at all, you know that good works do not serve unto righteousness, nor evil
works unto condemnation. I do not want to withhold from good works their
due praise, nor do I wish to encourage evil works. But when it comes to
justification, I say, we must concentrate upon Christ alone, or else we
make Him non-effective. You must choose between Christ and the
righteousness of the Law. If you choose Christ you are righteous before
God. If you stick to the Law, Christ is of no use to you.
VERSE 4. Ye are fallen from grace.
That means you are no longer in the kingdom or condition of grace. When a
person on board ship falls into the sea and is drowned it makes no
difference from which end or side of the ship he falls into the water.
Those who fall from grace perish no matter how they go about it. Those who
seek to be justified by the Law are fallen from grace and are in grave
danger of eternal death. If this holds true in the case of those who seek
to be justified by the moral Law, what will become of those, I should like
to know, who endeavor to be justified by their own regulations and vows?
They will fall to the very bottom of hell. "Oh, no," they say, "we will
fly straight into heaven. If you live according to the rules of Saint
Francis, Saint Dominick, Saint Benedict, you will obtain the peace and
mercy of God. If you perform the vows of chastity, obedience, etc., you
will be rewarded with everlasting life." Let these playthings of the devil
go to the place where they came from and listen to what Paul has to say in
this verse in accordance with Christ's own teaching: "He that believeth in
the Son of God, hath everlasting life; but he that believeth not in the
Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth in him."
The words, "Ye are fallen from grace," must not be taken lightly. They are
important. To fall from grace means to lose the atonement, the forgiveness
of sins, the righteousness, liberty, and life which Jesus has merited for
us by His death and resurrection. To lose the grace of God means to gain
the wrath and judgment of God, death, the bondage of the devil, and
everlasting condemnation.
VERSE 6. For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness
by faith.
Paul concludes the whole matter with the above statement. "You want to be
justified by the Law, by circumcision, and by works. We cannot see it. To
be justified by such means would make Christ of no value to us. We would
be obliged to perform the whole law. We rather through the Spirit wait for
the hope of righteousness." The Apostle is not satisfied to say "justified
by faith." He adds hope to faith.
Holy Writ speaks of hope in two ways: as the object of the emotion, and
hope as the emotion itself. In the first chapter of the Epistle to the
Colossians we have an instance of its first use: "For the hope which is
laid up for you in heaven," i.e., the thing hoped for. In the sense of
emotion we quote the passage from the eighth chapter of the Epistle to the
Romans: "For we are saved by hope." As Paul uses the term "hope" here in
writing to the Galatians, we may take it in either of its two meanings. We
may understand Paul to say, "We wait in spirit, through faith, for the
righteousness that we hope for, which in due time will be revealed to us."
Or we may understand Paul to say: "We wait in Spirit, by faith for
righteousness with great hope and desire." True, we are righteous, but our
righteousness is not yet revealed; as long as we live here sin stays with
us, not to forget the law in our members striving against the law of our
mind. When sin rages in our body and we through the Spirit wrestle against
it, then we have cause for hope. We are not yet perfectly righteous.
Perfect righteousness is still to be attained. Hence we hope for it.
This is sweet comfort for us. And we are to make use of it in comforting
the afflicted. We are to say to them: "Brother, you would like to feel
God's favor as you feel your sin. But you are asking too much. Your
righteousness rests on something much better than feelings. Wait and hope
until it will be revealed to you in the Lord's own time. Don't go by your
feelings, but go by the doctrine of faith, which pledges Christ to you."
The question occurs to us, What difference is there between faith and
hope? We find it difficult to see any difference. Faith and hope are so
closely linked that they cannot be separated. Still there is a difference
between them.
First, hope and faith differ in regard to their sources. Faith
originates in the understanding, while hope rises in the will.Secondly, they differ in regard to their functions. Faith says what is
to be done. Faith teaches, describes, directs. Hope exhorts the mind
to be strong and courageous.Thirdly, they differ in regard to their objectives. Faith concentrates
on the truth. Hope looks to the goodness of God.Fourthly, they differ in sequence. Faith is the beginning of life before
tribulation. (Hebrews 11.) Hope comes later and is born of tribulation.
(Romans 5.)Fifthly, they differ in regard to their effects. Faith is a judge. It
judges errors. Hope is a soldier. It fights against tribulations, the
Cross, despondency, despair, and waits for better things to come in the
midst of evil.
Without hope faith cannot endure. On the other hand, hope without faith
is blind rashness and arrogance because it lacks knowledge. Before
anything else a Christian must have the insight of faith, so that the
intellect may know its directions in the day of trouble and the heart
may hope for better things. By faith we begin, by hope we continue.
This passage contains excellent doctrine and much comfort. It declares
that we are justified not by works, sacrifices, or ceremonies, but by
Christ alone. The world may judge certain things to be ever so good;
without Christ they are all wrong. Circumcision and the law and good works
are carnal. "We," says Paul, "are above such things. We possess Christ by
faith and in the midst of our afflictions we hopefully wait for the
consummation of our righteousness."
You may say, "The trouble is I don't feel as if I am righteous." You must
not feel, but believe. Unless you believe that you are righteous, you do
Christ a great wrong, for He has cleansed you by the washing of
regeneration, He died for you so that through Him you may obtain
righteousness and everlasting life.
VERSE 6. For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing,
nor uncircumcision, but faith which worketh by love.
Faith must of course be sincere. It must be a faith that performs good
works through love. If faith lacks love it is not true faith. Thus the
Apostle bars the way of hypocrites to the kingdom of Christ on all sides.
He declares on the one hand, "In Christ Jesus circumcision availeth
nothing," i.e., works avail nothing, but faith alone, and that without any
merit whatever, avails before God. On the other hand, the Apostle declares
that without fruits faith serves no purpose. To think, "If faith justifies
without works, let us work nothing," is to despise the grace of God. Idle
faith is not justifying faith. In this terse manner Paul presents the
whole life of a Christian. Inwardly it consists in faith towards God,
outwardly in love towards our fellow-men.
VERSE 7. Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey
the truth?
This is plain speaking. Paul asserts that he teaches the same truth now
which he has always taught, and that the Galatians ran well as long as
they obeyed the truth. But now, misled by the false apostles, they no
longer run. He compares the Christian life to a race. When everything runs
along smoothly the Hebrews spoke of it as a race. "Ye did run well," means
that everything went along smoothly and happily with the Galatians. They
lived a Christian life and were on the right way to everlasting life. The
words, "Ye did run well," are encouraging indeed. Often our lives seem to
creep rather than to run. But if we abide in the true doctrine and walk in
the spirit, we have nothing to worry about. God judges our lives
differently. What may seem to us a life slow in Christian development may
seem to God a life of rapid progression in grace.
VERSE 7. Who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?
The Galatians were hindered in the Christian life when they turned from
faith and grace to the Law. Covertly the Apostle blames the false apostles
for impeding the Christian progress of the Galatians. The false apostles
persuaded the Galatians to believe that they were in error and that they
had made little or no progress under the influence of Paul. Under the
baneful influence of the false apostles the Galatians thought they were
well off and advancing rapidly in Christian knowledge and living.
VERSE 8. This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you.
Paul explains how those who had been deceived by false teachers may be
restored to spiritual health. The false apostles were amiable fellows.
Apparently they surpassed Paul in learning and godliness. The Galatians
were easily deceived by outward appearances. They supposed they were being
taught by Christ Himself. Paul proved to them that their new doctrine was
not of Christ, but of the devil. In this way he succeeded in regaining
many. We also are able to win back many from the errors into which they
were seduced by showing that their beliefs are imaginary, wicked, and
contrary to the Word of God.
The devil is a cunning persuader. He knows how to enlarge the smallest sin
into a mountain until we think we have committed the worst crime ever
committed on earth. Such stricken consciences must be comforted and set
straight as Paul corrected the Galatians by showing them that their
opinion is not of Christ because it runs counter to the Gospel, which
describes Christ as a meek and merciful Savior.
Satan will circumvent the Gospel and explain Christ in this his own
diabolical way: "Indeed Christ is meek, gentle, and merciful, but only to
those who are holy and righteous. If you are a sinner you stand no chance.
Did not Christ say that unbelievers are already damned? And did not Christ
perform many good deeds, and suffer many evils patiently, bidding us to
follow His example? You do not mean to say that your life is in accord
with Christ's precepts or example? You are a sinner. You are no good at
all."
Satan is to be answered in this way: The Scriptures present Christ in a
twofold aspect. First, as a gift. "He of God is made unto us wisdom, and
righteousness, and sanctification and redemption." (I Cor. 1:30.) Hence my
many and grievous sins are nullified if I believe in Him. Secondly, the
Scriptures present Christ for our example. As an exemplar He is to be
placed before me only at certain times. In times of joy and gladness that
I may have Him as a mirror to reflect upon my shortcomings. But in the day
of trouble I will have Christ only as a gift. I will not listen to
anything else, except that Christ died for my sins.
To those that are cast down on account of their sins Christ must be
introduced as a Savior and Gift, and not as an example. But to sinners who
live in a false assurance, Christ must be introduced as an example. The
hard sayings of Scripture and the awful judgments of God upon sin must be
impressed upon them. Defy Satan in times of despair. Say: "O cursed Satan,
you choose a nice time to talk to me about doing and working when you know
very well that I am in trouble over my sins. I will not listen to you. I
will listen to Christ, who says that He came into the world to save
sinners. This is the true Christ and there is none other. I can find
plenty of examples for a holy life in Abraham, Isaiah, John the Baptist,
Paul, and other saints. But they cannot forgive my sins. They cannot save
me. They cannot procure for me everlasting life. Therefore I will not have
you for my teacher, O Satan."
VERSE 9. A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.
Paul's concern for them meant nothing to some of the Galatians. Many had
disowned him as their teacher and gone over to the false apostles. No
doubt the false apostles took every occasion to defame Paul as a stubborn
and contemptuous fellow who thought nothing of disrupting the unity of the
churches for no other reason than his selfish pride and jealousy.
Others of the Galatians perhaps saw no harm in deviating a trifle from the
doctrine of justification and faith. When they noticed that Paul made so
much ado about a matter that seemed of no particular importance to them
they raised their eyebrows and thought within themselves: "What if we did
deviate a little from the doctrine of Paul? What if we are a little to
blame? He ought to overlook the whole matter, and not make such an issue
out of it, lest the unity of the churches be disturbed." To this Paul
replies: "A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump."
Our opponents record the same complaints about us. They put us down as
contentious, ill-tempered faultfinders. But these are the crafty passes of
the devil, with which he seeks to overthrow our faith. We answer with
Paul: "A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump."
Small faults grow into big faults. To tolerate a trifling error inevitably
leads to crass heresy. The doctrine of the Bible is not ours to take or to
allow liberties with. We have no right to change even a tittle of it. When
it comes to life we are ready to do, to suffer, to forgive anything our
opponents demand as long as faith and doctrine remain pure and uncorrupt.
The Apostle James says, "For whosoever shall keep the whole law and yet
offend in one point, he is guilty of all." This passage supports us over
against our critics who claim that we disregard all charity to the great
injury of the churches. We protest we desire nothing more than peace with
all men. If they would only permit us to keep our doctrine of faith! The
pure doctrine takes precedence before charity, apostles, or an angel from
heaven.
Let others praise charity and concord to the skies; we magnify the
authority of the Word and faith. Charity may be neglected at times without
peril, but not the Word and faith. Charity suffers all things, it gives
in. Faith suffers nothing; it never yields. Charity is often deceived but
is never put out because it has nothing to lose; it continues to do well
even to the ungrateful. When it comes to faith and salvation in the midst
of lies and errors that parade as truth and deceive many, charity has no
voice or vote. Let us not be influenced by the popular cry for charity and
unity. If we do not love God and His Word what difference does it make if
we love anything at all?
Paul, therefore, admonishes both teachers and hearers not to esteem
lightly the doctrine of faith as if it were a toy with which to amuse
oneself in idle hours.
VERSE 10. l have confidence in you through the Lord.
"I have taught, admonished, and reproved you enough. I hope the best for
you."
The question occurs to us whether Paul did well to trust the Galatians.
Does not Holy Writ forbid us to trust in men? Faith trusts in God and is
never wrong. Charity trusts in men and is often wrong. This charitable
trust in man is necessary to life. Without it life would be impossible in
the world. What kind of life would ours be if nobody could trust anybody
else? True Christians are more ready to believe in men than the children
of this world. Such charitable confidence is the fruit of the Spirit. Paul
had such trust in the Galatians although they had forsaken his doctrine.
He trusts them "through the Lord," insofar as they were in Christ and
Christ in them. Once they had forsaken Christ altogether, the Apostle will
trust the Galatians no longer.
VERSE 10. That ye will be none otherwise minded.
"Not minded otherwise than I have taught you. In other words, I have
confidence that you will accept no doctrine that is contrary to the one
you have learned from me."
VERSE 10. But he that troubleth you shall bear his judgment, whosoever
he be.
Paul assumes the role of a judge and condemns the false apostles as
troublers of the Galatians. He wants to frighten the Galatians with his
severe judgments of the false apostles into avoiding false doctrine like a
contagious disease. We can hear him say to the Galatians: "Why do you give
these pestilent fellows a hearing in the first place? They only trouble
you. The doctrine they bring causes your conscience only trouble."
The clause, "whosoever he be," seems to indicate that the false apostles
in outward appearance at least were very good and devout men. It may be
that among them was some outstanding disciple of the apostles, a man of
fame and authority. The Apostle must have been faced by this very
situation, otherwise his vehemence would have been uncalled for. No doubt
many of the Galatians were taken back with the vehemency of the Apostle.
They perhaps thought: why should he be so stubborn in such small matters?
Why is he so quick to pronounce damnation upon his brethren in the
ministry?
I cannot say it often enough, that we must carefully differentiate between
doctrine and life. Doctrine is a piece of heaven, life is a piece of
earth. Life is sin, error, uncleanness, misery, and charity must forbear,
believe, hope, and suffer all things. Forgiveness of sins must be
continuous so that sin and error may not be defended and sustained. But
with doctrine there must be no error, no need of pardon. There can be no
comparison between doctrine and life. The least little point of doctrine
is of greater importance than heaven and earth. Therefore we cannot allow
the least jot of doctrine to be corrupted. We may overlook the offenses
and errors of life, for we daily sin much. Even the saints sin, as they
themselves confess in the Lord's Prayer and in the Creed. But our
doctrine, God be praised, is pure, because all the articles of our faith
are grounded on the Holy Scriptures.
VERSE 11. And I, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet
suffer persecution? then is the offense of the cross ceased.
In his great desire to recall the Galatians, Paul draws himself into the
argument. He says: "Because I refuse to recognize circumcision as a factor
in our salvation, I have brought upon myself the hatred and persecution of
my whole nation. If I were to acknowledge circumcision the Jews would
cease to persecute me; in fact they would love and praise me. But because
I preach the Gospel of Christ and the righteousness of faith I must suffer
persecution. The false apostles know how to avoid the Cross and the deadly
hatred of the Jewish nation. They preach circumcision and thus retain the
favor of the Jews. If they had their way they would ignore all differences
in doctrine and preserve unity at all cost. But their unionistic dreams
cannot be realized without loss to the pure doctrine of the Cross. It
would be too bad if the offense of the Cross were to cease." To the
Corinthians he expressed the same conviction: "Christ sent me...to preach
the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be
made of none effect." (I Cor. 1:17.)
Here someone may be tempted to call the Christians crazy. Deliberately to
court danger by preaching and confessing the truth, and thus to bring upon
ourselves the hatred and enmity of the whole world, is this not madness?
But Paul does not mind the enmity of the world. It made him all the bolder
to confess Christ. The enmity of the world in his estimation augurs well
for the success and growth of the Church, which fares best in times of
persecution. When the offense of the Cross ceases, when the rage of the
enemies of the Cross abates, when everything is quiet, it is a sign that
the devil is the door-keeper of the Church and that the pure doctrine of
God's Word has been lost.
Saint Bernard observed that the Church is in best shape when Satan
assaults it on every side by trickery and violence; and in worst shape
when it is at peace. In support of his statement he quotes the passage
from the song of Hezekiah: "Behold, for peace I had great bitterness."
Paul looks with suspicion upon any doctrine that does not provoke
antagonism.
Persecution always follows on the heels of the Word of God as the Psalmist
experienced. "I believe, therefore have I spoken: I was greatly
afflicted." (Ps. 116:10.) The Christians are accused and slandered without
mercy. Murderers and thieves receive better treatment than Christians. The
world regards true Christians as the worst offenders, for whom no
punishment can be too severe. The world hates the Christians with amazing
brutality, and without compunction commits them to the most shameful
death, congratulating itself that it has rendered God and the cause of
peace a distinct service by ridding the world of the undesired presence of
these Christians. We are not to let such treatment cause us to falter in
our adherence to Christ. As long as we experience such persecutions we
know all is well with the Gospel.
Jesus held out the same comfort to His disciples in the fifth chapter of
St. Matthew. "Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you and persecute you,
and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
Rejoice, and be exceeding glad; for great is your reward in heaven." The
Church must not come short of this joy. I would not want to be at peace
with the pope, the bishops, the princes, and the sectarians, unless they
consent to our doctrine. Unity with them would be an unmistakable sign
that we have lost the true doctrine. Briefly, as long as the Church
proclaims the doctrine she must suffer persecution, because the Gospel
declares the mercy and glory of God. This in turn stirs up the devil,
because the Gospel shows him up for what he is, the devil, and not God.
Therefore as long as the Gospel holds sway persecution plays the
accompaniment, or else there is something the matter with the devil. When
he is hit you will know it by the havoc he raises everywhere.
So do not be surprised or offended when hell breaks loose. Look upon it as
a happy indication that all is well with the Gospel of the Cross. God
forbid that the offense of the Cross should ever be removed. This would be
the case if we were to preach what the prince of this world and his
followers would be only too glad to hear, the righteousness of works. You
would never know the devil could be so gentle, the world so sweet, the
Pope so gracious, and the princes so charming. But because we seek the
advantage and honor of Christ, they persecute us all around.
VERSE 12. I would they were even cut off which trouble you.
It hardly seems befitting an apostle, not only to denounce the false
apostles as troublers of the Church, and to consign them to the devil, but
also to wish that they were utterly cut off—what else would you call
it but plain cursing? Paul, I suppose, is alluding to the rite of
circumcision. As if he were saying to the Galatians: "The false apostles
compel you to cut off the foreskin of your flesh. Well, I wish they
themselves were utterly cut off by the roots."
We had better answer at once the question, whether it is right for
Christians to curse. Certainly not always, nor for every little cause. But
when things have come to such a pass that God and His Word are openly
blasphemed, then we must say: "Blessed be God and His Word, and cursed be
everything that is contrary to God and His Word, even though it should be
an apostle, or an angel from heaven."
This goes to show again how much importance Paul attached to the least
points of Christian doctrine, that he dared to curse the false apostles,
evidently men of great popularity and influence. What right, then, have we
to make little of doctrine? No matter how nonessential a point of doctrine
may seem, if slighted it may prove the gradual disintegration of the
truths of our salvation.
Let us do everything to advance the glory and authority of God's Word.
Every tittle of it is greater than heaven and earth. Christian charity and
unity have nothing to do with the Word of God. We are bold to curse and
condemn all men who in the least point corrupt the Word of God, "for a
little leaven leaveneth the whole lump."
Paul does right to curse these troublers of the Galatians, wishing that
they were cut off and rooted out of the Church of God and that their
doctrine might perish forever. Such cursing is the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Thus Peter cursed Simon the sorcerer, "Thy money perish with thee." Many
instances of this holy cursing are recorded in the sacred Scriptures,
especially in the Psalms, e.g., "Let death seize upon them, and let them
go down quick into hell." (Ps. 55:15.)
THE DOCTRINE OF GOOD WORKS
Now come all kinds of admonitions and precepts. It was the custom of the
apostles that after they had taught faith and instructed the conscience
they followed it up with admonitions unto good works, that the believers
might manifest the duties of love toward each other. In order to avoid the
appearance as if Christianity militated against good works or opposed
civil government, the Apostle also urges us to give ourselves unto good
works, to lead an honest life, and to keep faith and love with one
another. This will give the lie to the accusations of the world that we
Christians are the enemies of decency and of public peace. The fact is we
Christians know better what constitutes a truly good work than all the
philosophers and legislators of the world because we link believing with
doing.
VERSE 13. For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not
liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.
In other words: "You have gained liberty through Christ, i.e., You are
above all laws as far as conscience is concerned. You are saved. Christ is
your liberty and life. Therefore law, sin, and death may not hurt you or
drive you to despair. This is the constitution of your priceless liberty.
Now take care that you do not use your wonderful liberty for an occasion
of the flesh."
Satan likes to turn this liberty which Christ has gotten for us into
licentiousness. Already the Apostle Jude complained in his day: "There are
certain men crept in unawares...turning the grace of our God into
lasciviousness." (Jude 4.) The flesh reasons: "If we are without the law,
we may as well indulge ourselves. Why do good, why give alms, why suffer
evil when there is no law to force us to do so?"
This attitude is common enough. People talk about Christian liberty and
then go and cater to the desires of covetousness, pleasure, pride, envy,
and other vices. Nobody wants to fulfill his duties. Nobody wants to help
out a brother in distress. This sort of thing makes me so impatient at
times that I wish the swine who trampled precious pearls under foot were
back once again under the tyranny of the Pope. You cannot wake up the
people of Gomorrah with the gospel of peace.
Even we creatures of the world do not perform our duties as zealously in
the light of the Gospel as we did before in the darkness of ignorance,
because the surer we are of the liberty purchased for us by Christ, the
more we neglect the Word, prayer, well-doing, and suffering. If Satan were
not continually molesting us with trials, with the persecution of our
enemies, and the ingratitude of our brethren, we would become so careless
and indifferent to all good works that in time we would lose our faith in
Christ, resign the ministry of the Word, and look for an easier life. Many
of our ministers are beginning to do that very thing. They complain about
the ministry, they maintain they cannot live on their salaries, they
whimper about the miserable treatment they receive at the hand of those
whom they delivered from the servitude of the law by the preaching of the
Gospel. These ministers desert our poor and maligned Christ, involve
themselves in the affairs of the world, seek advantages for themselves and
not for Christ. With what results they shall presently find out.
Since the devil lies in ambush for those in particular who hate the world,
and seeks to deprive us of our liberty of the spirit or to brutalize it
into the liberty of the flesh, we plead with our brethren after the manner
of Paul, that they may never use this liberty of the spirit purchased for
us by Christ as an excuse for carnal living, or as Peter expresses it, I
Peter 2:16, "for a cloak of maliciousness."
In order that Christians may not abuse their liberty the Apostle encumbers
them with the rule of mutual love that they should serve each other in
love. Let everybody perform the duties of his station and vocation
diligently and help his neighbor to the limit of his capacity.
Christians are glad to hear and obey this teaching of love. When others
hear about this Christian liberty of ours they at once infer, "If I am
free, I may do what I like. If salvation is not a matter of doing why
should we do anything for the poor?" In this crude manner they turn the
liberty of the spirit into wantonness and licentiousness. We want them to
know, however, that if they use their lives and possessions after their
own pleasure, if they do not help the poor, if they cheat their fellow-men
in business and snatch and scrape by hook and by crook everything they can
lay their hands on, we want to tell them that they are not free, no matter
how much they think they are, but they are the dirty slaves of the devil,
and are seven times worse than they ever were as the slaves of the Pope.
As for us, we are obliged to preach the Gospel which offers to all men
liberty from the Law, sin, death, and God's wrath. We have no right to
conceal or revoke this liberty proclaimed by the Gospel. And so we cannot
do anything with the swine who dive headlong into the filth of
licentiousness. We do what we can, we diligently admonish them to love and
to help their fellow-men. If our admonitions bear no fruit, we leave them
to God, who will in His own good time take care of these disrespecters of
His goodness. In the meanwhile we comfort ourselves with the thought that
our labors are not lost upon the true believers. They appreciate this
spiritual liberty and stand ready to serve others in love and, though
their number is small, the satisfaction they give us far outweighs the
discouragement which we receive at the hands of the large number of those
who misuse this liberty.
Paul cannot possibly be misunderstood for he says: "Brethren, ye have been
called unto liberty." In order that nobody might mistake the liberty of
which he speaks for the liberty of the flesh, the Apostle adds the
explanatory note, "only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but
by love serve one another." Paul now explains at the hand of the Ten
Commandments what it means to serve one another in love.
VERSE 14. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this, thou
shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
It is customary with Paul to lay the doctrinal foundation first and then
to build on it the gold, silver, and gems of good deeds. Now there is no
other foundation than Jesus Christ. Upon this foundation the Apostle
erects the structure of good works which he defines in this one sentence:
"Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself."
In adding such precepts of love the Apostle embarrasses the false apostles
very much, as if he were saying to the Galatians: "I have described to you
what spiritual life is. Now I will also teach you what truly good works
are. I am doing this in order that you may understand that the silly
ceremonies of which the false apostles make so much are far inferior to
the works of Christian love." This is the hall-mark of all false teachers,
that they not only pervert the pure doctrine but also fail in doing good.
Their foundation vitiated, they can only build wood, hay, and stubble.
Oddly enough, the false apostles who were such earnest champions of good
works never required the work of charity, such as Christian love and the
practical charity of a helpful tongue, hand, and heart. Their only
requirement was that circumcision, days, months, years, and times should
be observed. They could not think of any other good works.
The Apostle exhorts all Christians to practice good works after they have
embraced the pure doctrine of faith, because even though they have been
justified they still have the old flesh to refrain them from doing good.
Therefore it becomes necessary that sincere preachers cultivate the
doctrine of good works as diligently as the doctrine of faith, for Satan
is a deadly enemy of both. Nevertheless faith must come first because
without faith it is impossible to know what a God-pleasing deed is.
Let nobody think that he knows all about this commandment, "Thou shalt
love thy neighbour as thyself." It sounds short and easy, but show me the
man who can teach, learn, and do this commandment perfectly. None of us
heed, or urge, or practice this commandment properly. Though the
conscience hurts when we fail to fulfill this commandment in every respect
we are not overwhelmed by our failure to bear our neighbor sincere and
brotherly love.
The words, "for all the law is fulfilled in one word," entail a criticism
of the Galatians. "You are so taken up by your superstitions and
ceremonies that serve no good purpose, that you neglect the most important
thing, love." St. Jerome says: "We wear our bodies out with watching,
fasting, and labor and neglect charity, the queen of all good works." Look
at the monks, who meticulously fast, watch, etc. To skip the least
requirement of their order would be a crime of the first magnitude. At the
same time they blithely ignored the duties of charity and hated each other
to death. That is no sin, they think.
The Old Testament is replete with examples that indicate how much God
prizes charity. When David and his companions had no food with which to
still their hunger they ate the showbread which lay-people were forbidden
to eat. Christ's disciples broke the Sabbath law when they plucked the
ears of corn. Christ himself broke the Sabbath (as the Jews claimed) by
healing the sick on the Sabbath. These incidents indicate that love ought
to be given consideration above all laws and ceremonies.
VERSE 14. For all the Law is fulfilled in one word.
We can imagine the Apostle saying to the Galatians: "Why do you get so
worked up over ceremonies, meats, days, places, and such things? Leave off
this foolishness and listen to me. The whole Law is comprehended in this
one sentence, 'Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.' God is not
particularly interested in ceremonies, nor has He any use for them. The
one thing He requires of you is that you believe in Christ whom He hath
sent. If in addition to faith, which comes first as the most acceptable
service unto God, you want to add laws, then you want to know that all
laws are comprehended in this short commandment, 'Thou shalt love thy
neighbour as thyself.'"
Paul knows how to explain the law of God. He condenses all the laws of
Moses into one brief sentence. Reason takes offense at the brevity with
which Paul treats the Law. Therefore reason looks down upon the doctrine
of faith and its truly good works. To serve one another in love, i.e., to
instruct the erring, to comfort the afflicted, to raise the fallen, to
help one's neighbor in every possible way, to bear with his infirmities,
to endure hardships, toil, ingratitude in the Church and in the world, and
on the other hand to obey government, to honor one's parents, to be
patient at home with a nagging wife and an unruly family, these things are
not at all regarded as good works. The fact is, they are such excellent
works that the world cannot possibly estimate them at their true value.
It is tersely spoken: "Love thy neighbour as thyself." But what more needs
to be said? You cannot find a better or nearer example than your own. If
you want to know how you ought to love your neighbor, ask yourself how
much you love yourself. If you were to get into trouble or danger, you
would be glad to have the love and help of all men. You do not need any
book of instructions to teach you how to love your neighbor. All you have
to do is to look into your own heart, and it will tell you how you ought
to love your neighbor as yourself.
My neighbor is every person, especially those who need my help, as Christ
explained in the tenth chapter of Luke. Even if a person has done me some
wrong, or has hurt me in any way, he is still a human being with flesh and
blood. As long as a person remains a human being, so long is he to be an
object of our love.
Paul therefore urges his Galatians and, incidentally, all believers to
serve each other in love. "You Galatians do not have to accept
circumcision. If you are so anxious to do good works, I will tell you in
one word how you can fulfill all laws. 'By love serve one another.' You
will never lack people to whom you may do good. The world is full of
people who need your help."
VERSE 15. But if ye bite and devour one another take heed that ye be
not consumed one of another.
When faith in Christ is overthrown peace and unity come to an end in the
church. Diverse opinions and dissensions about doctrine and life spring
up, and one member bites and devours the other, i.e., they condemn each
other until they are consumed. To this the Scriptures and the experience
of all times bear witness. The many sects at present have come into being
because one sect condemns the other. When the unity of the spirit has been
lost there can be no agreement in doctrine or life. New errors must appear
without measure and without end.
For the avoidance of discord Paul lays down the principle: "Let every
person do his duty in the station of life into which God has called him.
No person is to vaunt himself above others or find fault with the efforts
of others while lauding his own. Let everybody serve in love."
It is not an easy matter to teach faith without works, and still to
require works. Unless the ministers of Christ are wise in handling the
mysteries of God and rightly divide the word, faith and good works may
easily be confused. Both the doctrine of faith and the doctrine of good
works must be diligently taught, and yet in such a way that both the
doctrines stay within their God-given sphere. If we only teach works, as
our opponents do, we shall lose the faith. If we only teach faith people
will come to think that good works are superfluous.
VERSE 16. This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not
fulfill the lust of the flesh.
"I have not forgotten what I told you about faith in the first part of my
letter. Because I exhort you to mutual love you are not to think that I
have gone back on my teaching of justification by faith alone. I am still
of the same opinion. To remove every possibility for misunderstanding I
have added this explanatory note: 'Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not
fulfill the lust of the flesh.'"
With this verse Paul explains how he wants this sentence to be understood:
"By love serve one another. When I bid you to love one another, this is
what I mean and require, 'Walk in the Spirit.' I know very well you will
not fulfill the Law, because you are sinners as long as you live.
Nevertheless, you should endeavor to walk in the spirit," i.e., fight
against the flesh and follow the lead of the Holy Ghost.
It is quite apparent that Paul had not forgotten the doctrine of
justification, for in bidding the Galatians to walk in the Spirit he at
the same time denies that good works can justify. "When I speak of the
fulfilling of the Law I do not mean to say that you are justified by the
Law. All I mean to say is that you should take the Spirit for your guide
and resist the flesh. That is the most you shall ever be able to do. Obey
the Spirit and fight against the flesh."
VERSE 16. And ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
The lust of the flesh is not altogether extinct in us. It rises up again
and again and wrestles with the Spirit. No flesh, not even that of the
true believer, is so completely under the influence of the Spirit that it
will not bite or devour, or at least neglect, the commandment of love. At
the slightest provocation it flares up, demands to be revenged, and hates
a neighbor like an enemy, or at least does not love him as much as he
ought to be loved.
Therefore the Apostle establishes this rule of love for the believers.
Serve one another in love. Bear the infirmities of your brother. Forgive
one another. Without such bearing and forbearing, giving and forgiving,
there can be no unity because to give and to take offense are unavoidably
human.
Whenever you are angry with your brother for any cause, repress your
violent emotions through the Spirit. Bear with his weakness and love him.
He does not cease to be your neighbor or brother because he offended you.
On the contrary, he now more than ever before requires your loving
attention.
The scholastics take the lust of the flesh to mean carnal lust. True,
believers too are tempted with carnal lust. Even the married are not
immune to carnal lusts. Men set little value upon that which they have and
covet what they have not, as the poet says:
"The things most forbidden we always desire, And things most denied
we seek to acquire."
I do not deny that the lust of the flesh includes carnal lust. But it
takes in more. It takes in all the corrupt desires with which the
believers are more or less infected, as pride, hatred, covetousness,
impatience. Later on Paul enumerates among the works of the flesh even
idolatry and heresy. The apostle's meaning is clear. "I want you to love
one another. But you do not do it. In fact you cannot do it, because of
your flesh. Hence we cannot be justified by deeds of love. Do not for a
moment think that I am reversing myself on my stand concerning faith.
Faith and hope must continue. By faith we are justified, by hope we endure
to the end. In addition we serve each other in love because true faith is
not idle. Our love, however, is faulty. In bidding you to walk in the
Spirit I indicate to you that our love is not sufficient to justify us.
Neither do I demand that you should get rid of the flesh, but that you
should control and subdue it."
VERSE 17. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit and the Spirit
against the flesh.
When Paul declares that "the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the
Spirit against the flesh," he means to say that we are not to think, speak
or do the things to which the flesh incites us. "I know," he says, "that
the flesh courts sin. The thing for you to do is to resist the flesh by
the Spirit. But if you abandon the leadership of the Spirit for that of
the flesh, you are going to fulfill the lust of the flesh and die in your
sins."
VERSE 17. And these are contrary the one to the other; so that ye
cannot do the things that ye would.
These two leaders, the flesh and the Spirit, are bitter opponents. Of this
opposition the Apostle writes in the seventh chapter of the Epistle to the
Romans: "I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my
mind, and bringing me into the captivity to the law of sin which is in my
members. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of
this death?"
The scholastics are at a loss to understand this confession of Paul and
feel obliged to save his honor. That the chosen vessel of Christ should
have had the law of sin in his members seems to them incredible and
absurd. They circumvent the plain-spoken statement of the Apostle by
saying that he was speaking for the wicked. But the wicked never complain
of inner conflicts, or of the captivity of sin. Sin has its unrestricted
way with them. This is Paul's very own complaint and the identical
complaint of all believers.
Paul never denied that he felt the lust of the flesh. It is likely that at
times he felt even the stirrings of carnal lust, but there is no doubt
that he quickly suppressed them. And if at any time he felt angry or
impatient, he resisted these feelings by the Spirit. We are not going to
stand by idly and see such a comforting statement as this explained away.
The scholastics, monks, and others of their ilk fought only against carnal
lust and were proud of a victory which they never obtained. In the
meanwhile they harbored within their breasts pride, hatred, disdain,
self-trust, contempt of the Word of God, disloyalty, blasphemy, and other
lusts of the flesh. Against these sins they never fought because they
never took them for sins.
Christ alone can supply us with perfect righteousness. Therefore we must
always believe and always hope in Christ. "Whosoever believeth shall not
be ashamed." (Rom. 9:33.)
Do not despair if you feel the flesh battling against the Spirit or if you
cannot make it behave. For you to follow the guidance of the Spirit in all
things without interference on the part of the flesh is impossible. You
are doing all you can if you resist the flesh and do not fulfill its
demands.
When I was a monk I thought I was lost forever whenever I felt an evil
emotion, carnal lust, wrath, hatred, or envy. I tried to quiet my
conscience in many ways, but it did not work, because lust would always
come back and give me no rest. I told myself: "You have permitted this and
that sin, envy, impatience, and the like. Your joining this holy order has
been in vain, and all your good works are good for nothing." If at that
time I had understood this passage, "The flesh lusteth against the Spirit,
and the Spirit against the flesh," I could have spared myself many a day
of self-torment. I would have said to myself: "Martin, you will never be
without sin, for you have flesh. Despair not, but resist the flesh."
I remember how Doctor Staupitz used to say to me: "I have promised God a
thousand times that I would become a better man, but I never kept my
promise. From now on I am not going to make any more vows. Experience has
taught me that I cannot keep them. Unless God is merciful to me for
Christ's sake and grants unto me a blessed departure, I shall not be able
to stand before Him." His was a God-pleasing despair. No true believer
trusts in his own righteousness, but says with David, "Enter not into
judgment with thy servant; for in thy sight shall no man living be
justified." (Ps. 143:2) Again, "If thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities,
O Lord, who shall stand?" (Ps. 130:3.)
No man is to despair of salvation just because he is aware of the lust of
the flesh. Let him be aware of it so long as he does not yield to it. The
passion of lust, wrath, and other vices may shake him, but they are not to
get him down. Sin may assail him, but he is not to welcome it. Yes, the
better Christian a man is, the more he will experience the heat of the
conflict. This explains the many expressions of regret in the Psalms and
in the entire Bible. Everybody is to determine his peculiar weakness and
guard against it. Watch and wrestle in spirit against your weakness. Even
if you cannot completely overcome it, at least you ought to fight against
it.
According to this description a saint is not one who is made of wood and
never feels any lusts or desires of the flesh. A true saint confesses his
righteousness and prays that his sins may be forgiven. The whole Church
prays for the forgiveness of sins and confesses that it believes in the
forgiveness of sins. If our antagonists would read the Scriptures they
would soon discover that they cannot judge rightly of anything, either of
sin or of holiness.
VERSE 18. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.
Here someone may object: "How come we are not under the law? You yourself
say, Paul, that we have the flesh which wars against the Spirit, and
brings us into subjection."
But Paul says not to let it trouble us. As long as we are led by the
Spirit, and are willing to obey the Spirit who resists the flesh, we are
not under the Law. True believers are not under the Law. The Law cannot
condemn them although they feel sin and confess it.
Great then is the power of the Spirit. Led by the Spirit, the Law cannot
condemn the believer though he commits real sin. For Christ in whom we
believe is our righteousness. He is without sin, and the Law cannot accuse
Him. As long as we cling to Him we are led by the Spirit and are free from
the Law. Even as he teaches good works, the Apostle does not lose sight of
the doctrine of justification, but shows at every turn that it is
impossible for us to be justified by works.
The words, "If ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law," are
replete with comfort. It happens at times that anger, hatred, impatience,
carnal desire, fear, sorrow, or some other lust of the flesh so overwhelms
a man that he cannot shake them off, though he try ever so hard. What
should he do? Should he despair? God forbid. Let him say to himself: "My
flesh seems to be on a warpath against the Spirit again. Go to it, flesh,
and rage all you want to. But you are not going to have your way. I follow
the leading of the Spirit."
When the flesh begins to cut up the only remedy is to take the sword of
the Spirit, the word of salvation, and fight against the flesh. If you set
the Word out of sight, you are helpless against the flesh. I know this to
be a fact. I have been assailed by many violent passions, but as soon as I
took hold of some Scripture passage, my temptations left me. Without the
Word I could not have helped myself against the flesh.
VERSE 19. Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these.
Paul is saying: "That none of you may hide behind the plea of ignorance I
will enumerate first the works of the flesh, and then also the works of
the Spirit."
There were many hypocrites among the Galatians, as there are also among
us, who pretend to be Christians and talk much about the Spirit, but they
walk not according to the Spirit; rather according to the flesh. Paul is
out to show them that they are not as holy as they like to have others
think they are.
Every period of life has its own peculiar temptations. Not one true
believer whom the flesh does not again and again incite to impatience,
anger, pride. But it is one thing to be tempted by the flesh, and another
thing to yield to the flesh, to do its bidding without fear or remorse,
and to continue in sin.
Christians also fall and perform the lusts of the flesh. David fell
horribly into adultery. Peter also fell grievously when he denied Christ.
However great these sins were, they were not committed to spite God, but
from weakness. When their sins were brought to their attention these men
did not obstinately continue in their sin, but repented. Those who sin
through weakness are not denied pardon as long as they rise again and
cease to sin. There is nothing worse than to continue in sin. If they do
not repent, but obstinately continue to fulfill the desires of the flesh,
it is a sure sign that they are not sincere.
No person is free from temptations. Some are tempted in one way, others in
another way. One person is more easily tempted to bitterness and sorrow of
spirit, blasphemy, distrust, and despair. Another is more easily tempted
to carnal lust, anger, envy, covetousness. But no matter to which sins we
are disposed, we are to walk in the Spirit and resist the flesh. Those who
are Christ's own crucify their flesh.
Some of the old saints labored so hard to attain perfection that they lost
the capacity to feel anything. When I was a monk I often wished I could
see a saint. I pictured him as living in the wilderness, abstaining from
meat and drink and living on roots and herbs and cold water. This weird
conception of those awesome saints I had gained out of the books of the
scholastics and church fathers. But we know now from the Scriptures who
the true saints are. Not those who live a single life, or make a fetish of
days, meats, clothes, and such things. The true saints are those who
believe that they are justified by the death of Christ. Whenever Paul
writes to the Christians here and there he calls them the holy children
and heirs of God. All who believe in Christ, whether male or female, bond
or free, are saints; not in view of their own works, but in view of the
merits of God which they appropriate by faith. Their holiness is a gift
and not their own personal achievement.
Ministers of the Gospel, public officials, parents, children, masters,
servants, etc., are true saints when they take Christ for their wisdom,
righteousness, sanctification, and redemption, and when they fulfill the
duties of their several vocations according to the standard of God's Word
and repress the lust and desires of the flesh by the Spirit. Not everybody
can resist temptations with equal facility. Imperfections are bound to
show up. But this does not prevent them from being holy. Their
unintentional lapses are forgiven if they pull themselves together by
faith in Christ. God forbid that we should sit in hasty judgment on those
who are weak in faith and life, as long as they love the Word of God and
make use of the supper of the Lord.
I thank God that He has permitted me to see (what as a monk I so earnestly
desired to see) not one but many saints, whole multitudes of true saints.
Not the kind of saints the papists admire, but the kind of saints Christ
wants. I am sure I am one of Christ's true saints. I am baptized. I
believe that Christ my Lord has redeemed me from all my sins, and invested
me with His own eternal righteousness and holiness. To hide in caves and
dens, to have a bony body, to wear the hair long in the mistaken idea that
such departures from normalcy will obtain some special regard in heaven is
not the holy life. A holy life is to be baptized and to believe in Christ,
and to subdue the flesh with the Spirit.
To feel the lusts of the flesh is not without profit to us. It prevents us
from being vain and from being puffed up with the wicked opinion of our
own work-righteousness. The monks were so inflated with the opinion of
their own righteousness, they thought they had so much holiness that they
could afford to sell some of it to others, although their own hearts
convinced them of unholiness. The Christian feels the unholy condition of
his heart, and it makes him feel so low that he cannot trust in his good
works. He therefore goes to Christ to find perfect righteousness. This
keeps a Christian humble.
VERSES 19, 20. Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are
these: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry,
witchcraft...
Paul does not enumerate all the works of the flesh, but only certain ones.
First, he mentions various kinds of carnal lusts, as adultery,
fornication, wantonness, etc. But carnal lust is not the only work of the
flesh, and so he counts among the works of the flesh also idolatry,
witchcraft, hatred, and the like. These terms are so familiar that they do
not require lengthy explanations.
IDOLATRY
The best religion, the most fervent devotion without Christ is plain
idolatry. It has been considered a holy act when the monks in their cells
meditate upon God and His works, and in a religious frenzy kneel down to
pray and to weep for joy. Yet Paul calls it simply idolatry. Every
religion which worships God in ignorance or neglect of His Word and will
is idolatry.
They may think about God, Christ, and heavenly things, but they do it
after their own fashion and not after the Word of God. They have an idea
that their clothing, their mode of living, and their conduct are holy and
pleasing to Christ. They not only expect to pacify Christ by the
strictness of their life, but also expect to be rewarded by Him for their
good deeds. Hence their best "spiritual" thoughts are wicked thoughts. Any
worship of God, any religion without Christ is idolatry. In Christ alone
is God well pleased.
I have said before that the works of the flesh are manifest. But idolatry
puts on such a good front and acts so spiritual that the sham of it is
recognized only by true believers.
WITCHCRAFT
This sin was very common before the light of the Gospel appeared. When I
was a child there were many witches and sorcerers around who "bewitched"
cattle, and people, particularly children, and did much harm. But now that
the Gospel is here you do not hear so much about it because the Gospel
drives the devil away. Now he bewitches people in a worse way with
spiritual sorcery.
Witchcraft is a brand of idolatry. As witches used to bewitch cattle and
men, so idolaters, i.e., all the self-righteous, go around to bewitch God
and to make Him out as one who justifies men not by grace through faith in
Christ but by the works of men's own choosing. They bewitch and deceive
themselves. If they continue in their wicked thoughts of God they will die
in their idolatry.
SECTS
Under sects Paul here understands heresies. Heresies have always been
found in the church. What unity of faith can exist among all the different
monks and the different orders? None whatever. There is no unity of
spirit, no agreement of minds, but great dissension in the papacy. There
is no conformity in doctrine, faith, and life. On the other hand, among
evangelical Christians the Word, faith, religion, sacraments, service,
Christ, God, heart, and mind are common to all. This unity is not
disturbed by outward differences of station or of occupation.
DRUNKENNESS, GLUTTONY
Paul does not say that eating and drinking are works of the flesh, but
intemperance in eating and drinking, which is a common vice nowadays, is a
work of the flesh. Those who are given to excess are to know that they are
not spiritual but carnal. Sentence is pronounced upon them that they shall
not inherit the kingdom of heaven. Paul desires that Christians avoid
drunkenness and gluttony, that they live temperate and sober lives, in
order that the body may not grow soft and sensual.
VERSE 21. Of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in
the past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom
of God.
This is a hard saying, but very necessary for those false Christians and
hypocrites who speak much about the Gospel, about faith, and the Spirit,
yet live after the flesh. But this hard sentence is directed chiefly at
the heretics who are large with their own self-importance, that they may
be frightened into taking up the fight of the Spirit against the flesh.
VERSES 22, 23. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.
The Apostle does not speak of the works of the Spirit as he spoke of the
works of the flesh, but he attaches to these Christian virtues a better
name. He calls them the fruits of the Spirit.
LOVE
It would have been enough to mention only the single fruit of love, for
love embraces all the fruits of the Spirit. In I Corinthians 13, Paul
attributes to love all the fruits of the Spirit: "Charity suffereth long,
and is kind," etc. Here he lets love stand by itself among other fruits of
the Spirit to remind the Christians to love one another, "in honor
preferring one another," to esteem others more than themselves because
they have Christ and the Holy Ghost within them.
JOY
Joy means sweet thoughts of Christ, melodious hymns and psalms, praises
and thanksgiving, with which Christians instruct, inspire, and refresh
themselves. God does not like doubt and dejection. He hates dreary
doctrine, gloomy and melancholy thought. God likes cheerful hearts. He did
not send His Son to fill us with sadness, but to gladden our hearts. For
this reason the prophets, apostles, and Christ Himself urge, yes, command
us to rejoice and be glad. "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O
daughter of Jerusalem; behold, thy king cometh unto thee." (Zech. 9:9.) In
the Psalms we are repeatedly told to be "joyful in the Lord." Paul says:
"Rejoice in the Lord always." Christ says: "Rejoice, for your names are
written in heaven."
PEACE
Peace towards God and men. Christians are to be peaceful and quiet. Not
argumentative, not hateful, but thoughtful and patient. There can be no
peace without longsuffering, and therefore Paul lists this virtue next.
LONGSUFFERING
Longsuffering is that quality which enables a person to bear adversity,
injury, reproach, and makes them patient to wait for the improvement of
those who have done him wrong. When the devil finds that he cannot
overcome certain persons by force he tries to overcome them in the long
run. He knows that we are weak and cannot stand anything long. Therefore
he repeats his temptation time and again until he succeeds. To withstand
his continued assaults we must be longsuffering and patiently wait for the
devil to get tired of his game.
GENTLENESS
Gentleness in conduct and life. True followers of the Gospel must not be
sharp and bitter, but gentle, mild, courteous, and soft-spoken, which
should encourage others to seek their company. Gentleness can overlook
other people's faults and cover them up. Gentleness is always glad to give
in to others. Gentleness can get along with forward and difficult persons,
according to the old pagan saying: "You must know the manners of your
friends, but you must not hate them." Such a gentle person was our Savior
Jesus Christ, as the Gospel portrays Him. Of Peter it is recorded that he
wept whenever he remembered the sweet gentleness of Christ in His daily
contact with people. Gentleness is an excellent virtue and very useful in
every walk of life.
GOODNESS
A person is good when he is willing to help others in their need.
FAITH
In listing faith among the fruits of the Spirit, Paul obviously does not
mean faith in Christ, but faith in men. Such faith is not suspicious of
people but believes the best. Naturally the possessor of such faith will
be deceived, but he lets it pass. He is ready to believe all men, but he
will not trust all men. Where this virtue is lacking men are suspicious,
forward, and wayward and will believe nothing nor yield to anybody. No
matter how well a person says or does anything, they will find fault with
it, and if you do not humor them you can never please them. It is quite
impossible to get along with them. Such faith in people therefore, is
quite necessary. What kind of life would this be if one person could not
believe another person?
MEEKNESS
A person is meek when he is not quick to get angry. Many things occur in
daily life to provoke a person's anger, but the Christian gets over his
anger by meekness.
TEMPERANCE
Christians are to lead sober and chaste lives. They should not be
adulterers, fornicators, or sensualists. They should not be quarrelers or
drunkards. In the first and second chapters of the Epistle to Titus, the
Apostle admonishes bishops, young women, and married folks to be chaste
and pure.
VERSE 23. Against such there is no law.
There is a law, of course, but it does not apply to those who bear these
fruits of the Spirit. The Law is not given for the righteous man. A true
Christian conducts himself in such a way that he does not need any law to
warn or to restrain him. He obeys the Law without compulsion. The Law does
not concern him. As far as he is concerned there would not have to be any
Law.
VERSE 24. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the
affections and lusts.
True believers are no hypocrites. They crucify the flesh with its evil
desires and lusts. Inasmuch as they have not altogether put off the sinful
flesh they are inclined to sin. They do not fear or love God as they
should. They are likely to be provoked to anger, to envy, to impatience,
to carnal lust, and other emotions. But they will not do the things to
which the flesh incites them. They crucify the flesh with its evil desires
and lusts by fasting and exercise and, above all, by a walk in the Spirit.
To resist the flesh in this manner is to nail it to the Cross. Although
the flesh is still alive it cannot very well act upon its desires because
it is bound and nailed to the Cross.
VERSE 25. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
A little while ago the Apostle had condemned those who are envious and
start heresies and schisms. As if he had forgotten that he had already
berated them, the Apostle once more reproves those who provoke and envy
others. Was not one reference to them sufficient? He repeats his
admonition in order to emphasize the viciousness of pride that had caused
all the trouble in the churches of Galatia, and has always caused the
Church of Christ no end of difficulties. In his Epistle to Titus the
Apostle states that a vainglorious man should not be ordained as a
minister, for pride, as St. Augustine points out, is the mother of all
heresies.
Now vainglory has always been a common poison in the world. There is no
village too small to contain someone who wants to be considered wiser or
better than the rest. Those who have been bitten by pride usually stand
upon the reputation for learning and wisdom. Vainglory is not nearly so
bad in a private person or even in an official as it is in a minister.
When the poison of vainglory gets into the Church you have no idea what
havoc it can cause. You may argue about knowledge, art, money, countries,
and the like without doing particular harm. But you cannot quarrel about
salvation or damnation, about eternal life and eternal death without grave
damage to the Church. No wonder Paul exhorts all ministers of the Word to
guard against this poison. He writes: "If we live in the Spirit." Where
the Spirit is, men gain new attitudes. Where formerly they were
vainglorious, spiteful and envious, they now become humble, gentle and
patient. Such men seek not their own glory, but the glory of God. They do
not provoke each other to wrath or envy, but prefer others to themselves.
As dangerous to the Church as this abominable pride is, yet there is
nothing more common. The trouble with the ministers of Satan is that they
look upon the ministry as a stepping-stone to fame and glory, and right
there you have the seed for all sorts of dissensions.
Because Paul knew that the vainglory of the false Apostles had caused the
churches of Galatia endless trouble, he makes it his business to suppress
this abominable vice. In his absence the false apostles went to work in
Galatia. They pretended that they had been on intimate terms with the
apostles, while Paul had never seen Christ in person or had much contact
with the rest of the apostles. Because of this they delivered him,
rejected his doctrine, and boosted their own. In this way they troubled
the Galatians and caused quarrels among them until they provoked and
envied each other; which goes to show that neither the false apostles nor
the Galatians walked after the Spirit, but after the flesh.
The Gospel is not there for us to aggrandize ourselves. The Gospel is to
aggrandize Christ and the mercy of God. It holds out to men eternal gifts
that are not gifts of our own manufacture. What right have we to receive
praise and glory for gifts that are not of our own making?
No wonder that God in His special grace subjects the ministers of the
Gospel to all kinds of afflictions, otherwise they could not cope with
this ugly beast called vainglory. If no persecution, no cross, or reproach
trailed the doctrine of the Gospel, but only praise and reputation, the
ministers of the Gospel would choke with pride. Paul had the Spirit of
Christ. Nevertheless there was given unto him the messenger of Satan to
buffet him in order that he should not come to exalt himself, because of
the grandeur of his revelations. St. Augustine's opinion is well taken:
"If a minister of the Gospel is praised, he is in danger; if he is
despised, he is also in danger."
The ministers of the Gospel should be men who are not too easily affected
by praise or criticism, but simply speak out the benefit and the glory of
Christ and seek the salvation of souls.
Whenever you are being praised, remember it is not you who is being
praised but Christ, to whom all praise belongs. When you preach the Word
of God in its purity and also live accordingly, it is not your own doing,
but God's doing. And when people praise you, they really mean to praise
God in you. When you understand this—and you should because "what
hast thou that thou didst not receive?"—you will not flatter
yourself on the one hand and on the other hand you will not carry yourself
with the thought of resigning from the ministry when you are insulted,
reproached, or persecuted.
It is really kind of God to send so much infamy, reproach, hatred, and
cursing our way to keep us from getting proud of the gifts of God in us.
We need a millstone around our neck to keep us humble. There are a few on
our side who love and revere us for the ministry of the Word, but for
every one of these there are a hundred on the other side who hate and
persecute us.
The Lord is our glory. Such gifts as we possess we acknowledge to be the
gifts of God, given to us for the good of the Church of Christ. Therefore
we are not proud because of them. We know that more is required of them to
whom much is given, than of such to whom little is given. We also know
that God is no respecter of persons. A plain factory hand who does his
work faithfully pleases God just as much as a minister of the Word.
VERSE 26. Let us not be desirous of vain glory.
To desire vainglory is to desire lies, because when one person praises
another he tells lies. What is there in anybody to praise? But it is
different when the ministry is praised. We should not only desire people
to praise the ministry of the Gospel but also do our utmost to make the
ministry worthy of praise because this will make the ministry more
effective. Paul warns the Romans not to bring Christianity into disrepute.
"Let not then your good be evil spoken of." (Rom. 14:16.) He also begged
the Corinthians to "give no offense in anything, that the ministry be not
blamed." (I Cor. 6:3.) When people praise our ministry they are not
praising our persons, but God.
VERSE 26. Provoking one another, envying one another.
Such is the ill effect of vainglory. Those who teach errors provoke
others. When others disapprove and reject the doctrine the teachers of
errors get angry in turn, and then you have strife and trouble. The
sectarians hate us furiously because we will not approve their errors. We
did not attack them directly. We merely called attention to certain abuses
in the Church. They did not like it and became sore at us, because it hurt
their pride. They wish to be the lone rulers of the church.
CHAPTER 6
VERSE 1. Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault ye which are
spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness.
IF we carefully weigh the words of the Apostle we perceive that he does
not speak of doctrinal faults and errors, but of much lesser faults by
which a person is overtaken through the weakness of his flesh. This
explains why the Apostle chooses the softer term "fault." To minimize the
offense still more, as if he meant to excuse it altogether and to take the
whole blame away from the person who has committed the fault, he speaks of
him as having been "overtaken," seduced by the devil and of the flesh. As
if he meant to say, "What is more human than for a human being to fall, to
be deceived and to err?" This comforting sentence at one time saved my
life. Because Satan always assails both the purity of doctrine which he
endeavors to take away by schisms and the purity of life which he spoils
with his continual temptations to sin, Paul explains how the fallen should
be treated. Those who are strong are to raise up the fallen in the spirit
of meekness.
This ought to be borne in mind particularly by the ministers of the Word
in order that they may not forget the parental attitude which Paul here
requires of those who have the keeping of souls. Pastors and ministers
must, of course, rebuke the fallen, but when they see that the fallen are
sorry they are to comfort them by excusing the fault as well as they can.
As unyielding as the Holy Spirit is in the matter of maintaining and
defending the doctrine of faith, so mild and merciful is He toward men for
their sins as long as sinners repent.
The Pope's synagogue teaches the exact opposite of what the Apostle
commands. The clerics are tyrants and butchers of men's conscience. Every
small offense is closely scrutinized. To justify the cruel inquisitiveness
they quote the statement of Pope Gregory: "It is the property of good
lives to be afraid of a fault where there is no fault." "Our censors must
be feared, even if they are unjust and wrong." On these pronouncements the
papists base their doctrine of excommunication. Rather than terrify and
condemn men's consciences, they ought to raise them up and comfort them
with the truth.
Let the ministers of the Gospel learn from Paul how to deal with those who
have sinned. "Brethren," he says, "if any man be overtaken with a fault,
do not aggravate his grief, do not scold him, do not condemn him, but lift
him up and gently restore his faith. If you see a brother despondent over
a sin he has committed, run up to him, reach out your hand to him, comfort
him with the Gospel and embrace him like a mother. When you meet a willful
sinner who does not care, go after him and rebuke him sharply." But this
is not the treatment for one who has been overtaken by a sin and is sorry.
He must be dealt with in the spirit of meekness and not in the spirit of
severity. A repentant sinner is not to be given gall and vinegar to drink.
VERSE 1. Considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.
This consideration is very much needed to put a stop to the severity of
some pastors who show the fallen no mercy. St. Augustine says: "There is
no sin which one person has committed, that another person may not commit
it also." We stand in slippery places. If we become overbearing and
neglect our duty, it is easy enough to fall into sin. In the book entitled
"The Lives of Our Fathers," one of the Fathers is reported to have said
when informed that a brother had fallen into adultery: "He fell yesterday;
I may fall today." Paul therefore warns the pastors not to be too rigorous
and unmerciful towards offenders, but to show them every affection, always
remembering: "This man fell into sin; I may fall into worse sin. If those
who are always so eager to condemn others would investigate themselves
they would find that the sins of others are motes in comparison to their
own."
"Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall." (I
Cor. 10:12.) If David who was a hero of faith and did so many great things
for the Lord, could fall so badly that in spite of his advanced age he was
overcome by youthful lust after he had withstood so many different
temptations with which the Lord had tested his faith, who are we to think
that we are more stable? These object lessons of God should convince us
that of all things God hates pride.
VERSE 2. Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of
Christ.
The Law of Christ is the Law of love. Christ gave us no other law than
this law of mutual love: "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love
one another." To love means to bear another's burdens. Christians must
have strong shoulders to bear the burdens of their fellow Christians.
Faithful pastors recognize many errors and offenses in the church, which
they oversee. In civil affairs an official has to overlook much if he is
fit to rule. If we can overlook our own shortcomings and wrong-doings, we
ought to overlook the shortcomings of others in accordance with the words,
"Bear ye one another's burdens."
Those who fail to do so expose their lack of understanding of the law of
Christ. Love, according to Paul, "believeth all things, hopeth all things,
endureth all things." This commandment is not meant for those who deny
Christ; neither is it meant for those who continue to live in sin. Only
those who are willing to hear the Word of God and then inadvertently fall
into sin to their own great sorrow and regret, carry the burdens which the
Apostle encourages us to bear. Let us not be hard on them. If Christ did
not punish them, what right have we to do it?
VERSE 3. For if a man think himself to be something, when he is
nothing, he deceiveth himself.
Again the Apostle takes the authors of sects to task for being
hard-hearted tyrants. They despise the weak and demand that everything be
just so. Nothing suits them except what they do. Unless you eulogize
whatever they say or do, unless you adapt yourself to their slightest
whim, they become angry with you. They are that way because, as St. Paul
says, they "think themselves to be something," they think they know all
about the Scriptures.
Paul has their number when he calls them zeros. They deceive themselves
with their self-suggested wisdom and holiness. They have no understanding
of Christ or the law of Christ. By insisting that everything be perfect
they not only fail to bear the burdens of the weak, they actually offend
the weak by their severity. People begin to hate and shun them and refuse
to accept counsel or comfort from them.
Paul describes these stiff and ungracious saints accurately when he says
of them, "They think themselves to be something." Bloated by their own
silly ideas and schemes they entertain a pretty fair opinion of
themselves, when in reality they amount to nothing.
VERSE 4. But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have
rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.
In this verse the Apostle continues his attack upon the vainglorious
sectarians. Although this passage may be applied to any work, the Apostle
has in mind particularly the work of the ministry.
The trouble with these seekers after glory is that they never stop to
consider whether their ministry is straightforward and faithful. All they
think about is whether people will like and praise them. Theirs is a
threefold sin. First, they are greedy of praise. Secondly, they are very
sly and wily in suggesting that the ministry of other pastors is not what
it should be. By way of contrast they hope to rise in the estimation of
the people. Thirdly, once they have established a reputation for
themselves they become so chesty that they stop short of nothing. When
they have won the praise of men, pride leads them on to belittle the work
of other men and to applaud their own. In this artful manner they hoodwink
the people who rather enjoy to see their former pastors taken down a few
notches by such upstarts.
"Let a minister be faithful in his office," is the apostolic injunction.
"Let him not seek his own glory or look for praise. Let him desire to do
good work and to preach the Gospel in all its purity. Whether an
ungrateful world appreciates his efforts is to give him no concern
because, after all, he is in the ministry not for his own glory but for
the glory of Christ."
A faithful minister cares little what people think of him, as long as his
conscience approves of him. The approval of his own good conscience is the
best praise a minister can have. To know that we have taught the Word of
God and administered the sacraments rightly is to have a glory that cannot
be taken away.
The glory which the sectarians seek is quite unstable, because it rests in
the whim of people. If Paul had had to depend on this kind of glory for
his ministry he would have despaired when he saw the many offenses and
evils following in the wake of his preaching.
If we had to feel that the success of our ministry depended upon our
popularity with men we would die, because we are not popular. On the
contrary, we are hated by the whole world with rare bitterness. Nobody
praises us. Everybody finds fault with us. But we can glory in the Lord
and attend to our work cheerfully. Who cares whether our efforts please or
displease the devil? Who cares whether the world praises or hates us? We
go ahead "by honour and dishonour, by evil report and good report." (II
Cor. 6:8.)
The Gospel entails persecution. The Gospel is that kind of a doctrine.
Furthermore, the disciples of the Gospel are not all dependable. Many
embrace the Gospel today and tomorrow discard it. To preach the Gospel for
praise is bad business especially when people stop praising you. Find your
praise in the testimony of a good conscience.
This passage may also be applied to other work besides the ministry. When
an official, a servant, a teacher minds his business and performs his duty
faithfully without concerning himself about matters that are not in his
line he may rejoice in himself. The best commendation of any work is to
know that one has done the work that God has given him well and that God
is pleased with his effort.
VERSE 5. Every man shall bear his own burden.
That means: For anybody to covet praise is foolish because the praise of
men will be of no help to you in the hour of death. Before the judgment
throne of Christ everybody will have to bear his own burden. As it is the
praise of men stops when we die. Before the eternal Judge it is not praise
that counts but your own conscience.
True, the consciousness of work well done cannot quiet the conscience. But
it is well to have the testimony of a good conscience in the last judgment
that we have performed our duty faithfully in accordance with God's will.
For the suppression of pride we need the strength of prayer. What man even
if he is a Christian is not delighted with his own praise? Only the Holy
Spirit can preserve us from the misfortune of pride.
VERSE 6. Let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that
teacheth in all good things.
Now the Apostle also addresses the hearers of the Word requesting them to
bestow "all good things" upon those who have taught them the Gospel. I
have often wondered why all the apostles reiterated this request with such
embarrassing frequency. In the papacy I saw the people give generously for
the erection and maintenance of luxurious church buildings and for the
sustenance of men appointed to the idolatrous service of Rome. I saw
bishops and priests grow rich until they possessed the choicest real
estate. I thought then that Paul's admonitions were overdone. I thought he
should have requested the people to curtail their contributions. I saw how
the generosity of the people of the Church was encouraging covetousness on
the part of the clergy. I know better now.
As often as I read the admonitions of the Apostle to the effect that the
churches should support their pastors and raise funds for the relief of
impoverished Christians I am half ashamed to think that the great Apostle
Paul had to touch upon this subject so frequently. In writing to the
Corinthians he needed two chapters to impress this matter upon them. I
would not want to discredit Wittenberg as Paul discredited the Corinthians
by urging them at such length to contribute to the relief of the poor. It
seems to be a by-product of the Gospel that nobody wants to contribute to
the maintenance of the Gospel ministry. When the doctrine of the devil is
preached people are prodigal in their willing support of those who deceive
them.
We have come to understand why it is so necessary to repeat the admonition
of this verse. When Satan cannot suppress the preaching of the Gospel by
force he tries to accomplish his purpose by striking the ministers of the
Gospel with poverty. He curtails their income to such an extent that they
are forced out of the ministry because they cannot live by the Gospel.
Without ministers to proclaim the Word of God the people go wild like
savage beasts.
Paul's admonition that the hearers of the Gospel share all good things
with their pastors and teachers is certainly in order. To the Corinthians
he wrote: "If we have sown unto you spiritual things is it a great thing
if we shall reap your carnal things?" (I Cor. 9:11.) In the old days when
the Pope reigned supreme everybody paid plenty for masses. The begging
friars brought in their share. Commercial priests counted the daily
offerings. From these extortions our countrymen are now delivered by the
Gospel. You would think they would be grateful for their emancipation and
give generously for the support of the ministry of the Gospel and the
relief of impoverished Christians. Instead, they rob Christ. When the
members of a Christian congregation permit their pastor to struggle along
in penury, they are worse than heathen.
Before very long they are going to suffer for their ingratitude. They will
lose their temporal and spiritual possessions. This sin merits the
severest punishment. The reason why the churches of Galatia, Corinth, and
other places were troubled by false apostles was this, that they had so
little regard for their faithful ministers. You cannot refuse to give a
penny who gives you all good things, even life eternal, and turn around
and give the devil, the giver of all evil and death eternal, pieces of
gold, and not be punished for it.
The words "in all good things": are not to be understood to mean that
people are to give all they have to their ministers, but that they should
support them liberally and give them enough to live well.
VERSE 7. Be not deceived; God is not mocked.
The Apostle is so worked up over this matter that he is not content with a
mere admonition. He utters the threatening words, "God is not mocked." Our
countrymen think it good sport to despise the ministry. They like to treat
the ministers like servants and slaves. "Be not deceived," warns the
Apostle, "God is not mocked." God will not be mocked in His ministers.
Christ said: "He that despiseth you, despiseth me." (Luke 10:16.) To
Samuel God said: "They have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me."
(I Sam. 8:7.) Be careful, you scoffers. God may postpone His punishment
for a time, but He will find you out in time, and punish you for despising
His servants. You cannot laugh at God. Maybe the people are little
impressed by the threats of God, but in the hour of their death they shall
know whom they have mocked. God is not ever going to let His ministers
starve. When the rich suffer the pangs of hunger God will feed His own
servants. "In the days of famine they shall be satisfied." (Ps. 37:19.)
VERSE 7. For whatever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
These passages are all meant to benefit us ministers. I must say I do not
find much pleasure in explaining these verses. I am made to appear as if I
am speaking for my own benefit. If a minister preaches on money he is
likely to be accused of covetousness. Still people must be told these
things that they may know their duty over against their pastors. Our
Savior says: "Eating and drinking such things as they give; for the
laborer is worthy of his hire." (Luke 10:7.) And Paul says elsewhere: "Do
ye not know that they which minister about holy things live of the things
of the temple? and they which wait at the altar are partakers with the
altar? Even so hath the Lord ordained, that they which preach the gospel
should live of the gospel." (I Cor. 9:13, 14.)
VERSE 8. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap
corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap
everlasting life.
This simile of sowing and reaping also refers to the proper support of
ministers. "He that soweth to the Spirit," i.e., he that honors the
ministers of God is doing a spiritual thing and will reap everlasting
life. "He that soweth to the flesh," i.e., he that has nothing left for
the ministers of God, but only thinks of himself, that person will reap of
the flesh corruption, not only in this life but also in the life to come.
The Apostle wants to stir up his readers to be generous to their pastors.
That the ministers of the Church need support any man with common sense
can see. Though this support is something physical the Apostle does not
hesitate to call it sowing to the Spirit. When people scrape up everything
they can lay their hands on and keep everything for themselves the Apostle
calls it a sowing to the flesh. He pronounces those who sow to the Spirit
blessed for this life and the life to come, while those who sow to the
flesh are accursed now and forever.
VERSE 9. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we
shall reap, if we faint not.
The Apostle intends soon to close his Epistle and therefore repeats once
more the general exhortation unto good deeds. He means to say "Let us do
good not only to the ministers of the Gospel, but to everybody, and let us
do it without weariness." It is easy enough to do good once or twice, but
to keep on doing good without getting disgusted with the ingratitude of
those whom we have benefited, that is not so easy. Therefore the Apostle
does not only admonish us to do good, but to do good untiringly. For our
encouragement he adds the promise: "For in due season we shall reap, if we
faint not." "Wait for the harvest and then you will reap the reward of
your sowing to the Spirit. Think of that when you do good and the
ingratitude of men will not stop you from doing good."
VERSE 10. As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all
men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.
In this verse the Apostle summarizes his instructions on the proper
support of the ministers and of the poor. He paraphrases the words of
Christ: "I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the
night cometh, when no man can work." (John 9:4.) Our good deeds are to be
directed primarily at those who share the Christian faith with us, "the
household of faith," as Paul calls them, among whom the ministers rank
first as objects of our well doing.
VERSE 11. Ye see how large a letter I have written unto you with mine
own hand.
With these words the Apostle intends to draw the Galatians on. "I never,"
he says, "wrote such a long letter with my own hand to any of the other
churches." His other epistles he dictated, and only subscribed his
greetings and his signature with his own hand.
VERSE 12. As many as desire to make a fair shew in the flesh, they
constrain you to be circumcised; only lest they should suffer
persecution for the cross of Christ.
Paul once more scores the false apostles in an effort to draw the
Galatians away from their false doctrine. "The teachers you have now do
not seek the glory of Christ and the salvation of your souls, but only
their own glory. They avoid the Cross. They do not understand what they
teach."
These three counts against the false apostles are of so serious a nature
that no Christian could have fellowship with them. But not all the
Galatians obeyed the warning of Paul.
The Apostle's attack upon the false apostles was not unjustified. Neither
are our attacks upon the papacy. When we call the Pope the Antichrist and
his minions an evil brood, we do not slander them. We merely judge them by
the touchstone of God's Word recorded in the first chapter of this
Epistle: "Though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto
you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed."
VERSE 13. For neither they themselves who are circumcised keep the
law; but desire to have you circumcised, that they may glory in your
flesh.
In other words: "I shall tell you what kind of teachers you have now. They
avoid the Cross, they teach no certain truths. They think they are
performing the Law, but they are not. They have not the Holy Spirit and
without Him nobody can keep the Law." Where the Holy Ghost does not dwell
in men there dwells an unclean spirit, a spirit that despises God and
turns every effort at keeping the Law into a double sin.
Mark what the Apostle is saying: Those who are circumcised do not fulfill
the Law. No self-righteous person ever does. To work, pray, or suffer
apart from Christ is to work, pray, and to suffer in vain, "for whatsoever
is not of faith is sin." It does a person no good to be circumcised, to
fast, to pray, or to do anything, if in his heart he despises Christ.
"Why do the false apostles insist that you should be circumcised? Not for
the sake of your righteousness," although they give that impression, but
"that they may glory in your flesh." Now what sort of an ambition is that?
Worst of all, they force circumcision upon you for no other reason than
the satisfaction they get out of your submission.
VERSE 14. But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our
Lord Jesus Christ.
"God forbid," says the Apostle, "that I should glory in anything as
dangerous as the false apostles glory in because what they glory in is a
poison that destroys many souls, and I wish it were buried in hell. Let
them glory in the flesh if they wish and let them perish in their glory.
As for me I glory in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ." He expresses the
same sentiment in the fifth chapter of the Epistle to the Romans, where he
says: "We glory in tribulations"; and in the twelfth chapter of the Second
Epistle to the Corinthians: "Most gladly, therefore, will l rather glory
in my infirmities." According to these expressions the glory of a
Christian consists in tribulations, reproaches, and infirmities.
And this is our glory today with the Pope and the whole world persecuting
us and trying to kill us. We know that we suffer these things not because
we are thieves and murderers, but for Christ's sake whose Gospel we
proclaim. We have no reason to complain. The world, of course, looks upon
us as unhappy and accursed creatures, but Christ for whose sake we suffer
pronounces us blessed and bids us to rejoice. "Blessed are ye," says He,
"when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of
evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad."
(Matt. 5:11, 12.)
By the Cross of Christ is not to be understood here the two pieces of wood
to which He was nailed, but all the afflictions of the believers whose
sufferings are Christ's sufferings. Elsewhere Paul writes: "Who now
rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the
afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the
church." (Col. 1:24.)
It is good for us to know this lest we sink into despair when our
opponents persecute us. Let us bear the cross for Christ's sake. It will
ease our sufferings and make them light as Christ says, Matthew 11:30, "My
yoke is easy, and my burden is light."
VERSE 14. By whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.
"The world is crucified unto me," means that I condemn the world. "I am
crucified unto the world," means that the world in turn condemns me. I
detest the doctrine, the self-righteousness, and the works of the world.
The world in turn detests my doctrine and condemns me as a revolutionary
heretic. Thus the world is crucified unto us and we unto the world.
The monks imagined the world was crucified unto them when they entered the
monastery. Not the world, but Christ, is crucified in the monasteries.
In this verse Paul expresses his hatred of the world. The hatred was
mutual. As Paul, so we are to despise the world and the devil. With Christ
on our side we can defy him and say: "Satan, the more you hurt me, the
more I oppose you."
VERSE 15. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth anything,
nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.
Since circumcision and uncircumcision are contrary matters we would expect
the Apostle to say that one or the other might accomplish some good. But
he denies that either of them do any good. Both are of no value because in
Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avail anything.
Reason fails to understand this, "for the natural man receiveth not the
things of the Spirit of God." (I Cor. 2:14.) It therefore seeks
righteousness in externals. However, we learn from the Word of God that
there is nothing under the sun that can make us righteous before God and a
new creature except Christ Jesus.
A new creature is one in whom the image of God has been renewed. Such a
creature cannot be brought into life by good works, but by Christ alone.
Good works may improve the outward appearance, but they cannot produce a
new creature. A new creature is the work of the Holy Ghost, who imbues our
hearts with faith, love, and other Christian virtues, grants us the
strength to subdue the flesh and to reject the righteousness of the world.
VERSE 16. And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them,
and mercy.
This is the rule by which we ought to live, "that ye put on the new man,
which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness." (Eph.
4:24.) Those who walk after this rule enjoy the favor of God, the
forgiveness of their sins, and peace of conscience. Should they ever be
overtaken by any sin, the mercy of God supports them.
VERSE 17. From henceforth let no man trouble me.
The Apostle speaks these words with a certain amount of indignation. "I
have preached the Gospel to you in conformity with the revelation which I
received from Jesus Christ. If you do not care for it, very well. Trouble
me no more. Trouble me no more."
VERSE 17. For I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.
"The marks on my body indicate whose servant I am. If I was anxious to
please men, if I approved of circumcision and good works as factors in our
salvation, if I would take delight in your flesh as the false apostles do,
I would not have these marks on my body. But because I am the servant of
Jesus Christ and publicly declare that no person can obtain the salvation
of his soul outside of Christ, I must bear the badge of my Lord. These
marks were given to me against my will as decorations from the devil and
for no other merit but that I made known Jesus."
Of the marks of suffering which he bore in his body the Apostle makes
frequent mention in his epistles. "I think," he says, "that God hath set
forth us the apostles last, as it were appointed to death: for we are made
a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men." (I Cor. 4:9.)
Again, "Unto this present hour we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked,
and are buffeted, and have no certain dwelling-place; And labour, working
with our hands: being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it;
being defamed, we intreat: we are made as the filth of the world, and are
the offscouring of all things unto this day." (I Cor. 4:11-13.)
VERSE 18. Brethren, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your
spirit. Amen.
This is the Apostle's farewell. He ends his Epistle as he began it by
wishing the Galatians the grace of God. We can hear him say: "I have
presented Christ to you, I have pleaded with you, I have reproved you, I
have overlooked nothing that I thought might be of benefit to you. All I
can do now is to pray that our Lord Jesus Christ would bless my Epistle
and grant you the guidance of the Holy Ghost."
The Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior, who gave me the strength and the grace
to explain this Epistle and granted you the grace to hear it, preserve and
strengthen us in faith unto the day of our redemption. To Him, the Father
and the Son and the Holy Spirit, be glory, world without end. Amen.
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Local / galations / Theology Commentary
