initial impressions (dchang galatians 3)

listening to David Crowder's Never Let Go and kind of in need of a boost in my day, i'm gonna be rather spontaneous with this post.

paul goes on to say that whoever is under the law is under the curse - "For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, 'Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them'" (3:10). when God had delivered the Israelites out of Egypt, He gave them a law to follow, and now, i don't want to be offense, but i don't think anybody really still literally follows all the rules, or at least not completely without any kind of derivation. so by the law, we should be cursed. paul continues the thought - "that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident..." - he says (and i guess he probably has the right to say this being a Jew) that it's obvious that no one is justified by the law to be right with God.

paul continues with the punch line. "Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law...that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith" (3:13-14). to Abraham, God promised prosperity and Himself, and that Abraham's offspring would fill the earth. now, if anybody can be a son of Abraham or a son of God by faith alone, then it is to them that God's promises also apply. paul even goes on to say that God gave Abraham these promises not under the law, but simply out of covenant. even if Abraham had deviated, God had still promised Abraham what He would do for him. "For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no longer of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise."

i think paul calls the law a curse because it only tells us what we have done wrong. sometimes we feel like it gives bragging rights, but even if we're bragging, we still miss the mark just like anyone else who only has the law because we have not completely fulfilled it. if the law is a curse, then is it good or bad?

paul sees the question coming and answers it in the end of chapter 3. he says somewhere else that without the law, we would not know whether we were acting in the right or in the wrong. he says here that if "there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law." so this implies that life doesn't come from life - paul continues that life is found in faith, but it was the law that kept us ready and prepared us for faith in Christ. "Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor" (3:24-25).

for example, many grow up in the church, spending their whole lives listening to pastors preach and being taught of the importance of reading the Bible and praying and tithing and living Christian lifestyle. this, to an extent, can be defined as the law of today. but righteousness does not come from these things alone. righteousness comes from faith, as paul has just exclaimed - but i think faith would be much more difficult if we did not first know some of the law. paul calls the law a tutor that brings us into God's presence, but once we begin to interact and have relationship or communion with God, then we no longer need the law. we might continue to do things that may be considered law, but we won't be under it - we will realize things greater and more relevant than it.

growing up in the church provides a framework for a Christian life, just as singing worship songs or reading the Bible. but they are only tools to bring you closer to God. faith is believing in God when you don't necessarily see Him, hence the term a "leap of faith." so just by performing the works of the law, when does not automatically have faith in Christ. the works of the law aren't bad, but when they take priority over God Himself, there is something wrong going on. a valid example is great worship environments - the first couple times, God might really move and we might really feel Him and simply fall in love with the ecstacy. my first experiences were pretty unbelievable, and hours could roll by and feel like minutes - no joke. but then the problem was that sometimes we would fall in love with the way it made us feel - we would fall in love with the worship that was bringing us to God and forget about God Himself.

so righteousness is not imputed by the works of the law. it was given to Abraham because of his faith, and because God had formed a covenant and promises with Abraham. and God formed the covenant even before the law was given to Moses, which was apparently 430 years after God had made His promises to Abraham (3:17).

after calling the law a tutor to bring us closer to Christ, paul says "For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus...There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. and if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise" (v. 26, 28). paul seems to rip apart the hierarchy in place. religiously, there was Jew and Greek. economically, there was master and slave. socially, there was male and female. paul claims that there are no longer boundaries like this, which is consistent with the idea that God shows no partiality or favoritism to anyone, but rather looks at the heart rather than social stature or power. more than just saying that everyone is similar, paul says everyone will be united. the greatest leaders together with the lepers, the prostitutes with the priests. in Christ Jesus.

one of my old track coaches made a speech last year at our conference championships how a team, a real functioning body, blends and disrupts the lines of individuals. a team is meant to work together in such a combined effort that everyone is united, everyone working towards a set goal. and when the harmony clicks, you stop seeing male or female or distance runner or pole vaulter or sprinter. you just see a team. and what paul is talking about here is that sort of team, but he mentions that it must be in Christ Jesus. that is the joint effort - that is what all the members of the body must be seeking, or else any attempt at unity will be overshadowed by differences.

paul says "For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ." he uses Christ almost like an article of clothing or a deeper identity - and i think that's his argument. that, having put on Christ, having embraced the identity and the promise that God has set for each of us, the lines begin to be blurred. there's no young or old, cool or uncool, beautiful or ugly, worthy or unworthy. in fact, having put on Christ, i think all realize that what God is really saying is that there's nothing wrong with us. adjustments might need to be made, but we ourselves are okay. more than okay. we're wonderfully made, the tiniest components of our bodies and personalities phenomena in themselves.