We have enormous problems understanding what being saved by grace through faith means. A common accusation is that being forgiven means it doesn't matter how we live, and indeed some people who profess to be Christians seem to take this view as well. However, the most cursory reading of the Bible, and Paul in particular, show that any such understanding is in fact a misunderstanding. Paul now turns to the practical outworking of the Christian life.
As in Romans, Paul talks a lot about the flesh. The word flesh is often inadequately translated in the NIV as "sinful nature". It means much more than this. The Good News Bible actually translates it more accurately when it says "human nature", and it really means living out of our own strength, instead of living in fellowship and communion with God, ie living by the Spirit.
We were called to be free, but we are to use the freedom to serve each other in love, not to indulge ourselves. Indeed if we choose the latter we will end up in slavery again.
Interestingly Paul says that the Law is summed up by the command to love our neighbour as ourself. After Paul has said about the Law in the earlier part of Galatians one might have expected him to want nothing to do with the Law. But Paul was not arguing against the Law, but against the Law as a means of salvation. The Law reflect the heart of God, and so still tells us much about how we should live, and how God wants us to live. As Jesus said, there are two central themes in the Law: (i) love God; and (ii) love each other.
Verse 15 implies that there was back biting going on. This is an inevitable result of adopting a legalistic attitude. For when we are trying to earn salvation we end up comparing ourselves with others, and instead of trying to make ourselves better, we try to make others out to be worse than ourselves. This leads to a horrible situation. It is also bound to happen, for any attempt to save ourselves is destined to end in failure, and the back biting is our human attempt to deal with this.
Only the cross gives us the freedom to truly love one another. For on the cross we have nothing to prove and have been completely forgiven. We have also received the Holy Spirit who transforms us from the inside out.
As in Romans, Paul talks a lot about the flesh. The word flesh is often inadequately translated in the NIV as "sinful nature". It means much more than this. The Good News Bible actually translates it more accurately when it says "human nature", and it really means living out of our own strength, instead of living in fellowship and communion with God, ie living by the Spirit.
We were called to be free, but we are to use the freedom to serve each other in love, not to indulge ourselves. Indeed if we choose the latter we will end up in slavery again.
Interestingly Paul says that the Law is summed up by the command to love our neighbour as ourself. After Paul has said about the Law in the earlier part of Galatians one might have expected him to want nothing to do with the Law. But Paul was not arguing against the Law, but against the Law as a means of salvation. The Law reflect the heart of God, and so still tells us much about how we should live, and how God wants us to live. As Jesus said, there are two central themes in the Law: (i) love God; and (ii) love each other.
Verse 15 implies that there was back biting going on. This is an inevitable result of adopting a legalistic attitude. For when we are trying to earn salvation we end up comparing ourselves with others, and instead of trying to make ourselves better, we try to make others out to be worse than ourselves. This leads to a horrible situation. It is also bound to happen, for any attempt to save ourselves is destined to end in failure, and the back biting is our human attempt to deal with this.
Only the cross gives us the freedom to truly love one another. For on the cross we have nothing to prove and have been completely forgiven. We have also received the Holy Spirit who transforms us from the inside out.
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