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Is Grace a License to Sin?
The book of Galatians has been described as “the Magna Carta of spiritual emancipation.” This letter to the churches in Galatia reveals an impassioned plea not to allow faith received by grace to be contaminated by adding obedience to the Mosaic law as a requirement for salvation. It is a “monument of the liberation of Christianity from the” performance trap of legalism.
The reason for Paul’s letter to the Galatians is the startling “sudden and drastic change in attitude toward him and his gospel” after he and his message were formerly well received. When he last saw the Galatians, “they were running a good race,” but now there is a need for intervention (Gal. 5:7).
After an extremely brief introduction, Paul immediately addresses his concerns about the “trouble” the Galatians are facing because someone wants to “distort the gospel of Christ.” (Gal. 1:7). He says he is “astonished” that they “are turning to a different gospel” (Gal 1.6). The urgency of his concern is boiling over as if he is bursting through the door with alarming news.
In Paul’s perspective, something is threatening to burn down the faith of the Galatians. He must extinguish this fire as soon as possible. He even calls down a “curse” upon himself, and anyone else who teaches “a gospel contrary to tho the one [the Galatians] received” from him (Gal. 1:8-9).
Cut Off From Christ
The word Paul uses for this curse is the Greek word “anathema.” It is worth noting that when Paul uses the term it is not strong language regrettably used in a fit of passion. To understand the significance of this statement we will look at the meaning of the word anathema and the lengths that Paul will go to for one not to become anathema. Both of these are explained in Romans 9:3 ESV,
“For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh.”
Here, the same word, anathema, is used in Greek but is translated with the added phrase “cut off from Christ” (Rom. 9:3). Since Paul says here that he would rather be cut off from Christ himself instead of others having to face that fate, then we can conclude that his warning that those preaching a different gospel should be “doomed to destruction” is only given with the highest level of intentionality. The fact that he uses this phrase twice only highlights the seriousness of this issue (Gal. 1:8-9).
What Leads to Good Works?
Why is this letter so important for Christians today? One reason is the false understanding that emphasizing grace will lead to sin. This perspective needed to be cleared up for the Galatians and is something modern Christians should settle as well. Those who attempted to usurp Paul’s authority with the Galatians believed that “to remove the believer from under the law opened the floodgates of immorality.” Paul argues instead that “the true effect of liberty on the Christian life... logically leads to a life of good works.” With that in mind, this is a significant letter for embracing a sustainable Christian faith that results in delighting in God and glorifying Him.
No matter our intention, adding to the commands of Jesus and the requirements of the scriptures for the sake of helping people avoid compromise is not holiness. It is legalism. This does not mean that discipleship is legalism. Neither does it mean that the commands of scripture are legalism. It just means that a faith focused on outward works instead of inward liberty is not good news. It’s just news, and that is not what the world needs. People must have their roots planted in grace if they are to produce the fruit of good works.
Sources:
Merrill C. Tenney and J. D. Douglas, eds., The New International Bible Dictionary: Based on the NIV (Grand Rapids, MI: ZondervanPublishingHouse, 1987), 366.
George V. Wigram, The New Englishman's Greek Concordance of the New Testament, (Wilmington, DE: Associated Publishers & Authors, 1976), 336.
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