Saint Paul's Argument: Effective or Self-Serving?
Galatians 1: 1-5
Salutation
Saint Paul begins his letter to the Galatian Church with a defense of his Apostleship and its legitimacy. By doing this he is allowed to speak about Christ, who sacrificed His life for our sins.
Galatians 1: 6-10
The Galatian Apostasy
The Apostle expresses his personal disgust in the apparent betrayal of the Galatian church. He simply can't believe that they are accepting a gospel that is contrary to Christ.
Galatians 1: 11 - 2: 14
Defense Of Saint Paul's Gospel
1: 11-24
Saint Paul argues for his position based on a Divine calling for him to become a follower of Christ and to become a Christian Missionary to the Gentiles. He expresses the point that it was God who planned his move from Christian prosecutor to Apostle. For Paul, it all begins with his personal revelation of Jesus.
2: 1-10
Saint Paul argues that even the early Church recognized his role in the Christian Community. By taking his side on the circumcision argument over the conservative Christians, the Jerusalem Community in general and Sts. James, Peter and John in particular, tacitly approved of Saint Paul's Mission and his Apostleship. The ground rules of conversion is agreed upon and the Apostle with his helpers Titus and Barnabbas are on there way.
2: 11-14
Saint Paul reflects on the incident in Antioch when Saint Peter, under pressure from emissaries from Saint James, wavered in regards to the use of Jewish dietary laws and Gentile participation. Saint Peter yielded to the pressure of eating meals with Christians and Saint Paul rebukes him for his inconsistency in knowing that God makes no distinction between Jew and Gentile.
Galatians 2: 15-21
Saint Paul's Gospel
It is here where Saint Paul states his Principle of " Justification By Faith ". According to the Apostle, we are justified by our faith in Jesus Christ. He also states that obedience to the Law or works, can not justify ourselves with God. It is solely faith in Christ which will win ourselves a place in Heaven. The Law is superseded by the Crucifixion of Christ who died for our sins. Faith in this gives us a New Life. We are in Christ as Christ is in us.
Galatians 3: 1 - 5: 1
Saint Paul's Gospel Based On God's Plan In Jewish Scriptures
Faith, not Torah is the basis of humanities salvation. Saint Paul's opponents in Galatia were Judaizers, who strongly emphasized the Law. So the Apostle now turns to the Law and Scriptures to defend his position. There are six " proofs " in his position of Righteousness/ Justification by Faith.
3: 1-5 Gifts of the Spirit- Saint Paul points out that the Galatians should realize that the result of their faith are the numerous Gifts of the Holy Spirit. Their exuberance is a visible sign of the miracles that have occurred. He asks them if it is works or faith that has brought the Spirit into their Life.
3: 6-26 Justification by Faith and Freedom from the Law in the new family- Saint Paul states that Abraham, who believed in God and kept God's promises, is the Father of " all nations ", including Gentiles. This prototypical father had a righteous and faithful relationship with God, even before the Law was given to him at Mount Sinai; proving to Paul that Faith came before the Law, as well as the works that stem from it. It is the Promise or Covenant that the Apostle then focuses on. He uses the Book of Genesis 12:7 to demonstrate decendency and offspring. For the Apostle, Christ is the offspring of Abraham.
Saint Paul now argues the Law. Since no one can annul a Covenant and since Abraham's Covenant supersedes the Mosaic Law, the Covenant remains active in the world. However, he did not oppose the Law, he just wanted to point out to his opponents in Galatia that Christ was the fulfillment of the Law and that the Law was a custodian between the times of Abraham and Christ. In essence, It was our disciplinarian while we waited for the Son of God to arrive. However, upon the arrival of Christ, the Law was superseded. Mature Christians no longer needed the Law. Their Faith in Christ carried the day.
3: 27-29 All are baptized into the new family- When we accept Christ, we all become members of a new family. Who we are and where we come from makes no difference because we are clothed in Christ and that unites us as offspring of both Christ and Abraham.
4: 1-11 Kinship with God- Saint Paul ties the old with the new by telling the Galatians that if we belong to Christ, then we too are Abraham's children. Because we are children, God has given us Christ's Spirit enabling us to pray to God as Father,Abba. We are no longer slaves to the Law but children of God and heirs to the Kingdom. The Apostle tells us that a return to the Law is an abandonment of Christ and the New Covenant, and any festivals that are not directed toward Faith in Christ is equally an abandonment of the New Covenant.
4: 12-20 Kinship with Paul- Saint Paul acknowledges and appreciates the friendship of the Galatians. However, he warns them that they can easily fall under the guise of the false teachers.
4: 21 - 5: 1 The Final Proof- The Allegory of Sarah and Hagar: Kinship, Law and Freedom- Saint Paul points to the story of Abraham's sons Isaac and Ishmail. The promise of God is fulfilled in Isaac, the very child that was to be sacrificed, thereby cutting off God's promise. For the Apostle, Hagar represents the Covenant Of The Law, " The present Jerusalem" and Slavery. Sarah represents the Covenant Of Promise, "The Jerusalem Above " and freedom. Christians Are The Children Of Promise. Those who rely on the Law instead of having Faith in God's promise are to be excluded from inheritance.
Galatians 5: 1 - 6: 18
Parenisis and Conclusion
Exhoration- Saint Paul exhorts the Galatians to preserve and correctly use the freedom they have in Christ. He again accuses his opponents of trying to return the Galatians back to the Law and contrasts their vise with Christian virtues; which are the virtues which stem out of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The Apostle concludes with a benediction and reiterates the rigors of Apostleship.
On Saint Paul's Letter To The Galatians
Saint Paul's arguments for our Justification by Faith in Christ is effective. He clearly is aware that some may question his authority, but he forges ahead with an authority that is quite compelling. Once one accepts his role as a Chief Messenger of Christ, you are drawn into his world view. He uses the language of his protagonists to win his points of view.
His knowledge of Torah is his trump card and he beats it over their head. A faithful Galatian by the end of his letter has been given the basis of his or her Faith. One can argue that Saint Paul may have been a bit self-serving, that his teaching is above the others. However, the bottom line is that his teaching and vision of what a Christian is has a clarity that only one with authority could possess. In a word, Saint Paul the Apostle is convincing.
End.
Part of the originally entitled:
Journal Three - Pauline Christianity
From a Section called
"Make your own outine of the argument in Galatians and note Paul's thesis or theses, his examples, analogies, citations from the Old Testament and other authorties, his exhortations and conclusions"
submitted to the Rev. Dr. William Cantelon as a Master of Theological Studies course requirement for 505E - Introduction to Christian Scriptures St. Stephen's Theological College University of Alberta Published on February 24th, 1999 {Revised October 3rd, 2024}
© Dr. Charles Warner 2024
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