On doing the whole Law

Anyone who is under the Law of Moses is obligated to keep all its required deeds and rituals, and therefore, risks coming under its curse.

In his Letter to the Galatians, Paul responded to teachings by certain “men from Jerusalem” who were disrupting the churches, claiming that male Gentiles must be circumcised “to complete” their faith. This group also promoted following the Hebrew calendar and the Levitical dietary regulations.

The “Judaizers,” as Paul called them, did not deny the need for faith, but they taught that once Gentiles become disciples of Jesus, performing at least some of the works required by the Mosaic Legislation was necessary for completing their faith, to become full members in good standing of the covenant community:

• (Galatians 3:1-5) – “So foolish are you, having begun in Spirit, are you now to be made complete in the flesh?”

[Law Library - Photo by Luis Caroca on Unsplash]

The Apostle to the Gentiles objected, calling these men “agitators” who were causing divisions by compelling Gentiles “to live like Jews.” The real controversy was over the status of Gentiles as members of God’s covenant people. To be acquitted before God, must a Gentile add circumcision and other works of the Torah to his faith?

Paul did not accuse his opponents of compelling Gentiles to keep the entire Law.  His remarks suggest they were insisting that Gentiles must keep only certain requirements, especially circumcision, but not necessarily every rite and regulation of Torah - (Galatians 3:10, 5:2-3).

In the Letter’s propositional statement, Paul presents what he holds in common with his opponents (verses 15-16), and then summarizes the areas of disagreement (Galatians 2:17-21):

• “We ourselves by nature Jews and not sinners from among the Gentiles, know that man is not declared righteous on the basis of the works of the law but through the faith of Christ Jesus; even we believed in Christ Jesus that we might be declared righteous on the basis of the faith of Christ and not on the basis of the works of the law; because from the works of the law will no flesh be declared righteous.”

Both he and the agitators believed that no man is acquitted by God “from the works of the Law,” but instead, “from the faith of Jesus Christ.” Paul’s opponents were adding requirements to this faith.

At issue was not good works in general, or human efforts to achieve justification, but specifically, the deeds required by the Mosaic Law, and these include circumcision. In this context, the “works of the law” could only refer to the requirements of the Torah.

In Chapter 3, Paul presents his arguments in support of his proposition, starting with an argument from experience. The Gentile believers of Galatia had received the Spirit already, though they were not circumcised, and that was irrefutable evidence that God had accepted them based on their faith and not circumcision.

THE WHOLE LAW

Next, Paul presents arguments from Scripture by appealing to the example of Abraham, whom he links to faith, righteousness, and the promised “blessing” for Gentiles. The Patriarch was “reckoned righteous” from his faith, and not from the “deeds of the law.” Therefore, all who are from faith are “the sons of Abraham.”

• (Galatians 3:10-13) - “For as many as are from the works of the Law are under a curse, for it is written, ‘Accursed is everyone who continues not in all things that are written in the book of the law, to do them.’”

In contrast, those who are “from the works of the Law” place themselves under its curse.  The Law itself pronounces that all men who are under it are obligated to keep the entire body of regulations and rituals - (Deuteronomy 27:26).

The Law is not a pick-and-choose menu, but an all-or-nothing proposition. If one is under it, just observing the Sabbath or getting circumcised is insufficient to avoid the curse. One must do all that the Law requires. The addition of circumcision involved much more than the removal of the foreskin.

Israel placed herself under the obligations of the covenant at Mount Sinai, and thereby also under its potential curse. The Galatians were considering an act with potentially dire consequences.

Ten times in his letter, Paul connects the preposition “under” to the Law, and always negatively.  Thus, he refers to those who are “under sin”, “under the Law,” “under a custodian,”, “under guardians,” and “under the elemental principles” of the world. Those who are “under the Law” are not classified as people “from faith.” Instead, they need to be redeemed “from under the Law” - (Galatians 3:22-25, 4:2-5, 4:21, 5:18).

Paul’s argument is covenantal. He does not argue against doing good works in general, but against placing oneself under the requirements of the Mosaic Legislation, and the act of circumcision does precisely that.

The curse pronounced in Deuteronomy is not against all humanity or sin in general, but against men who fail to do everything the Law requires. It also applies only to those who are under the Law. If Gentile believers choose circumcision, Jesus and his work on the cross will no longer benefit them:

• (Galatians 5:2-3) - “Behold! I, Paul, am saying to you. If you get circumcised, Christ will benefit you nothing. Moreover, I bear solemn witness to every man getting circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law.”

Gentile believers who adopted circumcision would cease to be under the new covenant instituted by the death of Jesus. It is one or the other. Christ endured the Law’s curse, so his followers must not (“You have been set aside from Christ, you who are to be declared righteous from the Law”).

According to Paul, “if righteousness is through the Law, then Jesus died in vain.”  Anyone who teaches that faith in what God has done in Jesus is insufficient for determining membership in His people or redemption, he or she declares that Christ’s death on a Roman cross was ineffective - that Jesus “died for nothing.”

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SEE ALSO:

• Dividing the Church - (Returning to the jurisdiction of the Torah means the restoration of the old social barriers between Jews and Gentiles)

• The Gift of the Spirit - (The promise of the Spirit is vital to the redemption of humanity and the Covenant of God with His people, the Church of Jesus Christ)

• The Age of the Spirit - (The Gift of the Spirit is part of the New Covenant, and the first fruits of the New Creation and the gathering of the nations)

• The Spirit of Promise - (With the outpouring of the Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, the blessings for all Nations promised to Abraham commenced)