Beware of the Judaizers

Today there is a disturbing trend toward Judaizing, and the book of Galatians is more important than ever in countering this error. In modern America, the majority of Christian men are circumcised,  despite the New Testament's clear teaching that circumcision is not a Christian practice (Galatians 5:2-3, 6). Many Christians are beginning to eschew traditional Christian holidays and embrace the Jewish calendar with its feasts and holidays. The Hebrew Roots Movement, Sacred Name Movement, and other Torah-observing Christian groups are now reaching a large audience via the internet and infecting them with their false doctrine. The Book of Galatians is the cure for this disease. In Galatians 3, Paul explains that although the law served an important role in the past, New Testament Christians are now children of Abraham by virtue of their faith in Christ alone, and adherence to the law has nothing to add to our status in Christ.

The Law was Temporary 

The law was never intended to be in place permanently. In Galatians 3:19, Paul tells us that the law was added "until the seed should come to whom the promise was made." The key term here is "until." The law was only ever intended to be in force until the coming of Christ.  The temporary nature of the law is again reiterated in verse 23, when Paul says that we were kept under the law "before faith came." The word "faith" here is specifically referring to "the faith of Jesus Christ" mentioned at the end of verse 22.  Now that the New Testament Christian faith has come, we are no longer kept under the law. This is made clear yet again in the following verses: "Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster" (Galatians 3:24-25). The law served a purpose in the past, but now that Christ has come, the reign of the law has come to an end. 

Subjection to the Law is a Move Backward

The word "schoolmaster" in this context is referring to what we would call today a "tutor." This should be read in the context of Paul's argument at the beginner of chapter 4 where he talks about children being "under tutors and governors" (Galatians 4:2). Children need supervision as they are growing up since they are not yet mature enough to be responsible for themselves. However, no well-adjusted, functioning adult desires to have a babysitter micromanage his life. An adult who regresses to a juvenile state is dysfunctional. Likewise, for the New Testament Christian to regress to a state of being under the law is inappropriate. Ironically, modern Christians who desire to be under the law of Moses think it will help them achieve greater spiritual maturity. In reality, the exact opposite is true since subjection to the law is a spiritual move backward.  

The Law Adds Nothing to Our Status in Christ

In Galatians 3:21, Paul tells us that the law cannot give life, nor does righteousness come by the law. In other words, the law has nothing to do with our salvation. We are going to Heaven by virtue of our faith in Christ alone, not by adherence to the law. In addition to saving us, our faith in Christ also makes us the children of God (Galatians 3:26) and the children of Abraham (Galatians 3:29). The seed of Abraham par excellence is Jesus Christ,  and if we are in Jesus Christ, then we ourselves are Abraham's offspring also. Whether we be Jew or Gentile, we are all baptized into one body (1 Corinthians 12:13), and in Christ, no distinction is made between the Jew and the Greek (Galatians 3:28). The law does not save us, nor does it give us life, nor make us righteous, nor make us children of God, nor make us children of Abraham, nor make us members of the body of Christ, nor does it make us a part of the Christian community. We already have all these blessings in Christ without the law, so it is clear that the law adds nothing to our status as Christians. 

Some will claim that if a Jew receives Christ as savior, he remains a Jew and must still therefore be subject unto the law.  However, we have just seen that in Christ there is neither Jew nor Gentile (Galatians 3:28). There are not two sets of rules for God's people in the New Testament. There is one fold and one shepherd (John 10:16). In the book of Galatians itself, Paul says that Peter, "being a Jew, [lives] after the manner of the Gentiles" (Galatians 2:14), and that "he did eat with the Gentiles" (Galatians 2:12). Peter's eating with the Gentiles involved the consumption of foods forbidden by the Old Testament law.  Peter had already previously been commanded by God to eat unclean animals in a vision (Acts 10:10-15). No Christian is under the law, as both Jews and Gentiles have the same standing in Christ.

Conclusion 

Paul warned the Galatians about the Judaizers of their day, and we must also beware of this unbiblical false teaching. As New Testament Christians, we are no longer under the law, and regressing to the religion of the Old Testament is unprofitable. This goes for both Jews and Gentiles since we are all one in Christ Jesus. We have already achieved full standing as Christians by faith, and the law does not confer any additional status. At this point, further spiritual growth will come by walking in the spirit, not by adherence to carnal ordinances.