What Is The Law In Galatians?

There is a great difference between the law and the whole law.

Galatians 5:3
And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law.

When Paul was writing to the churches in Galatia, he was referring to a particular law, and not the whole law.

What was this specific law that Paul was talking about?

Throughout the whole Book of Galatians, Paul rebuked the people for adopting a different gospel which some apostles were teaching and proclaiming. Paul found their gospel faulty as the people were misled by the teachers of Judaism.

Basically there are two sets of laws in the Old Testament:

1. The moral laws
2. The ceremonial laws

The moral laws are forever binding but the ceremonial laws have passed away when Christ came and died as our Passover Lamb, and now is our High Priest, seated in heavenly places and interceding for us. Also many of the ceremonial laws could not be carried out as the Temple was destroyed in AD 70.

Of all the ceremonial laws, which is the particular one law that Paul was referring to as he wrote to the Galatians? This question is an important one, and is worthy of our consideration.

From the beginning to the end of the epistle of Galatians, Paul was addressing this particular law. A law first given to Abraham and then to Moses about 430 years later.

Genesis 17:10-14
10 This is My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: Every male child among you shall be circumcised;
11 and you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you.
12 He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised, every male child in your generations, he who is born in your house or bought with money from any foreigner who is not your descendant.
13 He who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money must be circumcised, and My covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.
14 And the uncircumcised male child, who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.”

Exodus 12:43-49
43 And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “This is the ordinance of the Passover: No foreigner shall eat it.
44 But every man’s servant who is bought for money, when you have circumcised him, then he may eat it.
45 A sojourner and a hired servant shall not eat it.
46 In one house it shall be eaten; you shall not carry any of the flesh outside the house, nor shall you break one of its bones.
47 All the congregation of Israel shall keep it.
48 And when a stranger dwells with you and wants to keep the Passover to the LORD, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as a native of the land. For no uncircumcised person shall eat it.
49 One law shall be for the native-born and for the stranger who dwells among you.”

The Jewish teachers and their disciples strictly adhered to the traditions of their forefathers. They embraced this teaching that before a person could be saved, he must first be circumcised. Circumcision became a prerequisite for salvation! Paul openly rebuked them, and showed them otherwise!

Acts 15:1
And certain men came down from Judea and taught the brethren, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.”

Let's look at some verses in the Book of Galatians:

Galatians 1:6-9
6 I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel,
7 which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ.
8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.
9 As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.

Galatians 1:13-14
13 For you have heard of my former conduct in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it.
14 And I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries in my own nation, being more exceedingly zealous for the traditions of my fathers.

Galatians 2:3-8
3 Yet not even Titus who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised.
4 And this occurred because of false brethren secretly brought in (who came in by stealth to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage),
5 to whom we did not yield submission even for an hour, that the truth of the gospel might continue with you.
6 But from those who seemed to be something—whatever they were, it makes no difference to me; God shows personal favoritism to no man—for those who seemed to be something added nothing to me.
7 But on the contrary, when they saw that the gospel for the uncircumcised had been committed to me, as the gospel for the circumcised was to Peter
8 (for He who worked effectively in Peter for the apostleship to the circumcised also worked effectively in me toward the Gentiles),

Galatians 2:11-13
11 Now when Peter had come to Antioch, I withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed;
12 for before certain men came from James, he would eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision.
13 And the rest of the Jews also played the hypocrite with him, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy.

Galatians 3:1-9
1 O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified?
2 This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
3 Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?
4 Have you suffered so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain?
5 Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?—
6 just as Abraham “believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.”
7 Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham.
8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, “In you all the nations shall be blessed.”
9 So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham.

Galatians 4:9-10
9 But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage?
10 You observe days and months and seasons and years.

Galatians 5:1-14
1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.
2 Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing.
3 And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law.
4 You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.
5 For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.
6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love.
7 You ran well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth?
8 This persuasion does not come from Him who calls you.
9 A little leaven leavens the whole lump.
10 I have confidence in you, in the Lord, that you will have no other mind; but he who troubles you shall bear his judgment, whoever he is.
11 And I, brethren, if I still preach circumcision, why do I still suffer persecution? Then the offense of the cross has ceased.
12 I could wish that those who trouble you would even cut themselves off!
13 For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.
14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Galatians 6:11-15
11 See with what large letters I have written to you with my own hand!
12 As many as desire to make a good showing in the flesh, these would compel you to be circumcised, only that they may not suffer persecution for the cross of Christ.
13 For not even those who are circumcised keep the law, but they desire to have you circumcised that they may boast in your flesh.
14 But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.
15 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation.

These Judaizing teachers were trying to convince the Gentile believers to be circumcised so that they could boast of their achievements. Most of them who embraced this particular law of circumcision didn't keep the other Jewish laws. They only obeyed what they chose to obey. Adopting one law and abandoning the others. These teachers wanted the Gentile Christians to be circumcised in order that they could boast that the Gentile believers were their disciples, and that the Gentiles had converted to become Jewish through this ritual of a proselyte. They preached circumcision and not Christ!

Paul was not against the whole law of God but he was against the secret agenda of the Judaizers to convert Gentiles into Jews!

Galatians 5:14
For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Salvation is by grace through faith. Salvation does not come because of circumcision!

Ephesians 2:8-9
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.

The Abrahamic Covenant was made by God as a promise to Abraham when he was 75 years old in Genesis 12 before Abraham was circumcised when he was 99 years old in Genesis 17. Circumcision was the sign of the Abrahamic Covenant. Abraham believed the LORD even before He was circumcised! The promise was given first before the sign took place about 24 years later. Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.

The righteous shall live by faith in God. No man is not justified by the works of the law (of circumcision) but by faith in Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 7:19
Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing, but keeping the commandments of God is what matters.

What God truly desires is not the physical circumcision of our foreskins but the spiritual circumcision of our hearts! The physical is the tutor but the spiritual is the goal!

Deuteronomy 30:6
And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.

Galatians 3:24
Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

Philippians 3:2-6
2 Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the mutilation!
3 For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh,
4 though I also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so:
5 circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee;
6 concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.

When our hearts are truly circumcised, we will love the Lord our God with all our heart and with all our soul. And we will keep and obey His commandments!

Written on: 13 October 2018