Balance Grace vs. Law
As we begin to discuss this major theme from Galatians, I find it important to define terms. According to Gundry, “…’works of the law’ means obedience to the Mosaic Law without restriction as a way of adding one’s own righteousness to the righteousness of God for salvation (p. 393).” In Galatians, Paul is attempting to explain to the Jewish Christians that they are saved by faith and no longer saved by the “works of the law.” Therefore, Gentiles do not need to practice the Jewish laws to be saved since they were saved by faith in Jesus Christ (Gal 2:16).
Paul seems to realize at the end of his letter that if Christians are no longer having to live under the law that they may slip into “libertinism… [or] the attitude that freedom of the law means license to sin (Gundry p. 395).” In Christian circles today we call this “greasy grace.” The idea is that Christians now use this newfound freedom to do whatever they want, which is not what Paul was abdicating. Paul therefore encourages Christians to live by the Holy Spirit rather than following their sinful urges of the flesh (Gal 5:13-6:10). There are Christian guidelines to follow in Holy living and yet we are not saved by following them, which can lead to legalism. We follow these rules because we are in right relationship with Jesus and do not want to sin against Him.
Paul is addressing an issue that we saw in Acts 16:6 where the Jewish Christians were expecting the Gentiles to follow the Jewish laws and traditions. This issue was finally settled by the Jerusalem Council, but Galatians gives us a good picture of the issues. I like to think of it as pendulum where law is on one side and freedom to sin on the other, there is a balanced middle road. We are to remember that we are saved by grace and yet we exercise self-discipline in following Christian rules of conduct in order to remain in fellowship with Jesus as we follow the Holy Spirit.
Works cited
A Survey of the New Testament (SNT), Fifth Edition (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2012), Robert H. Gundry.