UNDERSTANDING GALATIANS

In order to understand the words of a writer, we must consider to whom he is writing. In Paul's letter to the churches of Galatia, he is writing to an early church that was comprised of Jews and Gentiles  who, THROUGH FAITH, had taken hold of the New Covenant that God had made with the house of Israel and the House of Judah.  
 
"For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I WILL PUT MY LAWS INTO THEIR MIND, AND WRITE THEM IN THEIR HEARTS: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:" Heb 8:10 (KJV)

(That is the only covenant that is valid; because it was brought into effect  by the death of Jesus Christ.)  

The Ten Commandments with their moral precepts were NOT ABOLISHED AT THE CROSS! They are engraved upon the hearts of the people of God.

Please listen to the following  words of Paul (The writer of Galatians) and filter all his hard-to-understand, obscure verses through these few clear words:
 
"Do we then make void the law **through faith**?  God forbid: yea,WE ESTABLISH THE LAW." Rom 3:31 (KJV)

WE ESTABLISH THE LAW!
WE ESTABLISH THE LAW!
WE ESTABLISH THE LAW!

We must use those four words as a touchstone to test all doctrines based upon the epistles of Paul.  Otherwise;  his words can be easily twisted to become a license to sin.  The apostle Peter said:

16  "As also in all his [Paul's] epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.

17  Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the **error of the wicked**, fall from your own stedfastness." 2 Pet 3:16-17 (KJV)

As I said before, the churches of Galatia were comprised of Jews and Gentiles  who, THROUGH FAITH, had taken hold of the New Covenant that God had made with the house of Israel and the House of Judah.

Those two groups of people had two sets of problems that needed to be corrected:

THE GENTILES  came from paganism and had to renounce their old way of life when they served demons with theirpagan practices of idolatry, witchcraft  --and  ASTROLOGY.*
 
THE JEW'S  problem was that old traditions are hard to give up! The saints of the Old Testament also had faith and believed the gospel! Every time they offered a lamb, they were looking forward to "The Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world."

For centuries, natural Israel had offered the sacrifices of the "yoke of bondage." and some Jewish Christians were still doing those works of the law.  Paul is exhorting them to stop doing the rites and sacrifices that went with the  Levitical Priesthood.

THE LAW OF ORDINANCES  (that regulated the priesthood and the ceremonial law) WAS ABOLISHED AT THE CROSS OF JESUS CHRIST.

No law can forgive sins (justification). No law can deliver us from the power of our sin nature.  We must have faith in Jesus Christ.  

(Here is a good opportunity for me to compare The Law Of Ordinances with The Ten Commandments.)

1.   The Law of Ordinances is the carnal law.  
 
"The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing:

Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience;
 
Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and CARNAL ORDINANCES, imposed on them **until the time of reformation**." Heb 9:8-10 (KJV)

2.  The Ten Commandments is the spiritual law. (It is the law that defines sin):
   
What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. **Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, THOU SHALT NOT COVET. Rom 7:7 (KJV)

"For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin." Romans 7:14 KJV)

"That the righteousness of **the law might be fulfilled IN US**, who walk not after the flesh, but AFTER THE SPIRIT. Rom 8:14 (KJV)

"For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God."  Rom 8:4 (KJV)

Conclusion:  The Law of Ordinances was abolished at the cross. Sin is transgression of The Ten Commandments. We must have faith in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus for the forgiveness and cleansing of sins. Christians must obey The Ten Commandments for Jesus to be our Lord.  The sons of God obey The Ten Commandments through the enabling power of The Holy Spirit.

Harold and Donna Kupp

* Dear reader:  I refer you to this post about The Days, Months, Times and Years of Galatians 4:10-11:
 
https://www.keepandshare.com/doc/1094679/galatians-4-10-11