¹ Or do you not know, brethren (for I am speaking to those who know the law), that the law has jurisdiction over a person as long as he lives? ² For the married woman is bound by law to her husband while he is living.

The Law of Moses was deeply embedded in the mind and psyche of the Jewish people. The early church was initially populated with Jews, even from among the Pharisees and priesthood (Acts 6:7, 15:5). As the Gospel migrated out from Jerusalem because of persecution, Gentiles came to faith in large droves, resulting in the first predominately non-Jewish congregation being founded in Antioch, about 500 miles to the north of Jerusalem in Syria. However, Antioch became the hotbed for controversy, resulting in the apostle Paul calling out the apostle Peter (whom Paul referred to as Cephas) and his former mentor, Barnabas, for their hypocrisy. By their actions they supported the notion (ostensibly coming from James, the half-brother of Jesus who had become a disciple and a leader in the Jerusalem church) that the Gentiles must be circumcised, keep the Law of Moses and live like the Jews (see Galatians 2). If Acts 15 provides the historical background to Galatians 2, Paul and Barnabas went to Jerusalem in order to dispute the matter with James and the church there. The conclusion finds them showing complete solidarity with Paul, and the issue was settled—the Gentiles were not required to keep the Law of Moses.

However, the issue of whether Jews needed to continue keeping the Law continued to rear its head, and Paul repeatedly beat that notion back. Justification by grace through faith, completely apart from the Law, was his mantra, his go-to-the-wall issue. It was the hill on which he planted his flag, and he defended it at all costs. That is why he wrote to the Galatians, “I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!” (Gal 1:6–9).

So Paul spends the next one and a half chapters teaching on the relationship between Christians (whether Jews or Gentiles) and the Law. Here we discover that our sanctification is rooted firmly in our justification. We are children of God, and not slaves to the Law. This affects how we live.

Oh Father, help me learn to live free in Christ by Your grace, and not live as one enslaved by and to the Law.