Ed Welch recently released a second edition of his book When People Are Big & God Is Small. It’s currently on sale for 30% off at Westminster Bookstore! Purchase it here.
For years, the book of Galatians was a mystery to me. It seemed to be much ado about the Jewish rite of circumcision, but—like so much of Scripture—it yields its treasures gradually. Its primary theme reaches all the way to the fear of man.
Circumcision was a prominent way to distinguish Jew from Gentile. The Jews did it, the Gentiles did not, so the Jews were better. Dietary laws were another way to establish Jewish superiority (Gal 2:12). Together they became part of a non-gospel that Paul referred to as “works of the law.” He decried these works because through them “no one will be justified” (2:16).
“Works” still seem to be far from the fear of man, but we are getting closer. Works of the law were the way people distinguished themselves before God. It was a way to achieve righteousness, even though every Jewish person ultimately knew that their existence was based on the grace of God and not on their own deeds (2:16). Yet
To continue...read the full-length post originally published on this site.
