nobody knows how to play the thing

Years ago an old pastor told me the story of a small country church he pastored in his youth that nearly split over a very silly cultural issue. They had a long debate in a business meeting about whether or not to spend money on a new chandelier. Someone had donated about half the cost and therefore the church would only be responsible for the other half. After several members expressed their heated opinions pro and con, one old guy stood up and said with great conviction and disgust, "I think it's too expensive. We don't need it. I don't find it in the Bible- it will do nothing for missions or discipleship- and besides, I don't know a single person in our church who could play the darn thing!"

Conviction, passion and zealous anger are all very good and necessary emotions- as long as they come from a heart that clearly understands those things that are most important. Misguided conviction on the other hand can be very destructive. Making molehills into mountains is no virtue. The person who strains at gnats and swallows camels will only take energy away from the forward advancement of the gospel. Misdirected and uninformed conviction can lead easily to false and confusing doctrine that takes life away from the Body.

I think about all of the ridiculous arguments I have heard through the years masquerading as clear biblical teaching:

~ A true Christian will not have hair that covers his ears.
~ A dancing foot and a praying knee don't belong on the same leg.
~ Drums cause a satanic hypnotic beat that is evil and cause people to want to sin.
~ Guitars are "worldly" and demonic.
~ If you play rock music backwards you can hear Satan talking
~ The NATO alliance is emblematic of the ten horns on the beast in Revelation 13 and will usher in the anti-Christ.
~ Russia will attack Israel and that will be the end of the world.
~ The King James Bible is the only legitimate translation.
~ Iran will attack Israel and that will be the end of the world.
~ It is dishonorable for a woman to wear pants to church.
~ Men should always wear suits to church - after all, we should only give our best to God (as if God is impressed with our outward appearance).
~ Blacks and whites should not intermarry because it would be like mixing light and darkness.
~ Iraq will attack Israel and that will be the end of the world.
~ The year 2000 will be the end of the world. (The years 76,80 and 89 were also years He was supposed to come back).

The one thing that all of these examples have in common is that they all spring from a uniquely American cultural understanding of scripture. We can look back on many of these things and say to ourselves, "how in the world could anyone believe that?". And yet, at different points in my Christian journey these were considered to be important beliefs. These were the things you believed if you believed the Bible.

It is a clear example of how easy it is to insert our cultural beliefs into Holy Scripture and elevate them to first tier doctrinal issues.

This is exactly what Paul dealt with in Galatians.

I think there is a very powerful and salient reason for Paul's righteous anger directed at false teachers who confuse people with a false and misleading gospel in Galatia. "May they be forever condemned!" Paul says.

He is arguing against the false teachers who would have the Galatians believe that one had to buy into the cultural law of Judaism before they could truly believe in Jesus. Believing in Jesus was not enough- you also had to be a Jew.

It would be as if someone were to say, "It is not enough that you believe in Jesus, you also have to be a Republican" or "It is not enough that you believe in Jesus, you also have to dress like us and act like us and smell like us..."

So what does Paul mean when he says this in Galatians 2:16, "We too have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law. Because by observing the law, no one will be justified."?

Is he saying that when we commit to Christ, we no longer have to worry about the 10 Commandments? As Christians we no longer have to worry about stealing and cheating and adultery and murder?

This cannot be what he means, as we see in his other writings that Paul is very clear that a person who is bound to Christ strives toward a life of holiness and purity and certainly this includes adherence to the moral law. It must mean that these teachers in Galatia were pushing another kind of law besides the moral law of the Old Testament. This was a different kind of Mosaic law that Paul is referring to in this passage.

It is helpful to consider that the mosaic law is actually divided into three different categories. There is the civil law, the ceremonial law, and the moral law. The civil and ceremonial laws were more focused on the nation of Israel within a certain limited historical context, while the moral law was given to guide the hearts of man for every culture and for all time.

The Civil Law: These were the laws that governed the nation of Israel while it was a theocracy during one particular point in history. One example is Deuteronomy 25:4 which gives instruction about when to muzzle an ox. These are the laws that are much like the city ordinances that tell you when you can water your lawn and what you can't park in your driveway. When the nation of Israel was disbanded, these laws were no longer in effect.

The Ceremonial Law: These were the laws that governed the way the people of Israel worshiped in the temple. These particular regulations had the effect of setting apart the nation of Israel from every other tribe and kingdom around them and served as a kind of barrier to keep them from intermarrying and blending into the idolatrous pagan cultures around them. The purpose of these laws was to remind people of their uncleanness and unworthiness as they approach their relationship with God and to point them to day when Christ would come as the perfect sacrifice and substitutionary atonement for their sins. They are seen in the New Testament as being a mere shadow of the true fulfillment one finds in a relationship with Christ (Colossians 2:14-17; Ephesians 2:14-16; Hebrews 10:1-18 ).

The Moral Law: These are the laws pertaining to the immutable and unchanging nature of the righteousness and holiness of God. They are not impacted by time or culture or temporal kingdom and we are therefore bound to them for all time (Romans 1:18-20; 2:14-15). They reflect the very nature of God and serve as our standard for holiness (James 2:8-12). These are the laws that Jesus affirmed in His teaching and even clarified their true meaning, often raising the standard by pointing to the core issues that are dealt with as we embrace these standards as a part of our personal holiness.

So it is clear that the civil and ceremonial law is no longer in effect, and in fact are more related to the particular culture of the Old Testament Jew, while the moral law is not only fulfilled in Christ, but affirmed and strengthened by His teaching.

Paul then is exposing the teaching of the Galatian false teachers as one that elevates cultural whims and destroys the gospel. It is a clear warning to all of us to make sure we don't insert our own cultural preferences into the clear meaning of scripture- thus making mountains out of molehills and camels out of gnats and hanging chandeliers that nobody knows how to play.