Readings for Pentecost 4C:
Galatians 3:23-29
June 24, 2007
The Rev. Karen Faye Siegfriedt
St. Jude the Apostle Episcopal Church, Cupertino, CA
To the churches in Galatia, Paul wrote: “Now that faith has come, we are no longer subject to a disciplinarian, for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith.” [Gal. 3]
In 1862, the Episcopal Church of the United States split between the North and the South over the issue slavery. Some Christians justified the continued ownership of slaves. Why? Because the bible told them so. In 1976, the convention of the Episcopal Church voted to ordain women to the priesthood. Some folks left the church over this full inclusion of women in the ministry. Why? Because the bible told them so. In 2003, the convention of the Episcopal Church voted to affirm the consecration of an openly gay man to the office of bishop. Some Anglicans left the communion over this issue. Why? Because the bible told them so. About 25 years after the death of Jesus, the Christians in Galatia were told by certain missionaries to ignore Paul’s teachings and to enforce the rule of circumcision on all male converts to the faith. Why? Because the bible told them so. What I would like to talk about today is the difference between a religion based on law and a religion based on faith. I will use Paul’s letter to the Galatians as my text.
There are literally hundreds and hundreds of rules and regulations that can be found in the bible. There are rules about what you can eat, what you can wear, whom you can sleep with, whom you can touch, how to treat your animals, children, and slaves, how to keep the Sabbath, and how to “do” church, (just to name a few). There are rules that determine who is in and who is out. These rules, regulations, and commandments were summed up in a body of law that regulated the behavior of the Jewish people.
They believed that God had revealed God’s nature, purpose, and will for humanity, and that God’s law was enshrined in the documents of the Hebrew Scriptures. It was taught that if a person followed these laws, they would be “right” with God and all would be well. But if they disobeyed these laws, God would look unfavorably upon them. Circumcision was one of those laws. It is what separated the faithful Jew from the unfaithful gentile. And yet when St. Paul began to create Christian communities, he refused to obey the dictates of this law. In his letter to the Galatians, Paul justified his decision to live by the Spirit of Christ rather than by the letter of the law. Let’s take a closer look.
Paul was a very skilled and devout Pharisee who knew all of the ins and outs of every law in Scripture. Earlier in his life, he followed these laws with tremendous discipline and vigor. Instead of transforming him into a loving and grace-filled person, the law blinded him to the good news in Christ. In the heat of his conviction and defense of the law, he engaged in the horrific persecution of the early disciples of Jesus. It was not until he had a conversion experience (in which he experienced a tremendous grace from God) that he realized that transformation of the human heart comes about through an abiding relationship with Christ rather than through obedience to a set of external laws. And so Paul began to encourage his congregations to live in God rather than to live in the law. He believed that it was the Spirit of God (not the law) that made a person whole or “right” before God.
Entering into an abiding relationship with Christ is what Paul refers to as faith. For Paul, faith is not a matter of believing in a list of propositions or a system of doctrines about God. Faith is an openness to the gift of grace, an unconditional surrender to God’s will which leads to a life of love. It is this openness to God’s grace and the subsequent experience of Christ’s love, that led Paul to conclude (against the cultural and religious norms of his time) that all baptized Christians are welcomed into the fellowship: “There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.” [Gal. 3] Why do we find this posture of inclusivity so difficult to embrace today?
Law vs. faith: the controversy continues into the 21st century. Paul’s criticism of the law is not that its demands are impossible, but that it is superficial and that conformity to the law is ineffectual in changing a person’s heart. While the law can point to us in the right direction, it cannot force us to choose the right over the wrong. For example, I think of the incident that happened at a party attended by members of the DeAnza College baseball team; athletes who had agreed to abide by a code of conduct. On the night of March 3rd, 2007, a semiconscious 17-year old girl, naked from the waist down, covered with vomit, was sexually assaulted while team members looked on. How could this happen in our community?
I recently received a copy of the DeAnza College Code of Conduct for athletes. It lists several rules and standards of conduct that each athlete is required to sign. The Code of Conduct talks about being suspended for disobeying rules on or off campus. This includes harassment directed toward any person or group, lewd or obscene behavior, possession of illegal drugs or alcohol abuse, and any conduct that is detrimental to the College. Why didn’t these rules and regulations keep these athletes in check? Because the law can only point us in the right direction. It cannot ultimately control a person’s behavior nor transform the human heart.
The assault that happened on March 3rd is not only a legal matter or a “boys will be boys” issue. It is a spiritual issue. Disregard for the dignity of a human being is a spiritual issue that requires a spiritual solution. We need to raise up boys and girls of faith who are committed to placing God at the center of their lives rather than themselves or their own desires. This life of faith requires one to move beyond laws to a complete surrender, a life dependent on the power and presence of God’s grace to transform the human heart.
Some families bring their children to church to learn about Christian ethics so that their children will become better people. It is not a bad idea, but it is limited. Behind this sentiment is an approach to religion based on law which is often not very effective in the long run because ethics can only guide us but cannot transform us. In today’s reading, Paul refers to the law as a custodian or a disciplinarian that once had an important role to play in religion. In first century Mediterranean, a custodian (usually a respected household slave) would guard, supervise, and guide the children until they reached a certain age. This custodian was similar to a 21st century nanny whose job was to discipline and teach the child to do what is right. Once the child grew to a certain age, the guardian’s job was over and it was hoped that the matured child would have the internal discipline to lead a healthy and whole life.
Paul used this example to speak about the evolution of religion from being law-based to being faith-based. Now that Christ has come and has showed us the way the truth, and the life, we no longer need the custodian of the law. We only need to enter into relationship with Christ to move forward in our journey towards wholeness. With this in mind, Paul began to interpret scripture in a fresh and startling way to the point of saying that in Christ, there is no longer Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female. It is amazing how a life of faith can expand our hearts to love and include so much more than what cultural or religious norms might dictate.
Most of us here today are trying our very best to be good and upright citizens. We try hard to be loving, kind, and generous and to follow sound ethics in making decisions. Much of the time, we choose the good especially when we are in a good place. But other times, when the stress and strain of everyday life pulls at us, or when our passions take over, it is hard to follow the law and to do the good we are called to do. This is why we need to take the next step in our faith journey.
A life of faith is not a matter of believing in a list of propositions or a system of doctrines about God. Faith is an openness to the gift of grace, an unconditional surrender to God, a commitment to a life of love. It is this openness to God’s grace and love that will transform your heart. So don’t sell yourself short by being seduced by a law-based religion. Instead, clothe yourself with Christ and let your light shine for all to see.
| Updated June 28, 2007 |
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