St Luke's Church Eccleshill, Bradford, UK

Hearing Paul's letter to the Galatians.

Gal 3:1-14 as a dialogue between a listener, Paul and the OT.

The words of Paul and the OT are as set out in the NIV bible, and the words for "Cong." are intended to help bring out the meaning. The reading is set out in three sections corresponding to the three NIV paragraphs.

Cong. Well, here we are again at our Christian meeting in Iconium, in South Galatia, for the next exciting instalment of our letter from St Paul. Paul was the person who first told us about Jesus, you'll remember - and then after he'd been here a couple of times we had some other visitors from Jerusalem, and that's when the trouble started. The folks from Jerusalem told us that it was all very well believing that Jesus died for our sins, but there was more to being a Christian than that. We also had to get circumcised and follow all the Jewish laws. (You might not have heard of this before, but circumcision for Jews is a bit like infant baptism for the English!) I wonder what Paul's letter is going to say to us today?

Paul. 1 You foolish Galatians!

Cong. Typical tactless beginning! One thing about St Paul, he certainly knew how to make friends and influence people!

Paul. Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified.

Cong. Well, that's true. Paul had a real gift of telling people about the death of Jesus Christ for them.

Paul. 2 I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard?

Cong. Well, we believed what we heard, of course, and we did receive the Holy Spirit. Paul didn't tell us about the Jewish law. It was only later on we realised we needed to obey the Jewish law as well.

Paul. 3 Are you so foolish?

Cong. Do you mean me?

Paul. After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort? 4 Have you suffered so much for nothing--if it really was for nothing? 5 Does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law, or because you believe what you heard?

Cong. Well, God did give us his Spirit before we started observing the law, it's true - so I suppose you must be right.

Cong. But then what about the Jewish law? Are you saying the Old Testament doesn't matter?

Paul. 6 Consider Abraham:

Cong. Yes, that's a good idea. Let's see what the Old Testament says about Abraham. Let's look up Genesis 15:6

OT. "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness."

Cong. Ah! So that means it was Abraham's faith that was important, and it didn't matter whether he kept the Jewish law. But that was long ago - what about us here in South Galatia?

Paul. 7 Understand, then, that those who believe are children of Abraham. 8 The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham:

OT. "All nations will be blessed through you."

Cong. That's Genesis 12:3, and "all nations" means God wanted to save everybody, not just the Jews.

Paul. 9 So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

Cong. Oh, I see. God says the important thing is for us to have faith, like Abraham did.

Cong. But hang about a bit, I know some Jews who keep the Old Testament and they are really nice people. If our God is the same God as theirs, shouldn't we try to keep the same law?

Paul. 10 All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written:

OT. "Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law."

Cong. Does that mean the Jews are not saved by their religion?

Paul. 11 Clearly no one is justified before God by the law, because,

OT. "The righteous will live by faith."

Paul. 12 The law is not based on faith; on the contrary,

OT. "The man who does these things will live by them."

Cong. So Paul is saying the Jews can't be saved by keeping the Old Testament. Well, how can they be saved, then?

Paul. 13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written:

OT. "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree."

Cong. So the death of Jesus, so we could swap our sins for his righteousness, is for the Jews as well as for us Gentiles?

Paul. 14 He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.

Cong. Right, you've given us a lot to think about there, Paul. I guess we'd best have a sermon about it?

Paul. This is the word of the Lord.

All: Thanks be to God.

John Hartley