“I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are following a different gospel – not that there really is another gospel, but there are some who are disturbing you and wanting to distort the gospel of Christ.” (Galatians 1:6, 7, NET).
Judaizers were the Jewish Christians who were unwilling to abandon the Temple rituals and the sacrificial system and fully commit themselves to the “Way,” Christianity. The Judaizers instructed the Gentile Galatian believers that believing in Jesus Christ for one’s salvation is not enough. They insisted that obedience to the law of Moses, including the ten commandments, was essential for salvation. They maintained that, as a minimum, the Christians should add the good works of the law to the gospel of Jesus Christ as proof of their faith and salvation in Jesus Christ.
Another group of Judaizers worked tirelessly to minimize the significance of the Cross of Christ. They insisted that the salvation which Christ accomplished on the cross at Golgotha was not complete but was a part of the continuous process of salvation. Accordingly, they contended that the completion of the salvation that Jesus Christ began on the cross at Golgotha must include conformity to the temple sacrificial rituals and the law of Moses. Unfortunately, today also, some Christians believe that our “sanctification” is a life-long process of obedience leading to righteousness and a hope of salvation. However, human obedience, however sincere and noble, does not contribute to one’s salvation.
Paul proves false the Galatian Judaizers’ claim in his letter to the Hebrews. He emphasizes that the earthly temple, with its law and rituals, could not save anyone because it could not cleanse the conscience of the sinners. Hebrews 9:9, 10. With its sacrificial rituals and the law, the physical temple was only a shadow pointing to the reality – Jesus Christ. Hebrews 10:1. The idea that to experience the full benefit of the Cross of Christ, one must add to it the works of the law is Satan’s effort to divert the eyes of the believers from Christ to themself. However, our old person and Christ cannot coexist. For our salvation, we must die to ourselves so that Christ can live in us. There is no other way! Mathew 16:24.
Will continue in the next blog.
