2 Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. 3 I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. 4 You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace. 5 For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.
(ESV)
STOP! Think a little 🤔 What is God saying to you?
- What is the writer saying?
- How do I apply this to my life?
Here, Paul uses circumcision to represent the law. The Judaizers were likely requiring the Galatian men to be circumcised as a commitment to keep the law. If you choose to adopt a life of strict adherence to the law, then what advantage does Christ offer? A life of legalism is the exact opposite of the freedom Christ offers. And you don’t get to pick and choose when it comes to the law. If you choose legalism, then you’re obligated to keep the whole law (Acts 15:10; Jas 2:10). As a believer, if you subsequently try to be justified by the law, you can’t loose your salvation, for that is impossible, but you sever yourself from Christ by breaking your relationship with Him. There are still many today who teach some level of legalism, so the possibility of falling from grace is still great today. In Christ Jesus, circumcision or uncircumcision is irrelevant because no amount of legalism can be of benefit to the Christian. The only thing that is spiritually profitable is faith working through love. It is love that should motivate all that we do.