Paul's Spirituality in Galatians

A Critique of Contemporary Christian Spiritualities

McClendon

• Publisher: Wipf and Stock
• Year: 2015
• eBook ISBN: 9781630879495
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Religion

Spirituality is a hot topic in today's culture. Spirituality is essentially how one's beliefs and experiences influence the way one lives their life. Such influences for living are of critical importance to one's faith within the Christian community.What role does the Bible play in developing an expressed spirituality among the Christian community? How do one's religious traditions, cultural influences, and personal preferences influence the way Christian spirituality is perceived and expressed? All too often, and at times unintentionally, the foundational truths of the Bible are subordinated to tradition, culture, and personal preference.This book provides a context for understanding Paul's foundational components for Christian spirituality within the book of Galatians while showing how an accurate understanding of these components can and should serve as a corrective lens to various aspects of Christian spirituality as expressed and experienced today.

1

The Centrality of the Cross

“I have been crucified with Christ”

Introduction

Andrew Fuller once argued that “the doctrine of the cross is the central point in which all the lines of evangelical truth meet and are united. What the sun is to the system of nature, that the doctrine of the cross is to the system of the gospel; it is the life of it.”21 For Fuller, the cross was not just part of the gospel, but at the heart of it.

Some writing within Christian spirituality would argue that Fuller grossly overstates his case.22 They argue that the cross is not central or essential to the Christian life. For them, the Christian life is to be primarily, if not exclusively, influenced by the life of Christ.

Spirituality, in general, emphasizes how one’s understanding of and experience with God impacts the way that one lives their life.23 Christian spirituality is the process of general spirituality brought under the direction of and in submission to the Holy Spirit. While historically, the thought of discerning the influence of the Holy Spirit versus personal preference, etc., was grounded in Scripture, such is not necessarily the case any longer. People often speak of God telling them to do something that conflicts with the clear teaching of the Bible based on their own subjective self-authenticating experiences. Additionally, the traditional category of what is understood as Christian is often broadened to include a variety of teachings that would deny some foundational teachings of the historical church such as the deity of Jesus, the deity of the Holy Spirit, or the inspiration and truthfulness of the Bible. As a result, what one understands as the “Christian faith” becomes increasingly vague.24 Consequently, the idea of Christian spirituality remains somewhat ambiguous and covers a substantial range of religious belief to include those who hold positions well beyond or in conflict with Scripture. Thus, due to the subjectivity that has arisen within Christian spirituality, a more qualified use of the term is necessary to ground one’s understanding and experience in the normative standard of God’s Word.25 This view of Christian spirituality is anchored in the belief that the biblical text is foundational to the Christian life. Scripture is not to be subjected to or brought on par with one’s personal subjective knowledge of or experience with God.

The Bible, in this view, should be used to shape and correct one’s cultural understanding and expression of the Christian faith. As a demonstration of how the Bible can serve as such a corrective, selected contemporary views within Christian spirituality will be examined in light of Galatians 2:20. Therefore, this chapter shows how Galatians 2:20a, “I have been crucified with Christ,” when contextually understood, corrects some errors related to the dismissal of the cross caused by the elevation of personal subjectivism and the misinterpretation of the Scriptures within Christian spirituality, specifically by emphasizing the centrality of the cross in the life of the believer.26

Galatians 2:15–19

Before focusing on the cross in Galatians 2:20a, the preceding context of the verse will be briefly examined.27 Galatians 2:11–14 recounts Paul’s confrontation with Peter and other Jews in Antioch revealing the hypocrisy of their actions and expectations in relation to their Gentile brothers in Christ. Paul then transitions back in 2:15 “resuming his polemic against the Galatians opponents.”28 Paul begins in 2:15 by using a familiar cultural expression in identifying the privileged status of the Jews as a starting point for developing his argument concerning justification.29 The verse reads: “We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners.” Paul is not arguing that Jews are without sin; nevertheless, his statement does speak to a larger Jewish mindset regarding their perceived superiority under the law. Calling them “Jews by nature” might be a subtle reference to circumcision. The continued emphasis of the Abrahamic covenant and circumcision in Galatians would support this theory (Gen 15:4–21; 17:1–13; Gal 2:3, 7–9, 12; 3:5–9, 14–18, 29; 4:22–28; 5:2–3, 6, 11–12; 6:12–15; Eph 2:11–12). It could be further strengthened when seen in light of the thought that the false gods by nature in Galatians 4:8 could be a reference to idols made by hands, and in light of the connection between natural status (nature—“φύσις”) and circumcision in Romans 2:26–27. An argument could also be made that this statement is not that involved but is a familiar way of speaking of the unique status into which the Jews were born, in which case, both circumcision and the law (as well as other elements) are probably in view, in light of Romans 3:1–2, since these elements were inherently connected to the birth status of the Jew (Rom 9:4–5). However, more than likely, Paul does have the reception of the law in view. They are “Jews” born naturally into a community over which the law had jurisdiction. The law made them unique and united them as a people. “Law” in the sense used here is the Mosaic law. Below, it will be argued that the “works of the law” refer to all that the Mosaic law demanded.

Paul then transitions in 2:16 by reminding them that, despite this privileged status, faith in Jesus Christ for the remission of sin was still required.30 The verse reads: “yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.” The remission of sin, which they received through promise, is not fulfilled through compliance to the law.31

Thus, the scope of the law in this passage32 should not be limited to one aspect of the law (i.e., ceremonial)33 or the boundary markers of the law,34 but should be u...

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Foreword
• Preface
• Acknowledgements
• Abbreviations
• Introduction
• Chapter 1: The Centrality of the Cross
• Chapter 2: The Centrality of Christ
• Chapter 3: Continued Tension of the Flesh
• Chapter 4: Authenticating Evidence of Faith
• Conclusion
• Appendix 1: Context: Galatians 2:15–19
• Appendix 2: Ephesians 3:14–19
• Bibliography