Galatians 3:23-29
Now before faith came, we were imprisoned and guarded under the law until faith would be revealed. 24Therefore the law was our disciplinarian until Christ came, so that we might be justified by faith. 25But now that faith has come, we are no longer subject to a disciplinarian, 26for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. 27As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28There 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. 29And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to the promise.
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A few weeks ago when I was studying to preach this passage of scripture, I started thinking about the term “discipline” and what that term means to modern ears over what that term meant to the Galatians who were reading Paul’s words to that early church body. When our modern ears hear “discipline,” for the most part we think correction–as a father might discipline a child who has done something that is against her best interest. We might also be tempted to dredge up adages that we incorrectly quote from scripture, such as “Spare the rod, spoil the child” as an example of the necessity of disciplining a younger person. In fact, that passage found in Proverbs 13:24 says something a bit different. It reads, “He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him.” When I see that passage, it brings me to a happy sort of place where I’m pleased to understand better what that sort of discipline (and that found in our passage from Galatians) really means.
Image for a moment that you are not listening with modern ears. Instead, you are hearing an ancient discourse that includes the Greek word for “pedagogy.” Now there’s a twist in perspective. Pedagogy, the science of teaching or instruction. Wow. So “He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to TEACH him.”
And, for our purposes when reading the Galatians passage, the LAW was something that we STUDIED, that we were TAUGHT. It was something that we invested in for our betterment and (in this case) for the betterment of the Kingdom of God before there was made a better way.
That way is Christ.
And the passage says that when Christ came, having a disciplinarian became absolutely unnecessary. Instead of being required to keep the law (which was impossible) and having to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings to atone for the fact that it is impossible to keep the law, we now have a new teacher, a savior, and we are justified not by what we do but by FAITH in the person and work of Jesus Christ.
This magnificent truth turns the whole faith/works discussion on its ear. For so long it was what one did, how one behaved, who one associated with that showed who the truly pious and holy were. But finally, there was Jesus, the promised Messiah, and instead of works being the sign of faith, now faith served as a springboard for a well of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control that defines the believer’s life in the Spirit. It is no longer that works leads to faith–now, faith is the reason behind every work.
And it is in that very context that we come to understand who we moderns are and where we stand in the eyes of Almighty God…who offered up the way of salvation to an undeserving people by giving the ultimate sacrificial lamb, Jesus, who atoned for our sins that we might enjoy a life filled with peace and an eternity of joy in his presence. God made the way so that through relationship with Christ we have relationship with God irrevocably and forevermore.
So today, we are bold to proclaim, “I am crucified with Christ therefore I no longer live…Jesus Christ now lives in me.” And we are wise to cling to the promise found in Romans 8, which says, “There is, therefore, now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death.”
That, my friends, is the brand of discipline from which we all can learn. Amen.
MicahBlog Vol 1.3. Copyright 2010, Micah Ministries. All Rights Reserved.
