Alternative Thinking

Alternative Thinking

Do you ever stop and think about some of the crazy phrases that are still found in the American lexicon. Today I was discussing the phrase, “Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater” with some people. How did this phrase originate? Then, how did it catch on with people? I assume babies were being bathed in washbasins, and the dirty water would somehow be thrown out the window. Then, did people occasionally forget that there was a baby in there? And did this occur so many times that people eventually coined and used this phrase regularly?

Another weird phrase that comes to mind is, “There is more than one way to skin a cat.” Is there? Is there more than one way to skin a cat? Why are there any ways to skin a cat, and who was the first to decide that there was a plural amount of ways? I think the idea behind the phrase is that there are things in life that don’t have just one answer or one way. Sometimes in life, there can be alternative ways of thinking or doing the same thing, which ultimately arrive at the same conclusion.

In his letter to the Galatians, the Apostle Paul is seeking to correct and rebuke the Galatians, whom he formerly ministered to, for falling under the spell of the false teachers. These false teachers have corrupted the Galatians with their teaching, after Paul’s departure from them. The false teachers are pointing to circumcision as a necessary element of attaining to justification, of being accepted by God. By adding a work to Christ’s finished work on the cross, their false teaching corrupts Paul’s pure gospel of justification coming through faith alone. Their false teaching demands Paul’s response, so he writes to the Galatians to correct them, and to protect the truth of the gospel for their sake.

In chapter 4 of the letter, Paul will refer to the Galatians with parental intimacy, calling them his “dear children.” (Gal. 4:19). However, in chapter 3 of the letter, he challenges them directly. He says, “You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified.” (Gal. 3:1) His bold challenge is done with the loving and corrective discipline as a parent, or gentle minister, and it highlights the gravity of the situation. I’ve heard one pastor describe it this way: “If your child is walking toward the highway, you don’t let it slide, or gently correct them. You go get them, you sit them down, you look them in the eye, and you warn them about the danger directly.”

The Apostle Paul implies that the false teachers have ‘bewitched’ his beloved Galatian converts and have put them under a spell. Paul’s letter acts as gospel smelling salts in the form of this letter to wake them from their stupor.

The main issue at stake in Galatians is drawn out for us in two alternative ways to try to get to God, enter into God’s favor and fellowship, and to attain to eternal life. In Galatians 3:10-14, Paul lays out these two alternatives to make his case for the one way that humanity can seek to attain to the blessing of God.

He writes,

10 “For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.’ 11 Clearly, no one who relies on the law is justified before God, because “the righteous will live by faith.” 12 The law is not based on faith, on the contrary, it says, “The person who does these things will live by them.” 13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.” 14 He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham my come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.” (Galatians 3:10-14)

First, let’s define some key terms:

Cursed: under the sentence of sin, rejected by God; not acceptable to God under divine wrath; subject to eternal death.

Justified: accepted by God; the opposite of condemnation; righteous; no longer under the sentence of sin; in the fellowship of God; being put into favor with God.

Redeemed: no longer under the curse; set free; released from penalty of sin; not under wrath any longer.

Blessing (given to Abraham): John Stott says, “As it unfolded in these verses the promised blessing includes justification (being put into favor with God), eternal life, (being received into fellowship with God) and ‘the promise of the Spirit’ (being regenerated and indwelt by the Holy Spirit). This is the priceless threefold blessing of the Christian believer.” The Message of Galatians, p. 83.

Second, let’s look at how the Apostle cites his argument from the Old Testament by looking at the quotations in context:

Deuteronomy 27:26: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.”

Paul cites Deuteronomy, highlighting the end of a list of curses for those who do not keep the covenant. He points out that the law demands perfect obedience. Those who do not observe everything written in the Book of the Law are held under the curse of the law. Martin Luther writes, “Moses requires perfect doers of the Law” (Galatians, p. 60).

Paul adds later in the letter, “Those who want to impress people by means of the flesh are trying to compel you to be circumcised. The only reason they do this is to avoid being persecuted for the cross of Christ. Not even those who are circumcised keep the law, yet they want you to be circumcised that they may boast about your circumcision in the flesh” (Galatians 6:12-13). Paul highlights that the false teachers, who so fervently compel the Galatians to be circumcised for righteousness sake, (cf. Acts 15:1) do not even obey the law perfectly themselves! Thus, all who do not obey the whole law are under God’s curse. All who do not perfectly obey the law are under the penalty of sin, subjected to divine wrath, and eternal death. In using this citation, Paul points out that all of us are under God’s curse.

Habakkuk 2:4: “The righteous will live by faith.”

If it won’t be through keeping the Law, then how can someone be brought into a right relationship with God? Paul immediately points to the alternative path to righteousness. Paul builds his argument with a word from the Prophets, citing Habakkuk to say, “the righteous will live by faith” (Hab. 2:4). Luther explains, “This passage carries much weight because it eliminates the Law and the deeds of the Law as factors in the process of our justification.” No one can keep the Law, and in turn is under God’s curse. However, the alternative path to God says that righteousness is available: “The righteous will live by faith.”

Leviticus 18:5: “The person who does these things will live by them.”

What is this faith that leads to righteousness? Paul says it cannot regard the Law. He cites the Law to make his case that obedience to the law does not spring forth from the seat of faith. Dr. D.W. Ekstrand writes, “The fundamental nature of the law is that it requires “doing” (Galatians, p. 13). Keeping the Law is about my working, and since I cannot keep it, I am under a taskmaster whom I cannot please. However, according to the gospel, righteousness and life will come by faith. Faith is not based on doing, but believing.

Deuteronomy 21:23 “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.”

Is Paul saying that Jesus was accursed?

From the text, we can see that humanity lies under a curse. The curse falls upon everyone who sins, and the remedy to the curse cannot come from obedience to the Law, since no one can observe the whole law. The curse we fall under is the penalty of sin, which brings upon us the wrath of God and ends in our eternal death.

However, Habakkuk tells us, “The righteous (or just) will live by faith. If we are under a curse, but can attain to righteousness by faith, how is that possible? Paul makes the case that Jesus has become a curse for us in order to redeem us.

John Stott writes, “The ‘curse of the law’ from which Christ redeemed us must be the curse resting upon us for our disobedience (verse 10). And He redeemed us from it by ‘becoming a curse’ Himself. The curse was transferred from us to Him. He took it voluntarily upon Himself, in order to deliver us from it. It is this ‘becoming a curse for us’ which explains the awful cry of dereliction, of God-forsakenness, which He uttered from the cross.

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, voluntarily hung on a cross to make the way for us to live. It is through our faith in his work on the cross that we attain to the righteousness for which we hope. The law can never deliver us, but the Lamb can. Jesus hanging on the tree was recognizable to all as divine rejection. Jesus was cursed, so that we could be blessed.

Jesus took our curse for us, absorbing the penalty due our sin, and absorbing the wrath we deserve. Because Jesus has done this, the way for justification is made plain to us. We simply believe in his finished work on the cross. Peter puts it this way, “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed” (1 Peter 2:24).

The two paths we can walk down in our lives are the paths of curse and blessing. We stand before these two paths, and must make a decision. Will we try to work our way to God, or will we believe in Jesus? Faith in Jesus is the alternative path to the works of the law and it is the only true way to enter into a right relationship with God. There may be more than one way to skin a cat, but there isn’t more than one way to attain God’s favor.

Paul concludes this section by telling us why Jesus became a curse for us. “He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham my come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit” (Galatians 3: 14). Jesus says in John 10:10b, “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” Jesus became a curse for us to bring us into that which is truly life. Jesus gives us the Holy Spirit. Through Jesus we attain to the blessing of Abraham. Through Jesus we receive justification, eternal life, and the Holy Spirit. The only way that we can be united to Christ and receive the blessing is by faith, as it is written, “The righteous will live by faith” (Hab. 2:4). Jesus leads us down the path to life.

Lastly, let’s try to apply this to our lives today.

What does it mean to live by faith?

John Stott writes, “Faith is laying hold of Jesus Christ personally” (Galatians, p. 82). Faith grabs ahold of Jesus. Faith believes God, trusting Him to be who He says He is, and taking Him at His Word. Faith isn’t a work, but a gift. Faith is supernatural. We cannot look deeper into ourselves for the answers, we must look to Jesus for the help we need.

Faith gets us out of the way. Faith removes our ability to promote our vainglory. Faith cripples the lie that we are self-reliant mini-gods, in control of our own destiny. We aren’t able to say, “I did such a good job obeying God and so he saved me, but he didn’t save you because you weren’t as good as me!” Therefore, faith gives God the glory, not us, and that’s the way it’s supposed to be. Faithful people pray. Faithful people cling to Jesus throughout the ups and downs of life. Faithful people seek community to help them hold tightly to Christ. Faithful people seek to drink deeply from the Scriptures. Faithful people become like Jesus.

We were designed to give God the glory and the cross of Christ restores us to live how we were wired. Faith isn’t about us. Faith is about Jesus, the object of our faith. Faith lays us bare of the self-righteousness of works and forces us to trust in God.  Faith reveals us to be the weak, sinful, complex creatures we are. Faith leads us to boast in Jesus, not ourselves.

Faith ultimately comes down to what we rely on. We all have faith. We all trust in something, and we all are hoping in something to deliver us. We have two paths before us. We can walk down the self-dependent path of works righteousness and find ourselves cursed, or we can walk down the Christ-dependent road of righteousness by faith and enter into God’s blessing.

What path are you on?