Kingdom Disciples

Membership in God’s people is determined by our submission to Jesus Christ, especially the Messiah who was revealed on the Cross, and nothing else! The forgiveness of our sins is obtained “ through the faith OF Jesus ,” not “ from the works of the Law .” His self-sacrificial death is the all-sufficient basis of our acquittal of sin’s guilt before God.

In the  Letter to the Galatians , the Apostle Paul links the “ Promise of the Spirit ” to the “ blessing of Abraham ,” the covenant promise that God would bless the Gentile nations in the Patriarch, namely, the Gift of the Spirit received by the Galatians “ through a hearing of faith ” rather than “ from the works of the Torah .” Thus, the bestowal of the Baptism of the Spirit is in fulfillment of the Abrahamic covenant.

Paul’s Letter to the Galatians is his response to a controversy in the churches of that region. The issue was the status of Gentile believers. Must they conform to Jewish practices and submit to the regulation of the Mosaic Law, especially circumcision? At the heart of his response was his contention that “ in Christ ” the old distinctions between “ Jew ” and “ Gentile ” no longer apply, the covenant promises have found their fulfillment in Jesus, the “ seed of Abraham .”

In Galatians , Paul addresses a growing danger. Certain “ men from Jerusalem ” claimed that Gentiles must keep the deeds of the Mosaic Law to “ complete ” their faith, or at least, some of its statutes and rites. They were “ compelling Gentiles to Judaize ” by adopting circumcision, calendrical observances, and perhaps the Levitical dietary restrictions.