Leviticus 24:20 is notorious. People complain that, followed through to its logical conclusion, “the whole world will go blind.”
But nobody denies the necessity of a criminal justice system, and this law was intended to limit punishment, not perpetuate it.
If you allow one comparable punishment for a crime, then the felt need for justice is fulfilled. It is appropriate to suffer through a proportional human consequence for sin.
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An analogy, quadrupled.
Law:Slave:Hagar:Mt. Sinai::Grace:Free:Sarah:Jerusalam
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Categories: bible, Galatians, grace, Hagar, law, new testament, paul, sarah
Tags: analogy, free, Jerusalem, Mt. Sinai
In verses 16-18, Paul explains that people who are “led by the Spirit” are “not under law.”
- Paul tells his readers to live by the Spirit
- Living by the Spirit is important
- As a result, we will leave some desires unsatisfied
- Having desires is natural
- Some desires are inherently wrong
- The sinful nature opposes the Spirit
- The Spirit opposes the sinful nature
- Logically, this creates a biconditional
- The sinful nature and Spirit are mutually exclusive
- What desires fall outside these two opposing forces?
- Even when we want to follow the Spirit, we sometimes do what the sinful nature desires
- There is an internal battle, kind of like those cartoons with the angel and devil characters on each shoulder
- I used to think the concept illustrated by this kind of cartoon was entirely unbiblical
- But it’s very similar to what Paul describes in these verses
- If you are led by the Spirit, then you are not under law
- I wonder what this means.
- The contrapositive of this statement is: If you are under law, then you are not led by the Spirit.
- This means that asking people to follow the Spirit is logically equivalent to telling people that they’re under law
- This seems to be a stumbling block
- If you don’t see yourself as shackled by the law, then it’s hard to see the need for living by the Spirit
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Paul reminds the Galatians that just because Jesus’ sacrifice freed us from the Law, that doesn’t mean that we have permission to do anything.
We must “Love your neighbor as yourself” (v. 14b, quoting Leviticus 19:8).
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Paul follows through the logical and spiritual implications of attempting to achieve righteousness through following the rules in the Bible.
In several different ways, he explains in verses 21-31 that this is moving away from God’s blessing, not toward it.
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Verses 19-25 summarize the purpose of the Old Testament law.
The law highlighted our imperfections and our need for Jesus’ sacrifice.
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In verses 2-5, Paul explains that he first visited Jerusalem after receiving “a revelation.”
I wonder why God chose this time to connect Paul to the Christian leaders in Jerusalem?
He also explains that his Greek companion, Titus, was under pressure to follow the whole Law.
But because it is grace, not law-keeping, that makes a person right with God, Paul and Titus resisted this false teaching.
What false teachings exist today that are more like law-keeping, less like grace?
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In 23:1-3, Josiah leaves nothing unclear.
National elders come together and listen to the Law.
This becomes their charge.
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