For through law I died toward law, so that I might become alive toward God. (Galatians 2:19)
What did the apostle Paul mean when he said he had died toward law? Paul preached to the Galatians on his first missionary tour (Acts 13:14-14:23) Shortly after he left, a group of Jewish Christians arrived insisting that in order to be saved the Gentiles had to submit to circumcision and adhere to the Mosaic Law. The letter to the Galatians was written to combat these false teachers by showing that Abraham was declared righteous by faith long before the law was established. It would be beneficial to read Paul’s letter to the Galatians in order to fully understand how he develops his argument.
Paul explained that “a man is declared righteous, not by works of law, but only through faith in Jesus Christ.” (Gal. 2:16) Granted, the Law had served an important function. Paul explained to the Galatians: “It was added to make transgressions manifest, until the offspring should arrive to whom the promise had been made.” (Gal. 3:19) In that way it served as a tutor leading to Christ.
“However, before the faith arrived, we were being guarded under law, being handed over into custody, looking to the faith that was about to be revealed. 24 So the Law became our guardian leading to Christ, so that we might be declared righteous through faith. (Galatians 3:23, 24)
Once a person has accepted Christ he has “died toward law” and has become “alive toward God.” This meant that, in order to gain God’s approval, adherence to the law was no longer necessary.
Paul expressed a similar thought in his letter to the Romans. “My brothers, you also were made dead to the Law through the body of the Christ . . . We have been released from the Law, because we have died to that which restrained us.” (Rom. 7:4, 6) This shows that the death he was speaking about was being liberated. Hence, his message to the Galatians was that they were set free by faith in Christ’s ransom.
This did not mean, however, that they could sin without consequences. They had now come under a new law:
Go on carrying the burdens of one another, and in this way you will fulfill the law of the Christ. (Galatians 6:2)
What is the law of the Christ? Is this a new set of rules and regulations to follow in order to gain God’s approval?
Jesus did not write down a law code for his followers, but he did give them principles to live by. For example, on one occasion Jesus was asked by a Jewish scribe what was the greatest commandment in the Mosaic Law? His answer reveals much not only about how the Mosaic Law should have been viewed but also about the law of the Christ:
“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 37 He said to him: “‘You must love Jehovah your God with your whole heart and with your whole soul and with your whole mind.’ 38 This is the greatest and first commandment. 39 The second, like it, is this: ‘You must love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments the whole Law hangs, and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:36-40)
The Watchtower society recognizes this truth. Note how this is explained:
God’s Spirit Reduces the Need for Rules
“…Compared to the some 600 laws given to ancient Israel, there are comparatively few explicit commands regulating Christian life. Hence, many matters are left to individual conscience. A person who has made a dedication to Jehovah enjoys the freedom that results from guidance by God’s spirit. Having made the truth his own, a Christian follows his Bible-trained conscience and relies on God’s direction by holy spirit. This helps the dedicated Christian to determine what will “build up” and be “advantageous” for himself and others. He realizes that the decisions he makes will affect his personal relationship with God, to whom he is dedicated. (The Watchtower March 15, 1998 pg. 19 par. 5)
Reasonableness in the Exercise of Authority
11 When Jesus walked the earth, his reasonableness truly shone through in the way he wielded his God-granted authority. How different he was from the religious leaders of his day! Consider an example. God’s law had ordered that no work, not even the gathering of wood, be done on the Sabbath. (Exodus 20:10; Numbers 15:32-36) The religious leaders wanted to control just how people applied that law. So they took it upon themselves to decree exactly what a person could lift on the Sabbath. They ruled: nothing heavier than two dried figs. They even issued a prohibition on sandals shod with nails, claiming that lifting the extra weight of the nails would constitute work! It is said that, all in all, the rabbis added 39 rules to God’s law about the Sabbath and then made endless additions to those rules. Jesus, on the other hand, did not seek to control people through shame by laying down endless restrictive rules or by setting rigid, unreachable standards.—Matthew 23:2-4; John 7:47-49. (The Watchtower August 1, 1994 pg. 18 par. 11)
In a prophecy foretelling the New Covenant, Jeremiah was inspired to write these words:
“Look! The days are coming,” declares Jehovah, “when I will make with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah a new covenant. 32 It will not be like the covenant that I made with their forefathers on the day I took hold of their hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, ‘my covenant that they broke, although I was their true master,’ declares Jehovah.” 33 “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares Jehovah. “I will put my law within them, and in their heart I will write it. And I will become their God, and they will become my people.” 34 “And they will no longer teach each one his neighbor and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know Jehovah!’ for they will all know me, from the least to the greatest of them,” declares Jehovah. “For I will forgive their error, and I will no longer remember their sin.” (Jeremiah 31:31-34)
The Watchtower society also recognizes the importance of this prophecy. Note how application is made of it today:
“The Mosaic Law covenant was perfect. (Psalm 19:7) In spite of that, Jehovah promised: “Look! There are days coming, . . . and I will conclude with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah a new covenant; not one like the covenant that I concluded with their forefathers.” The Ten Commandments—the nucleus of the Mosaic Law—were written on stone tablets. But of the new covenant, Jehovah said: “I will put my law within them, and in their heart I shall write it.”—Jeremiah 31:31-34.
“…While Moses, the mediator of the old covenant, wrote down the Mosaic Law, Jesus, the Mediator of the new covenant, never wrote down a single law. Instead, he lived this law. By means of his perfect life course, he laid down a pattern for all to follow. (1 Peter 2:21) Perhaps that is why the early Christians’ worship was referred to as “The Way.” (Acts 9:2; 19:9, 23; 22:4; 24:22) To them, the law of the Christ was exemplified in the life of the Christ. To imitate Jesus was to obey this law. Their intense love of him meant that this law was indeed written on their hearts, as prophesied. (Jeremiah 31:33; 1 Peter 4:8) And one who is obedient because of love never feels oppressed—another reason why the law of the Christ may be called “the law of a free people.” (The Watchtower September 1, 1996 pgs. 14-15 pars.3,8)
Drawing a contrast between the Jews improper legalistic view of the Mosaic Law and Jesus teachings this same article continues:
Jesus and the Pharisees
10 It is hardly surprising, then, that Jesus came into conflict with the Jewish religious leaders of his day. A “perfect law that belongs to freedom” was as far from the minds of the scribes and the Pharisees as anything could be. They tried to control the people through man-made regulations. Their teaching became oppressive, condemnatory, negative. In stark contrast, Jesus’ teaching was overwhelmingly upbuilding and positive! He was practical and addressed the real needs and concerns of the people. He taught simply and with genuine feeling, using illustrations from everyday life and drawing from the authority of God’s Word. Thus, “the crowds were astounded at his way of teaching.” (Matthew 7:28) Yes, Jesus’ teaching reached their hearts!
11 Rather than adding more regulations to the Mosaic Law, Jesus showed how the Jews should have been applying that Law all along—with reasonableness and mercy…
It was even explained that, under the new arrangement, this way of dealing with the people, trusting their ability to arrive at godliness by responding to Jesus example and their own consciences, rather than being controlled by rules did not lead to chaos, disunity and uncleanness but was indeed a surpassing way:
Is the Law of the Christ Permissive?
12 Should we conclude, then, that because the law of the Christ “belongs to freedom,” it is permissive, whereas the Pharisees, with all their oral traditions, at least kept the conduct of people within strict bounds? No. Legal systems today illustrate that often the more laws there are, the more loopholes people find in them. In Jesus’ day the multiplicity of Pharisaic rules encouraged the seeking of loopholes, the perfunctory performance of works devoid of love, and the cultivating of a self-righteous exterior to mask inner corruption.—Matthew 23:23, 24.
14 To the extent that its members lived by the law of the Christ, the early Christian congregation enjoyed a warm, loving atmosphere, relatively free from the rigid, judgmental, and hypocritical attitudes so prevalent in the synagogues of the day. Members of these fledgling congregations must truly have sensed that they were living by “the law of a free people”!
However, trouble set in when certain men intent on returning to a rule oriented system arose:
15 However, Satan was eager to corrupt the Christian congregation from within, just as he had corrupted the nation of Israel. The apostle Paul warned of wolflike men who would “speak twisted things” and oppress the flock of God. (Acts 20:29, 30) He had to contend with Judaizers, who sought to trade in the relative freedom of the law of the Christ for enslavement to the Mosaic Law, which had been fulfilled in Christ. (Matthew 5:17; Acts 15:1; Romans 10:4) After the last of the apostles died, there was no more restraint against such apostasy. So corruption became rampant.—2 Thessalonians 2:6, 7. (Pgs. 16-17 pars. 10-15)
Often the claim is made, as is done in this article, that the Judaizers were intent on having Gentile Christians adhere to the Mosaic Law. This is partially true. The real problem was that an attitude similar to the one that Jesus had to address with the Pharisees was beginning to crop up in the Christian congregation. Excessive rule making! In fact, some of the most vocal supporters of circumcision at the Jerusalem council were those of the sect of the Pharisees. (Acts 15:5) There you have it! The first Pharisaic Christians. Surely, arguing in favor of the Mosaic Law would soon lead to arguing for adherence to their strict interpretation of it. (Col. 2:16,17)
The article then goes on to trace the historical development of Christians that later fell prey to this mentality that threatened the Galatians in Paul’s day:
Christendom Pollutes the Law of the Christ
16 As with Judaism, corruption took more than one form in Christendom. She too fell prey to false doctrines and loose morals. And her efforts to protect her flock against outside influences often proved corrosive to any remaining shreds of pure worship. Rigid and unscriptural laws proliferated.
17 The Catholic Church has been foremost in creating vast bodies of church law. These laws were particularly warped on matters pertaining to sex. According to the book Sexuality and Catholicism, the church absorbed the Greek philosophy of Stoicism, which was suspicious of all forms of pleasure. The church came to teach that all sexual pleasure, including that of normal marital relations, was sinful. (Contrast Proverbs 5:18, 19.) Sex was claimed to be for procreation, nothing else. Thus church law condemned any form of contraception as a very serious sin, sometimes requiring many years of penance. Further, the priesthood was forbidden to marry, an edict that has given rise to much illicit sex, including the abusing of children.—1 Timothy 4:1-3.
18 As church laws multiplied, they were organized into books. These began to obscure and supersede the Bible. (Compare Matthew 15:3, 9.) Like Judaism, Catholicism distrusted secular writing and deemed much of it a threat. This view soon went far beyond the Bible’s sensible caution on the matter. (Ecclesiastes 12:12; Colossians 2:8) Jerome, a church writer of the fourth century C.E., exclaimed: “O Lord, if ever again I possess worldly books or read them, I have denied thee.” In time, the church took to censoring books—even those on secular subjects. Thus 17th-century astronomer Galileo was censured for writing that the earth orbits the sun. The church’s insistence on being the final authority on everything—even on questions of astronomy—in the long run would work to undermine faith in the Bible.
19 The church’s rule-making flourished in monasteries, where monks separated themselves from this world to live in self-denial. Most Catholic monasteries adhered to “The Rule of St. Benedict.” The abbot (a term derived from the Aramaic word for “father”) ruled with absolute authority. (Compare Matthew 23:9.) If a monk received a gift from his parents, the abbot would decide whether that monk or some other should receive it. Besides condemning vulgarities, one rule forbade all small talk and jokes, saying: “No disciple shall speak such things.”
20 Protestantism, which sought to reform the unscriptural excesses of Catholicism, soon became equally adept at making authoritarian rules with no basis in the law of the Christ. For instance, the leading reformer John Calvin came to be termed “the legislator of the renovated Church.” He governed Geneva with a multitude of stern rules enforced by “Elders” whose “office,” Calvin noted, “is to have oversight of the life of everyone.” (Contrast 2 Corinthians 1:24.) The church controlled the inns and regulated which topics of conversation were allowable. There were stiff penalties for such offenses as singing flippant songs or dancing. (The Watchtower September 1, 1996 pgs. 14-19)
Notice the Catholic Church is blamed for advocating not a returning to the Mosaic Law but for creating a new system of rules and regulations to control the lives and consciences of Christians. The examples are:
- Multiplying laws and organizing them into books
- Distrust of non-Catholic writings
- Insistence on being the final authority on everything
- Forbidding to marry
- Separation from the world
- Granting elders authority to have oversight of the lives of Christians
The Watchtower would have us believe that this has been a problem for all Christian churches except for Jehovah’s Witnesses. Is that the case?
This will be discussed in the next article