Leaven Leaven

Volume 3 Issue 1 Galatians Article 6

1-1-1995

Life in the Spirit: Paul's Answer to the Galatians Life in the Spirit: Paul's Answer to the Galatians

H. H. Simeroth

Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/leaven

Part of the Biblical Studies Commons, Christianity Commons, and the Religious Thought, Theology

and Philosophy of Religion Commons

Recommended Citation Recommended Citation Simeroth, H. H. (1995) "Life in the Spirit: Paul's Answer to the Galatians," Leaven: Vol. 3: Iss. 1, Article 6. Available at: https://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/leaven/vol3/iss1/6

This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Religion at Pepperdine Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Leaven by an authorized editor of Pepperdine Digital Commons. For more information, please contact bailey.berry@pepperdine.edu.

18 Leaven, vol. 3, #1

Life In The SpiritPaul's Answer

To The Galatians

Longbefore Paul wrote his letter to the Galatians,the prophets wrote of a time to come in which the"Spiritual Presence" of Godwould bring about a newera, a new way of relating to God and a new form oflife in the Spirit. The relationship between God andIsrael under the Law had failed when Jeremiahforetold of a new covenant:

I will put my law within them, and I willwrite it on their hearts; and I will be theirGod, and they shall be my people. Nolonger shall they teach one another, orsay to each other, 'Know the Lord,' forthey shall all know me, from the least ofthem to the greatest, says the Lord; for Iwill forgive their iniquity, and remembertheir sin no more (Jer 31:31-34, NRSV).

Ezekiel had seen the failure ofIsrael and the Lawwhen the Spirit moved him to write:

A new heart I will give you, and a newspirit I will put within you; and I willremove from your body the heart of stoneand giveyou a heart offlesh. I will put myspirit within you, and cause you to followmy statutes and be careful to observe my

byH. H. (Bo) Simeroth

ordinances (Ezek 36:26-27).

These prophets were speaking of a new era tocome which would be superior to the Law becauseGodwould provide his people with the power and theheart to please him. This would be a time when Godwouldbring into being a new creation by the power ofhis Holy Spirit; a time in which law and religionwouldbe superseded by the superior way oflife in theSpirit. For Paul that time had come in Jesus theChrist and there was no going back to the old ways:

Life in the Spirit: The Overall Theo-logical Context

In Acts 17, speaking to the Athenians, Paulintroduces them, and us, to a God in whom "we liveand move and have our being." Paul taught thatthere is a sense in which all humankind are "God'soffspring." Ironically he makes it clear that theseAthenians are estranged from this God whom theyultimately depend upon for their power of life andexistence. This is our dilemma as "human" beings.We are, by the very nature of our being, dependentupon and inseparably linked to our Creator andSustainer, and yet, at the same time, weare estranged.What an awe-full predicament to be in - separatedfrom the "ground" ofour being while having a heart-

1

Simeroth: Life in the Spirit: Paul's Answer to the Galatians

Published by Pepperdine Digital Commons, 1995

breaking need for this One. Since our exit from theGarden, so it has been.

The Athenians of Paul's time expressed thisdilemma through their many human religious prac-tices which were evident from all the idols in the city.In our time, Karl Barth's remark that humankindhas an "incurable God-sickness," well expresses thishuman tendency toward religious practice as anattempt to solve our most basic problem. Paul soughtto take advantage of the religious impulses of theAthenians by declaring to them this estranged "un-known God;"not a godofhuman creation but the Onewho, moment-by-moment, gives to all the power oflife and existence, that is, a God who seeks to inti-mately relate to us as a father to a child. Paul knewthe answer to their need which was expressed bytheir religion. He knew it could not be found inreligious practice. His own life had proven that. ForPaul the overarching goal ofhis life, and ofall humanlife, was to overcome this estrangement andexperience reunion with God. Paul saw only one waythat this end goal oflife could be reached - throughnew creation in Jesus the Christ. His Galatian letterprovides the answer to our human predicament andto reaching the true end goal of life, "For neithercircumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision,but a new creation" (6:15).

Reunion with God must overcome a great gulfwhich, according to Scripture, stands between Godand humankind. The many references, both directlyand in ritual symbol, to God's holiness and tran-scendence remind us of this separation. This"apartness" has two categorical components: one is amoral difference; the other is the nature of our beingand God.

Morally we are separate and apart from God.God is perfect goodness, and righteous in every way.We are sinful, rebellious and ungodly. There is onlyone who is good and that is God alone. Thus ourmoral nature and God's moral nature are radicallydifferent.

We are also separate and apart from God by thenature of our being. God is spirit (John 4:24);we areflesh. He is infinite; we are finite. He is absolute; weare relative. He is immortal; we are mortal.

How can we, as creatures so finite and small, evercome into union with our infinite Creator? God,himself, has made this possible through the incred-ible work of Jesus, the Christ, the Son of God. Thisis the "goodnews" which Paul earnestly desired thatthe Galatians know. Jesus dealt with both aspects ofour separation from God. The offering of his sinlesslife on the cross removed the moral issue between usand God. "For our sake he made him to be sin whoknew no sin, so that in him we might become the

Galatians 19

righteousness of God" (2 Cor 5:21, NRSV). Jesus'resurrection and the resulting power ofhis "SpiritualPresence" given to those responding in faith bringsabout a "new creation" in the image ofChrist. In this"new being" the issue of the difference in our naturefrom that of God's is dealt with. Weare beingtransformed into a new spiritual creation which willbe like the risen Christ. Thus, the power of the HolySpirit creating new being in us overcomes our sepa-ration as "human" beings from God and ultimatelybrings us full reunion with our Creator.

The Law (and all law) focuses on the moral issuebetween humankind and God. Law cannot providethe power to do the goodand the right while avoidingthe evil and the wrong. Law cannot change the heart.The prophets spoke of the necessity for somethingnew. Only the new creation in Christ by the HolySpirit could soempower lives. "The written codekillsbut the Spirit gives life" (2 Cor 3:5, 6). Paul showsvery clearly in his letter to the Romans (chapter 7)hisrealization of the bondage of the old person and thepowerless feeling of the flesh. Paul knew that theproblem of our weak flesh had to be dealt with firstbefore the moral. He places being prior to doing. Hisproblem with the Galatians is that they were placingreligious practice (doing) above or in place ofliving inthe Spirit (being).

Paul had experienced the new creation in Christofwhich the prophets spoke; a way ofbeing in whichlaw and religion are superseded by "living in theSpirit." Yet these "foolish Galatians," who had alsoshared this experience, wanted to revert back to theold inferior way of law and religion. The thrust ofPaul's message in the Galatian letter is that the newcreation in Christ and the concomitant life in theSpirit are God's ultimate answer to the true needs ofeach and every person; all other religious attempts tomeet these needs are vain and powerless. Only Godgives the power by grace through faith in Christ to befreed from guilt, to overcome bondage to this world,to put away the old false ego-self and to live like Jesus- walking by and in the Spirit. No system oflaw orreligion can ever do this.

Life in the Spirit: The ImmediateContext of the Galatian Letter

From internal references within the letter, it isapparent that a religious controversy was brewing inthe Galatian churches. Paul had brought the GoodNews to the people there some time before. They hadbeen given the Spirit (3:2-5)but were falling backwardinto trusting law and religious practice. There issome evidence that more is going on than just areturn to Jewish Law. There seems to be a form ofreligious syncretism going on in Galatia with a com-

2

Leaven, Vol. 3 [1995], Iss. 1, Art. 6

https://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/leaven/vol3/iss1/6

20 Leaven, vol. 3, #1

Pau! sees rife in the Spirit as the on[y answer formeeting the needs ana anxieties of human. rife. It

is not a movement from raw to no-raw, butrather.. .. it is a transformation by the power of

the inawe[fing J{o[y Spirit. .. .

bining of Christian, Jewish and Pagan religiouspractice.' Paul not only refers to the Jews beingenslaved to the Law but also to the religious paganbeing enslaved to the gods ofnature - the "weak andbeggarly elemental spirits" (4:10) - the states oftheearth, sun, moon and stars which they believed hadcontrol over their lives. Edward Schillebeeckx inChrist: the Experience of Jesus as Lord states, "I thinkthat in Galatians we have a form ofsyncretism whichwas to become even more marked in Asia Minor andin which Jewishperitome (circumcision, which at thattime was also 'in' with non-Jews) played a role.'?

Several have noted that Paul, in Galatians 2:16,does not use the article in the Greek text in referringto law. The phrases should read works of law orobserving law (not the law as the KJV, RSV and NIVhave it). Although there are many references in theGalatian letter to Jewish Law, Paul does not seem tobe focused totally on the Law of Moses. He wants toinclude all legalistic systems which try to manipulatethe favor of deity by human deeds.

All the way through the Galatian letter, Paul'sprimary focus is the contrast between the old and thenew state ofthings. In chapter one he contrasts hisold religious practice ofJudaism, his advancement inlearning from "human" teachers and his zeal for"human" tradition, with the new teaching of theGospel, which was received by revelation from Christand not from human origin. In chapter two hecontrasts the old attempts at justification throughhuman deeds to the new life justified by faith inChrist; he also contrasts the old man whom he hascrucified with the new man in whom Christ dwells.In chapter three he recalls the Galatians' old worksin the flesh and contrasts that to the new work oftheSpirit within them. He contrasts the old imprison-ment and bondage under the law to the new freedomin Christ. He also contrasts the old psycho-socialorder (Jew and Greek, slave and free, male andfemale) to the new order which has no social or classdistinctions for all are "one in Christ Jesus." Chapterfour contrasts enslavement to old religions and re-gimes (human power structures) with the new free-

dom of being thechildren of God, andthe oldrelationship asslaves to the new

relationship aschildren of God. In

chapter fivePaul contrasts the old religious practices,both Jewish and Pagan (circumcision anduncircumcision) with the new spiritual practice of"faith working through love," which is Paul's defini-tion of true religion. He also contrasts the works ofthe flesh (the old nature) with the fruit of the Spirit,and the putting to death ofthe old nature with livingin and by the Spirit. Finally in chapter six we find thecomparison between the goodness of moral action inthe Spirit with the wickedness ofcontinuing to pleasethe flesh (the old false self). Throughout thesechapters we continually see Paul, both implicitly andexplicitly, referring to the clash of two power sys-tems: a system of grace resting on the power of Godstanding against a system of law dependent on hu-man power. The Galatians are urged to place theirfaith in the former.

With this in mind, let us recall what I believe tobe Paul's final summation argument in the Galatianletter and the thesis for this article - "For neithercircumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision,but a new creation." Paul is saying that neitherJewish religious practice nor Pagan (Gentile) reli-gious practice is worth anything. The old powers ofLaw and the gods which enslaved persons have beenthrown down by Christ. They are part of an old era.What counts now is this new being in Christ, walkingand living in the Spirit, which is part of a new order,a new reality which transcends all human religiousactions. Religion cannot produce the "new being,"only Christ by the power of his "Spiritual Presence"can do that. In Paul Tillich's words, "Christianity ismore than a religion; it is the message of a newcreation."3

Paul's key point to the Galatians is in the form ofa question - why would they want to go back to theold bondage to human regimes after they have tastedtheir new life in the Spirit? Paul sees life in the Spiritas the only answer for meeting the needs and anxi-eties ofhuman life. It is not a movement from law tono-law, but rather, through Jesus the Christ, it is atransformation by the power of the indwelling HolySpirit into a new way ofbeing, the only possible way

3

Simeroth: Life in the Spirit: Paul's Answer to the Galatians

Published by Pepperdine Digital Commons, 1995

of doing what God desires. Life in the Spirit is freefrom bondage to sin and to law. We are free to serveGod wholeheartedly. Life in the Spirit is neitherlegalism, nor license, nor some middle way in be-tween, it is a higher way - a way that is qualitativelydifferent. From the position of reason, this higherway seems the obvious choice for the Galatians. Thehuman ego,however, resists this choicebecause hardsacrifices are required. I will discuss this later inmore detail.

Life in the Spirit: Paul's Answer toAll Christians

The concept of living in the Spirit in Paul'sGalatian letter (and in his other letters as well) couldbe described as the invited participation of the"Spiritual Presence" of God and Christ in our lives.Perhaps the most outstanding characteristic of thisSpiritual Presence is power - a power greater thanourselves and greater than any earthly power system.Paul sawall the systems of power in the present evilage as having been destroyed by Christ. They werepart of the old order and were passing away. Thisincluded the Law as a power system which Jesusovercame (Gal 4:3,9). Paul's emphasis is on a newcreation which depends on a new power, the power ofthe Spirit ofGod. Living in the Spirit is living by andin this power as a new being. This way oflife beginswith faith in Christ which subsequently requires theputting away ofthe old person (the old false ego-self).We are then continuously brought into a closer unionwith God and Christ. This participative union resultsin a life which produces the fruit of the Spirit.

Living in the Spirit begins with faith in Christ.Faith takes the place of law as a new and differentpower system. Schillebeeckx states, "The law camewhile faith 'is revealed' (Gal 3:23-25)... faith is amystery which was hidden in God for centuries andrevealed in Christ."! Faith brings freedom and re-union with God; the old regimes oflaw bring bondageand separation.

Faith in Christ is not just belief. It is a responseofthe entire person - the mind, the heart (scripturalmetaphor for the "Personal Center"), and the body.Faith is both our grasping onto and our being graspedby the Lord Jesus Christ. Our baptism metaphori-cally demonstrates faith overcoming the two previ-ously mentioned aspects of separation between usand God. The symbol of washing in baptism repre-sents our being cleansed from sin which deals withthe moral issue between us and God. The symbol ofdeath and resurrection in baptism (Rom6:3, 4)pointsto our new creation in Christ which overcomes thedifference in being between us and God. Baptismrepresents the birth point ofa new being that is being

Galatians 21

transformed into the likeness ofthe risen Christ. Wehave often made the mistake of emphasizing inbaptism the moral issue of forgiveness while sayinglittle about the relational change ofa new creation inthe Spirit. Perhaps our focus has been too much onguilt and law and not enough on new being and thepower of the Spirit.

Out of our faith and symbolically in our baptisma death must occur. The Spirit does not give lifewithout first leading us through the experience ofdeath. Paul writes in Galatians 5:24, "those whobelong to Christ must crucify the flesh." The conceptof"the flesh" (Greek -sarx), is a metaphor Paul usesto represent our old sinful nature, that selfish egowhich we have constructed over the years of livingapart from God's Spirit in our lives. It is our own "do-it-yourself' project based on our agenda and notGod's. This ego-self shaped by the contemporarysocial and psychological forces of this world in con-junction with our personal "unfaith," pride, andconcupiscence is sometimes referred to as "the falseself." It is false because it is based upon the lie thatwe can live successfully without God, and because itis built upon the great lie: "you shall be as God." Ourtrue selfis that which the Creator intended for eachof us - a self in harmonious union with God. Jesusis the example ofwhat our true self ought to be. Thefalse self does what it pleases; the true self does whatpleases God. AB long as the false self dominates ourperson we cannot live in the power of the Spirit,therefore we must regard the old self as dead.

Paul is often criticized by his opponents forteaching an "easy Gospel." It appears that some ofhis critics accuse him ofopening the door to sin for theChristian, which he flatly denies (Romans 6). On thecontrary what Paul is teaching is the most demandingofall- to put to death the old false self. Perhaps thisexplains the Galatians' odd desire to want to returnto the old ways. The moralistic, legalistic approachto the Christian life is actually the easy way. It buildsup the false self and allows the personal ego to beinflated with pride and self-deception. It is mucheasier to followreligious rules, conventions and ritualsfastidiously then to crucify "the old man," that falseself to which we have become so attached and workedso hard to develop, protect and preserve. The road ofreligion is easier to travel than the way of the Spiritbecause it is humanly conceived and constructed andappeals to the human ego. The way oflaw causes usto focus on ourselves; we must look beyond ourselvesto that which is greater.

Crucifying our false self is very difficult. It willkick and scream, and pout and whine like a spoiledchild, but its ways must be denied. The only escapefrom both legalism and license is in putting away the

4

Leaven, Vol. 3 [1995], Iss. 1, Art. 6

https://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/leaven/vol3/iss1/6

22 Leaven, vol. 3, #1

old false self and embracing the way of the Spirit. Inthis way there is freedom from bondage to law andreligion, freedom from bondage to sin and the desiresof the old false self and freedom to be one with God.

Out ofour faith in Christ and our rejection of theold false self with its desires, which are in oppositionto the Spirit (Gal 5:17), arises the possibility oflivingin the Spirit. The false self becomes increasinglysubdued as we grow in Christ, but it will never beeliminated in this life. There is no alternative but fulldependence on God's grace. Living in the Spirit isliving in dependence on grace and living by the powerofthe "Presence ofGod." Living in the Spirit is lettingourselves be transformed (Rom 12:2)5by Christ intothat new being which puts on his nature and sharesin his power. What is the evidence ofthis new beingin the Spirit? Paul, like Jesus, points to the fruitproduced by such a life. Notice when he refers to theold sin nature in Galatians 5.19 he uses the termworks of the flesh. In Galatians Paul thinks ofworksin terms of the actions of the false self. Fruit, on theother hand, is the natural product of our true self inspiritual union with God (5:22).

Notice the first three manifestations of the fruitof the Spirit: love, joy, peace. These are all specialgifts that God places in our hearts by the Spirit. Theyare not of this world and can never be producedthrough human wisdom or power. Love is the verynature ofGod. It is the Spirit which "pours God's loveinto our hearts" (Rom 5:5). God's love, which we oftencall agape love is the essential trait of God and thequintessential trait/act of humankind. When we actin agape we transcend this world and are transportedinto the realm of Spirit. This love does not originatein "human being" except by the Spirit. It eludesdefinition. It is the intersection ofcompassion, charityand good will in which the whole is somehow greaterthan the sum of the parts. In this love, all religion istranscended, all law is fulfilled, perfect freedom isrealized and oneness with God is experienced. In"human being," agape is not the love offriendship orromantic love or sentimentality, but rather, a heartburning with compassion, generosity, justice anddesire for unity. All love which originates from"human being" is only a shadow of agape love whichis the substance ofall human love. For Paul life in theSpirit is "faith expressing itself through love" (Gal5:6, NM. This, for Paul, is pure religion - our faithbearing the fruit of God's agape love.

The Spirit inspires joy in us when the grace ofChrist has opened our hearts. The spiritual life is ajourney into joy -joy in knowing God's lavish love for

us,joy in the company of Jesus,joy in forgetting self,joy in thanksgiving and celebration of life and allcreation and joy in suffering and trial. James says,"Count it all joy whenever you face various trials"(James 1:2). Jonathan Edwards, the 18th centuryPuritan preacher, suggested that the way to identifya true Christian was to look for joy. He saw this assolid evidence that the presence of God was in aperson's life. Paul's joy was not an earthly joy. It wasa joy that caused him to sing praise to God in thePhilippian jail, to write "rejoice in the Lord always"while being held prisoner by Rome, and it caused himto tell the Colossians that he rejoiced in his sufferings(1:24). It is true that when one faithfully enduressuffering, the Spirit of God places a joy in your heartthat is beyond description.

Peace, as fruit of the Spirit, like love and joy, isnot of this world. Nothing in this world can grant uspeace from the ever present anxieties oflife which are"the lot ofhumankind; only the peace of Christ can dothat. The Fourth Gospel affirms, "Peace I leave withyou; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as theworld gives" (John 14:27, NRSV). The peace whichresults from life in the Spirit is not something weattain but something which is given to us by grace; itgoes beyond human knowledge and understanding.Paul describes it as "the peace ofGod which passes allunderstanding" (Phil 4:7). Living in the Spirit resultsin this peace.

The remaining fruit of the Spirit - patience,kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control - are all behaviors which result from thelove,joy and peace ofGod residing in our hearts. Wedo not train ourselves on how to be patient, kind, good(generous in some translations), gentle, etc. Thesebehaviors are the additional fruit from the Spirit'sgifts of love, joy and peace.

Life in the Spirit is not part of the old order. It isnew life in the Kingdom of God where love, joy andpeace reign. It is a new life begun as faith in Jesus theChrist. It is an ending of the old life of the false self.It is freedom from bondage to law and religion. It isfreedom to serve Godfrom the heart. For the one whowalks in the "Spiritual Presence," lives by the powerof the "Spiritual Presence," and is touched by the"Spiritual Presence" ofGod and the Lord Jesus Christthe old has passed away, behold, all is made new andlife will never be the same again.

H. H. (Bo) Simeroth lives in Solana Beach, Cali-fornia. Simeroth has taught religion at Seaver Col-lege, Pepperdine University and has served in vari-

5

Simeroth: Life in the Spirit: Paul's Answer to the Galatians

Published by Pepperdine Digital Commons, 1995