Galatian Errors Three Ancient Errors Refuted Lr) Paul, That are Still Rampant in the Church By THE LATE DR. C. I. SCOFIELD
the Epistle to th e Galatians e Holy Sp irit through Paul eets and answers the three eat errors into which, in differ
of Jesus C h rist” (Gal. 2:15, 16), have be lieved; “ for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.” 2. The law has executed its sentence upon the believer (Gal. 2:19); death has freed him. Identified w ith C h rist’s death by faith , he, in the reckoning of God, died w ith Christ (Rom. 6:3-10; 7:4). 3. B ut righteousness is by faith , not by law (Gal. 2:21). 4. The Holy S pirit is given to faith , not law-works (Gal. 3:1-9). 5. “ As many as are of the works of th e law are under th e curse” —and the reason is given: “ Cursed is everyone th a t continueth not in all things which are w ritten in th e book of the law to do th em ” (Gal. 3:10). The law, then, cannot “ h elp ,” bu t can only do its g reat and necessary work of condemnation (Rom. 3:19, 20; 2 Cor. 3:7, 9; Gal. 3:19; James 2 : 10 ). Elsewhere (Rom. 5:1-5) th e Spirit, by th e same Apostle, sums up the results of justification by fa ith w ith every semblance of human m erit carefully excluded. Grace, through fa ith in Jesus Christ, has brought the believer into peace w ith God, a stand ing in grace, and assured hope of glory. Tribulation can bu t serve to .develop in him new graces. The very love th a t saved him through grace now fills his h e a rt; the Holy Sp irit is given him, and he joys in God. And all by grace, through fa ith I The Second E rror The Spirit next meets and refutes the second great error concerning the rela tions of law and grace—th e notion th a t th e believer, though assuredly justified by fa ith through graee wholly w ithout law- works, is, a fte r justification, put under law as a rule of life. This is the current form of the Galatian
ent degrees; theological systems have fallen. The course of th is demonstration is like th e resistless march of an armed host. N othing can stand before it. The reason ings of ancient and modern legalists are scattered like the chaff of th e summer threshing floor. We have, most of us, been reared and now live under th e influence of Galatian- ism. P ro te sta n t theology, alas, is fo r the most p art, thoroughly Galatianized, in th a t n either law nor grace are given th eir dis tin c t and separated places, as in th e coun sels of God, bu t are mingled together in one incoherent system. The law is no longer, as in the D ivine in ten t, a m inistra tion of death (2 Cor. 3:7), of eursing (Gal. 3:10), of conviction (Rom. 3:19), because we are tau g h t th a t we must try to keep it, and th a t by D ivine help we may. Nor, on th e other hand, does grace bring us blessed deliverance from the dominion of sin, fo r we are kept under the law as a rule of life despite th e plain declaration, “ Sin shall no t have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, bu t under g race” (Rom. 6:14). The F irst E rror The S p irit first meets the contention th a t justification is p artly by law-works and p artly by fa ith through grace (Gal. 2:5 to 3:24). The steps are: 1. Even the Jews, who are not like the Gentiles, hopeless, “ and w ithout God in the w o rld ” ' (Eph. 2:12), bu t already in covenant relations w ith God, even they, ‘ ‘know ing th a t a man is not justified by the works of the law, b u t by the faith
Made with FlippingBook - Online Brochure Maker