So Long, Pluto
Back in ancient times when I was but a wee child in elementary school, our solar system had nine planets. We studied it by looking at a 3D model that our teacher had made from bent coat hangers and painted foam balls of varying sizes, and sure enough, there was Pluto chugging along in ninth place. Then suddenly my world was rocked in 2006 when the International Astronomical Union had the audacity to reclassify Pluto as a dwarf planet, taking it out of the place it had held for centuries in our system. How in the universe could this have happened? Yes, new technology and intense study revealed that Pluto was not what it was first presumed to be, but to have such a massive shift in our understanding was unsettling to say the least. I still have to remember when talking to my grandchildren that the solar system only has eight planets. Back in my day, we had nine!
I imagine that this was how the news of Christ’s resurrection hit the Jews during Paul’s many journeys. Having been raised in the permanent solidity of the Law, the very idea that the Law was no longer useful in obtaining salvation must have felt like someone just took a planet away.
Paul’s letter to the Galatians on this subject is a quintessential exposé of this true but startling discovery. We see him at his theological best in these verses, unpacking the complete reversal of traditional thinking about the Law bringing salvation. He aligns himself by identifying as a born Jew then quickly makes the bold statement that righteousness no longer comes by the works of the Law, but rather through the faithfulness of Christ.
Galatians 2 (Common English Bible)
15 We are born Jews—we’re not Gentile sinners. 16 However, we know that a person isn’t made righteous by the works of the Law but rather through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ. We ourselves believed in Christ Jesus so that we could be made righteous by the faithfulness of Christ and not by the works of the Law—because no one will be made righteous by the works of the Law. 17 But if it is discovered that we ourselves are sinners while we are trying to be made righteous in Christ, then is Christ a servant of sin? Absolutely not! 18 If I rebuild the very things that I tore down, I show that I myself am breaking the Law.
Earlier in this Scripture, Paul had to rebuke Peter. The debate on whether or not Gentiles had to become Jews first before receiving Christ plagued the early church. Circumcision and keeping a Kosher table were part of this issue, and Peter had separated himself from the uncircumcised at meals while visiting the new church at Antioch. Paul was appalled. Peter knew better, but was fearful of “certain men from James” who strongly believed that adherence of Jewish Law was a step for Gentile inclusion. I often wonder if fear keeps many of us from saying and doing the things we know are true.
Paul never wavered in his understanding of the power of the cross. He died to his old life under the Law with Christ’s death. By his faith in the faithfulness of God’s son, he was able to move from an intellectual understanding of the power of grace to a personal heart-embrace of Jesus’ love for him. Much like John Wesley’s famous Aldersgate moment when he felt his “heart strangely warmed” and moved from thinker to believer, Paul declared himself all in for Jesus.
19 I died to the Law through the Law, so that I could live for God. 20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. And the life that I now live in my body, I live by faith, indeed, by the faithfulness of God’s Son, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I don’t ignore the grace of God, because if we become righteous through the Law, then Christ died for no purpose.
How about you? Are you all in? Do you put your whole trust in his grace, or are you still trying to work out your own salvation through ritual and good deeds? Jesus invites us to die to ourselves so that we may live with him. Don’t miss your chance.
At Water’s Edge 