Readings:
1 Chronicles 23
Sirach 9
Galatians 5

Galatians 5

Paul again likens the law of Moses to slavery. Not because it’s an inherently bad thing, after all it was handed down by God himself, but because after experiencing the liberty of living under the grace of Christ it would be like a freed slave returning to his former life if you resubmitted yourself to the yoke of the law.

When Paul here says that Christ is of no advantage to one who receives circumcision, he is using that as shorthand for the law and not exactly the specific practice of circumcision. Many cultures perform it for various reasons and it’s a hotly debated topic that I have zero interest in wading into, but for Christians we are banned from observing it as a religious practice. Just like we are prohibited from observing other Old Testament rites if we equate them with justification and salvation.

In Paul’s teachings, to embrace the law and the Old Testament ceremonies as a way to salvation is to reject Christ. You can’t have both, you have to chose.

Tomorrow’s Readings:
1 Chronicles 24-26
Sirach 10
Galatians 6