Galatians 5:18 … Subject to the Spirit (04/05/17)
“If you are led by the Spirit,
you are not subject to the law.”
~ Paul (Galatians 5:18)
This statement from Paul is true enough, though it is important to realize that he made this statement to affirm his own self-created (and fully-warped, and entitlement-based, and fear-steeped) theology of Atonement – a theology that existed in direct contradiction to The Way of Christ as taught & enlivened by Jesus himself …
In essence, Paul brazenly claimed that the Law no longer mattered so that folks would be tempted to agree with him, andfollow him & his teachings; thereby boosting his low self-esteem (while counterproductively circumventing their own) … Jesus, on the other Heart, said in Matthew 5:17-18 that we must humbly & courageously “fulfill” (the Greek word “pleroo“, which meant “to hone”, “to perfect” or “to bring to completion” — see Strong’s #4137) every bit of the Law, and that we are to do so by transcending the way the Law had been warped by the Jewish religious authorities of his day – do so by expanding & fulfilling the intent of those Laws by doing more than they required, and thereby coming to know the Kingdom of Heaven available to all those who chose to purely Love others in that way — instead of using the Law as a cheap excuse to condemn others &/or protect oneself (see Luke 17:20-21 + John 13:15-17 + Matthew 16:24 + Matthew 24:12-24 + Matthew 25:35-40 et al).
And this Truth becomes quite evident when contrasting the greater context of Galatians 5 (where we see Paul openly rebuking and condemning the sinfulness of humankind) with the greater context of Matthew 5 – where Jesus is speaking openly of the potential glories of becoming fully Human.
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