The Holy Prophet Zephaniah (Sophonias) (7th century BC)
Nativity Fast
Galatians 3:8-12; Luke 9:57-62
Read Galatians 3:8-12
Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!
What “gets us in” as Christians? This is the question that Paul is wrestling with in his letter to the Galatians. St. Paul is responding to the Judaisers a group of Jewish Christians who essentially argued that the way to Christ was through Judaism. Those who wanted to follow Christ first needed to be circumcised and follow all the dietary and ritual laws. St. Paul argues that it is not in following the (misapplied) Law or through circumcision, but by sharing in the faith of Abraham. A promise was made to Abraham that all nations would find a blessing through him, and specifically, his faith.
We Gentiles “are in” because of our faith in Jesus Christ, one which was prepared for with God’s Chosen People through the Old Covenant and perfected in the New through faith in God’s Son.
St. John Chrysostom writes:
For since they were perturbed by the greater antiquity of the law and the fact that faith came after the law, he destroys this surmise of theirs, showing that faith is older than the law. That is obvious from Abraham, since he was justified before the appearance of the law.… “The one who gave the law,” he says, in effect “was the one who decreed before the law was given that the Gentiles should be justified.” And Paul does not say “revealed” but “preached the gospel” [beforehand to Abraham], so that you may understand that even the patriarch rejoiced in this kind of righteousness and greatly desired its advent. (Homily on Galatians 3.8)