In most parts of the US, college sports fans obsess over recruiting. Boosters of a particular schools lose sleep over the decision of some 18-year-old shooting guard or quarterback.
There are magazines, websites and TV shows dedicated to this bizarre meat market. Coaches spend most of their time trying convince high school athletes to come play in their program as they do coaching the players already there.
Here in Galatians 6:13 Paul is talking about recruiting. Not power forwards and shut down corners. But converts and followers.
He charges that a certain group of false teachers called the Judaizers are so obsessed with recruiting followers to their false gospel that they don't even believe what they are saying.
It's all about numbers. It's all about converts. It's all about winning the recruiting battle.
"For even those who are circumcised do not themselves keep the law" (v13). Paul comes right out and calls them hypocrites. These false teachers have infiltrated the Galatian churches (Gal 2:4) and sold them spiritual snake oil (Gal 1:6-9).
The Judaizers duped these new believers into thinking Paul didn't tell them the whole story. They taught that Jesus may get you into His kingdom but it's up to you to stay there through religious rule-keeping and self-salvation.
Jews must remain faithful law-abiding Jews. And according to these false teachers, Gentiles must convert to Judaism in order to be saved.
The big issue on the table is circumcision. Read through the book of Acts and you'll see a continual debate among Jewish Christians about what to do with Gentile Christians.
Do they need to become Jews before they can follow Jesus?
And that included a little "procedure" for the guys. Ouch!
That's the big argument in Acts 11 and 15. The folks at the home office in Jerusalem eventually decide that if God is giving non-Jews His Holy Spirit who are they to insist on delicate surgery (Acts 11:17-18; 15:11, 19-20, 28-29).
The Judaizers had fooled the Galatians into believing that circumcision was necessary for salvation. But Paul destroyed that argument by going back to the origin of circumcision and Abraham (Gal 3:1-29).
BEFORE Abe went under the knife, he did something much more important. "Abraham believed God" (Gal 3:6; Gen 15:6).
He trusted God. He believed in His goodness. In His almighty power. In His ability to save. And as a result, "it was credited to him as righteousness.”
God introduced circumcision as a sign of His promise to eventually bless Abe's descendants. It was never meant to save. You see, before circumcision and before the law, there was faith.
And here's the crazy thing. "For even those who are circumcised do not themselves keep the law" (v13). They don't even practice what they preach.
Pull back the curtain on their lives and you'll see that they are just as jacked up as you and I are. You'll see that they need Jesus just as much as you and I do.
Why don't they keep the law? They can't! it's an impossible standard. God doesn't grade on a curve. It's the ultimate pass/fail. If I don't obey it all perfectly and completely, I fail at all of it (Dt 27:26; James 2:10).
Paul makes it clear that God never meant His law to save (Gal 3:10-11). It was only meant to point to our need of a Savior. The law is only meant as a diagnostic tool. It has no power to heal my soul sickness.
Let's take a look in the mirror just a moment. We're just as bad as the Judaizers. We have our own little pet legalistic projects that we turn into something bigger than God ever meant them to be. The Lord gave circumcision as a sign of His covenant promise. Nothing more.
We also take His gifts and turn them into legalism. I MUST read the Bible EVERY morning or I must not be saved. I MUST spend 15 minutes in prayer EVERYDAY or I must not be saved.
I MUST tell three people about Jesus EVERYDAY or I must not be saved. I MUST be baptized or must not be saved. I MUST be in a small group or I must not be saved.
Please don't miss this. These are all wonderful things that we each should do. But they are NOT how we are saved.
Only Jesus saves. And He saves completely. Forever. When He yelled, "It is finished!" from the cross, He meant that there was NOTHING left for us to do (Jn 19:30).
Discipleship is a wonderful thing. Providing guidance to others about how they can enjoy their walk with Jesus is incredibly important.
Even Paul told the Corinthians to follow him while he follows Christ (1Cor 11:1). But insisting on anything beyond trusting in what Jesus has done for me is legalism and self-salvation.
The apostle lets the Galatians in on another of the Judaizers' dirty little secrets. Not only are they failing to follow the rules they demand to be followed, "but they desire to have you circumcised that they may boast in your flesh" (v13).
This has absolutely nothing to do with any concern for the spiritual well-being of the folks in the Galatian churches.
No, this is all about recruiting. These false teachers want to pad their resume. They want to add the Galatians like notches on their gun belt.
This is all about winning the recruiting battle. This is all about getting names on a letter of intent. This all about building a roster.
The Judaizers want to rustle sheep from Paul's pen. What they don't realize is that they are actually trying to rustle sheep from the pen of the Great Shepherd.
Can we speak frankly for just a moment? Good. Our churches today often commit the same sin. We think our method is the best. We think our style is the best. We think denomination is the best.
We love to brag about people who have come from other churches only to find "the truth" at our fellowship. We need to be careful. VERY careful. We're on a slippery slope of committing the same sin as the false teachers of Galatia.
As we see so often, Eugene Peterson provides a wonderful lens for us to view Scripture. His paraphrase The Message reads: "All their talk about the law is gas. They themselves don't keep the law! And they are highly selective in the laws the do observe. They only want you to be circumcised so they can boast of their success in recruiting you to their side. That is contemptible!" (Gal 6:13 The Message).
For the Judaizers, it's all about winning the recruiting battle.
©2012
Jay Jennings
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