The epistle to the Galatians was written against false doctrines being spread around in the Galatian church, however what is interesting is that Paul seems to affirm their salvation despite this falling, as he states in Galatians 3:2: "This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?". If the Galatians had received the Holy Spirit they must have been saved!
Additionally Paul seems to be comfortable with calling the Galatians "brethren", as he states in Galatians 6:1 "Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted."
Paul was thus comfortable with seeing them as justified, despite their fall into a false gospel, as they had initially believed the true gospel.
This is a good article. I think some people might question if the word "Apostatize" rightly applies to the Galatians, since they had fallen from grace but they had not completely fallen away from the Christian faith. We might call them (or view them as) legalistic Christians. What I mean is that the Galatian believers had fallen into false doctrine, but they had not completely abandoned the Christian faith. You see what I'm saying? Apostasy is to completely abandon the Christian faith. I would say in a limited sense they did (or at least it could be viewed that way), but not completely.
ReplyDeleteI do, however, think you have a point, in a specific way of looking at it. If nothing else, it has great rhetorical value because the way you frame it forces a person to grapple with the seriousness of the Galatian error. I think that in terms of salvation by grace, they did abandon it.