Based on Galatians 5:1-18 (New King James Version)
“Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing. And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law. You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love. You ran well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? This persuasion does not come from Him who calls you. A little leaven leavens the whole lump. I have confidence in you, in the Lord, that you will have no other mind; but he who troubles you shall bear his judgment, whoever he is. And I, brethren, if I still preach circumcision, why do I still suffer persecution? Then the offense of the cross has ceased. I could wish that those who trouble you would even cut themselves off! For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another! I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.”
Since the Lord came to this world to establish the new covenant through His Person, there has been a lot of confusion in man about what a person must do to be saved, to attain eternal life. But what must be made very clear is that it is not God's fault, because He is not a God of confusion, but of Truth, of light, and of life. So, what is the problem? Us. Human beings, when they are guided by their carnality, by their own ideas, and are not humble and sensitive to God, are the ones who produce these controversies and confusions, because the Truth is the Truth, but it all depends on how a person wants to hear It, whether they are really willing to listen to It, or if they have other intentions. But, quite simply, there are no controversies in the sound doctrine of Christ, in what He taught us. God offers a single, exact, and precise Path to reach eternal life, but man (and of course, through the devil's temptation) is the one who creates other paths, other ideas, and gives birth to confusion and ravings.
The first thing we should look at is the matter of whether Christ really came to put an end to the law. Let's first see what this law is. The law is all the commandments that were given to us before the Lord came to earth, and it was given through Moses, so that God's people could have the best life possible on this earth. And within that law, there were commands that were carnal or symbolic signs or practices, like this matter of circumcision. Circumcision was a physical sign that God established as part of that law. And if we see it medically, it is also a very good hygiene practice for men, to avoid certain complications that can affect men and women. But the Lord said this: “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.” Matthew 5:17. So, is there a contradiction between what the Lord said and what Paul teaches here in Galatians? Of course not. Christ did not come to abrogate or remove the fundamentals of the law, which does produce eternal life, but the physical, which does not really impact the soul of man, and that is what Paul is referring to. That is why this practice of circumcision is no longer necessary, because it was something external, physical, something that within itself has nothing to do with the soul of a person. Just like the matter of whether Saturday is the correct day to worship God, and to rest. The Lord Himself worked, per say, on Saturday on several occasions, but of course, to do things that were the full will of God, not to get rich, or for other things. So, is Saturday or Sunday important enough to define a person's eternity? No. What matters is that a person congregates with other people to worship God, as was the Lord's custom (because He is our example), and creation itself, which God created, teaches us that having a day of rest regularly is good for our health.
So, what is the grace that both the Lord and Paul teach? The true fulfillment of the law through the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ. The law is simply the instruction that God gives us through His Word so that we know what to do to inherit or have eternal life. This for example says the Word: “Now a certain ruler asked Him, saying, ‘Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?’ So Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother.’ ’ And he said, ‘All these things I have kept from my youth.’ So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, ‘You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.’ But when he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich. And when Jesus saw that he became very sorrowful, He said, ‘How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.’” Luke 18:18-25. And the Word says this also: “And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, ‘Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?’ He said to him, ‘What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?’ So he answered and said, ‘ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’ ’ And He said to him, ‘You have answered rightly; do this and you will live.’ But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbor?’ Then Jesus answered and said: ‘A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.’ So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?’ And he said, ‘He who showed mercy on him.’ Then Jesus said to him, ‘Go and do likewise.’” Luke 10:25-37. So, what do we see clearly? That everything that has to do with loving God and loving our neighbor in the law is still as valid as when God commanded it. And that, if you do not love the Lord above all things, doing as He commands, nor love your neighbor as yourself, you will not inherit or obtain eternal life. And that after all, faith without works is dead, because love can only be shown through action, through work. So, do you live the grace of God through Jesus Christ for eternal life, or do you follow your own ideas following and observing things that are of no value? Lord bless! John