Ouch! Paul is getting pretty would up by this point. His own journey from being enslaved by the Mosaic Law (Torah) to breathing the fresh air of the Spirit of Christ, was such a momentous experience that the last thing he want is for the fledgling friends of Jesus in Galatia URC to go backwards way. Clearly someone in the congregation was wanting them to revert to life in confinement. Paul says….”No No No. Don’t go back to those dark places where observing the intricacies of the Law ruled your actions and words. Keep calm and trust the Spirit of Christ.” Circumcision was the big debating point. But Paul says : “Move on. Insisting on circumcision will “cut you off” from Christ. (This is a “cutting” remark!) But Paul is in full flow. “Choose the Spirit’s path. There is only one way to enjoy being a friend of Jesus: ‘faith working through love’. “
Paul believes that faith is “made effective” by love. Paul had made discoveries about the Christian life which we can all embrace even though we may not have shared his dramatic journey slavery to freedom, from Saul to Paul, from Law to Love.. Yes… the greatest of these is Love. Trust it. When it hard to love, trust it. When the world prefers violence, trust it. When pain is all around, trust it. When you have runout of all options, trust it.