Eyes on the Spirit

For more commentary on this week's readings, see the Reflections on the Lectionary page, which includes Grieb's current Living by the Word column as well as past magazine and blog content. For full-text access to all articles, subscribe to the Century.

Growing up, I watched Saturday morning television cartoons in which a character was making a decision. On one shoulder an angel hovered, saying, "Do the right thing!" But on the other shoulder perched a devil urging the character to do the wrong thing. You already know what happened: as the angel looked increasingly anxious, the cartoon character chose to do the wrong thing.

Paul's Galatians didn't watch TV cartoons, but they probably had a similar model of decision making. The teachers whom Paul opposes in his letter would have warned them that in every person a powerful evil impulse strives with the impulse for good. Without the law, which the Galatians were to accept by getting circumcised, they would be powerless to resist the evil impulse within them.