The messengers from Jerusalem and the local pressure groups are trying to put the hurricane of new creation back into the bottle of the old world. It can’t be done. The Messiah’s death has defeated the powers of the world. That is why non-Jewish idolaters have been set free from their former slavery. Paul’s analysis is sharp: “If you try to reverse this—as you would be doing, were you to get circumcised—you are saying you don’t believe in the new creation. You are saying that the Messiah didn’t need to die. You are saying you still belong in the old world.
This is all based on the significance of the Messiah being crucified, being put to death via a method the scriptures deemed cursed.
