Galatians

I've been thinking a little about Galatians and polygamy today. Paul's letter to the Galatians was written some time between AD54 and AD 57-between the 2nd and 3rd missionary journeys. This letter to the Galatian churches is a personal one. At times, it seems almost loving; others full of anger. This letter was written to address a major controversy in the early Christian church.

False teachers were commanding early Christians to follow the Law of Moses, in order to be counted as the Children of God. Paul is angry that they are still preaching the Old covenant, even though Christ had already paid that debt in Holy blood. Early Christians were no longer required to provide daily sacrifices to atone for their failing to follow a Law that no one among us is perfect enough to keep. Paul speaks of moving away from the rigidness of the "Thou shalt nots" and the endless reinterpretations and human laws built to bubble and enforce these 10 commandments.

Paul's letter teaches us about the new covenant. We are moved out of a time of salvation by following the letter of a Law and into a period of freedom where we are guided by a Holy Spirit to act with hearts of faith, goodness, kindness, and peace. This Spirit is gentle, nurturing, and roams among us almost as a guiding Mother, instead of the distant Father of Old. This is the theological equivalent of a 180. Our debt was paid and we only had to have enough faith to believe it, accept the free gift, and ask God directly to forgive our human failings. Under the New Covenant, a heart of worship, a strong faith, and the righteous actions that flow naturally from those were more important than the works of a human hand.

These new ideas were pretty hard for some to shallow. The safe, familiar darkness that they had been taught all their lives was much more comforting than stepping outside the chains, into something new and full of wonder.

This is not altogether unlike a person choosing to welcome a marriage of three, instead of the dyad couplings we have all been taught. You have to step outside the familiar pronouns, attitudes, and jealousy to adopt a viewpoint that others may resist. One must have love, openness, honesty, transparency, selflessness, and take a risk of rejection with two people-instead of one. This choice requires a little teaching of your friends and family about a new idea and a larger family structure with even more love to spread around. There are new challenges, new obstacles, new ideas, new language, and new opportunities. You will be judged for your beliefs. All that once celebrated your old routines, will not accept your new path. You will lose someone close to you. If you make the good choices, you will gain something fought for and full of wonder.


Galatians 5:22-23: For these are the Fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.


I want to build a family that celebrates these Fruits. I want my children to be like the seeds that fall on good soil, well cared for and loved. I want a family that can celebrate with me a new covenant of three, instead of a dyad of two. I don't want to be wedged between another couple, but accepted as the third point on a triangle, equal, trusted to support my partners, and connected to something larger than myself.