Paul taught to the first Christians the importance of the christian faithfulness, the message of Christ is not based on compliance with rigid rules but on the transformation of the human heart towards God; the Kingdom of God is that hidden treasure (Matthew 13:44) that we have to find within ourselves, the Kingdom is self-knowledge and inner personal growth.
In early Church times, many Christians of Jewish origin wanted to impose circumcision as a rite within the Church, but Paul explained that this was the result of a mentality given over to the flesh, to the ideas of the world; if the object of following Christ is to receive the power of the spirit and thus the blessing of eternal life, the merely external and formal rites are of no use. We have to choose between living according to the spirit or living according to the flesh. The Kingdom of God is not about fulfilling the commandments but about living the gifts inherited from above: "Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful" Luke 6:36.
Having explained the fundamentals of faith, such were the words written by Paul to lead the believers of the Church of Galatia in the path of Christ:
"Those who want to impress people by means of the flesh are trying to compel you to be circumcised. The only reason they do this is to avoid being persecuted for the cross of Christ. Not even those who are circumcised keep the law, yet they want you to be circumcised that they may boast about your circumcision in the flesh. May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is the new creation. Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule—to the Israel of God" Galatians 6:12-16.
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