The first Christians came from a Jewish background. Either they were Jews or converts to Judaism before they became Christians. But later on, converts in Antioch and Galatia had no Jewish background at all. This caused a problem in the mind of Jewish Christians and Jewish nationalists in relation to the keeping of the law of Moses. Some were saying that salvation came by accepting Jesus and then being a good, moral and upright Jew. There were aggressive voices insisting that the new Christians from a Gentile background be required to submit to circumcision, the eating of a restricted diet and keeping Jewish holy days.

This is the issue that Paul addressed in his letter and visits to Galatia and later at the council of Jerusalem in Acts 15. This was an important issue and had to be resolved clearly and decisively. Were there to be  'two Christianities'  or one? The answer was one! Paul was very clear that the burden of keeping special Jewish regulations should not be imposed on these Gentile converts.

But this is not simply a matter of historical interest. The practical outworking of this issue is that Christians do not life by a system of keeping rules but by following the leading of the Holy Spirit. We are not 'under the law' but 'led by the Spirit'. Ultimately this is expressed in the "law of Christ" - to love both God and neighbour. This is what the law of Moses was pointing to all along.