The author of this report has been charged with exploring the topic of what is known as covenantal nomism. To be a little more specific, the thesis offered and argued by J.D.G. Dunn is that the book of Galatians is Paul's first "sustained attempt" to address the subject of nomism as mentioned above. Essentially, the idea of nomism is that one has to be born into grace and into God's people. It is the opposite of legalism, which is the idea that one can choose to obey God's commandments and join others in being among other people that are likewise choosing to be among the throng. While it is perhaps a bit controversial to discuss and think about the subject, the idea of who can be among God's people and how it can be gained or lost is a real question.
Further, Dunn asserts that Paul was clearly trying to have a clear demarcation between the Jews and the Gentiles, with the latter being of the "sinner" variety. When it comes to Paul's ostensibly segue from being a horrible man to an apostle, he refers to it as a "commissioning" rather than a conversion. Obviously, Protestants look at all of this a little differently in that Paul was clearly among the sort of man that would lose his righteousness even if it could or should be presumed that he was among the chosen people of God. Dunn also makes a lot of the topics of food laws and circumcision. Dunn's ultimate review of Paul involves a drawing of parallels between what Jesus and Paul said on the subject. Jesus, of course, was quick to say that the Pharisaic way of labeling non-sectarians as being sinners was similar to Paul objecting to the Jewish ideal that Gentiles were the same sort of sinners by definition. In doing so, Paul seems to have undermined the Third Pillar of Judaism. He did so by saying that the laws surrounding Judaism at the time (e.g. those about circumcision, food, etc.) were not relevant in determining who received treatment as God's people and who did not. This represented a clear break in beliefs and patterns between Judaism and Christianity [footnoteRef:1]. [1: Dunn, James D. G. The Partings Of The Ways. London: SCM, 2006.]
Hagner speaks about much the same topic but takes his own approach. He echoes the general idea of what nomism represents…
According to Zetterholm (2009), God’s covenant with the people of Israel entails a bilateral relationship. In exchange for special status, the Jewish people agree to obey God’s commandments to the best of their ability. Lapses in judgment due to human nature or sin can be rectified via atonement and divine intervention. Thus, God always intended for faith to be a prerequisite for salvation. The endeavor to live by the commandments